Advent of the Redeemer – Part 4

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For Unto us is Born this Day in the City of David

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago,

From the days of eternity. Micah 5:2

The Christmas frenzy has come and gone and our Advent reflection has drawn to a close.

This past Sunday across the world, Christians of all denominations remembered Mary and Joseph’s journey to the tiny city of Bethlehem.

It was in that village, within walking distance of the City of Peace, that our Prince of Peace was born.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 

By the time Joseph led a tired and very pregnant Mary into their ancestral home, any trade significance Bethlehem had had as a city had faded—though it was still important. God Himself placed importance on the small village as evidenced through Micah 5:2.

It was in Bethlehem, within walking distance of the City of Peace, that our Prince of Peace was born. Click To Tweet

The Sacrificial Lamb

It was Bethlehem where sacrificial lambs—the Paschal lambs for Passover and the Tamid lambs for the twice-daily sin sacrifice—were raised. You could say these lambs were slain before they were born, their destiny was sacrifice.

These shepherds, who were caring for the lambs, were the first to be told when the Lamb of God was born.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Luke 2:8-14

Why would it be a sign to them specifically? These shepherds had watched hundreds and thousands of sheep being led to the slaughter year after year—they intimately understood the meaning of Hebrews 10:1-4.

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The Jewish historian, Josephus related that 256,500 lambs were killed in the Temple for Passover in one year (between 66-70 CE). And that was just Passover. (You can read the account of Passover in Exodus 12. Passover saved those covered by the blood of the lamb from God’s judgement.

In addition to the Paschal lambs, there were also the Tamid lambs. These were the lambs that were sacrificed twice daily. This sacrifice was continual, every day, and never-ending. These lambs were sacrificed along with a bread offering (flour & oil) and wine for a drink offering.

What does God Desire?

Let’s turn back to Micah, one chapter after the Bethlehem prophecy. In Micah 6:6-8, the prophet says a very interesting thing to God. In light of the sin of his nation, he cries out, asking what type of sacrifice he could possibly bring that would please God:

With what shall I come to the Lord and bow myself before the God on high?

Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves?

Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Click To Tweet

Does God require us to present our firstborn for our rebellious acts? No, God Himself presented His firstborn.

Does God provide a way for us to fulfill what He requires? Yes, through the power of His Son, Jesus—the epitome of justice, kindness, and humility—was born among the Paschal and Tamid lambs to be our Sacrificial Lamb. Jesus who was the bread offering was broken for us. Jesus who was the drink offering spilled out his life for us. Jesus provided Himself as our perpetual atonement so that God’s judgement will pass over us.

Jesus—our High Priest—hung on the cross and breathed out his last while the Tamid lamb was sacrificed in the temple. Jesus’ last words echoed—but truly fulfilled—the high priest’s words after the Paschal sacrifice, “It is finished.”

Reflecting on His Advent

As we patiently await our Messiah’s Second Advent, let us take to heart Micah’s words. Through the power of Jesus’ Spirit who lives within us, may we live a life that pleases the Lamb of God.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

He has told you what is good. What does the Lord require? To do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with your God. Click To Tweet

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:1-11

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40 thoughts on “Advent of the Redeemer – Part 4”

  1. Stephen De La Vega

    Wonderful series, Stephanie. I enjoyed it and looked forward to each part. What a great way to wrap it up: what does God want us to do in response? Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. These 3 qualities seem hard to come by today, especially in a single package. I see the opposite. I WAS the opposite, and I hope people know me differently now. Jesus came not only to save, but to transform through the Holy Spirit. How Wonderful. Brilliant series, Stephanie.

  2. Yvonne Morgan

    I love this seriesStephanie. I love the 3 qualities you listed, do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. Imagine our world if everyone followed these ideals, it would be a much better place. But then, would we need Jesus?

  3. Karen Friday

    Great post, Stephanie. I never connected the prophecy in Micah 6 to what is prophesied in chapter 5. How interesting about what kind of sacrifice and that God provided His “firstborn” as a sacrifice for all of us. Glory to God!

    And oh, how I want to live that life that pleases the Lamb!

  4. Jamie Boettcher

    I didn’t realize until I read this today that I needed a final Advent reflection. I’ve started to focus on plans for the New Year, I hadn’t let the Christmas season linger in my soul the way it should. Thank you.

  5. Anne Mackie Morelli

    Stephanie – a great post and a really well done series! I really appreciated your insights and thoughtful comments. I particularly appreciated how you connected the OT passages to the NT passages. The Micah 6 passage calls us to live a life of justice, love and mercy, and to walk humbly as we wait for Jesus’ return. Thanks for the reminder of the call, especially when it could be so easy to get distracted by the chaotic, turbulent times. Thanks for the post!

  8. Melinda Viergever Inman

    Your blogposts are always thought provoking and theologically rich! Thank you for these words of insight. This passage in Micah – “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – you tied beautifully to its fulfillment in Christ. You also held it up as our model for living as faithful followers of Christ. Thank you for the rich meditation on Christ as sacrificial Lamb and as the holy and perfect Son of God. God bless you, sister,!

  9. Ava James

    Such a lovely series to help us focus on Advent, wish I had started reading it sooner! Thank you for sharing such rich nuggets that are so beneficial.

  10. Elizabeth Whitley

    Such a great reminder! We often think we need to do something grand to be deserving of our relationship with God. And it’s just the opposite- What He really wants is our humility.
    Great scriptures used here!

  11. Shannon Stedman

    I love that God is about being rather than doing. He is concerned about our hearts because that is where our actions flow from. He wants us to Be kind, Be humble, Be merciful, Be faithful, Be loving. Thank you for your thoughts!!

  14. Christina Dronen

    I really enjoyed this Stephanie. I didn’t know about the two types of sacrificial lambs – nor that there were 2 daily sacrifices 365 days a year! That is a LOT of lambs!

    I love that verse in Micah but had never noticed before that it says in the verse before “Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

    How profound!

    Thanks for the encouraging & informative series.

    1. stephaniemgammon

      So many discoveries. Dr. Chuck Missler used to say the study of the Bible could be shallow enough for a child to wade in and deep enough for an elephant to drown in. We’ll never discover all there is to be discovered. But it’s so much fun to try. Thanks for reading, Christina.

  15. Elaine

    Thank you, Stephanie, for this series. I’ve so appreciated your insights and the call to reflect on Christ this season. I had no idea how many lambs were sacrificed per year. It’s astounding. You’re so right that the shepherds intimately understood the meaning of the Passover Lamb. I hadn’t really considered how many of their lambs were lovingly cared for and then delivered for sacrifice.

  18. Anneliese Dalaba

    I want to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? How thankful I am that God gave His firstborn for my sin. I cannot grasp that kind of love, yet I am eternally grateful.

  19. Chip Mattis

    I never knew about the shepherds in Bethlehem raising the lambs for slaughter. I guess it makes sense since David was a shepherd in Bethlehem. It’s a really good point. Surely they would have had a much deeper appreciation for the events of that night than we give them credit for.
    Thanks for this series. I think in the busyness of the holiday, I lose sight of the significance.

  20. Melissa McLaughlin

    What a deeply inspiring post! I was struck by the layers of meaning regarding the sacrificial lambs: “It was Bethlehem where sacrificial lambs—the Paschal lambs for Passover and the Tamid lambs for the twice-daily sin sacrifice—were raised. You could say these lambs were slain before they were born, their destiny was sacrifice.”
    Wow. Such an incredible echo from the Old to New Testaments.
    Thank you for this powerful conclusion to the Advent series!
    God bless you and yours in the year ahead!

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