Prophecies Fulfilled – Daily Scripture Recordings for March 3-March 9
This week’s scriptures focus on the birth and ministry of Christ and how these events fit into the prophecies of the Old Testament.
This blog post is under construction… meaning that I will add more recordings and comments on the scripture references through the week. I do enjoy reading scriptures and hope to help others find a love for God’s Word by sharing them in this way. My goal is to record the Daily Bible Study passages every day to follow the Daily Bible Study that many Christian denominations use in their Sunday school adult lesson quarterlies. These are known as the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching and published by the Committee on the Uniform Series.
I am reading from the New Living Translation for these recordings.
Matthew 1:22-25 (March 3)
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
–Matthew 1:22-25 (NLT)
Verse 23 is a quote from Isaiah 7:14.
God planted his seed in Mary, and encouraged Joseph to stay by her side as she faced the pointing fingers of the people who would falsely accuse her of sexual sin. Thirty years later the world would hear that God had come to live among us, though not all would understand. Isaiah foretold Christ’s birth hundreds of years earlier.
For children: The First Christmas – a Bible storybook by Janice D. Green also available as an ebook
Matthew 2:1-6 (March 4)
2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[b] and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[d]”
–Matthew 2:1-6 (NLT)
These foreign men traveled a great distance to worship the Messiah, but King Herod feared an unwelcome threat to his throne. The wise men were able to find the Christ Child because of the prophecy Isaiah received and recorded hundreds of years earlier.
For children: The First Christmas – a Bible storybook by Janice D. Green also available as an ebook
Matthew 12:15-23 (March 5)
15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to reveal who he was. 17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:
18 “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen.
He is my Beloved, who pleases me.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not fight or shout
or raise his voice in public.
20 He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
21 And his name will be the hope
of all the world.”[a]
22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”
–Matthew 12:15-23 (NLT)
Again we are reading about the fulfillment of more of Isaiah’s prophecies about Jesus. He came healing the people and doing good. Ultimately his divine goodness would bring hope to a dark and troubled world – something we need today as much as, or more than, ever.
Matthew 21:12-17 (March 6)
12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”[a]
14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.”
But the leaders were indignant. 16 They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
“Yes,” Jesus replied.“Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’[b]” 17 Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.
–Matthew 21:12-17 (NLT)
Jesus performs more miracles, and as he does, the children sing his praises calling him the Son of David. When the religious leaders grumbled to Jesus about what the children were saying, Jesus pointed out Isaiah’s prophecy that the children and infants praise him.
Mathew 22:41-45 (March 7)
41 Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They replied, “He is the son of David.”
43 Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’[a]
45 Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
–Mathew 22:41-45 (NLT)
Jesus uses the Scriptures to explain who he is to the religious leaders of his day. He is a descendant of King David, yet he is King David’s Lord.
Mark 10:46-52 (March 8)
46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”
So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!”50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“My rabbi,[a]” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
52 And Jesus said to him,“Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.[b]
–Mark 10:46-52 (NLT)
What joy! The Son of David (Messiah – Son of God) had given him what he had longed for all of his life. His response? To follow Jesus.
Psalm 89:35-37 (March 9)
35 I have sworn an oath to David,
and in my holiness I cannot lie:
36 His dynasty will go on forever;
his kingdom will endure as the sun.
37 It will be as eternal as the moon,
my faithful witness in the sky!”
–Psalm 89:35-37 (NLT)
God’s perfect holiness will not let him go back on his promise to David. God’s Son, an offspring of David, will become the promised Messiah to the world, and that kingdom will never end.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (March 9)
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
–Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT)
We hear these beautiful words quite often in Christmas and Easter programs. How beautifully they describe our Savior, Jesus the Christ, yet they were written hundreds of years before he was born.
Matthew 1:18-21 (March 9)
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[a] quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.”
–Matthew 1:18-21 (NLT)
This reading directly precedes the reading for March 3 which includes the prophecy which said Christ would be born of a virgin. Contemplate how God brought these two people together and held them together against human logic and probably under the critical eye of those around them who would prefer to point fingers than approve of their marriage.