"Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people. The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise. Isaiah 43:19-21 (NASB) Hymn: "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" Translated by John M. Neale, Thomas Helmore God promised that He would do a new thing. Elsewhere He describes a new covenant that He would bring to His people, one in which there would be no need for further instruction of the Law because it would be written on the hearts of His people. Here, though, He focuses on the glory of that coming day, when He would do something so new and wonderful that creation itself would benefit, that the beasts would glorify God, and that His people would declare His praise. 'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. Jeremiah 33:14-15 (NASB) This coming day is promised to be one where justice reigns, where the people of God have their needs met, where righteousness shall be the norm.
When Christ came the first time, He initiated the fulfillment of God's promises, but He isn't done yet. We wait in eager hope for that coming day where there will be no more wickedness, no more strife, no more injustice. As we wait, we must see the work God has done and offer Him the praise He is due. And while we wait, we must look forward in eager anticipation of the final fulfillment of His promises. Advent is a period built into the Christian year that refocuses our attention on the waiting, on the anticipation, on the pending joy that we can feel bubbling up inside us as we look to that ever-closer day. As we inch toward Christmas, let us ask God to teach us to enjoy the waiting and take solace in the promise.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation
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