by Shannon Tillman | Dec 26, 2024 | Bible Study
Psalm 22 is a Messianic prophesy. Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, this Psalm, written by king David, gives specific details about the crucifixion of Jesus.
Psalm 22:14a, 16b-18
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint…. they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them.
This psalm not only gives insight into the death of Jesus but also gives insight into the time of Jesus in the womb of Mary.
Psalm 22:9-10
Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
These two verses explain the life of Jesus: total trust in God. In every situation, He trusted God. In every stage of life, He trusted God. Trust is not a feeling but an action. Every circumstance is a venue to showcase faith in God. I will either trust and obey, or I will choose my own way. From birth, Jesus trusted the Lord.
His faith journey did not lead to riches but to rags, not to safety but to suffering, not to a castle but to a cross. The outcome of trust on earth is not always the world’s idea of what victory should look like. However, what seems like defeat on earth ultimately leads to victory in heaven. Jesus trusted God to the point of death, even death on a cross, and because He did so the way of salvation was presented to the world. And for 2,000 years, lives have been eternally saved by this good news.
Psalm 22:30-31
Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
Spiritual victory in life, a life that impacts generations, comes down to one thing: trust. Every situation is an opportunity to showcase faith in God. We can choose to be like Jesus. His life was one of trusting God completely. Because He trusted God even to the point of death, He conquered sin and the grave. Today, we proclaim “He has done it!” New generations for 2,000 years have been told of the victory at the cross. He trusted God and lives are still being changed.
We can follow His example of trust starting today. Do not look back on the times you did not trust God “from the womb”. Instead, choose this moment to trust Him in each situation you are facing. A life marked by trust of God is a life that looks like Jesus.
by Shannon Tillman | Dec 19, 2024 | Bible Study
Have you ever wanted just a few more details on how something happened or how a conversation took place? That is how I feel when I read this verse.
Matthew 1:18
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
The most magnificent miracle since creation takes place and we are only given one verse in the book of Matthew. One verse! I have questions. How did this happen exactly? What emotions did she feel? Did she see evidence of the Holy Spirit like a cloud or was it more of a feeling? Was there supernatural light in the room or even a light emanating from her body? Or maybe nothing obvious happened and it truly was all by faith? I want to know more! We are left with only one verse that does not answer all of my questions.
The book of Luke does not add much more detail:
Luke 1:34-35
But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.
However, a Jewish audience would have connected the work of the Spirit over Mary with significant moments in Jewish history.
For example, Bezalel had the Spirit to build the tabernacle of God.
Exodus 31:1-4
Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
The Spirit came upon seventy elders in the wilderness to help Moses lead Israel.
Numbers 11:25
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.
The Spirit came upon Balaam to bless Israel and to prevent him from cursing the people.
Numbers 24:1-3
Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message…
In the book of Judges, the Spirit of the Lord often came upon different people so that they had the power to defeat the enemies of Israel. One such example is Othniel.
Judges 3:9-10
But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul to confirm his kingship, with signs of prophesy and transformation.
1 Samuel 10:6
The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
Sadly, due to his sin, the Spirit of the Lord left Saul and an evil spirit came to torment him. This is what opened the door for the next king of Israel, David.
1 Samuel 16:13a
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David…
The Spirit of God came to give prophetic warnings to the people.
2 Chronicles 24:20
Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’”
When Matthew wrote how the Spirit came upon Mary, the readers would recall that when the Spirit came upon a person then powerful, mighty events took place that impacted not just the person but the nation and even other countries as well. That one verse is a link to thousands of years of history, which began with the first mention of the Spirit in Genesis.
Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
The Spirit that hovered over darkness prepared the way for light to shine. Once again, the Spirit hovered over Mary to bring the spiritual Light into this dark world. This Light, Jesus, would build the spiritual temple of God. He would disperse the Spirit to others. He would bless Israel to become the first carriers to bless the nations with the gospel message. He would conquer the enemy. He would give prophetic words and see lives transformed. He would rebuke and give warning. He would come powerfully upon His people so that families, people, nations are changed!
This one verse unwraps the miracle of the gift of the Spirit to us. While in the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon people, we now have the miracle of the Spirit within us just as Jesus promised.
John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (emphasis mine)
Read again the verse that in a few words capture this great miracle:
Matthew 1:18
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your work throughout history on us, in us, and through us. Continue your powerful work in your people today! Amen!
by Kevin Tillman | Dec 12, 2024 | Bible Study
He’s one of the most important characters in the Bible, yet there is not one quote from him any where in Scripture. Joseph, the father of Jesus, had the privilege and responsibility of raising the child Jesus in his home. Not just any man could do this job. This was an assignment of someone with faithfulness. I believe Joseph serves as an example for men today. Once again, not one quote from him in the Bible, yet we have several instances of obedience. Joseph was humble and faithful.
I believe everything we need to know about Joseph is seen clearly in one verse:
Matthew 1:24
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”
There it is … “he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him”. Joseph was obedient. he didn’t mull it over. He heard a message, and he responded in faithfulness.
On four occasions we see Joseph had a dream and a message from an angel. In each dream, the same outcome. He woke up, and he obeyed.
The first dream was the angel telling Joseph that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that he was to still take her as his wife. Talk about a big ask! Joseph had already been planning on divorcing Mary quietly, which was a way to protect her. Even when he felt he had been betrayed, his love for Mary was strong. But now, the command is to Mary her anyway. The baby is not from another man, this baby is from God. Joseph knew this to be true, but Joseph had to know that not everyone would believe such a story. I’m sure he had to be aware of the gossip that would come. Yet, here he is a humble and faithful man that “did what the angel of the Lord commanded him.”
The second dream was when Joseph was told to leave for Egypt.
Matthew 2:13-15
“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
There’s a warning, but the warning is only valid if it’s heard.
As a side note from the Joseph narrative, isn’t that a word for us today? God can put warnings and roadblocks in front of us. He can try and sway us in the right direction. The Holy Spirit can prompt us to do (or not do) something. But, if we aren’t willing to obey, it’s just a warning.
Back to Joseph … he does heed the warning. Once again, look at Joseph’s response, “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt”. I actually love the “during the night” part. This was a dream, meaning presumably this was at night. Joseph didn’t waste any time obeying. This was a simple, “God said it, let’s go” type of thing. Wow, if that isn’t a lesson for us today!
The third dream occurred when it was now safe to go back to Israel.
Matthew 2:19-21
“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.”
Joseph’s response should be fairly easy to decipher at this point. Once again, “So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.” I just love these immediate responses. There wasn’t a wait a few days to get things in place. Nope, it was immediate, “he got up”. I think it’s clear why Joseph was the right man for this responsiblity.
The fourth dream was another warning dream. This time Joseph was given a different route.
Matthew 2:22
“But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, “
Once again Joseph was listening. he was warned in a dream, and then he “withdrew to the district of Galilee”. The implication of this dream is significant I believe. Joseph had previously been told to head back to Israel, so he started the journey. Now, while on that journey, a new word. This time, take a detour. God says, go another way. What a lesson for us. God may send us in a direction, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a straight line. There will be twists and turns and detours on the path. Our job, much like Joseph, is to humbly obey.
Joseph was a man that only got a small portion of time in the Scriptures. At some point he died before the crucifixion of Jesus. We have no recorded words by Joseph, but we do see a humble and faithful man.
I don’t have hard evidence for this, but I do believe Joesph is what we might call a “man’s man” today. We do know he was a carpenter. He built things with his hands. He was a tradesman. I picture him as being a man of few words. What we do know are these four dreams that provided Joseph four opportunities to obey, and he did! I picture Joseph as a quiet man of humility. No where do we see any indication that Joseph complained about what he had lost. Undoubtedly he was talked about. His name was drug through the mud by many. Yet, this faithful man was concerned about obedience and protecting his wife and his new son, who just happened to be the promised Messiah.
So, what’s our takeaway? First and foremost, God chooses people of humble character for great assignments. Secondly, obedience is the key. Joseph could have chosen to not respond to the angel’s dreams. But, he did. He obeyed, and God continued to take care of him. It’s the same for us today. God blesses obedience. When we take a step of faith, God blesses it. Stay humble, listen, and then obey. That’s the lesson from the life of Joseph.
by Shannon Tillman | Dec 5, 2024 | Thoughts
The book of Matthew begins with a genealogy. Some of the names are more familiar than others. Yet, often, these verses are skipped over to continue to the narrative. But by doing this, we miss the story that formed the history of Jesus! It is a messy family tree which makes it all the more interesting.
Let me highlight a few of the people on the list:
- Abraham: Father of the faith, also lied about his wife being his sister (actually, more manipulated the truth since she was his half-sister). This put her in the Pharoah’s harem. Sadly, he did this more than once!
- Jacob: a liar and deceiver. Through four different women, he had twelve sons which became the tribes of Israel.
- Judah: Slept with his daughter-in-law thinking she was a prostitute. He was planning on having her killed when she proved that he was the father.
- Rahab: a Canaanite prostitute that was rescued out of Jericho.
- Ruth: a Moabite, idol worshipper, from a pagan nation that were enemies of Israel. She left her nation and her gods to accompany her mother-in-law to Israel.
- David: a mighty king who also had an adulterous affair, then killed the husband of the woman even though the man, Uriah, was one of the mighty men of Israel’s army. Also, he decided to conduct a census of Israel against God’s will so the nation was punished, costing the lives of thousands of people.
- Solomon: wisest man who ever lived. However, he died foolishly because he married so many women who led him astray after other gods. He abandoned the Lord and became an idol worshipper.
- Rehoboam: listened to his friends instead of wise counsel which ended up splitting the nation of Israel into two kingdoms.
- Uzziah: a mighty king who expanded the borders of Israel. However, he decided he wanted to conduct priestly duties in the temple. The priests had to confront him, and he was struck with leprosy due to his actions.
- Manasseh: an evil king who killed his own children in idol worship. He was captured by Babylon and sent to prison. Yet, he cried out to the Lord in his distress. Amazingly, Manasseh was allowed to return to Israel as king where he spent the rest of his life telling others to return to the true God.
These are just a few from the list. But what encourages me is that Christ still came. The dysfunction, rebellion, perversion, and crime did not stop the plan of God to bring salvation to the world through this family line. In fact, God took terrible situations and turned them in amazing ways over hundreds of years. The perfect Man, Son of God, had an imperfect heritage.
My family is messed up, and so is yours. Our dysfunction may look different, but it is sin just the same. Yet, Jesus can still come forth in our generation. We can choose to be the ones who do what is right, no matter what wrong was done in previous generations, no matter the wrong done to us.
In the list of names are also faithful kings who tore down idols and fought to protect the nation. There are names of heroes who chose to return to build the temple of God after years of exile. There were men like Boaz and Salmon who married foreign women, changed their lives, and brought them into the people of God.
Your generation is now. It does not matter your age. You have the opportunity to “birth Christ” into your family line. When you choose to live according to the Lord, not according to your past, you bring Jesus to your family. It may not be readily accepted by others. They may choose the “old family ways”. But you can be faithful today, no matter what others have done in generations before you.
Jesus still comes to families. The genealogy stops with Him. No more family problems after Jesus shows up. He is the perfect Son. He brings salvation to the whole family!
Be encouraged. No matter your family issues, Jesus still comes; He still delivers; He still redeems. You are no longer defined by your past or your family’s past, instead your present is measured by Jesus. His record is perfect! You have a new family tree; it is the cross of Jesus!
