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 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!
by Shannon Tillman | Nov 28, 2024 | Thoughts
I did not know her story, yet without words she touched my heart.
It was a difficult day for me. I had a situation that was tearing my life apart. The pain seemed to never go away. Once again, I was in church and engaging in worship. Tears flowed freely as I struggled to sing, but in truth, I could hardly pray.
At that moment, I saw her. She was on stage singing with the worship team. In the midst of the song, she raised her hand. I do not know how I knew, but I just felt it was a true sacrifice of praise. She was raising her hand in her pain and choosing to believe God despite what she had gone through. And I knew, by her example, I could do the same. My tears stopped for a moment and I began to breathe a wordless thanksgiving from a very broken heart.
Later, I found out her story. She had tragically lost her husband a few years before. The day of her hand-raising in the midst of worship would have been their wedding anniversary. She chose to praise in her pain, to thank God while grieving her tragedy, to worship despite her wounds.
That is true thanksgiving. We often think it can only come out of an overflowing heart from blessed circumstances. But that day I saw what true thanksgiving looked like. It took me back to the first Thanksgiving. The pilgrims celebrated their lives because they made it through winter even though most of the colony had tragically died. It was not from years of triumph, but from years of loss that they chose to give thanks. They survived. They saw another day. They still had breath in their lungs, and they used it to give thanks. In the grieving, they held onto hope.
Friend, I do not know what you may be experiencing. This Thanksgiving may be born out of loss and pain. I encourage you to follow the example of this precious woman who raised her hand to praise the God who comforts us, who is near us, who loves us, who takes care of us in our pain.
Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
May you feel the comfort of God as I did that day, knowing He understands our pain and others can encourage us to hold on, to believe God, to even thank Him on the very difficult days.
by Shannon Tillman | Nov 21, 2024 | Bible Study
Have you ever seen something new to you, even though it has always been there? No, I am not referring to a Christmas love movie. Actually, I am thinking more of a crime scene. There are many reasons that I could never be a detective. For one, I faint at blood. Another, is that I do not pay attention to details.
A few months back, my husband and I were walking the neighborhood when I saw a solar panel fixture in the median. I said, “Look at the new solar panel light.”
He replied, “Shannon, that has always been there.” After years of walking the same route, I finally saw the solar panels. No one would hire me to investigate a crime.
I felt the same way recently when I read the Cain and Abel passage. I have heard this crime tale for years, but something struck me in a different way this time when I read again about the gruesome scene when one brother killed the other.
Genesis 4:2-16
” …Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
The Lord tells Cain that If he does what is right, then his offering would be accepted. In other words, his offering was wrong. Throughout Scripture, we see animal sacrifices. Could it be (now this is my attempt of being a detective establishing motive, so bear with me), could it be that Cain knew that the acceptable sacrifice was a lamb? Did he know that blood had to be shed? If so, then why did he bring vegetables? Is there a possibility that Cain did not want to ask his brother for a lamb so he decided to bring vegetables instead?
Ponder this with me. I had never thought about this before, that Cain could have received a lamb from Abel or even traded vegetables to get one from him. Instead of doing this, Cain chose his own way, his own opinion, his own desire. What if the sin began because Cain refused to humble himself and admit that he had lack in his life, or that his way would not work, or he needed help or guidance from others? Unfortunately, he would rather bring an offering of his own choosing than have his brother help him.
Before we judge Cain, we should look at ourselves. Have we chosen to do what we want to do even though it was outside of God’s will? Have we “spiritualized” our actions even though the attitude is really not of God? Have we refused to humble ourselves before others to get the help we need? Have we become angry at others who truly are righteous because we do not want to face the unrighteousness in our own lives? Could it be our attitudes led to more sin because we refused opportunities of humility along the way? (Like a detective, I am asking a lot of questions!) Cain needed a lamb and refused. We, too, need a Lamb, Jesus. When we choose pride, we reject the Lord’s ways for our lives.
Cain refused to humble himself to ask for a lamb. Cain refused to humble himself when rebuked by God. Cain refused to humble himself and acknowledge his attitude against his brother was wrong. Refusing humility opened the door to shocking sin.
Genesis 4:8
“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”
Cain ignored God’s warning and murdered his brother. Cain killed his brother instead of killing the wrong desires in his own heart. Cain blamed Abel for being righteous compared to judging the unrighteousness in his own thoughts and actions. Before we congratulate ourselves for being a better person than Cain, let us read the words of Jesus:
Matthew 5:21-22
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Been angry at anyone lately? You are subject to judgment. Called anyone names? You should stand before the court. Condemning others? That puts you in danger of being condemned. We are Cain. We have hurt our brothers and sisters due to our own pride and selfish ambition. Cain suffered consequences for his actions.
Genesis 4:9-12
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Cain never acknowledges his sin against his brother. Even after God confronts him, he still is only concerned about the punishment he received compared to the actions he had committed.
Genesis 4:13-14
“Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Even though Cain never humbled himself, God still showed him mercy.
Genesis 4:15
“But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.”
Even in the light of mercy shown to him, Cain did not acknowledge his sin. Proud until the end, Cain did not even show remorse for the biggest loss of all.
Genesis 4:16
“So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”
Cain went out from the Lord’s presence. He never acknowledged that he was bothered by the loss of God in his life. He would rather live under punishment than humble himself and receive forgiveness.
Today, we can choose a different response.
Matthew 5:23-24
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Cain’s refusal to humble himself to acquire a lamb from his brother, Cain’s anger at the rejection of his offering, Cain’s lack of humility at God’s rebuke, began a series of events leading to crime and punishment. Cain looked at his brother instead of looking at himself. We justify punishing others instead of changing ourselves. Our lack of humility can lead to the same.
We can have a different response than Cain’s response at the altar. We can choose the path of humility and pursue reconciliation. By doing so, we place ourselves in right relationship with God and others, staying in His presence, the greatest gift of all.
by Shannon Tillman | Nov 7, 2024 | Bible Study
I hate confrontation. Actually, I tried to write I “dislike” confrontation but did not
think that word was strong enough to explain my emotions. I hate it.
Unfortunately, I have made many compromises in my life in attempts to avoid it.
I have also suffered drastic consequences for not speaking up when I should have
done so. Unfortunately, I can relate to Israel’s most evil king, a man named
Ahab. He also did not speak up or do the right thing when it was in his power to
act.
Ahab was a military expert but a failed husband and father. Despite miraculous
military conquests enabled by the Lord, Israel’s king, Ahab, continued to allow his
wife, the infamous Jezebel, to expand her evil religious domain in Israel. Not only
did Ahab not confront her, he eventually joined her wickedness as she expanded
demon worship throughout the kingdom. Although Ahab would receive counsel
from God’s prophets, he ultimately allowed the choices of Jezebel to prevail.
1 Kings 16:29-33
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of
Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri
did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only
considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also
married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve
Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he
built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the
anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
Although the king would worship Baal, Ahab wanted the Lord to help during
military battles.
1 Kings 20:1, 10, 13, 21
Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-
two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and
attacked it… Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be
it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a
handful.”… Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what
the Lord says: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and
then you will know that I am the Lord.’”… The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted
heavy losses on the Arameans.
Although the Lord proved time and again that He was God alone, Ahab wavered
between victory on the battlefield and defeat at home. Ahab did not care about
the spirituality of his family. As long as Ahab had kingdom victories, he did not
exert energy to ensure spiritual victories in his family. His wife and children could
serve idols as long as his “ministry”, his work, his fights were won.
I feel like this too often defines Christian families. We neglect obvious issues in
the home. Sometimes, more energy is expended to address “kingdom” issues
instead of dealing with problems in our families. We are conquering the world in
God’s name while avoiding confrontation in the family. If those like Ahab do care,
then they are not willing to risk the argument that would ensue by confronting
and tearing down the idols in the home. We are so bold for the kingdom, yet so
weak in our homes.
I knew of a minister whose children were evidently wounded from problems in
the home. When the situation was addressed, most church members ignored the
issue, deciding to look the other way. A growing church was more important than
broken children. The minister rejected help and turned the loving confrontation
into a violent attack on those who spoke up. The dysfunction continued. Ahabs
and Jezebels continue today. They have kingdom victories while idols in the home
destroy the families. The church celebrates the victory and looks away at the
evident dysfunction, issues, in other words sin, to the detriment of the children.
Deciding to not deal with idols, with strongholds, with sins in one generation can
lead to devastating consequences later on. One of the daughters of Ahab
murdered others in order to gain the throne in Judah:
2 Kings 11:1
When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded
to destroy the whole royal family.
Athaliah expanded her control by force. Her mother, Jezebel, murdered as well in
order to get what she wanted. When we do not deal with our sins, it can lead to
brutal sins in the next generation.
We must take drastic action in our lives for the sake of future generations. We
need to stand in authority, cast out family idols, and lead our family in the
worship of the Lord. But to do this, we must evaluate ourselves, to ask the Lord
to show us what we value more than Him. Whatever or whoever is placed first in
our lives is an idol. That idol cannot be dealt with gently but must be cast down.
Radical effort is necessary for radical change. Future generations will be blessed
by the effort exerted to restore the Lord as the King of your house.
