Uncloistered

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  “She gazed ahead through a long reach of future days strung together like pearls in a rosary, every one like the others, and all smooth and flawless and innocent, and her heart went up in thankfulness. Outside was the fervid summer afternoon; the air was filled with the sounds of the busy harvest of men and birds and bees; there were halloos, metallic clatterings, sweet calls, and long hummings. Louisa sat, prayerfully numbering her days, like an uncloistered nun.” A New England Nun By Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930)

Is it really that bad if history repeats itself?

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Matthew 2.

So that’s it, right? God did some strange and wonderful things before and He did it once more by causing a virgin womb to be with child. Remember all those barren wombs in time gone by? But here He is, Jesus is born, grows up and we are saved, right?

No. History repeats itself. Precisely, God showed us in time past what He would do now.

Reminiscent of creation in Genesis, a star captivates the hearts and minds of men and they come to worship. In the pattern of Exodus, the hateful king kills male children. Joshua and Jesus share the same name (Yeshua) and the people continue in their sin pattern as they did in Judges. Jesus is the Davidic King, only without an earthly throne—do you see where this is going? The prophets are quoted constantly by Matthew that the Jewish readers would not mistake who Jesus is—they should recognize Him! For all who pay attention, there is a play-by-play already written on the life of Jesus in the OT! His birth, life, death, resurrection, glorification were all recorded long before He actually came--Matthew takes great pains to show us only some of these things--it should have been no surprise that He would come.

Let us briefly consider how people react to all of this. God was acting and people had to react. Joseph quietly and quickly obeys. Magi move mysteriously out of love for their King while the heathens rage and the nations are in an uproar (Roman occupation of Israel) while others do homage toward the Son (See Psalm 2).

Why do we look so far out to see what God is doing? Why do we think that when He acts it will be an unheard-of miracle? God is acting right under our noses, sometimes doing the same thing He has always done. The problem is, can we recognize it?

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