And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-33
Three names jump off the page today as the angel delivers this message to Mary.
The first is Jacob. He is the grandchild of Abraham, the first recipient of a message that something special will come from his descendants. This promise was then reaffirmed with Jacob’s father, Isaac, and eventually delivered to Jacob. Jacob receives a new name after wrestling with God throughout the night; Israel.
The second is David. He is a descendent of Jacob/Israel’s son Judah. When Judah is blessed by his dying father, a new promise is delivered, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet…” King David receives the promise that his descendant will reign of the house of Jacob/Israel “forever.”
The third is Jesus. It will be through this child that these promises made to the ancestors of Mary (and Joseph’s) will be fulfilled. His name means “YaHWeH rescues.”
We are those descendants, numbered like the stars, following the King, and rescued by God!
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