The Nativity - Not the best start in life

I have read the whole of the Bible twice, some of it three times, a lot of it lots of times. I think about the Bible every day. it is there in my mind and I am still learning. New flashes come to me like has just happened.

The Nativity of Christ was not the best start materially for the future King. The New Testament really plays on how humble it was. Mary had to give birth in a stable on straw like animals do. A human being can not have a more humble start than that. Christ was born like an animal and had to die like a criminal. This is really quite crazy.

Christ didn't really have an earthly Dad. The Bible tells us that Joseph was His Daddy by Law, but not biologically. He also had to be a refugee in Egypt in His early years because of some kind of persecution by Herod on the people; "In Ramah, a voice was heard, lamentations, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they are not".

The last thing any earthly Messianic movement would have done is so create such an impossible Hero. All through the Old and New Covenant it is like this. Even Noah, Moses and David had to have their lives' shortcomings splashed out on the front page of Scripture. Read all about it, David let that poor guard die in battle having deliberately manipulated the situation so he could have Bathsheba! Extra, extra, Noah got caught drunk playing with himself by his sons in his tent. Moses, found guilty of manslaughter of Egyptian or Moses ran away because he got scared of his Vision (like Jonah, too, who was very cowardly at first and tried to run away). No need to talk any further about Paul as Saul or Samuel the Great Prophet slicing and dicing that guy because Saul would not. Of course the rest of the world were even more brutal at that time, sacrificing their blood all over the shop.

Yes, the Hebrew History is laid quite gruesomely bare in all its triumphs and its worst sins. It's as if Elohim has made an example, told a story through this people. For me it is a wonder to appreciate this.

I think this gives us an indication that Hebrew culture has always been an "open Book". Nothing has been hidden or taken away. The gory details are all there. It is like The Most High made it clear that every human is compromised except His Son. He gave His Son the worst start a man could have and by the age of thirty three He had completed His Mission against ALL the odds. The bookies would not have received any bets on Him achieving that.

a reply to: Revolution9

Thank you for this, great read and you are right, I had to read this as I was talking about something similar before turning the PC on, how so few make it when there young lives are shattered and how most successful people come from good starts in life.

Our Lord was homeless when he was teaching and going about his ministration on earth.
Your post brought me back and was a rebuke to my own opinion about something personal so it was at the right time for me and I hope it help's other's.

While I agree with your sentiment, I have a few issues with your op.

Where do you get that Noah was playing with himself? Noah was asleep during whatever went on in that tent. It also expressly states that Ham did something to Noah.

"And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him." Genesis 9:24

Also Samuel's slaying of King Agag wasn't a sin. He was carrying out the command of God; which King Saul failed to do.

S/F

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

a reply to: Josephus

Where do you get that Noah was playing with himself? Noah was asleep during whatever went on in that tent. It also expressly states that Ham did something to Noah. "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him." Genesis 9:24

A better option to what happened in the tent is that Ham violated Noah by sleeping with his Mother Noah's wife . That would seem to make more sense seeing it the curse was placed on Ham's son and not him .

Mike Heiser has a good podcast looking into the incident " Naked Bible 159: Noah’s Nakedness, the Sin of Ham, and the Curse of Canaan " www.nakedbiblepodcast.com...

They say the victors write history, hiding all the sins, mistakes, anything that makes them look bad. Not the Hebrew Scriptures, they show every fault, failure and consequence of their failings
Funny how those who hate the scriptures use the very words written in scripture as a weapon against those who wrote those words, as if they were revealing something not already revealed

I read and study the Bible from time to time but consider myself a slight agnostic only because the Bible was written by the hand of man. Which is bad. Man will always screw something up. Note the Catholic Church not canonizing certain books because they didn't quite fit the plan. Mary Magdolin had hers buried under the church.
It's also important to note that Christ was born of an earthly woman and a god, just like the Greek mythos which is what they eventually replaced in the region. It was an easy segway and one they were familiar with.
Hence faith, you must have faith that this book is truth. I try, I really do. I go to church occasionally, read the Bible, but man has placed doubt in me. A sinner-

a reply to: TexasTruth

The Greeks didn't seem to think the story of Christ had similarity to the Greek Myths.

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
Acts 17:18-20

One consideration I make is that the plan of salvation existed before the world began.

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
1 Peter 1:19-20

Satan is the father of lies and his favorite way to lie seems to be by taking God's word and perverting (twisting) it. I don't see any reason why he couldn't have perverted the story before it literally had taken place.

One doesn't need tons of faith at first. One needs only to place all the faith one has in Christ. In the book of Mark a father brings his son, from whom the disciples have failed to cast out a demon, to Jesus:

And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Mark 9:22-24