3 Witnesses and other facts Surrounding the Birth of the Messiah.

The story of Gabriel the Arch-angel who tells Zechariah he will have a son and to name him John, despite their advanced age.

Then to Joseph and Mary and the announcement of they would have the humanity of the Messiah.

Jesus is from the house of David, HE had to be to be the king of David’s promised kingdom. The Davidic Covenant.
Jesus had to have that bloodline which came through Mary. Joseph covered the legal side of the requirement of Kingship in Israel.

The Greek word here is Iesous and that is translated from the Hebrew word ye ho shu ah which means Salvation where we get Yeshuah and Yehovah.
So that’s where we get the name Jesus from.

The word overshadow means to cover with a cloud. This cloud was a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of GOD. Exactly what Mary experienced we don’t know.

That’s all Mary needed to hear. She was fully onboard.
38, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

MIC 4:8, As for you, watchtower of the flock (Hebrew Migdal Eder), stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; the kingdom from the Hebrew root Malach (the King, the Messiah) will come to Jerusalem.”

When birthed, these newborn lambs are examined. I they are a male they further examined to ensure they are without flaw or blemish. EXO 12:5 lays out that requirement.

So, the males that are without blemish are wrapped with strips of old Priestly robes and then placed in a manger. This is to ensure they don’t get stepped on or injured during those first few hours of life.

It is interesting that they brought the prescribed sacrifices but they also brought THE sacrifice.

Take from that that HE the LORD will come thorough for you in HIS timing. Did Simeon ever give up and just stay home, well we don’t know for sure but the Bible says he led a devout lifestyle.

I want you to take a moment it should not take too long and think remember a time when GOD came through for you? HIS promise was fulfilled, your prayers were answered, you saw HIS timing was perfect.

The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death until he first saw the Messiah. Now he sees a young couple from Nazareth dedicating their baby boy at the temple and offering two birds as atonement,

The Priestly Shepherds who heard the angelic announcement and reported what they heard and what they saw in the Messiah.
Simeon came by the Holy Spirit into the Temple: Simeon’s dedication was well known, he was filled with love for his Savior; and he knew of the Messiah through the OT prophets.

But the thing about these first 2, they were just devoted believers in the messiah and they were thrust into the role of being a witness to the greatest story ever told.

37 She never left the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to GOD, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Anna was a remarkable woman. As a widow she knew pain and loss but had not become bitter. Or at least didn’t stay in the frame of mind for long. As an elderly woman she had not lost hope.

But a widow who has accepted the LORD her GOD as her life, as her being, is perhaps one of the happiest, one of the most useful, one of the most gracious of all of GOD’s creatures.

“What a dull life!” some young person might say, and seen from the outside it might seem so; but those who looked on the face of the aged prophetess would see nothing monotonous there. Living continually face to face with GOD.

It was no accident that she was in the temple, just as it was no accident when the Spirit of the LORD guided Simeon there. And it was no accident that the parents of Jesus had brought HIM to the Temple.

The Magi was not 3 people on camels. They were not there at the birth of Christ. And there was probably 1000 or more. There were cooks, security, astronomers, servants and others. It was a huge entourage.

13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”