LESSON I.—SABBATH, JANUARY 7, 1899.
Nazareth and Bethlehem, B.C. 5. NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further. 18 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away11privily. But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His name JESUS; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins. 22 Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. And they shall call His name Immanuel; 24 which is, being interpreted, God with us. And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a Son; and he called His name JESUS." 26 "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee. But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. 34 And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; wherefore also that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God." 1 "Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child. And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born Son; and she wrapped Him in swaddling-clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." - How is Christ introduced to the student of the New Testament? Matt. 1:1. See note 1. (Rom. 9:4, 5; 1:3, 4; Gal. 4:4.)
- How did the birth of Christ come about? V. 18. (Isa. 7:14.)
- Who had previously visited Mary? Luke 1:26, 27. (Dan. 8:16, 9:21.)
- By what name was she then instructed to call this promised Son? V. 31. (Luke 2:21; Acts 4:27.)
- As the descendant of David, what was Jesus to receive? V. 32. (2 Sam. 7:12; Jer. 23:5, 6; Ps. 132:11; Rev. 3:7.)
- By what other name was Jesus to be called? What is its meaning? Matt. 1:23.
- Learning the apparent state of affairs, what did Joseph think of doing? V. 19. See note 2. (Deut. 24:1.)
- While in this state of mind, who appeared to Joseph? and how? V. 20.
- By what words did the angel assure Joseph?
- Why was the Child's name to be Jesus? V. 21. (Acts 4:12.)
- What prophecy was thus fulfilled? Vs. 22, 23. (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16.)
- What effect did this word from God have upon Joseph's mind? V. 24.
- Shortly after this, what decree was issued by the Roman emperor? Luke 2:1. See note 3.
- Where did Joseph and Mary therefore go to be registered? Vs. 3, 4. (Luke 1:27; 1 Sam. 16:4-13; John 7:42.)
- What soon took place after their arrival in Bethlehem? Vs. 6, 7. See note 4. (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:6.)
- What humble resting-place was assigned to Jesus? V. 7. Why was this? (2 Cor. 8:9; Matt. 8:20.)
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," pp. 43, 44. 1. The generation of.—Inasmuch as Christ was to be manifested to the world as the "promised Seed" of Abraham (Gal. 3:16), it was absolutely necessary, in giving an account of His life, for the evangelists first to trace his ancestry on the fleshly side, back to Abraham, and so establish His identity as the Messiah. Matthew, therefore, begins with Abraham, and follows the genealogy down through David to Joseph, the reputed father of Christ. Matt. 1:1-16. By this he attempts to prove that Jesus is the heir of the everlasting covenant made with Abraham, and renewed to David. Gen. 17:7; 2 Sam. 7:12-17; Isa. 9:6, 7. To this end he shows that Jesus stood in such family relations to Joseph as to have claim to all that belonged to him as the lineal descendant of Abraham. Luke, however, presents the ancestral line of Mary, inverting the order followed by Matthew, and tracing her lineage from Heli, her father, back through David and Abraham, to Adam, who was the son of God. Luke 3:23-38. This record says that Christ was the "supposed" son of Joseph, but He was, in reality, the son, that is, the maternal grandson, of Heli, the son of Matthat, etc. It will be noticed that both genealogies unite in Abraham, making it doubly sure that Christ was the promised "Seed" of that patriarch. 2. Put her away.—It seems that a divorce was easily obtained at that time. The form of such a bill among the Jews was called "Gett," and was written upon parchment by a Jewish notary, in the presence of one or more of the rabbis, and was to contain no more than twelve lines. It was not supposed to state the reason or reasons why the separation was decreed, but simply to say that the woman was discharged from all obligation to her former connection, and was free to marry whomsoever she pleased. 3. Enrolled.—In such registrations, or enrolment, it was necessary for each person to report for enrolment in the ancestral town. Joseph and Mary being both lineal descendants of David, they must repair to the "city of David" to be enrolled, according to the decree of the Roman emperor, whose subjects they were. 4. Brought forth.—"And so it was" that Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in fulfilment of the prophecy, when his mother was a resident of Nazareth in Galilee. This is but one of many examples of how decrees of nations or kings have been steps to the fulfilment of prophetic utterances. Not that God made kings issue such decrees, but He, seeing the "end from the beginning," could fully state beforehand the results of these mandates.