Luke the physician wrote concerning Joseph and Mary, “when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)”, and in chapter two and verse twenty-four of his book Luke shares how Joseph and Mary also went to Jerusalem, “to offer a sacrifice” where we read:
And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord,
A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
The verse reads, “And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, ...” Luke began with the words, “and to offer a sacrifice” or “and to grant, supply, furnish and bestow an offering” “according to” which means “toward and through out” “that which is said” or “that which is uttered, declared and proclaimed” “in the law” which means “within the rule, command, precept and injunction” “of the Lord” or “pertaining to the One to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”. Luke shared how Joseph and Mary were complying with the “command” of God by presenting an “offering” to Him for the birth of their firstborn son.
The verse continues, “... A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Luke added the words, “a pair of turtledoves” which means “a couple or two doves known for their dull sounding cooing”, “or two young pigeons” which refers to “or a couple of young birds, pigeons or doves”. Luke shared how the offering to be brought by new parents of a firstborn son was to be a “couple of turtledoves” or “two youthful pigeons”.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn more about the obedience of Joseph and Mary as well as their financial condition. A “lamb” was to be offered for the “opening of the matrix” if a couple was well off enough to pay for one. However, if they were “poor”, they were to bring “two turtledoves” as a sacrifice. Joseph and Mary brought “two turtledoves” to offer to the Lord in compliance with the “law of God”, and as this act was also a part of God's plan to offer “salvation” to mankind, Joseph and Mary continued to demonstrate their compliance to God's purpose of having people believe and trust in Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Luke shares about, “a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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