Bill Kent

A baby brings happiness and excitement into a family and community. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends celebrate the new life coming into the world. A new baby is seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting new things each day. The little baby is helpless but will grow and learn in time. It’s fun to watch little children learning. Therefore, new parents are some of the happiest people in the world. When a new baby comes, we mark the date and remember the birthday for a lifetime.

  The anticipation of the new child coming is almost as enjoyable as the actual birth. As the time of Jesus’ birth drew near, it was a long time in coming. For example, King David was told about 1000 years before Christ that one of his descendants would be extra special. Even though the earthly kingdom of David declined after several generations, God’s spiritual kingdom was renewed when Jesus was born. Everything happened according to God’s promise of an everlasting spiritual kingdom. The Lord said to David, “And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever,” (2 Samuel 7:16).

  So Jesus was born into the royal tribe of Judah in Bethlehem just as forecast by the Lord in the Old Testament. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting,” (Micah 5:2). Several people, understanding the Old Testament, rejoiced in the birth of the Newborn King. Anna was a well-respected woman in Israel. She thanked God knowing Jesus brings redemption.

  Also, aged Simeon was told By God he would see the Anointed One before he died. When Simeon saw baby Jesus, “he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said: Lord now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,” (Luke 2:28-31). Worship and Adore the Newborn King.