Luke 2:22-24
We Gentiles do not always
grasp the Laws God set for His people, and it is easy to read pass verses like
Luke 2:22-24 without understanding what was taking place. So lets read them: “And when the time came for their purification
according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him
to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first
opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice
according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or
two young pigeons.” (Luke
2:22-24 ESV) If we go to the Exodus out
of Egypt, God gave Moses clear instructions on the consecration of the
firstborn. These were the words of God
to Moses, “Consecrate
to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the
first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is
mine.” (Exodus 13:2)
God is not mixing words; all
the firstborn in Israel are the Lords, both man and beast. And we find God’s reason for doing so when
the young man ask his dad why was he the first born consecrated to the Lord;
the dad is to tell the story of how God killed the firstborn of Egypt both man
and beast, and this should always be a reminder of the strong hand of the Lord
as He brought His people out of Egypt.
We find the requirements in
Leviticus 12:6-8, “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or
for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of
meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove
for a sin offering, and he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement
for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law
for her who bears a child, either male or female. And if she cannot afford a
lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt
offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement
for her, and she shall be clean.” It
is clear that Joseph and Mary were what we call under-resourced and so they
presented a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. We
should always hold to this truth; Jesus came to fulfill the Law not to abolish
it, look at Matthew 5:17, “Do
not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come
to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
From
the Back Porch,
Bob
Rice
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