“Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; That I might destroy them that hate me. They cried, but there was none to save them: Even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; And thou hast made me the head of the heathen: A people whom I have not known shall serve me. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: The strangers shall submit themselves unto me. The strangers shall fade away, And be afraid out of their close places.”
Psalm 18:40-45 KJV,https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.18.40-45.KJV
The Lamb of God
Have you ever waited a really long time for something important? Maybe you spent weeks waiting to see an old friend, for news about a medical diagnosis, or for someone to respond to a message you sent them.
In the first century, the people of God had waited hundreds and hundreds of years for the coming of a Savior. John the Baptist was sent to be the forerunner of that coming Savior. God planned for John to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival, and call them back to repentance.
John waited his whole life for Jesus. He spent his days in eager anticipation of the coming of a Savior who would save his people. And on that day when Jesus did arrive, John the Baptist cried out in excitement.
John calls Jesus the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. In the old covenant, lambs were sacrificed on behalf of the sins of the people. Their sacrifices were a temporary means to restore a person's relationship with God.
But Jesus' coming heralds a new covenant between God and ...