“Behold, thou art fair, my love; Behold, thou art fair; Thou hast doves' eyes Within thy locks: Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That appear from mount Gilead. Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, Which came up from the washing; Whereof every one bear twins, And none is barren among them. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy speech is comely: Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Within thy locks. Thy neck is like the tower of David Builded for an armoury, Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, All shields of mighty men. Thy two breasts are like two young roes That are twins, Which feed among the lilies. Until the day break, And the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; There is no spot in thee. Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, With me from Lebanon: Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Shenir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards.”
Song of Solomon 4:1-8 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/sng.4.1-8.KJV
Day 24 of the reading of the gospel of Luke
Merry Christmas Eve
Luke 24
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, ...
The Fulfillment of Promises Made Long Ago
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”
To modern ears, this verse is a familiar, warm, and comforting centerpiece of the Christmas story. But to those who first heard these words from the angel on the night Jesus was born, every word was electric, buzzing with fulfilled expectations.
A Savior.
Born in Bethlehem, the town of David.
The Messiah.
The Lord.
For centuries, Israel had lived with a promise. The prophet Isaiah had declared, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given… and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jeremiah had spoken of a righteous branch from David’s line, a King who would reign wisely and bring justice (Jeremiah 23:5). Micah, too, had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, David’s town (Micah 5:2).
So when the angel announced this birth to shepherds under the night sky, it wasn’t just...