Abishag the
Shunammite- 1Kings 1:1-4 Now king David
was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no
heat.
2 Wherefore his
servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young
virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her
lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3 So they sought for
a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a
Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel was
very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her
not.
David was probably around 70 years old. Even though he did not have relations
with Abishag, she was special for the king and her destiny was now set for royalty.
King David’s son, Adonijah got him some men to run before
him and recruited Abiathar the Priest and Joab who was David’s Captain of the
army and proclaimed himself King in David’s stead.
David knew nothing of it.
When word was out Nathan came to Bathsheba and told her and she presented
herself before the king for Solomon’s sake.
1 Kings 1:29 And the
king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all
distress,
30 Even as I sware
unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall
reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I
certainly do this day.
31 Then Bathsheba
bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let
my lord king David live for ever.
32 ¶ And king David
said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada. And they came before the king.
33 The king also said
unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to
ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
34 And let Zadok the
priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye
with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.
35 Then ye shall come
up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in
my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
So, Solomon was anointed as king of Israel to reign in his father, David's stead.
Well when Adonijah heard that Solomon was made king, he ran and
held on to the horns of the altar so he would not be killed. Solomon told him
as long as he was faithful to him as king and caused no trouble he would be
safe. So for a while things were cool. Then…
Adonijah went before Bathsheba and she asked if it was in peace. You see, in the days of the kings, there were often attempts to overthrow a king or do harm to the royal family to take the throne. So, Adonijah said it was in peace. He asked her to approach Solomon and ask if he could have Abishag for his wife, for he said, he would never say no to his own mother.
So Bathsheba went before Solomon with Adonijah's request. Solomon, though young had been blessed with wisdom from God and saw through this back door attempt at taking the throne. Abishag was only destined for royality because she had been the bed warmer for David. This was a threat to Solomon's throne.
Solomon answered his mother that Adonijah should just ask for the throne along with those who supported him to be king.
1 Kings 2:23 Then king Solomon
sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not
spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore, as
the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David
my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put
to death this day.
25 And king Solomon
sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he
died.
Now not much more is said here about Abishag and what I am
going to tell you now is what I believe is the truth concerning her.
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, but his favorite
was the woman who the Song of Solomon was written about; a bride who is a type
of the bride of Christ and is loved dearly by Solomon who is a type of Christ
in the Song.
Song 1:1 ¶ The song of
songs, which is Solomon’s.
2 ¶ Let him kiss me
with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.
3 Because of the
savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do
the virgins love thee.
4 Draw me, we will
run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and
rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love
thee.
2:1 ¶ I am the rose
of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
2 As the lily among
thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
3 ¶ As the apple tree
among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under
his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to
the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
The love between these two is the heart of this song, and as
I mentioned, a type of the love between Jesus the Christ and His Church.
4:1 ¶ 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 Thy neck is like
the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand
bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
5 Thy two breasts are
like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day
break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and
to the hill of frankincense.
7 Thou art all fair,
my love; there is no spot in thee.
This is how Jesus sees His Church…no spot or wrinkle, for in
Christ we become the righteousness of God.
Eph 5:27 That he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or
any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
2Co 5:21 For he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
There are many more parallels of the Church and Jesus here
that I will not dive into at this time. The love they have for each other is
beautifully depicted in poetry and song of the Song of Solomon.
The woman picked by the Holy Spirit to represent the Church
here, is the Shulamite.
Song 6:13 Return, return,
O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in
the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
This Shulamite is the Shunammite that is mentioned in 1 Kings.
One
from Shunem SW of the Sea of Galilee.
This is Abishag. Reserved only for royalty, she became
Solomon’s favorite wife.
In Proverbs 31 we read about the virtuous woman.
Pv 31:1 ¶ The words
of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
You will not find a king Lemuel in the Bible other than
here. I believe that this is a nick-name given to Solomon by his mother,
Bathsheba. She advises her son here and the Holy Spirit included it in sacred
scripture. Toward the end of this 31st Proverb, he describes a
virtuous woman.
10 ¶ Who can find a
virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her
husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him
good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool,
and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the
merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also
while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her
maidens.
16 She considereth a
field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her
loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth
that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her
hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out
her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid
of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself
coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple (royalty).
23 Her husband is
known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine
linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and
honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her
mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well
to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise
up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters
have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is
deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be
praised.
31 Give her of the
fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Yes, the woman in the first of the Kings, The Song of
Solomon, and Proverbs 31, is the same woman, Abishag the Shulammite. No doubt here faith and devotion to the Lord
God caused her to be remembered in the Word of God that stands forever.
Esther from the book of Esther. In the days of the kings of the Medes and Persians there was a king named, Ahasuerus. He reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and twenty seven provinces.
In the 3rd year of his reign, he made a magnificent feast for his nobles and princes of all of his provinces and displayed all of his riches and the honor of his glorious majesty for 6 months. After this he had a week long feast for the people of Shushan, where his palace was. During this feast when his heart was merry with wine, he called for his beautiful queen, Vashti to show her off to the people and princes. Now Vashti had a feast at the same time for all the women of the royal house. When the messengers came for Vashti, she refused to come. The king was very angry.
Those around who advised king Ahasuerus told him that all the kingdom would be affected by Vashti’s disobedience and that wives everywhere would disobey their husbands.
That the king should make a decree throughout his kingdom that Vashti would no longer come before the king. That young virgins should be sought to come before the king and that he should pick another woman to be queen from them. Also that women everywhere in the kingdom should obey and honor their husbands. This pleased the king and so it was done.
Now one of the princes of the king’s court was Mordecai, a Hebrew.
Esther from the book of Esther. In the days of the kings of the Medes and Persians there was a king named, Ahasuerus. He reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and twenty seven provinces.
In the 3rd year of his reign, he made a magnificent feast for his nobles and princes of all of his provinces and displayed all of his riches and the honor of his glorious majesty for 6 months. After this he had a week long feast for the people of Shushan, where his palace was. During this feast when his heart was merry with wine, he called for his beautiful queen, Vashti to show her off to the people and princes. Now Vashti had a feast at the same time for all the women of the royal house. When the messengers came for Vashti, she refused to come. The king was very angry.
Those around who advised king Ahasuerus told him that all the kingdom would be affected by Vashti’s disobedience and that wives everywhere would disobey their husbands.
That the king should make a decree throughout his kingdom that Vashti would no longer come before the king. That young virgins should be sought to come before the king and that he should pick another woman to be queen from them. Also that women everywhere in the kingdom should obey and honor their husbands. This pleased the king and so it was done.
Now one of the princes of the king’s court was Mordecai, a Hebrew.
He had been a captive taken from Israel when Nebuchadnezzar
had taken Judah by force and brought many to Babylon. These were of the same
group as Daniel. Mordecai had taken Esther as his own daughter when her parents
were killed. She was his Uncle’s daughter, or his cousin. She was very fair and
beautiful and was taken as one of the virgins to be presented before the king.
Esther
was presented before the king in her turn as were all of the virgins. They all
had to go through a year of purification first which included bathing in
oil of myrrh and other types of sweet odors before they could come before the
king. Each woman presented to the king
in the evening and in the morning would go back to the house of
concubines which was managed by the king’s chief eunuch.
So
in the 7th year of king Ahasurerus Esther came before him and he
loved her more than all the women and she obtained grace and favor in his
sight. So he placed the royal crown on her head and made her the queen in place
of Vashti.
Now Mordecai had checked on Esther regularly and she had
never let it be known of her nationality as Mordecai had told her to keep that
a secret.
There were two evil men who planned to do harm to the king.
Mordecai found out and let the king know through Esther, the queen, (his
daughter). When investigated, the men were executed and the matter was written
in the chronicles of the king. Esther
1-2
As time passed, Ahasuerus promoted Haman (an Agagite) to head
of all of his princes.
Note: Agag was the
king that persecuted the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. In the
days of king Saul, God commanded that he and all of his seed be destroyed, but
Saul disobeyed. Haman is his descendant and grew up hating Jews.
Now all of the princes would bow before Haman, but not
Mordecai, he knew who Haman was. This really made Haman mad. The other princes
knew that Mordecai was a Jew and learning this, Haman hated him all the more and
wanted him and all of his kind dead.
Es 3:7 ¶ In the first
month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they
cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to
month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.
8 And Haman said unto
king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among
the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from
all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the
king’s profit to suffer them.
9 If it please the
king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand
talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business,
to bring it into the king’s treasuries.
10 And the king took
his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the
Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.
11 And the king said
unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it
seemeth good to thee.
12 Then were the
king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was
written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants,
and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every
people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people
after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed
with the king’s ring.
13 And the letters
were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to
cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in
one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month
Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
4:1 ¶ When Mordecai
perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth
with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and
a bitter cry;
2 And came even
before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with
sackcloth.
3 And in every
province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was
great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many
lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 So Esther’s maids
and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly
grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his
sackcloth from him: but he received it not.
5 ¶ Then called Esther
for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend
upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why
it was.
6 So Hatach went
forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king’s
gate.
7 And Mordecai told
him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman
had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
8 Also he gave him
the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy
them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her
that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make
request before him for her people.
9 And Hatach came and
told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Again Esther spake
unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
11 All the king’s
servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever,
whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not
called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the
king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been
called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
12 And they told to
Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 Then Mordecai
commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in
the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
14 For if thou
altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and
deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s
house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?
15 Then Esther bade
them return Mordecai this answer,
16 Go, gather
together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and
neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast
likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law:
and if I perish, I perish.
On
the 3rd day, Esther dressed up in her royal apparel and went and
stood in the inner court of the king’s palace. She knew that if the king did
not hold out his scepter, she could die.
But,
the king loved Esther and when he saw her he held out his scepter toward her
and she came and humbly touched the end of the scepter.
Ahasuerus
asked, what is it you want queen Esther? Just ask and it is yours up to half of
my kingdom. Esther answered, if it please the lord my king come to a banquet
that I have prepared today.
At
that banquet of wine, the king again asked what queen Esther requested. She
said, if it please the king and I am favored in your sight, come to another
banquet tomorrow that I have prepared for you and Haman, and I will tell you my
request.
Haman was glad and excited and went home and told his family
and friends of his riches, promotion, and general glory and how the queen had
now invited him to a banquet on the morrow. He was rather into himself. He told
his family and friends that all of this was darkened by that Jew, Mordecai, who
shows me no respect. His wife and friends
suggested building a 75’ gallows and asking the king if he could hang Mordecai
on it. This pleased Haman and he ordered the gallows to be built. Esther 5
That night the king could not sleep, so he called for the
chronicles to be read to him. It just so happened that the story was read how
Mordecai had discovered the treason against the king and reported it and
actually saved the king’s life. So Ahasuerus said, what has been done to honor
and dignify Mordecai for this? His servants answered, nothing has been done for
him.
So, the king asked, who is in the court? It just so happened
that Haman had come into the court to see the king about hanging Mordecai. So
the king called him in and said, what shall be done for the one whom the king
delights to honor? Haman thought, who would the king wish to honor but me? So
he told the king, let royal robes be put on him, a crown on his head, and have
a noble prince parade him through the streets on the king’s horse and proclaim,
this is what is done for the one the king delights to honor. Haman shows his
narcissistic greed…he was going for the throne.
Ahasuerus said to Haman, go get my horse and all you have
said and do this for Mordecai the Jew. Make sure that you take care of this
personally, this is important and my command.
Haman was humiliated and yet he led Mordecai around the city as the king had commanded him.
After all this was done, Mordecai went back to the king’s
gate, but Haman went home with his head in shame and told his family and
friends what happened. His advisers and wife said if this Mordecai is the seed
of the Jews before whom you have begun to fall, you will surely fall before
him.
While they were talking the kings messengers came to get
Haman for Esther’s banquet.
Esther 6
So, Haman and Ahasuerus came to Esther’s 2nd
banquet. The king said, queen Esther, what is your request? You shall surely
have it up to half of my kingdom. Esther said, if it please the king and if I
have found favor in your sight, let me live and my people for we are sold to be
destroyed. Well, the king was aghast and said, who would do such a thing?
Esther said, the adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Haman became very
afraid.
The
king was very angry and stormed out to the garden to think. While he was gone
Haman begged the queen for mercy and fell on the bed where she was.
About
that time in comes the king and says, will he force the queen before me in my
house?
The servants came in and took Haman and said, Haman has a
gallows at his house. The king said, hang him on it. So Haman was hanged on the
gallows he made for Mordecai. Esther 7
Esther told the king how Mordecai was a father to her. The
king then gave Mordecai the ring of his power and seal that had been Haman’s.
The king also gave all that the house of Haman had to Esther.
Through the faith
of Esther the people of Israel were saved from being annihilated. Her and
Mordecai, with power granted by king Ahasuerus sent word through all the 127
provinces that the Jews should arm and protect themselves against the edict
that Haman had put out for their slaughter. The fear of the Jews and the power
they had in the king’s palace caused all the lieutenants, deputies, and
officers to help the Jews to fight against those who would do them harm. There
were thousands of the enemies of the Jews killed, including all the sons of
Haman. Esther 8-9
A national holiday was decreed by Esther to be kept called
Purim, on the 14th day of Adar. This is because of Haman cast Pur
(or lot) to destroy the Jews. This is still celebrated by Israel and the Jews.
Esther and Mordecai are recorded as pillars of faith eternally in the Holy Scriptures. Here is their tomb in Iran.
Mary is the mother of our Lord Jesus of Nazareth who
is the Christ (or God in the flesh), and part of the Royal Family.
Her lineage goes back to King David through his son, Nathan.
Mary was probably about 17 years old when she was visited by
Gabriel who is the chief messenger of God. The Bible tells little of her
childhood, but implies that she had good knowledge and understanding of
scripture. She was pious and loved and worshiped God. She was God's pick to carry His son from all the women on the planet.
Lk 1:26 ¶ And in the
sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named
Nazareth,
27 To a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the
virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came
in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with
thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw
him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of
salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said
unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS.
32 He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign
over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary
unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel
answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy
cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the
sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God
nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said,
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the
angel departed from her.
39 ¶ And Mary arose
in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into
the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to
pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with
a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb.
43 And whence is this
to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon
as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb
for joy.
45 And blessed is she
that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told
her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My
soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath
regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is
mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is
on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed
strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their
hearts.
52 He hath put down
the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the
hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his
servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our
fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
Mary was espoused to Joseph. As tradition goes he was much older than her, probably in his early 40's.
Now when Joseph saw that Mary was with child, he wanted to do the right thing and had planned to put her away privately so as not to risk her life, for adultery was punishable by death. He had a hard time believing Mary that the child in her was Divine and she was still a virgin. So God sent Gabriel to Joseph in a dream to tell him all was true and to take Mary as his wife and trust God.
God arranged that the taxes on the land proclaimed by Caesar Augustus had to be at the place of one's birth.
So Mary, who now was close to full term, and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to pay their tax.
When they arrived there was no room for them at the inn and the owner let them sleep in the stables, which was nearby in a cave. While there she delivered her holy son, Jesus, the Christ, Luke 2.
Mary saw the shepherds who came to worship her son and heard their story of the angels coming to them to announce the birth of the Messiah. She pondered these things in her heart.
Mary also saw the wise men from the East who had studied the heavens and saw Jesus' star and came to worship the King of the Jews. She pondered these things in her heart, Matthew 2.
When Jesus was 8 days old they took Him to the temple for dedication. There they saw Simeon, an aged man, on whom was the Holy Ghost. God promised him that he would not see death until he saw the Messiah. He came and blessed the baby Jesus and thanked God that he could see his salvation. He told her that this child was a light to the gentiles and the rising and fall of many in Israel and that a sword would also pierce her own soul and the thoughts of many be revealed, Luke 2.
Mary and Joseph marvelled at these things.
While at the temple, Anna, a prophetess of great age came and gave thanks to the Lord and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Mary kept all these things in her heart.
The Lord warned the Holy Family that Herod would seed to kill the child and to flee to Egypt. They were well financed for the wise men had gave them valuable gifts. God Cares for his own. They were there until the death of Herod.
The Holy Family now returned to Israel and lived in Nazareth. Joseph's trade was a carpenter and he made cabinets and tables and the like.
Joseph was a good earthly father to Jesus. He taught him who He was from the scriptures and took him to the Synagogue. He loved Jesus and Mary very much.
He taught him about life and showed him his trade. Mary was always there and blessed and taught Jesus.
Mary no doubt was the main infuence on Jesus until he was weaned, but her love and godliness was a wonderful example through Jesus' life.
We read the story of Jesus and His family going to Jerusalem for the Passover when He was 12 years old and he got left in Jerusalem at the temple. It was 3 days before His family found him, in the temple sitting in the middle of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. All those that heard Him speak were astonished at His understanding of scripture and His answers.
We know that He was strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and that the Grace of God was upon Him.
Now, I realize that Jesus was God in the flesh. But for Him to use His Divine power for His education or to avoid temptation would disqualify Him to bear the sins of the world. He had to live perfectly by the law. Well, Mary and Joseph had to be the ones who had taught Him so thoroughly in the scriptures. Luke 2
The third day after Jesus’ was baptized by John in the river Jordan, there was a wedding in Cana and Mary was there. Jesus and his new disciples were invited.
The hosts of the wedding wanted wine, apparently they had ran out. So Mary came to Jesus and said, They have no wine. Jesus said unto her, Woman, what Have I to do with you? My hour is not yet come. Mary said to the servants, Whatsoever He says unto you, do it.
Well, Jesus loved and respected his mother. He turned 180 gallons of water to wine...the best wine. The governor of the feast says that most bring out the best wine first until the people have well drank, and then the inferior wine, but you have saved the best wine for last, John 2.
So, Mary knew of Jesus' power. This was the first recorded miracle of Jesus in the scriptures, and it was at Mary's bidding. It is not clear if she knew by Messianic scriptures or by experience.
Mary was at the crucifixion. Her heart and soul were pierced as she saw her son mutilated and tormented to his death.
She experienced more of Jesus' love and concern when on the cross he said, "Woman, behold thy son!" And he said to John, "Behold, thy mother!" John knew that he would take care of the blessed mother the rest of her life. Jesus had been the oldest and after Joseph died, he provided for Mary and his siblings, John 19.
The sorrow and heartbreak that Mary felt as she held her dead son cannot be realized.
Mary rejoiced at Jesus' resurrection.
Mary was also in the upper room at the day of Pentecost and was filled with the Holy Ghost as well as the other 119 people there. Acts 1
There is not further mention of her, her death, or life. The Catholic church believes she was assumed, this is likely.
I mean if Enoch and Elijah were taken without death, why not the mother of Jesus? She is the most special woman who ever lived.
She is truly the mother of God.
Mary is part of the Holy Royal Family for ever.
All pictures were found on the Internet, author in HTML if known. Quotes are from the KJV.
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