Day 221 – The time between: Old & New Testaments

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

The interlude between the Bible’s Testaments is scarcely noticeable. A simple turn of the page, and you leave behind the Old Testament and enter the New. The first book, Matthew, reacquaints you with people you’ve already come to know and admire: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and many more. Yet you are about to meet the most important person in scripture, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

You’ll notice that the world in which Jesus is born bears little resemblance to the one left behind in Malachi. The Eastern empires of the Israelites’ captivity – Babylon, Assyria, and Persia – no longer dominate the region. Instead, a new world power has risen in the West: The Roman Empire. Its boundaries extend from the Mediterranean world to North Africa and even northern Europe. Its ruler in Palestine, a cruel and self-serving king named Herod, sits enthroned over the Jews.

Most noticeable, perhaps, is the lack of prophets. Whereas Malachi had followed a succession of prophets going back hundreds of years, not a single divine spokesperson appeared before the nation during the years between the Old and New Testaments. Anyone who claimed to be a prophet was proven to be an imposter, and for more than 400 years, the heavens seemed closed to the nation of Israel. They heard nothing from God. Nothing but silence. Until one ordinary night in the tiny village of Bethlehem, the cries of the newborn King filled the air – God’s voice once again graced the world.

During the years between the Testaments – years of war and upheaval, flawed heroes and unfulfilled hopes – God set the stage for the final era of salvation history, an era of good news for Jews and Gentiles alike.  

Prayer: Father, You’ve chosen the perfect appointed time for Jesus to be born into a fallen world. All the prophecies fulfilled in a single moment and Your Word spoken did not return to You void as Isaiah prophesied. Thank You, Father, that You are God and that You do not lie. Amen.