Matthew Chapter 2

- The wise men made Herod aware of Christ's birth.  They came seeking Him, that made Herod aware of his birth.

- His priests confirmed a birth in Bethlehem, or at least that was what was written, the prophecy.

- Herod enquires diligently, the wise men.  He wants to know when the star first appeared.  He hadn't been paying any attention, he didn't see the sign.  Many of us are looking down at the humdrum of life in front of us.  Are we watching for the signs?  Are we seeking?  Would we know if something happened, if a sign were to be given today? 
Thankfully we can look to a living prophet today along with his apostles to help us see signs happening in our day.
There are many signs, prophecies fulfilled with regards to the Second Coming of our Savior.... I think much of the world today is how Herod was, unaware of what was going on around him, because he wasn't looking.  Looking and seeking take the element of faith.

- Don't know how many wise men there were.

- They didn't find Christ in a manger, they found him at home.  He wasn't a baby, he was a young child.

Matthew Chapter 1

The lineage of Joseph, Christ's earthly father... and Mary...
- I'm amazed at the record keeping, the genealogy, what a treasure that these people kept records.

What do I learn from this?
- Joseph was of royal lineage.  The Jews of course did not recognize that.
There are two genealogies in the four Gospels. Matthew’s account lists the legal successors to David’s throne. It is not necessarily a genealogical list in a strict father-to-son sense, for, as is true in many kingly histories, the eldest surviving heir may be a grandson, a great-grandson, or even a nephew or other relative of the reigning monarch. Luke’s record, however, is a father-to-son listing linking Joseph to King David. Of course, Jesus was not Joseph’s son, but Joseph’s genealogy is essentially Mary’s genealogy, for they were cousins; Jesus inherited from his mother, Mary, the blood of David and therefore the right to David’s throne. Jesus was born in the royal line, and as Elder James E. Talmage has explained, “Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 87; see also pp. 83–86, 89–90; McConkie, DNTC, 1:94–95.) via

- Reminded that Isaiah prophesied of this situation (Isaiah 7:14)
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a ^asign; ^bBehold, a ^cvirgin shall conceive, and bear a ^dson, and shall call his name ^eImmanuel.
I wonder if Joseph recalled these words from this ancient prophet.  I wonder if he could believe that he and Mary would be the ones to fulfill this prophecy.  I'm sure the angel that visited him confirmed this to him.

A New Year... The New Testament

A new year is here!  2014! 

This year I want to read the New Testament.  I'm excited for that!  Along with what I'm reading I hope to add in quotes here this year.

There are 260 chapters in the King James version of the New Testament.  That means I can read one a day, then study as I wish at the end of the year.

I still intend to be in my Book of Mormon, I just don't feel the same without reading it... good thing I've got my prompts, they give me the little bits I need, plus this year I want to read from the BofM with the kids.  In the past we've used story book type study, but the big kids are big enough that I want us to read from it.  It's been good so far.  We stop to talk about what is going on so they can better understand the language.

My hope is to do an FHE each week from what I'm learning in the NT, so they can be more familiar with that as well.

Here is a quote for today...

 

What are you studying this year?