Shalom, shalom; peace, peace in the name of Yeshua. This is Crystal Sharpe and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program. (January 5, 2020)
Here we are in the year 2020, and I desire everyone to have a prosperous year in the blessings and favor of the LORD. If anyone has not made a commitment to the Lord, may this be the year to make a covenant with Him.
Today we are going to continue speaking about Yeshua’s birth. As I have said throughout these couple of audios, no one knows which feast of the Lord Yeshua was born. We know He died at Passover fulfilling that feast, and the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Shavuot/Pentecost and it leaves the feast of Tabernacles/Succot unfulfilled until the Messianic kingdom takes effect.
I focus on these three feasts because Father YHVH required the males of Israel to attend three of the seven feasts: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. It would be fitting if Yeshua would also be birthed at one of these feasts. He would be birthed to attend the feast and also be the celebration for it as well.
Tabernacles, the feast of Booths, is interesting to me because it is called the feast of the nations. At the birth of Yeshua in Luke 2, there is a messenger or an angel that appears to the shepherds who were taking shifts watching over the sheep in the area of Bethlehem. The angel said to them (I am reading from the Ancient Roots Translinear Bible New Testament by Frances Werner): Fear not! For behold, I am bringing-news to you, a great joy that will be for all the world. For today a Savior was begotten to you in the city of David. He exists the Messiah of the Lord. This is the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling and set in a stall.
Werner has sufficient reason to render Yeshua being birthed in a stall and not Migdal-Eder as some suppose. Well, the history given in the gospels does not specifically say Migdal-Eder. Some translations prefer using either manger or stall. The Hebrew word used in place of stall is evus. As you can hear evus, it does not sound related to Migdal-Eder. There is nothing in the gospels that tell me He was born at Migdal-Eder, the Tower of the Flock.
In my Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels, he uses the word evus instead of the other two words that could have been used: Shoketh mazon and ariycah (ar-ee-saw, H6182). This word evus is not even found in the Etymological Dictionary. I did several enquiries concerning this word and have come up empty handed. There was one person more familiar with Hebrew explained that it was a feeding trough.
Delitzsch translates Luke 2:7, “She gave birth to her son, the firstborn, swaddled him, and laid him in a feeding trough . . .” His footnotes say “stable.”
She swaddled Him meaning she took strips of cloth and bound him tightly as the traditions and customs were of the middle eastern peoples of that time. They believed it made the baby grow stronger. What does this say about her, that she was a good mother. Every baby born of a good mother was swaddled.
As I was reading this I saw in this announcement by the angel, wording that associates with the feast of Tabernacles or Booths. If you are not familiar with the feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23, I suggest you become familiar with them because they give us the future purposes of God.
Tabernacles is the feast of rejoicing, and is associated with the nations of the world. It is the time of great exuberance and celebratory activities in Jerusalem. All the males in Israel are required to do pilgrimage to Jerusalem to participate in the feast of the Lord.
But does this mean, or does this prove the timing, or season of His birth? No, it doesn’t. What is really sweet is that Father YHVH is acting like a father. He sends messengers to people to announce the birth of His only begotten Son and even tells them where to find Him. The angels rejoice and the people rejoice at the birth of His Son.
We are going to explore Luke 2 today and see what the story, or the passages speak to us concerning Yeshua’s birth.
The Shema
Shema (hear) O Yisrael, the Lord God, the Lord is One.
Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.
Father YHVH,
We bless You. You are the King of the universe; the king over heaven and earth. We thank You for the latter day outpouring to help us get through the next few years of great persecution. I pray for Your remnant people to be able to withstand the final assaults of the enemy. We are near to the return of Yeshua. We anticipate the arrival of the Kingdom of Yeshua. May our names be found in the Book of Life. In Yeshua’s name. Amen.
I am going to start with Luke 2.
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5. to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Let’s look at these verses
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
For some years, secular writers insisted Quirinius governed only once in Syria and they concluded it was not during this time of when Joseph had to go to the city of David to register. There is some dispute now concerning this with new evidence of records being found.
There is a most impressive academic thesis, or essay, written by Gerard Gertaux that was submitted on when this particular census was issued in Luke 2. It is on the Academia Education site called Dating the Two Censuses of P. Sulpicius Quirinius. I say most impressive because I have read dozens of these articles until I was dizzy from all the information, but Gertaux’s material is interesting. His thesis is 45 pages in length and is replete with diagrams, and charts; historians like Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Tacitus, and Josephus. There are inscriptions captured for readers viewing and other historical data that he has collected. His essay is complete with footnotes and references to make his case. I am thinking he is attempting to be as accurate as possible, as all of us attempt to do.
He mentions one historian, Paul Orosius who gives a precise date of the census of Augusta in the year 752 of Rome, translated, that would be 2 BC. This information is found in Orosius’ Histories Against the Pagans (VI 22:1; VII 3:4). If this is true, then we know that Yeshua was likely born in the year 2 BC. But read Gertaux’s analysis and you can make up your own mind concerning it.
What remains undisputed is that Yeshua was born before Herod died. The gospel’s spell this out for us. Herod’s death was a great sigh of relief to the Jews, understandably.
I sought out the opportunity to read Josephus once again, the division of the Antiquities of the Jews, book 17, chapter 7 and verse 4. Josephus relates there being a sedition by Matthias, son of Margalothus; they had incited a group of Jewish scholars to destroy an erection of a golden eagle on the great gate of the Temple. This infuriated Herod. This was done before “the fast” which is Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement.
There was another man, a high priest, his name was Matthias also. On the day of Yom Kippur, this high priest, Matthias, could not perform the Yom Kippur rituals. Apparently he had fallen asleep the night before Yom Kippur. In the Mishnah this was not permitted because he would have to stay awake during the night reciting the blessings spoken at different intervals during the Yom Kippur service, the correct moment of the sacrifice, the correct movements and delivering of the incense in the Holy of Holies. Josephus writes this high priest had opportunity to fall asleep and has a dream seemingly conversing with his wife. This disqualified him to render the service and he was replaced by another whose name was Joseph.
The feast of the Lord, Yom Kippur, was performed. After this, Josephus relates Herod had taken Matthias, son of Margalothus, and those scholars that destroyed the golden eagle idol and burned them alive. The text reports: “that very night there was an eclipse of the moon.” This could have been a blood moon?
I had never noticed before that this eclipse was right after Yom Kippur. Some months after this Herod died. Some researchers would put the death of Herod around March or April. Some months before this, before the death of Herod, Yeshua was born. So it looks promising that Yeshua’s birth was in the fall of the year.
The gospel of Matthew 2:14 and 19, that Joseph, being warned in a dream that Herod sought to kill the child Yeshua, took Mary and Yeshua in the night into Egypt. Then verse 19, Joseph is instructed to return to Israel because Herod had died. It is certain that Yesha was born before Herod’s death.
Let’s go back to Gertaux’s essay. From all of his collected information and with the help of astronomy, he fixed the date of Yeshua’s birth to be somewhere from September 1st to October 30th. I was surprised when I read this. This would be around the time of the Lord’s fall feasts: Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShanah to Tabernacles.
Gertaux may be correct. I am going to make my point that it is very likely Yeshua was born at the time of the Lord’s fall feast. When I was meditating and thinking on the possibility of Yeshua being born in the fall feasts, it came to my memory that Yeshua was already twelve years old when He had gone with His parents to Jerusalem to attend the feast of Passover.
So, let’s go to Luke 2 and read it. Here is the gist of it: After the days of Mary’s purification were completed, she and Joseph had taken Yeshua to the Temple to present Him to the Lord. It so happens that a devout and just man, Simeon, had the Holy Spirit upon Him, by the Spirit came into the Temple. He prophecies over Yeshua and blesses Him as did the prophetess Anna.
After Joseph and Mary performed all the things according to the Law of the Lord they return to Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
Verse 40. And the Child grew and became strong in spirt, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Verse 41. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of Passover.
Verse 42. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
Verse 43. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Yeshua lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it.
Verse 44. But supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
Verse 45. So when they did not find Him they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
Verse 46. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the Temple.
This is difficult to determine whether they were three days searching for Yeshua; or once finding Him missing, they were already a day’s journey out; they would have another day’s journey returning to Jerusalem and then a day spent searching for Him; this would add up to three days. I am pretty sure she was a little irate with Him when He was found.
Let’s look at these verses. It says in verse 39 that Joseph and Mary returned to the area of Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. Matthew 2:23 agrees with Luke’s account that Yeshua was raised in the Galilee area, in the city of Nazareth.
In those days, it took about four or five days of walking to go from Nazareth to Jerusalem in time for the feasts of the Lord. People left days in advance in order to make it on time for the Lord’s Passover. If one was fortunate, they could stay at the homes of relatives on their way there, maybe a day or so, and they all in turn would leave together and stay with other relatives in Jerusalem or Bethlehem until the feast was over. The feast of Passover would last 7 days, ending in the evening. The next morning, they would all take their leave and return to their homes.
It is quite possible that Joseph and Mary prepared to leave for Jerusalem six or seven days in advance to attend the feast of Passover, Yeshua was already 12 years old when they left. He would not turn 12 on Passover.
I am at the end of the program.
If it is God’s will, I will be next week. Remember to walk by faith not by sight. Ask God to cleanse you from all unrighteousness every day. Keep your spiritual garments clean from spots, wrinkles and blemishes. Do two things this week: love and forgive. Love God and love your neighbor.
