Journey to Christmas with the Midwives of the Messiah
A New Thing
Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19, ESV).
The core value of Solomon’s Book of Proverbs is the fear of God. Where did Solomon learn this principle? Who taught Solomon how to fear God? His parents did, but Bathsheba was Solomon’s instructor and disciplinarian. She had a tough life that began with that innocent purifying bath. An out-of-control king victimized her. She lost her first beloved husband to a sinister plot devised by her second husband. She delivered a baby, and God took him away as a punishment for her husband’s sin. She lived with a man who battled spiritual depression. She was surrounded by David’s many wives and their offspring vying for power and position. Wars raging inside and outside her home set the tone for a life of relentless strife. (Harlots and Heroines, The Midwives of the Messiah page 103-104).
Just thinking about the potential 24/7 stress of Bathsheba’s life stresses me! Yet, Bathsheba raised a boy who would become the most powerful man in the world, revered for his legendary wisdom. God brought great beauty in exchange for the ashes of Bathsheba’s life.
Joni Eareckson Tada, beloved by millions for the way she has embraced God’s sovereign love over the details of her diving accident and life in a wheelchair, says this about how God brings beauty from ashes:
“No matter how long or deep you’re suffering – physically or emotionally – God is up to something in your life. Though you may not see it or feel it, He's active, and He’s refining your faith. Your pain is cultivating something in you that, without the hardship, would not be produced. That’s why we can “consider it pure joy… whenever we face trials of many kinds. Friend, you can rest in that knowledge, and praise God for the great things He is doing… things you know and know not.” Joni Eareckson Tada, Facebook, 8/17/17
Catapulted from obscurity into the spotlight of history, this strong but reluctant heroine stands silently in the shadows beside that manger in Bethlehem and gazes upon it with a knowing smile on her face. At the long-awaited birth of Messiah, the One Who would come through the loins of David and through Bathsheba’s own son Solomon, we can almost hear our weary midwife whisper, “Now it all makes sense!” Harlots and Heroines, The Midwives of the Messiah, page 105.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Bathsheba’s role as an important link in the genealogy of Jesus doesn’t stop with the birth of her son, Solomon. She also played a key role in frustrating Satan’s ongoing plan to sabotage the advent of the Messiah. When David was old and bedridden, a plot to usurp his kingship arose. Read 1 Kings 1:1-30 to learn how Bathsheba assisted the Prophet Nathan in protecting the Messianic birth line. How does Bathsheba’s story grow your confidence that God is sovereign and you can trust Him?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Saturday, 24 December 2022.
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