Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
Who is God? Today’s readings delve into God’s slow revelation of what holy power looks like. Judah was promised to be more powerful than his enemies, to be first among his family, and to be given children, and to receive honor from the people of Israel. What results from this good and holy leadership? Peace for the land, good judgment coming from those in authority, and a blessing for all the other nations of the world. This is a test by which we can know whether our leaders are making holy decisions or not; is there peace? Are other cities, states, and nations blessed because of us? Or are we causing more problems than we solve?
The leaders of Israel were a precursor to God’s Kingship in Christ. In this world, our leaders will nearly always let us down. But the Kingdom of God does not disappoint. As we see in the Gospel, there are 14 generations between each great moment in Israel’s history. 14 is Seven twice, or a double perfection of time. These are not properly understood as literal generations of people; instead, it shows that we live in God’s time. It’s easy to become impatient waiting for its fulfillment, but it comes in the most perfect time; the implicit prophecy is that there will be “14 generations” between Christ’s resurrection and His second coming at the end of time.
What does this mean for us today? First, it’s a waste of time to put your faith in human leaders; they will disappoint. Nevertheless, as our Psalm directs, we should pray for our leaders. Second, we have in Christ’s presence the redemption that meets our needs today. God is working in this world to bring about transformation. Third, we have in the promise of a new and eternal good kingdom fuel for our joyful waiting; When the Kingdom comes in its fullness, the wait will be worth it. May we wait in joyful hope.
-Chris Nieport