The King's Majesty

Especially delightful for me each December is reading otherwise familiar Scripture passages in pursuit of new gems of truth. I never really know where my mind will take me, but this year, it turned to an Israel memory from February2000 and the announcement our tour bus was moving through the Plain of Sharon. I was already reeling from a breathtaking morning view of the Mediterranean, but to be traveling through this “garden of Palestine” … well, it was almost too much!

The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose and the autumn crocus. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the Excellency of [Mount] Carmel and [the plain] of Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty and splendor and Excellency of our God.” (35:1-2). Do we not know the sweet promise spring brings of warmth to cold and barren days of winter. It is true -- Isaiah’s “rose” does not explicitly refer to Christ, but such a flower’s beauty and splendor most certainly do! Peter reminds us, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16). What an amazing parallel of Sharon’s rose to the Majesty of the Newborn King! What a way to welcome The Season – let the celebration begin!