God gives us exactly what we need

DEVOTIONAL:

The Old Testament commanded that God’s people love Him and love others (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Leviticus 19:18). After generations of trying, Israel discovered what God knew to be true. We are incapable of keeping God’s law without His special help. 

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” - Matthew 5:17

When we see Jesus’ arrival in the context of the Old Testament, we understand why Anna “began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). For hundreds of years, Israel languished waiting for the anointed deliverer. Anna, Simeon, and later John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the long-promised Messiah. Jesus did everything the prophets described— sometimes in unexpected ways. 

Jesus’ death and resurrection provide a way for us to experience freedom from sin. When we believe in Jesus, we receive His Spirit, and with it, the ability to really love and finally fulfill God’s law. Like Anna, we can give thanks to God for our salvation and speak of His deliverance to everyone, everywhere. 

REFLECT:

- How does Jesus’ statement that He came to fulfill the law and prophets change your view of the Old Testament? 

- What can we learn from Anna’s joy and excitement in seeing the Lord?