By Lill Kohler

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: See the virgin will conceive, have a son, and call him Immanuel.” (CSB) (BC 760-698)

Numbers 8:5-15 “… make them ceremonially clean… thus dedicating them to the Lord’s service… After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them…” (NLT) (1446-1406 B.C.)

Matthew 1:18 “The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.” (CSB)

Luke 1:26-35 “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, …You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. … The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. …” (CSB)

If we look back into the Old Testament book of Numbers, we see that steps had to be taken to consecrate oneself before going into the presence of the Almighty. In His purity, God is unable to be around that which is unclean because any person would die due to the depth of The Almighty’s Holiness.

Now enters the dilemma – to man’s way of thinking. The prophet Isaiah tells the nation that their Messiah will be born to a virgin. How in the world can that be done? In those days a female’s body gave the sign she could conceive when her body began the menstruation process. But that process created a state of uncleanliness which required an offering to be clean once again. (Leviticus 15:29-30) This can explain Mary’s question to the angel in Luke 1:34 when she states she is a virgin.

So, only an untouched female whose body had not experienced the impurity of blood flow from her body – a.k.a. a virgin – could hold the holiness of God’s presence. Not just for a moment but for nine months.

Once she got over the shock, what an honor this had to be for Mary … to be selected and found as an acceptable vessel to carry the Holy Son of God to full term. She had a heart which fully loved the Most High God and a mind totally focused on worshiping Him. Hers was a steadfastness that welcomed and sustained the Lord’s presence for nine months.

Food For Thought: Can you say that you are totally focused on The Holy Trinity? What are some things you can do to improve your outlook and thought patterns?