We took a look at Mary the Mother of Christ trying to discover some new things about her that people might not know; eg. the meaning of her name. She was actually called Mirriam – the same name as the sister of Moses and the name means bitter. We looked at the Waters of Marah Story and the waters were called Marah because they were bitter. Moses was commanded to throw a piece of wood/or tree in some translations into the waters and they were cured of their bitterness. This foreshadows how the cross of Calvary can make a bitter poison dead heart and make it new. Mirriam the sister of Moses was born into the bitterness of slavery and was delivered into freedom. Mary the Mother of Christ was promised by Simeon that she would have the bitter experience of a sword piercing her heart and yet her obedience in giving birth to Christ would bring millions out of the bitterness of slavery to sin.
We then looked at the fact that there are two women in Scripture – that it was said of them: “Blessed are you above Women!” The second woman is well known and the story is told at Christmas time every year when Mary is hailed as Blessed among women. The first however is quite surprising. It was Jael from Judges Chapter 4. She is called blessed among women for driving a tent peg through the head of Sisera, the general of the enemy Army that was attacking and oppressing Israel. that is a very strange pairing in Scripture Mary and Jael. What do they have in common? Why would they both be called Blessed Among Women! Mary gave birth to the one who would fulfil the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. Sisera, Goliath, Jezebel as seeds or offspring of the serpent will have their heads crushed and the stories of the defeat of these villains foreshadow and then culminate in Christ utterly defeating all his enemies including death itself. Even the future beast from the sea, the Anti-Christ or Instead of Christ will suffer a seemingly fatal head wound that he recovers from in an instead of resurrection. Of course when Christ returns the beast and false prophet and ultimately Satan are thrown into the lake of fire. The pairing of Mary and Jael in Scripture is what Christmas Head Crackers was about!
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