The MYSTERY of GODLINESS !

WHY 33 DAYS  

for  Mariam's purification, 

under the Law of Moses?

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

WE KNOW:

The truth is revealed in Scripture.

If we. . .

submit our heart to the Living WORD+ of GOD, The LOGOS+,  

and if we

submit our will to the HOLY SPIRIT,

and if we

submit our mind unto the written WORD of GOD . . .

we will know the Truth .

If we do that, we will have wisdom above our years and our experience.

Here are TWO TRUTHS that we affirm constantly:

1. It is IMPOSSIBLE for GOD to LIE  (Hebrews 6:18 )

2.  The SCRIPTURE can NOT be broken ( John 19:35).

Thus we can know that Joseph and Mariam were a poor  young couple because of the kind of offering they presented to The LORD at The Temple in Jerusalem.

This fact is revealed in SCRIPTURE.  

SCRIPTURE relates that they offered two turtledoves for Mariam’s cleansing and purification, as The Law of Moses commanded after the birth of a male child. See Luke 2:22-24

Two turtledoves or two pigeons were required by The Law if the family could not afford a lamb. See Leviticus 12:8.

We also KNOW that The LORD did NOT send an angel to stop them from presenting their humble offering at the Temple in Jerusalem.   

NO angel appeared to refrain Mariam from offering a sin offering for HER cleansing and purification.

The passage in the first several verses of Leviticus 12 tells us that the ISSUANCE of BLOOD is uncleanness before The LORD , at the birth of a baby.

Who [ the Temple priest ] shall offer it [ the mother’s offering]   before The LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female. Leviticus 12: 7.

Thus, because  SCRIPTURE cannot be broken, we are assured that Mariam was a mortal human being in need of a SAVIOR+ to cleanse HER from HER sin, to purify her.

WHAT ELSE Do We KNOW from SCRIPTURE ?

We know that the Wise Men from the East, the Magi, did not visit the Holy Family at the EXACT NIGHT of HIS+ birth because :

#1 Joseph and Mariam went to the Temple in Jerusalem with no fear recorded in Holy Writ. No angel stopped them , so at that point they were not in danger from Herod.  

#2 The Holy Family and the BABE+ were recognized , HE+ as Israel’s Promised MESSIAH+ , and proclaimed  by Righteous Simeon and the Prophetess Anna. That did not seem to cause an alarm among The Temple priesthood.

They did not even report those proclamations to Herod.

HOW do we KNOW this ?

SCRIPTURE tells us that Herod had to inquire of the chief priests and scribes as to WHERE the CHRIST CHILD was to be born after the caravan of the Magi appeared in Jerusalem. Matthew 2:4.

All of Jerusalem was troubled over the entrance of that caravan of the Magi. . .  and their enquiries about the birth of the KING+ of the Jews. 

It seems that THEY DID NOT KNOW about

THE BIRTH of their OWN MESSIAH+ !

#3 Joseph and Mariam did not seem to have the Magi’s gifts to purchase anything as costly as a sacrifice lamb UNTIL after the Magi found them with the young child in a house. Matthew 2:11. 

FURTHERMORE . . . There is Another Thing We Notice . . .

A PATTERN had been laid down in The Law of Moses which pointed to the future Coming and work of the MESSIAH+.   

There is a DIVINE reason why every Hebrew mother bearing a male child needed to be purified after an EXACT number of days following the birth.   

. . . After how MANY days ?

And she [ the Hebrew mother ] shall then continue in the blood of her purifying   three and thirty  days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 

Leviticus 12:4

The Mystery of GODLINESS !

1 Timothy 3:16 

And without controversy

great is the Mystery of GODLINESS: 

GOD was:

 manifest in the Flesh,

justified in the SPIRIT,

seen of Angels, 

preached unto the Gentiles, 

believed on in the world, 

received up into Glory.

. . . After 33 years.

+  +  +