Welcome to Advent 2025! Each Sunday, we’ll explore the verses of Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55 until we reach its crescendo on Christmas Eve. From 11/30 to 12/27, we’ll read biblical passages that prompt Mary’s praise and prepare us to enter the pageant of the birth of our Savior.
Advent Passage: 2 Samuel 7
I noticed something interesting in yesterday’s story about Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25). After he decided to divorce Mary quietly, Joseph went to sleep peacefully under the law. However, after the angel’s announcement in his dreams, he woke up ready to obey God and commit to Mary.
Both Mary and Joseph readily cooperated with God’s plans. Why, we wonder?
Perhaps because the news was not completely unexpected.
The words spoken by the angel came straight from the Hebrew Bible (what we call the Old Testament). As faithful Jews, Mary and Joseph likely recognized them because they grew up committing God’s word to heart. They knew the ancient stories and the record of God’s promise of salvation for His people.
When Gabriel spoke to Mary, he described Jesus as both the Son of God and the eternal king on the throne of David. This proclamation reaches all the way back to the reign of King David.
In 2 Samuel 7, we learn that David desired to build a place of worship for God. Instead, through the prophet Nathan, God asserts that He will be the One to build a permanent place for David. In addition, a forever king will come from David’s offspring. God promises David, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (7:16).
Gabriel references this proclamation when he calls Mary’s baby the Son of the Most High and the forever king as promised to David (Luke 1:32-33). Over the centuries, God’s people waited and hoped for the fulfillment of this promise. They waited expectantly because God always fulfills His promises.
Mary and Joseph readily recognized and responded to the angel’s announcements because they knew God’s word. They were ordinary people, but they believed in the promises of our extraordinary God.
That is why we also study the Bible, so we’re ready to say “yes” when God calls us to participate in fulfilling His promises. This is the work of preparing our hearts during Advent. This season, may we rest in the knowledge of who He is, and awake ready to respond.
© 2025 Lori Myers Berry
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