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Psalm 139:14

Registered: 01-2008
Posts: 2179
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Chapter 38--Anna


Chapter 38--Anna


Her Name Means “Favor” or “Grace”


Her Character: Married for only seven years, she spent the long years of her widowhood fasting and praying in the temple, abandoning herself entirely to God. A prophetess, she was one of the first to bear witness to Jesus.

Her Sorrow: As a widow, she would probably have been among the most vulnerable members of society, with no one to provide for her financially or to take care of her if her health failed.

Her Joy: That her own eyes beheld the Messiah she had longed to see.

Key Scripture

Luke 2:22-38

22When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord", 24and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

33The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.


Her Story


A small bird darted past the Court of the Gentiles, flew up to the Women’s Court and then on to the Court of Israel (one of the inner courts of the temple, accessible only to Jewish men). Anna blinked as she watched the beating wings swerve into the sunlight and vanish. She wondered into which privileged corner the little bird had disappeared.

For most of her eighty-four years, she had been a widow who spent her days praying and fasting in the temple. Though Anna had walked past the outer court thousands of times, she never failed to notice the warning inscribed in its walls in both Greek and Latin: “No stranger is to enter within the balustrade round the temple and enclosure. Whoever is caught will be responsible to himself for his death, which will ensue.” It was an awesome thing to come into the Presence of the Holy One.

Though she could not echo the prayer of Jewish men, who praised God for creating them neither Gentiles nor women, she could at least be grateful for the privilege of ascending beyond the Court of the Gentiles to the Women’s Court, where she would be that much closer to the Most Holy Place. Having done so, she bowed her head, rocking back and forth to the rhythm of her prayers:

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints,
For the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out
For the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may have her young—
A place near your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Suddenly a voice interrupted her recitation of the familiar psalm. Old Simeon, she saw, was holding a baby to his breast, shouting out words that thrilled her soul: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Like her, Simeon had lived for nothing but Israel’s consolation—though he had not seen, yet he had believed. Anna watched as the child’s parents hung on the old man’s words. Then he handed the infant back to his mother, this time speaking more softly: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Anna placed her arms gently around the young mother’s shoulders and gazed at the sleeping infant. Words of thanksgiving spilled from her lips. Her heart felt buoyant, her hope unsinkable. More vividly than Jacob, who had dreamed of a ladder full of angels, or Moses, who had beheld a bush burning in the desert, she, Anna, a widow and prophetess from the tribe of Asher, had just experienced the very presence of God. Her eyes had seen the promised child, whose brilliance would scatter the darkness and bring deliverance for all God’s people.

Now she, too, felt like a sparrow soaring freely in the house of God. It no longer mattered that she was forbidden entry into the innermost courts of the temple. God himself was breaking down the dividing walls between Jew and Gentile, male and female, revealing himself to all who hungered for his presence. That day a child had transformed the Women’s Court into the holiest place of all.

Scripture doesn’t tell us whether Anna ever actually wished she were allowed to enter the innermost courts of the temple in Jerusalem. But her longing for God is obvious. Clearly, she was a woman with a great spiritual appetite, who abandoned her life to God and was rewarded by meeting Jesus and his parents just forty days after his birth, duing the presentation in the temple


Her Life and Times


The Temple Courts

The old woman Anna had probably spent upwards of sixty years in the temple. In fact, she never left it, “but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37). The evidence of her devotion is not just in the fact that she spent all those years in prayer, but that she recognized the Christ. (He was, after all, only about six weeks old.) Yet even though Anna had relinquished a normal lifestyle, spent hours of every day in prayer to her God, and went without food as a sign of devotion, she was still not allowed access to the actual temple. Despite being relegated to the outer court for women, however, she never let that restriction squeeze her heart or strangle her love for God.

Solomon had built the first temple, an elaborate, white limestone structure, inlaid with gold. Zerubbabel built the second temple when the Jews returned form captivity in Babylon. This structure was not nearly so imposing. In fact, those who had seen Solomon’s temple wept when they saw the foundation for the new temple (Ezra 3:12-13). Herod the Great built the temple where Anna worshiped. He was a tireless builder, and the temple in Jerusalem was only one of his projects.

Herod’s temple had four successive courts, each more exclusive than the one before it. The outer court was known as the Court of the Gentiles. This was the only place where non-Jews were allowed. This court was also the place where Jesus later cleared the temple of those buying and selling. The inner curt was divided into two sections: the Women’s Court, where Anna worshiped, and the Court of Israel. Both Jewish women and men could enter the Women’s Court, but only Jewish men were allowed into the Court of Israel. The Court of the Priests surrounded the actual temple building itself and was accessible only to those of the Levitical priesthood.

The customs of her time may have restricted the physical location of Anna’s worship, but no earthly regulation could bind her actual worship or devotion. Be an Anna! Don’t let anything bind your devotion to God! No earthly rules or restrictions. NO past mistakes or sins. NO life situations that you can’t overcome. Let nothing get in the way of worshiping your God and recognizing your Saviour.


Her Legacy in *****ure


Read Luke 22-24

1. What does their careful observance of the Law of Moses tell you about Joseph and Mary?
2. What about your life reveals your Christian commitment?

Read Luke 2:22-32

3. What did Simeon’s words reveal about himself? What did they reveal about Jesus’ life and ministry?

4. The promise Simeon held onto was that he would see the Christ before he died. If you knew death were near, what would you like to see God accomplish before you died?

Read Luke 2:33-35

5. What do you think Simeon meant when he told Mary that “a sword will pierce your…soul”?

Read Luke 2:36-37

6. Describe what you think Anna’s lifestyle was like.

7. What about Anna’s lifestyle do you wish were true of your own? What can you do to make that happen in your life?

Read Luke 2:38

8. What do you think Anna said about Jesus? How do you think the crowd who listened responded?

9. If an Anna were to have spoken (prophesied) about you when you were six weeks old, what would she have said?


Her Promise


Anna’s life revolved around prayer and fasting in the temple. She evidently had no family, no home, no job. Instead, God was her family, the temple her home, and prayer her occupation. Though you may not have the freedom to spend every moment in prayer, as she did, you can be sure the time you do spend is never wasted. If you long to see your Saviour, to experience his presence in your life, let Anna’s devotion encourage you.


Promises in Scripture


Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:10

Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. Jeremiah 7:23

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8


Her Legacy of Prayer


She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Luke 2:37

Reflect On: Luke 2:36-38

Praise God: That Jesus is the true Bread form heaven, who satisfies the hungry heart.

Offer Thanks: For men and women who hunger and thirst for God’s kingdom

Confess: Any tendency to be so locked into your own concerns that you fail to pray for others in need.

Ask God: To increase your hunger for his kingdom.


Lift Your Heart


Anna did more than merely long for the coming Messiah; she prayed and fasted daily for the coming of God’s kingdom. Even though Christianity has spead across the globe, there are still many people who suffer form war and injustice, many who have little or nothing to eat, and many more who live in spiritual darkness. This week stretch yourself beyond your immediate concerns. Look at an atlas, a map, or a globe, and choose a country for which to pray. Read newspaper reports and magazine articles that will help you understand what is going on in that nation. Fast and pray for peace, for daily bread, for freedom, for justice, and for Christ’s light to shine upon that people.

Jesus, I long for your light to spread across the whole earth so that peoples from every land will know you. Today, give me a burden for another nation or ethnic group that knows little of you. Show me how to pray in a way that builds your kingdom.
7/16/2008, 9:13 am Link to this post Send PM to DianneHough
 
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Psalm 139:14

Registered: 01-2008
Posts: 2179
Reply | Quote
Re: Chapter 38--Anna


Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Luke 22-24

3. What does their careful observance of the Law of Moses tell you about Joseph and Mary?

Their careful observance of the Law of Moses tells us that Joseph and Mary were law abiding citizens that only wanted to right by God’s law.

4. What about your life reveals your Christian commitment?

Read Luke 2:22-32

5. What did Simeon’s words reveal about himself? What did they reveal about Jesus’ life and ministry?

Simeon’s words reveal that he was a messenger of God’s and that he was devoted to God. His words reveal that Jesus’ life and ministry would be very important and worldly recognized for ever.

6. The promise Simeon held onto was that he would see the Christ before he died. If you knew death were near, what would you like to see God accomplish before you died?

If I knew that death was near I would like to see God accomplish the saving of the whole world so that no man would die without knowing Him and His Son.

Read Luke 2:33-35

6. What do you think Simeon meant when he told Mary that “a sword will pierce your…soul”?

Simeon meant that as Jesus’ mother, Mary would be grieved by the widespread rejection he would face.

Read Luke 2:36-37

8. Describe what you think Anna’s lifestyle was like.

Anna’s life was filled with God’s word and she walked only to please Him.

9. What about Anna’s lifestyle do you wish were true of your own? What can you do to make that happen in your life?

I would like to have the determination to be able to praise God all day long and not worry about things in this life time.

Read Luke 2:38

10. What do you think Anna said about Jesus? How do you think the crowd who listened responded?

Anna may have said that Jesus was a child from God and that He would become a great man proclaiming the word of the Lord. The crowd was probably shocked and in disbelief at the time.

11 If an Anna were to have spoken (prophesied) about you when you were six weeks old, what would she have said?
7/16/2008, 9:13 am Link to this post Send PM to DianneHough
 


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