{"id":14238,"date":"2020-11-29T15:43:29","date_gmt":"2020-11-29T21:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/?p=14238"},"modified":"2020-11-29T15:43:29","modified_gmt":"2020-11-29T21:43:29","slug":"some-thoughts-on-the-first-week-of-advent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/some-thoughts-on-the-first-week-of-advent\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Thoughts on the First Week of Advent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hope begins in the dark \u2013 Ann Lamott<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness \u2013 Desmond Tutu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first week of Advent is known as a week of hope, prophesy, anticipation and maybe to a lesser extent, a week of patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the Garden of Eden and the flood in Genesis we continue to follow the story of humanity and their response to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As time passes we start to zero in on a particular man and a particular family, the family of Abraham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God promises Abraham he will be the father of many nations and his people will be a blessing to all nations. (Genesis 12:1-3 and 17:3-7)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a message of hope to a man and wife who are convinced they’re too old to have children of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see this promise continue with Isaac and Jacob (Israel).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This family is then brought into captivity in Egypt and the Egyptian Empire puts their boot on their throat and tries to keep them down for roughly 400 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But God continues to bless them and they continue to grow in number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The odds are stacked against them but they keep hope because of the promise made to their forefathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re then led out of Egypt with Moses; they wonder the wilderness; they have multiple decisions to follow God or do their own thing \u2026 it\u2019s a mixed bag on how they decide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They finally return to Cannan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The status quo begins (to an extent) with the Israelites led by a series of judges, including Deborah, Gideon and Samuel \u2026 (about 400 years)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they want more. They want a king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God warns them that it won\u2019t go well for them \u2026 but they keep asking for one and he gives them Saul, then David, then Solomon and his son Rehoboam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And by the time the fourth king takes the thrown \u2026 the Kingdom of Israel is split in two (2nd<\/sup> Chronicles 10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel lasts roughly 165 years before they\u2019re destroyed by Assyria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judah lasts about 340 years before they\u2019re taken captive in Babylon (Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Persian Empire takes over Judea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esther saves the Jews and they return home to rebuild the temple and the family of Abraham begins to rebuild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point we don\u2019t have a lot of Biblical insight into what happens but history tells us \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n