My Salvation To The Ends Of The Earth!

"It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth" Isaiah 49:6.

This is a continuation of the theme of our last meditation although it is a separate prophecy, "I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles" Isaiah 42:6.

As an example of a light to the Gentiles, soon after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Bible tells us that "wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'

"When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

"So they said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet; "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel"'" Matthew 2:1-6, (Micah 5:2).

After receiving instructions from Herod, the wise men departed from Jerusalem, and "the star which they had seen in the East went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him; gold, frankincense and myrrh" Matthew 2:9-11.

The wise men "had received no such intimation of the lowly estate of Jesus as was given to the shepherds. After the long journey they had been disappointed by the indifference of the Jewish leaders, and had left Jerusalem less confident than when they entered the city. At Bethlehem they found no royal guard stationed to protect the newborn King. None of the world's honored men were in attendance. Jesus was cradled in a manger. His parents, uneducated peasants, were His only guardians. Could this be He of whom it was written, that He should 'raise up the tribes of Jacob,' and 'restore the preserved ones of Israel;' that He should be 'a light to the Gentiles,' and for 'salvation to the ends of the earth'?" Desire of Ages, p. 63.

What is amazing here is the confirmation that Jesus Christ was not just given "to restore the preserved ones of Israel," the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The promise in scripture is that "I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth."

Soon after Christ's birth, Gentiles from the East were led by the Light of God, by a star, to find and worship God's precious Gift to all humanity. Jesus was given by God to all mankind. God's promise to Abraham was, "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" and "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice" Genesis 12:3; 22:18. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise to Abraham and to all people of "all the nations of the earth."

Today, God is still leading wise men and women to find and honor His precious Gift of "salvation to the ends of the earth!"