Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative

by Russ Ramsey

The nation through which all other nations of the earth would be blessed would take his name, the name God had given him. They would be Israel. And as history would show, they would be just like their namesake—stiff-necked and proud, prone to schemes and eager to bargain. Though they would wrestle with God, and though the Lord would hobble them, stripping them of their leverage, it would be because God was fighting for them even when they were fighting against him, even when they forgot the covenant the Lord himself swore to uphold. Their forefather Israel walked before God with a limp. And they would too. But the Lord would uphold them. They would belong to him.