12 Days of Christmas: Day 5


On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The earliest written books in Scripture are the Torah, the five books of Moses, called the Pentateuch in the Greek. The five books lay the bedrock of our salvation.

In Genesis we see the origins of mankind through creation. Moses states emphatically the activity of God as well as the time frame-there was evening, there was morning, one day. This is the Hebrew way of stating one twenty-four hour period. Thus the earth was created in one week. The first Gospel promise is given in Genesis right after the fall into sin-in fact, God gives the promise right away. Here we find that the Savior would be born of a woman as we read:

"And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your
offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel." (prophecy from Genesis 3:15-16)

But when time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law (fulfillment found in Galatians 4:4)

Genesis also tells us further details about this Savior. He would be from the line of Abraham (Genesis 12:2,3; 18:18), of the nation of Israel (Genesis 26:4; Numbers 24:17), of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). We also see God's providence in this book. The first genealogy in Scripture is that of Cain, a person people would just as soon forget but God remembered. God spared seven people to continue the human race after the Great Flood. And God spared the Jewish people, as well many other peoples, through Joseph and his administration of food reserves in Egypt.

In Exodus we see the nation of Israel grow despite servitude. In Exodus God again displays grace as he sends Moses to Pharoah to proclaim his grace. Unfortunately Pharoah hardened his heart against God (Exodus 7:13, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). Exodus details how God led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and led them in the desert. God's providence is on display as water gushes from rocks (Exodus 17), manna appears every morning, and quail is provided for meat (Exodus 16). Along the way he gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, which we will discuss later.

The copyright of the article 12 Days of Christmas: Day 5 in Lutheranism is owned by John L. Hoh, Jr.. Permission to republish 12 Days of Christmas: Day 5 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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