Introduction
Undoubtedly the most well-known woman in the entire bible, Miriam the mother of Yeshua was an ordinary Jewish young lady living in Israel at a time when it was ruled by the powerful Roman Empire. Along with many in her nation, she held on to the hope of the promised Messiah coming to His people and the biblical record strongly suggests she was Torah-observant in the usual manner of other godly young woman in her time. It is during the ordinary course of life, preparing for marriage that this ordinary young Jewish girl from a seemingly non-descript place called Nazareth is chosen by God to fulfil a unique calling to be the vessel through which the Word who was God would become flesh and dwell amongst men. Her life would never be the same!
Of the relatively little of her life recorded in the Scriptures, it is the nature of Miriam’s response to God’s call on her life which is the focus of our attention in this discussion. It is an opportunity to pause, in order to listen out for what the Holy Spirit of God may choose to speak into our hearts concerning the desired attitude in surrendering to the revealed will of God in or for our lives. Perhaps concerning a specific matter which even now has been laid upon our hearts! Whatever the initial difficulties, hardship, discomfort or even personal embarrassment in surrendering in willing obedience to the Lord Yeshua, may we be greatly comforted in knowing that our willing obedience will always be remembered by the Lord. I pray He will enable us by His Spirit to receive the good that He would have us to receive as He continues to work in us and transform us from glory to glory according to the will of God.
Overview on Miriam
This discussion does not set out to cover everything the Scriptures reveal about Miriam – there are no doubt points overlooked which could perhaps have been included. It is hoped however that the essentials concerning the issue at hand will be sufficiently covered to give us enough to prayerfully consider and utilise.
Please take time to read the following Scripture passages: Luke 1:26-56; Luke 2:1-39; Matthew ch. 2; John 19:25-27 and Acts 1:1-14.
From the above readings we can note, in particular, the following points:-
- we are first introduced to Miriam as a young virgin betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph (Luke 1:27; Matthew 13:55). A betrothal in respect of Jewish custom, particularly in those days being understood as a formal and binding agreement of marriage requiring a formal divorce to be broken;
- she was of the house and lineage of King David (Luke 1:27). It is widely believed that the genealogy at Luke 3:23-38 refers to Miriam’s descent however we can know with certainty that she was of the lineage of David because the Scriptures state this unambiguously;
- she lived in the land of Israel, in Nazareth of Galilee, a place not reckoned as much by some (see e.g., John 1:46);
- she was very probably a woman from humble circumstances (consider Leviticus 12:1-8; and Luke 2:24);
- she was a woman of faith who praised God, as seen in her declaration/song of worship and thanksgiving (Luke 1:46-55). In her praises to God, we see not mere sentimentalism but true praise – exalting God and His mighty works – expressed from all her heart and soul in grateful thanks for the faithfulness of God to His people. It wasn’t just about singing a song about how she felt about/ towards God or how faithfully she was going to stand in faith and serve Him – it was all about what God had done;
- she was not only the mother of the Person of Yeshua but also went on to have other children;
- It is possible that some point Miriam became a widow since there is no further mention of Joseph beyond a reference to him when Yeshua was twelve (Luke 2:48), except perhaps at Matthew 13:55;
- The prophetic words of Simon (Luke 2:35) were ultimately fulfilled as this mother stood by the Cross of her Son at His death (John 19:25-27).
Let’s continue to consider Miriam’s willingness to surrender to God’s call on her life:
- Consider the encounter with the holy angelic messenger of God, Gabriel. One can safely suppose she was going about every day normal life when, in a moment of time, her life was unexpectedly changed beyond anything she could have ever possibly imagined or expected.
- She was a woman in whom God Himself had found something that pleased Him (Luke 1:28, 30) and was hand-picked for a once-and-for- all- time mission that would mark her as unique among every woman that has ever and will ever live. No other woman – no matter how righteous or godly or famous – will ever be able to share such an honour which came to Miriam in the miracle conception of Yeshua in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit and giving birth to Him as a virgin. She was indeed blessed among women to have been chosen as the vessel through which the Word which was God became flesh and dwelt with men (John 1:1, 14). Chosen for such a purpose, the blessing would extend beyond herself, her family, her nation, her generation to every person in every nation for every generation for all time (Luke 1:31-35). As Miriam herself acknowledged God had ‘helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever’ (Luke 1:54-55). This was very likely a reference to the word of promise to Abraham ‘And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’ (Genesis 12:3).
- Consider that she did not falter in unbelief at the word of God brought by Gabriel, as Zacharias initially did (compare Luke 1:34 with vs. 18 & 20). She was a woman who believed that which was told to her by God – that what in the natural was impossible was possible with God (Luke 1:45). Whether she knew she would and did fulfil the prophetic word spoken by Isaiah concerning the sign of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23) and her part in Isaiah 9:6 being fulfilled is not revealed. No doubt she came to see this and so much more some 33 years later following the resurrection on Yeshua.
- Consider that she had to deal with the costliness of the blessing given to her very early on. This included the initial disbelief of her then husband-to-be! Moreover, in the earliest considerations at least, of the potential scenarios following her bombshell, she had to think through the very real possibility of the shame of divorce, scandal to Joseph, their families and herself and destruction of their future hopes. What thoughts must have chased around Miriam’s mind at that time! If Joseph were to divorce her what would people say? What suspicions would arise in the minds of people? What would they do? A virgin daughter of Israel, observant of the Torah, would no doubt have had instilled in her the essentiality of chastity and purity before all (consider e.g., Deuteronomy 22:13-21, regarding the law of sexual morality). As we can see at Matthew 1:19-20, Joseph really wrestled with Miriam’s news at the beginning. In the anxious time prior to learning of Joseph acceptance to becoming his wife, the personal cost of the blessing and Miriam’s willing surrender to God’s will would have begun to bite.
- She has her first-born Son in Bethlehem in accordance/fulfilment of the prophetic word through the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2). It is said that Nazareth is around 80-90 miles away from Bethlehem and being in the late stages of pregnancy would have meant it was not an easy journey for Miriam at all! Neither were the circumstances in which she brought her first-born Child into the world easy (Luke 2:4-7). As we consider this point, what a reminder we have that God’s word, no matter how bizarre and unlikely it may appear at one time, will always be fulfilled absolutely and without fail. It is amazing to think, for example, how the decree of Caesar Augustus for a census (Luke 2:1-3) played such a huge part in prophecy being fulfilled! I doubt neither Joseph’s nor Miriam’s mind consider this at the time! This is both a warning and a hope for us, particularly in circumstances which in themselves are so bewildering for us.
- She had to flee from her land and nation in a secret flight with her husband and Son to Egypt after Joseph was divinely warned in a dreamed about an impending attempt on her Son’s life in his infant years (Matthew 2:13-14)! In our attempts to imagine what Miriam may have gone through mentally, emotionally and physically in dealing with the logistics of that journey, let us not forget she didn’t have the end of the story mapped out for her. As alluded to above, she went through this moment by moment and although possible, I don’t think it was very probable that she stopped and said ‘Oh, okay, so this is the bit where that prophecy gets fulfilled – that one about Yeshua being called out of Egypt….so that means we are going to be okay….yippee!’ Prophecy was indeed being fulfilled (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15), the plan of God for salvation was unfolding and Miriam was living it – having willingly submitted. Did it mean she didn’t battle with fear at times? I doubt it. But in those times of fear, however often and in whatever form they came, Miriam had a rock-solid cast-iron guarantee which could always be a place of rest. The word of God to her. The word of God in this case through Gabriel had been that Yeshua: “..will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1:32). Since there were the words of God they were never was going to return back to God void. As it is written at Isaiah 55:8-11:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Miriam was a “ponderer” (note Luke 2:19, 33, 51) and it may reasonably be supposed that she pondered over the words of Gabriel many times whilst in Egypt!
- After the end of a period signified by the death of the then King Herod, she returned with her family to the land of Israel and resettled in Nazareth in fulfilment of the prophetic word concerning Yeshua that ‘He shall be called a Nazarene’ (Matthew 2:23).
- There were certainly many extraordinary things she experienced and witnessed that she probably turned over in her thoughts, concerning the Child she bore and the reaction of others to Him throughout His life at home, including:
- the shepherds and the tales they brought with them at the birth of Yeshua concerning the angelic messenger and the heavenly host that appeared praising God (Luke 2:8-20);
- the encounter with Simeon at the temple in Jerusalem as she and Joseph went to fulfil the requirements of the law following childbirth (Luke 2:25-35). How could she forget the ominous note of his personal message for her;
- the thanksgiving given by Anna the prophetess to God concerning Yeshua (Luke 2:38);
- the wise men from the East who brought such gifts in worship of Yeshua (Matthew 2:11);
- of Yeshua Himself, as recorded of Him as a 12-year-old Boy when Miriam feared Him lost on the way back from one of the Feasts at Jerusalem, finding Him in the Temple and the words of reply to her anxiety (Luke 2:41-50).
- Without a doubt, there must have been many more extraordinary though unrecorded things Miriam witnessed and experienced, being so instrumental in some significant prophecies concerning the Messiah of Israel and Saviour of the world. Yet though she was the chosen vessel of God to be the human mother of Yeshua, who on His days upon this earth was fully the Son of God and fully the Son of Man – her Son – Miriam went on to have a normal life in many respects. The Scriptures make it clear that after the birth of Yeshua, she and her husband Joseph had normal marital relations (Matthew 1:25) and, contrary to the teachings of the Roman Catholic church she had at least six other children (Matthew 13:55-56). She could not therefore perpetually be called “the Virgin Mary”. Also, careful reading of the Scripture shows that Miriam herself was not unique as in being sinless among woman, although God-fearing and Torah-observant and quite probably far godlier than you and I. She recognised her own need for a saviour, reckoning herself in need of the salvation of God and thus exclaiming ‘my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour’ (Luke 1:47).
- Romans 3:23 makes clear that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ In this respect, Miriam was no different to you and me. We see then that – again – careful reading of the Scripture tells us that whilst Miriam was indeed ‘highly favoured’, the angel Gabriel said she was blessed among women not above women (Luke 1:28). The Holy Spirit through Elisabeth reiterated the same thing at Luke 1:42. Yeshua the Messiah Himself effectively said the same thing (see Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21). Nowhere in the Scriptures is Miriam elevated to the extent of that which is erroneously taught as truth by the Roman Catholic Church as can be made clear to all whom, in seeking God read His word, the Bible, in context. How horrified and sickened Miriam would be to see how she has been made the object of worship, as any godly person who worships the Living God would be.
- As a mother, the time would come when Miriam would have had to release Yeshua, who she had carried inside her body, experienced labour and childbirth, cared for as a baby and as He was growing up, part of the family – knowing that He was set apart for a unique ministry that only He could fulfil. Yet, she willingly submitted to the will of God, accepting the transition that would be inevitable as the ministry of Yeshua unfolded. Consider again, for example, Matthew 12:46-50. In normal circumstances it would be very hard for a mother to let go of her child and even though practically speaking Miriam had to do this, she did not let go of that mother’s love. Simeon’s words to her in the Temple at Yeshua’s dedication is also an indication of this. Releasing Yeshua was part of what Miriam had willingly submitted to as ‘the maidservant of the Lord.’ Whatever concerns she may have had in all she would come to hear concerning Him from others during His ministry, one cannot help but wonder whether Simeon’s words ever left her thoughts? “..yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also…”.
- That day came – when those words were fully and most horribly realised as she witnessed the crucifixion of her Son and Redeemer, Yeshua, on the Roman cross being taunted and reviled by those who hated Him without cause (John 19:25). She who was ‘highly favoured’ and ‘blessed among woman’ as the chosen vessel to bring forth the Messiah also came to know the costliness of that blessing in that solemn hour. What must Miriam have felt at this time, at this place and at the tender words of her Son from the cross recorded for us at John 19:26-27:
‘When Yeshua therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.’
At the death of Yeshua, it is possible that she may have felt that in a sense her mission may have ended – but her submission continued on. As we see at Acts 1:14 Miriam was with the other believers and disciples of Lord Yeshua continuing on in the faith of the risen Lord.
Although not recorded for us in the Scriptures, I am sure there is no one who doubts that after the resurrection of Yeshua, Miriam must have been among the earliest of those Lord Yeshua appeared to. What joy must have filled then her heart at the first glimpse she had, not of her Son, but her Lord, the promised Messiah indeed, the Hope of Israel, the Son of the living God!
Miriam’s Legacy
One of the points which often strikes me in Miriam’s story and in common with almost all the men and women of the faith mentioned in the Bible, is that they were going about their own business when the Lord God chose them for a particular purpose or task. As stated in a previous discussion on this website, it is always God Who does the choosing and the using of His servants– taking the burden off us in “trying” to make things happen in our desires to serve the Lord. He will make it clear to us as we continue to seek Him and live out the faith He has given us. Who could have guessed that so suddenly, in a moment, Miriam’s thoughts would have taken on an unimaginable depth in consideration of the things seen and heard from the messenger of God, Gabriel. Yet, even as she heard the call of God on her life, the ”compass” of her heart was already pointed towards willing surrender, as can be seen from her response:
“Behold, the maid servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
This is Miriam’s legacy to us today.
It is not just about submission but willing habitual submitting to the heavenly Father, His Son the Lord Yeshua and His Holy Spirit, according to His revealed will in the Holy Scriptures. In considering the accounts of Miriam, may it be an opportunity for us to examine ourselves to see whether we are willingly submitting ourselves to Almighty God our heavenly Father in obedience to Lord Yeshua. Are we? Or are we chaffing against His yoke in pursuing our own way or in impatience in present circumstances? We may well be seeking, desiring, even believing we are serving the Lord and doing His will but there is no such thing as doing God’s will, our way – is there? It never works out in the end, whatever we may have imagined in the beginning, does it.
Let us take a moment to remind ourselves of a few points on willingness in surrender, with a tender heart before the Holy Spirit, being open to seeing if there are things we have overlooked that our heavenly Father would have us consider, and even repent of.
What is meant by ‘willingness’?
In simple terms, we know that willingness refers to a readiness from within. It is a disposition or inclination to do a particular thing – in this case, to come to or turn to or turn something over to Lord Yeshua to do as seems best to Him. Looking beyond readiness, it clearly involves a bit more than just believing or saying ‘yes, I’m ready.’ Using ordinary secular dictionary definitions to aid clarity, we can see:
- it is also volitional – it ought to be a voluntary act, not out of compulsion or fear but rather out of love. As born-again believers we have nothing to fear in surrendering to our heavenly Father as John wrote for us, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18);
- it comes from a position of being eagerly disposed or glad to act or be of service, knowing that ‘God loves a cheerful giver”’(2 Corinthians 9:7) and that this has a much wider application than supporting the ministry of the Gospel and, as we are able, helping others in need financially;
- it involves a preparedness of heart as well as mind arising from an inward settled decision. The heart is established, set up on a firm basis of faith, in being willing;
- It does not discount a consent to and acceptance of potentially indeterminate outcomes. Consider Paul’s example in his words to the Elders of the Ephesian church at Acts 20:22-24: ‘ “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy…”’;
- it involves being compliable before the Lord Yeshua – e.g., being conformable, leadable, teachable, manageable, willing to yield, offering no resistance before or to God; and
- it is also a whole-hearted response.
It will certainly be the case that we need to ask the Lord for mercy and grace to help our pilgrimage of faith in Lord Yeshua – and in some cases/circumstances grace to be willing to be made willing!
We who believe that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord know that we are called to submit to Him as Lord our lives. May we know His continuing and abundant grace to help us grow in and be surrendered in everything to Him – our hearts, our thoughts, our hopes, our plans, our agendas, our own timings, our truest desires, our fears, our busy-ness, our inactivity, our successes, our failures…..our all.
Miriam the mother of Yeshua did this when she said:
“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
(Luke 1:38)
Conclusion
For Miriam, the sword that pieced her soul was not the end of the story – just as the Cross of Yeshua the Messiah was not the end of the story. As noted above, the day came when Miriam experienced a joy that could never again be taken away in seeing the resurrected Yeshua – a joy which could only be surpassed by the day her faith became sight when she entered into glory at her death and beheld the glorified Son of God.
Even where submitting to the will of God is difficult, costly and the place where we unexpectedly find our flesh rising up in opposition – in this too our gracious heavenly Father will help us if we come to Him to seek His grace that we might, from our heart, bend our wills to the will of God. May we be enabled through the Holy Spirit to so do: ‘looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God’ (Hebrews 12:2).
God bless you,
Leave a Reply