A Father’s Tale
By Pastor Lee Hemen
December 17, 2006
The Bible does not tell us anything about Mary’s family. Her mother and father, or any of her siblings, if she had any at all. However, I believe that Mary’s life exemplified a godly one. After all, she was chosen to be the mother of the Savior of the world! And we learn from the angel Gabriel that she was highly favored of God. We also know that her life was a reflection of her upbringing and so it is with this assurance, we find a father worried about his young Hebrew daughter “Miriam...”
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I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise! I will say this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me glad! This is both the happiest day and the saddest day of my life! But as you can see, I think I will focus on the happier part! Oh Lord, my God thank You for being the God You are. Thank You for my daughter Miriam!
A father knows this day will come but he never realizes just how fast it does come. Your daughter is one day playing with your beard, learning to walk, learning the Psalms and singing them sweetly around the house, and the next… she has growing into a fine young woman! Can it be that she is fourteen now? They grow up so fast! This last year she has learned to cook, sew, keep a household, and to manage affairs well like a good Jewish woman should.
Just yesterday she was my little girl. For me, she will always be my little “Ahyawlaw.” My fawn. But then we have found a good man for her. A carpenter, an established man who is well liked, and has a steady income. His name is Yoshep. He is very kind too, which suits me well and is never late for Synagogue and always observes the Sabbath. He is a godly man. He will make my little Miriam a fine husband, and who knows? Soon perhaps I will have more little ones crawling all over their “Abbie!”
Yes! Today is both a sad day and a fine day! A day the Lord has truly made! I think I will focus on the fine part! My little Miriam, married?
----
Today is a miserable day! A bleak day! A day that no man should go through, not even Job! First, Yoseph comes to me and says he is not sure he desires to wed our Miriam. I am shocked, he is embarrassed. I can see it all over his face. He hardly can look at me.
“Yoseph,” I ask him, “what is wrong?” Why has my little Miriam displeased you so? Is she too lazy? Is she too small and not strong enough to bear you fine children? Is she a flighty woman, not thinking of her household? “No,” he says. “She is none of that.” In fact, she is perfect, but did I “know something about her that I had not told him before?” “What?” I demanded. What did he mean?
Then the horrible truth came from his lips. Miriam is with child! How could this be? At first I accused Yoseph of deception, then of being foul with his words. He rebutted that his actions with Miriam were always honorable. I ordered him to leave my house. How could he say such thing about my little Ahyawlaw? My Miriam? My little, beautiful, wonderful daughter?
Then she came into the room where I was inwardly weeping, and calmly took my hand. She looked into my eyes and confided in me that indeed it was true. She is with child. She had told Yoseph herself and being an honorable man, he was seeking to do this quietly as to not cause problems for her. I could not look at her. Who had done this foul thing to her? To us? To her mother and me? We would be seen in town as horrible parents! A laughing stock! They would think that some Roman soldier had seduced her! What would we do? What would she do?
She then said something so sad, yet so unbelievable to me that at first I could not understand her words. They came out of her mouth, but they seemed as gibberish to me. Calmly she confided that an angel of God, Gabriel, had come to her and related that she would be a mother of a special child. The Holy Spirit of God, he promised, would come upon her and she would conceive a male child. She was to make sure to call Him “Yeshua.” The angel told her that “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Yacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” He would be the Savior of His people Israel. The Messiah!
I did not want to believe her. I thought her mad. I asked her if God’s angels had a habit of introducing themselves to young Hebrew women on a first name basis. But then I saw her calmness. Her face radiated. No longer a little girl stood in front of her father, she was a blessed beautiful woman of God.
Then today, a message came from my brother Zachariah. His wife Elizabeth, is with child as well! Now, my brother is older than me! And his old barren wife Elizabeth to be pregnant is a miracle… right? So then I encouraged Miriam to get some of her things together to go and visit Elizabeth because not only would she know what to do, and she could help, but if Elizabeth was going to give birth, then what had occurred with Miriam was for a reason. But what exactly? And what will we do with a pregnant young unmarried woman in a Hebrew village?
Yes, today is a horrible day? Isn’t Lord? Surely You can understand a father’s hurt for his daughter? Now, I know why Yoseph was so hurt…
----
Today is one of those days you cannot describe. Everything is a mess in my life, my wife’s life, and in the lives of Miriam and Yoseph. Yet it is a good day as well. Can you believe it? Yoseph came back to me last week to talk again about Miriam. Yes, they are going to be married! How you ask? Yoseph came to me within a few days to humbly, yes humbly, to ask permission to be the husband of Miriam again! I told him that we had sent her to Elizabeth and Zechariah. At first I was angry. I was hurt. I was the father of a daughter that something was happening to that I could not explain! He could not possibly know what I was going through!
Yes, yes, he knew all about it! Him? How could he know so much? Who made him aware of what God was supposedly doing in the life of my only daughter? Then he related to me that he too had been visited by the angel. He related that the angel visited him in a dream and told him, “Yoseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Miriam home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins.” He hurried off to make arraignments to go and tell Miriam right away.
Now today, TODAY, they both come to me saying that because of this decree from Caesar they have to journey to Bethlehem! Now! At this time of the year! And she is with child and could give birth anytime! Yet Yoseph was adamant as was Miriam. I had to let them go, didn’t I? We could not defy the Romans.
My little daughter, my new son-in-law, journeying over bandit infested highways. Such a long way. Well over sixty or seventy stradia. But You, Lord, You will watch over them and keep them safe? Help Miriam with her birth, dear Lord. Help Miriam find a safe comfortable place. Watch over Yoseph and help him to be a good husband and father. Find them someone who will help Miriam!
He hugged me. And Miriam, my little Miriam, my Ahyawlaw, she stood on her tip-toes, reached her little face to mine, and kissed me right here on my cheek. She whispered, “Abba, it will be okay. Do not worry. God is watching over us. I carry His child.” Children, what do they know? There are so many dangers in the world. So many things can happen.
Then they walked down the road and over the small hill over there and were gone to Bethlehem. My Miriam. My Ahyawlaw. Gone. A wife and soon to be a mother of a baby boy… Who would have believed such things?
Oh Lord God, please keep Ahyawlaw safe for her “Abba.”
By Pastor Lee Hemen
December 17, 2006
The Bible does not tell us anything about Mary’s family. Her mother and father, or any of her siblings, if she had any at all. However, I believe that Mary’s life exemplified a godly one. After all, she was chosen to be the mother of the Savior of the world! And we learn from the angel Gabriel that she was highly favored of God. We also know that her life was a reflection of her upbringing and so it is with this assurance, we find a father worried about his young Hebrew daughter “Miriam...”
----
I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise! I will say this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me glad! This is both the happiest day and the saddest day of my life! But as you can see, I think I will focus on the happier part! Oh Lord, my God thank You for being the God You are. Thank You for my daughter Miriam!
A father knows this day will come but he never realizes just how fast it does come. Your daughter is one day playing with your beard, learning to walk, learning the Psalms and singing them sweetly around the house, and the next… she has growing into a fine young woman! Can it be that she is fourteen now? They grow up so fast! This last year she has learned to cook, sew, keep a household, and to manage affairs well like a good Jewish woman should.
Just yesterday she was my little girl. For me, she will always be my little “Ahyawlaw.” My fawn. But then we have found a good man for her. A carpenter, an established man who is well liked, and has a steady income. His name is Yoshep. He is very kind too, which suits me well and is never late for Synagogue and always observes the Sabbath. He is a godly man. He will make my little Miriam a fine husband, and who knows? Soon perhaps I will have more little ones crawling all over their “Abbie!”
Yes! Today is both a sad day and a fine day! A day the Lord has truly made! I think I will focus on the fine part! My little Miriam, married?
----
Today is a miserable day! A bleak day! A day that no man should go through, not even Job! First, Yoseph comes to me and says he is not sure he desires to wed our Miriam. I am shocked, he is embarrassed. I can see it all over his face. He hardly can look at me.
“Yoseph,” I ask him, “what is wrong?” Why has my little Miriam displeased you so? Is she too lazy? Is she too small and not strong enough to bear you fine children? Is she a flighty woman, not thinking of her household? “No,” he says. “She is none of that.” In fact, she is perfect, but did I “know something about her that I had not told him before?” “What?” I demanded. What did he mean?
Then the horrible truth came from his lips. Miriam is with child! How could this be? At first I accused Yoseph of deception, then of being foul with his words. He rebutted that his actions with Miriam were always honorable. I ordered him to leave my house. How could he say such thing about my little Ahyawlaw? My Miriam? My little, beautiful, wonderful daughter?
Then she came into the room where I was inwardly weeping, and calmly took my hand. She looked into my eyes and confided in me that indeed it was true. She is with child. She had told Yoseph herself and being an honorable man, he was seeking to do this quietly as to not cause problems for her. I could not look at her. Who had done this foul thing to her? To us? To her mother and me? We would be seen in town as horrible parents! A laughing stock! They would think that some Roman soldier had seduced her! What would we do? What would she do?
She then said something so sad, yet so unbelievable to me that at first I could not understand her words. They came out of her mouth, but they seemed as gibberish to me. Calmly she confided that an angel of God, Gabriel, had come to her and related that she would be a mother of a special child. The Holy Spirit of God, he promised, would come upon her and she would conceive a male child. She was to make sure to call Him “Yeshua.” The angel told her that “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Yacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” He would be the Savior of His people Israel. The Messiah!
I did not want to believe her. I thought her mad. I asked her if God’s angels had a habit of introducing themselves to young Hebrew women on a first name basis. But then I saw her calmness. Her face radiated. No longer a little girl stood in front of her father, she was a blessed beautiful woman of God.
Then today, a message came from my brother Zachariah. His wife Elizabeth, is with child as well! Now, my brother is older than me! And his old barren wife Elizabeth to be pregnant is a miracle… right? So then I encouraged Miriam to get some of her things together to go and visit Elizabeth because not only would she know what to do, and she could help, but if Elizabeth was going to give birth, then what had occurred with Miriam was for a reason. But what exactly? And what will we do with a pregnant young unmarried woman in a Hebrew village?
Yes, today is a horrible day? Isn’t Lord? Surely You can understand a father’s hurt for his daughter? Now, I know why Yoseph was so hurt…
----
Today is one of those days you cannot describe. Everything is a mess in my life, my wife’s life, and in the lives of Miriam and Yoseph. Yet it is a good day as well. Can you believe it? Yoseph came back to me last week to talk again about Miriam. Yes, they are going to be married! How you ask? Yoseph came to me within a few days to humbly, yes humbly, to ask permission to be the husband of Miriam again! I told him that we had sent her to Elizabeth and Zechariah. At first I was angry. I was hurt. I was the father of a daughter that something was happening to that I could not explain! He could not possibly know what I was going through!
Yes, yes, he knew all about it! Him? How could he know so much? Who made him aware of what God was supposedly doing in the life of my only daughter? Then he related to me that he too had been visited by the angel. He related that the angel visited him in a dream and told him, “Yoseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Miriam home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins.” He hurried off to make arraignments to go and tell Miriam right away.
Now today, TODAY, they both come to me saying that because of this decree from Caesar they have to journey to Bethlehem! Now! At this time of the year! And she is with child and could give birth anytime! Yet Yoseph was adamant as was Miriam. I had to let them go, didn’t I? We could not defy the Romans.
My little daughter, my new son-in-law, journeying over bandit infested highways. Such a long way. Well over sixty or seventy stradia. But You, Lord, You will watch over them and keep them safe? Help Miriam with her birth, dear Lord. Help Miriam find a safe comfortable place. Watch over Yoseph and help him to be a good husband and father. Find them someone who will help Miriam!
He hugged me. And Miriam, my little Miriam, my Ahyawlaw, she stood on her tip-toes, reached her little face to mine, and kissed me right here on my cheek. She whispered, “Abba, it will be okay. Do not worry. God is watching over us. I carry His child.” Children, what do they know? There are so many dangers in the world. So many things can happen.
Then they walked down the road and over the small hill over there and were gone to Bethlehem. My Miriam. My Ahyawlaw. Gone. A wife and soon to be a mother of a baby boy… Who would have believed such things?
Oh Lord God, please keep Ahyawlaw safe for her “Abba.”
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