| 16.1 Now there was one, Anna, a
prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and
had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 |
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16.2 There is a great lesson in prayer in these verses. Here was a woman over a hundred years old who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day! What an intercessor! We can only imagine what she prayed for, but we know this -- that she prayed with dedication, aim, purpose, and resolve. She prayed until she saw results. I believe she had been praying for the coming of the Messiah. I believe that's how she knew he had come. She was one of those great "behind the scene" warriors. In order to have the kind of prayer life Anna had, she must have been a great student and reader of the Scriptures. It is not possible to be such a man or woman of prayer unless one also lives in God's word. And God showed her things, so that she was a prophetess. The text indicates that she had served God in this manner for eighty-four years. No doubt she did it in a quiet and humble way. Few would have known her then, but now we all do. She is one of the best examples in the Bible.
16.3 Anna would have known that the Messiah was about to be born. Since she never left the temple, she would have heard of the angel Gabriel's appearance to Zachariah, and so she would have known that the forerunner of the Messiah was soon to be born. That being the case, the Messiah himself would be born soon also.
16.4 The Bible says that Anna was a prophetess. This means that she was constantly ...
Searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them, (her), was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them, (her) it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us they, (she), were ministering. I Peter 1:11-12
Anna would have been a student of the Scriptures. She would have known that every firstborn child, that was male, was holy to God, and that his mother would have to come to the temple sometime after 41 days to offer sacrifices. She chose to wait in the temple to see this great thing that she knew would soon take place. She never left the temple grounds. Finally, the day came when her patience and faith were rewarded. She saw the Christ child for herself with her own eyes, and then spoke of him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
16.5 Note that there were, in fact, at least some people in Jerusalem who were looking for redemption. There were at least some Jews who were expecting the Messiah to forgive sins. Zachariah had said so when he prophesied over his son, John the Baptist.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, To give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins. Luke 1:75-76
Anna would have known about this also.
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