Bob Josey - Biblical Charatcters impacted by Jesus - Anna- Dec 17, 2023
The Biblical Characters Impacted by Jesus Birth
Anna
Introduction
One of the qualities that a Christian should have is commitment. Commitment is the quality of being dedicated to a task or purpose: Another definition of commitment is the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important to them.
In the Old Testament there were believers who committed themselves to the call of God. We read about people like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. After Israel became a nation, we find God calling men to be dedicated prophets, priests, and kings. Others were dedicated to minister to the needs of Israelites and to be light to the nations surrounding Israel.
From the beginning of Christianity, when Jesus initiated the New Covenant at His death, there have been many believers in Jesus who have been dedicated or committed to His’ cause. They have been dedicated to Jesus’ commandment to go into all the world to evangelize and make disciples. This began with Jesus' Apostles who He sent into the known world to fulfill His’ command in Matthew 28:19-20 to go into all nations to evangelize, make disciples and to teach them His’ commands.
For the last 2000 years commitment to the cause of Christ has manifested itself in many ways. Many men have dedicated themselves to pastor the flock of Jesus in different locations around the world. There have been others who have dedicated themselves to full time service to spread the gospel around the world. Other believers have dedicated themselves to use their spiritual gift(s) given by the Holy Spirit to minister to the body of Christ.
In the Old Testament, the New Testament, and for the last 2000 years there have been believers who have been committed and dedicated to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For the last couple of weeks, we have discussed several men who were called by God to be committed to Him. These two men’s lives were impacted by the birth of Jesus. One man we studied whose life was impacted by the birth of Jesus was Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph. The other man we studied who life was impacted by the birth of Jesus was Simeon.
Today we are going to study another believer and whose life was impacted by the birth of Jesus whose story is found in Luke 2:36-38. This person’s name is Anna. Anna, like, Simeon had a bucket list. One of Anna’s days started as a very normal day, but by the end of that day, it not only ends up being a very profound day for Simeon, but also for her. As we shall see, she is one of the of the most, if not the most. dedicated or committed believers found in Scripture. We have much to learn from her.
Anna
Let’s read verses Luke 2:36-37.
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
The conjunction “and” ties the story of Simeon, Jesus, Mary and Joseph with Anna. William Barclay called Anna “one of the quiet in the land” because there is only three verses in Scripture about her and her ministry. We will find that, even though there are only three verses about her, that these verses describe her as a godly woman who loved the Lord and, like Simeon, was waiting for the Messiah. They were both humble, dedicated believers who loved the Lord. We find that Simeon was the first evangelist mentioned in Scripture and Anna is he second. We will see as we begin to unpack these verses about Anna and her ministry that she was in the Temple while Simeon was blessing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Hanna had a lot in common with Simeon. Before we look at Anna’s ministry, let’s find out what we can about her.
Concerning Anna’s name, some Greek manuscripts have the Greek name Anna, and some have the Hebrew name of Hannah like Samuel’s mother. Since her name was Hanna, that’s what I will call her for the remainder of the lesson. The name Hannah means grace. Let’s look now at several aspects of her life.
1. Hanna was a prophetess. (36)
She was in a long line of women in both Testaments who either were called a prophetess and/or prophesied. Other prophetesses in Scripture are Miriam (Ex 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Hulduh (2Ki 22:14), Noadiah (Ne 6:14), and the wife of Isaiah (Isa 8:3). Jewish tradition also includes Sarah, Abigail, and Esther. Philip, the evangelist, had four daughters who were prophetesses (Ac 21:8-9).
God used men and women as revelatory agents in both Testaments. There is a misconception about the ministry of the prophet of Israel. Some think all a prophet did was to prophesy what God wanted the people to know about the future. If you spend time in the prophets, you will find that three-quarters of their ministry was encouraging the people to be obedient to the Torah and only one-fourth predicting the future.
2. Hannah’s Father’s name was Phanuel. (36)
Phanuel means “face of God.” It is what Jacob named the place where he wrestled with the angel in Genesis 32 and said he had seen God face to face. Her father’s name should remind us that God has provided the believer in Jesus the unique privilege of having an intimate relationship with Him i.e. face to face.
3. Hannah was from the northern tribe of Asher. (36)
Asher was the eighth son born to Jacob. The tribe of Asher was in the northern part of Israel. After her husband’s death, she must have moved to Jerusalem so she could be near the Temple where she could fast, pray, praise God and speak of the coming of the Messiah night and day to those who would listen.
4. Hannah had been in the service of the Lord for many years. (36-37)
The English translation “she was advanced in years” literally means “she was very old in her many days.” The Text also tells us that she was married for seven years and then her husband apparently died. After her husband died, she apparently moved to Jerusalem so she could minister at the Temple.
The Greek construction concerning her age can be interpreted two different ways. One, she was married for seven years, her husband died, and assuming she was 14 when she was married, she has now lived another 63 years. Another interpretation is that her widowhood lasted 84 years and that she was approximately 105 years old. Whether she was 84 or 105, Scripture tells us that she was an old woman. Why would Luke mention her age? Maybe because it shows that Hanna had been dedicated and in service to the Lord many years after her husband died. She, like others then and now, experienced pain of her husband dying and apparently being childless, experienced grief and pain. She could have remarried and possibly had children, but she chose to serve the Lord for the remainder of her life.
5. Hannah’s ministry of fasting, prayer, and prophesying was at the Temple. (37)
Hannah’s daily activity shows she was a pious and dedicated believer. She was in ministry day and night at the Temple, but her serving day and night in the Temple does not mean she had to live there. There were probably many other widows who were also engaged in the service of the Lord in the Temple. However, she could have lived there in some small room in the Temple. Either way, that part of the verse means she was in the Temple most of waking hours in prayer and fasting. She also fasted. In Bible times, one of the reasons people fasted was to spend time in prayer rather than preparing meals and cleaning up afterwards. Remember they did not have fast food restaurants in those days and cooking & eating was time-consuming. Instead of spending the time cooking and eating a meal, Hannah, like other wise and righteous believers, chose to fast so she could pray. Night and day are a figure of speech that means a lot,
6. Hannah continually praised the Lord and announced that the Messiah had come (38)
38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
It was no coincidence that Hannah was in the Temple while Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were there to offer their sacrifices to the Lord. She was at the right place at the right time. It was a divine appointment for this dedicated, old woman to show her that her biblical hope was not in vain because the Messiah had arrived. She had prepared for this moment for six decades. Instead of giving up, she persisted. Her faithfulness had been rewarded for she also got to see the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. Some might have had the attitude that they were going to take the day off because they were tired and worn out from fasting and praying while waiting for the Messiah to come. She did not. She persevered “looking for the redemption of Israel.”
She announced to all that were also looking for the redemption of Israel that the long-awaited Messiah had finally come and that He was in the Temple. She proclaimed that the Messiah is here. She was sharing the good news with anyone who would listen. Like I said a few minutes ago, Hannah was the second evangelist mentioned in Scripture. Like Simeon “looking consolation of Israel,” Hannah was looking for “the redemption of Jerusalem.” Just like “looking consolation of Israel,” referred to the Messiah who would bring consolation, “the redemption of Jerusalem” also referred to the Messiah who would bring redemption to Jerusalem. Jerusalem, since it is the capital of Israel, refers to the entire nation as in Psalm 122:6, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Herbert Lockyer in his book, All the Women of the Bible, wrote, “Through her long pilgrimage, day after day, (Anna) went to the Temple to pray for the coming of the Messiah, and although He seemed to tarry she waited for Him, believing that He would come. Then one day the miracle happened, for as he entered the Temple she heard sounds of exultation and joy proceeding from the inner court, and then from the lips of the venerable Simeon she heard the words, ‘Now, Lord, lettest Thou They servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation.’
Gazing upon Holy Child who was none other than her long-looked-for Messiah, Anna, too, was ready to depart in peace and be joined with her husband above.” (p31)
“Anna was one of the godly remnant in the Israel who, though centuries, even in the darkest days before Christ came, looked for the Dayspring from on high. This, as she heard Simeon’s praise from prophecy fulfilled, she went out to her godly intimates to declare the glad tidings.”
Application
There is no doubt that Jesus’ birth impacted the prophetess, Hannah, like it did Simeon. What lessons can we learn from her dedication and obedience to the LORD? Although Simeon and Anna were very old, they had never lost their hope that they would see the Messiah. Led by the Holy Spirit, they were among the first to bear witness to Jesus. Anna spent 6 decades in the ministry of fasting, prayer, and prophesying before she could check off one item on her bucket list. When she saw and experienced what she had been waiting for six decades. She was so convicted and excited that her prayers and dreams had come true, that she immediately began telling others that the Messiah had come.
Even though we have experienced eternal life and forgiveness of
Sin because of Jesus redemptive ministry during His first coming, we
are awaiting His coming to rapture the church one day. We call that the
Blessed Hope. When He ascended into heaven, He gave us our
assignments until He returns as we see in Matthew 28:18-20.
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
While we are waiting for the Blessed Hope, let’s take a couple of ques from Anna’s dedicated life to the Lord.
1. I do not think the Lord is calling anyone in this class to fast and pray night and day like Hanna did, but I am sure He wants most of us to pray more than we do. As we approach the New Year, let us put on our bucket list to spend more time in prayer in 2024, especially praying for others. There are many needs in this class for which we can pray. Take your class directory and make notes beside each person or couple about their current prayer needs so we can know specifically how to pray for them. Make a list of other people and things for whom we need to pray.
2. Hanna was so excited when she learned that the long-awaited Messiah had come to console and redeem Israel that she immediately began telling others of that Good News. This Messiah Hannah had been praying about and anticipating His coming did come and did die as a sacrifice to console and redeem Isarel. But He also came to die as a sacrifice to console and redeem Gentiles also. Since we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus the Messiah, let us add to our bucket list to pray more for the salvation of family and friends and make a conscience effort to share this Good News with them during this Christmas season and in 2024.
SELAH!
Questions or Comments