The Time Had Fully Come

By Shirley Mitchell

“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

Galatians 4:4-5

God had declared in Israel through His prophet in Amos 8:11-12, " ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ’when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.’ ” Amos’ prophecy period was 767 to 755 B.C. He warned that there would be a famine of hearing the LORD’s words. The Israelites had already lost God’s protection and presence through their rebellion. Then, God stopped talking. Hearing God speak set them apart from other nations. Since they lost the security of His relationship, the religious leaders clung to the security of legalism and burdened the people with religious rules. 

Imagine the questions of people in the market place, in the fields, and at the dinner tables. The people envisioned political greatness, a world conquering Messiah, and an eternal King with divine power. When would Messiah come? When would He throw off the Roman rule over the people? When would He raise up His kingdom? When would the “Son of David” restore the splendor of the Jewish throne?  When would God speak again to the people? How long would He keep silent? Why was He waiting?

Today’s Scripture tells us that when the time had fully come, God sent His Son. The word “fully” is from the noun pleroo.  It means “fullness, full measure, full end, abundance, completeness as in reaching the intended goal.” It implies “gestation.”   God used time to do what only time could do. It caused the people to be starving for a Word from Him. Although the nation of Israel rejected Jesus, pockets of Jewish people received Him well. They were hungry for a fresh Word from God. An empty stomach enjoys an all-you-can-eat buffet much more than a full stomach or even a partially full stomach. After 400 years without hearing one word from God, God sent the entire all-you-can-eat buffet of His Word and His presence. How much a person eats depends on how much she desires to have of Jesus. What a dream - a buffet with no limits!

God used time to prepare the earth. He waited until the earth was completely prepared. Have you noticed that the preparation period is very important to God?  Preparation impacts the fruit of the tree called destination.  He prepared the way by:

1.      Universal language – Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, thus ruling over the Jews in 333 B.C. He conquered the “known” world and made Greek the common language, the second language for all. It was the language of commerce and writing. The New Testament was written in Greek, and the Old Testament was translated into Greek making it easy to disseminate and understand.

2.      Universal peace - In 63 B.C., the Romans conquered the Greeks. They ruled with an iron-fist, but there was peace. The temple doors of their god of war were closed.

3.      Established road system – The Roman army built a road system allowing them to reach a place quickly if there was an uprising. The road network established a working postal system, protection for travelers, and opportunities never before seen.

4.      Death penalty by the Roman cross - The Roman government’s form of capital punishment was the cross. It was a brutal, torturous, and humiliating death for criminals and a deterrent for future criminals. The Hebrews stoned people to death. Through Rome, God perfectly planned the death of His Son just like He planned every other detail of His life.

God may have been silent for hundreds of years, but He was not asleep. The first three things allowed the disciples to bring the Gospel to other countries. An earthly army may have established it, but the army of God used it for His purposes. The fourth point prepared God’s chosen way for His Son to die for you and me. God used these empires to prepare the way for His Son’s birth, life, and death. God used these empires to prepare the world to receive the greatest news that God had come as a Man to redeem man.

When God declared it was time, He sent His angel Gabriel to declare the good news. Luke begins his Gospel with the story of Gabriel visiting the priest Zechariah to announce the birth of the forerunner to Jesus, John the Baptist. Six months later, Gabriel went to a young Jewish girl named Mary. Everything happened in God’s perfect timing. He chose the right time on the kingdom calendar centered on the Jews, and to all races and religions: The Incarnate Deity, Immanuel, God with us.

What about you, beloved? Do you have an experience that was against your patience and flesh, but you later realized it was all in God’s timing? Are you having one right now? Hold on! Our God just may be arranging the background for the best scene of your life. When you and I are obedient and faithful, we give God all of the room to set the stage and raise up the curtain of His best performance in our lives – all in His perfect timing.

Pray with me: Dear Heavenly Lord, we are amazed at Your perfect plan. You knew that You would bring a famine of Your words to Your people. You kept silent for those many centuries. After You set the stage completely and not a moment sooner, You declared it was time. It was time for Your Son to be born of a woman under the Law to redeem us who are under the Law that we might receive the full rights of sons and daughters. We praise Your perfect plan for Jesus’ birth. 

We can’t help but exclaim that we never want to live under a famine of Your Words.  When Your words come, may we eat them for they are our joy and our heart’s delight (Jeremiah 15:16). We are hungry for a word from You today. There are so many of us that are in tough circumstances. We need You in our lives, in our problems, today. We need our daily bread. It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray.  Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study