The sign of the manger
Isaiah 1:2-3 Hear, O heavens, and hearken, O earth, For Jehovah has spoken: I have brought up children, and I have raised them; And yet they have rebelled against Me.
3 The ox knows his owner, And the donkey, his master’s manger; But Israel does not know, My people do not much consider.
Compare this with Luke 2:11-12:
Luk 2:11-12 Because today a Savior has been born to you in David’s city, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
Based on Isaiah 1:3, what is the sign of the manger? It is that God has given us His Son as food to eat. (Not literally, of course, but spiritually.) Just as the donkey knows his master’s manger, we too should recognize the sign of God sending His Son to us in a manger: Jesus is given to us as spiritual food. This means we need to receive Him into us, digest Him, assimilate Him, and let Him constitute every fibre of our being. This is the right way to receive God’s precious gift to us. May we all enjoy Him as our spiritual food every day of our lives.