Hi Ladies. Here are a few preliminary notes on our study of Anna.
Anna and the Tribe of Asher
In chapter 2 of Luke, God tells us of Baby Jesus and his first appearance at the Temple. Three short verses, packed with information are given about Anna, the prophetess, and her sighting of the Messiah. Why would God give us so much information about the background of Anna, when usually this type of desctiption is not given to us about the women of Scripture? One thing that has always interested me is the mention ofher tribe. Why mention her father or her tribe? I am in the middle of an extensive study of the 12 tribes - so this led me into further study of the tribe of Asher - and Anna.
See www.biblestudywomen.blogspot.com for the study about the Tribes.
Asher was one of the smaller tribes, located along the Mediterranian coast in the north. Those who believe that oil will be found in Israel base their intitial interest in the verses about Asher that mention "riches" and "oil." (Deut 33) Were the "riches" olive oil, or perhaps oil not yet found? Asher is said to be "blessed above the other brothers"...we have not seen that yet...perhaps oil will be found in Israel one day....an interesting thought. Will Asher dip his foot in petroleum oil one day?
Also after the tribes in the north had been been conquered by the Assyrians, there was a remnant of the tribes left behind. King Hezekiah sent messages to those left in the north to come to Judah to celebrate the Passover. Only three tribes went to Jerusalem in humbleness and to worship God. Asher was one of the three. This showed their loyalty to the God of the Hebrews (or that they were so very desperate they would try anything?).
Another intersting thing about the tribe of Asher is that in the New Testament, very few tribes are mentioned (do a word search/Strongs search) - Outside of Revelation 7 only Judah, Benjamin and Asher are mentioned in the New Testament. Perhaps because the tribal identity had been lost during the 70 years of captivity. (An interesting side study is Rev 7. Two tribes are left out of the listing - Dan and Simeon - why?)....thats a great study.
This is just a small focus as we study Anna. What about her age? Her widowhood? The fact that she lived at the temple? Her service of fasting and praying? Why would God tell us these three verses about this simple woman...what if these verses had been left out of Scripture, and is there anything in these verses that we can apply to our lives today?
Lets go gals...whatfun!
