"What's the Scoop on ........... Anna?"

On Tuesday Janet taught on Anna.  She showed us a woman who lived her life wholly devoted to the Lord.  Anna’s mention in scripture is relegated to a mere three verses.  As I looked at a few commentaries on this passage in Luke, I was able to glean some additional insight into this woman that I would like to share.  There is much we can learn from this Anna.

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

Anna was a prophetess. 

As we have gone through our study of the women of the bible, we studied two other prophets: Deborah and Huldah.  Like these women, Anna had a very special calling on her life that was characterized by a devout faith and an earnest prayer life. Because she did not leave the temple it follows that she was saturated with the word of God.  She was a woman who would have been highly respected and sought after by those seeking divine guidance. Anna’s years of faithfulness to her calling brought much blessing to her life. God used her to proclaim His divine message. Anna was rewarded with the revelation that the child she beheld in the temple was the son of God, the Redeemer of Israel!

Anna was of a great age.

We know very little about Anna’s life and what transpired from the time of her husband’s death until we meet her in this passage. We can only surmise what it must have been like for her – financial hardships, battles with bitterness or loneliness, questions of God’s purpose for her life.  Yet God did not share these details with us.  Perhaps because they don’t matter.  I am reminded of what we studied about Bathsheba, was she a victim or victor?  In the end, Arlene taught that it didn’t matter.  What mattered was how she ended. Could the same be true with Anna? No matter what had transpired in her past, well into her senior years her life is characterized by whole-hearted joyful, thankful devotion to the Lord.

Anna was a widow. 

It was traditional for a Hebrew girl to be married at a young age.  Anna probably became a widow in her early 20s, with no children.  This was not a set of circumstances anyone would wish for themselves. Many places in scripture give us a picture of the destitution that these women faced.  Yet God did allow this in Anna’s life. 

Some of us might find ourselves in circumstances similar to Anna’s - perhaps as a widow,  divorced, or single after many years of desiring marriage.  It is a place that bitterness can easily develop.  Looking at Anna, there is not a hint of bitterness in her life.  As I read this passage I was reminded of Paul’s words: “An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit” (1 Cor. 7:34b). Our circumstances my last a lifetime or only for a season, but is it possible that this time could be a gift from God? It affords the opportunity to draw close to Him free from the distractions that married women might face. Satan may have meant this for evil but God will use it for good as we focus on Him.

Anna was a missionary.

Anna’s role in scripture is intertwined with that of Simeon. Simeon was a devout man who had waited his whole life for the appearance of the Messiah.  He was moved by the Spirit as Joseph and Mary presented Jesus at the temple in accordance with the Mosaic Law to consecrate their first born child to the Lord. Simeon proclaimed, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss  your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30).  Anna recognized the Messiah as well but it did not end there for her.  What did she do? She….. ”spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38b). Her calling was that of a prophetess yet she did the work of a missionary as she proclaimed Jesus as Messiah, not just to some people but to “all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:28b, emphasis added).

 

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:11-12).