It was quite some time from Adam to Jesus. Luke’s genealogy records 77 generations, from the Lord’s promise of the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head to His birth. It was long from Abraham to Jesus. Matthew’s genealogy begins the New Testament with 42 generations over about 2000 years. Abram was promised a seed through whom all the nations of earth would be blessed; he believed. David had it easy by comparison; only 28 generations after him for the coming of the Son-King.
God’s people waited generationally for The Gift. They weren’t working from a human wish list, they were working from divine promises, from God the Father giving His Word to patriarchs that He would send a Savior of the world.
There were 400 years of silence from God between the last prophet, Malachi, and John the Baptist. Then there were 30 years of quiet from Jesus’ birth to the beginning of His public identification. Even the three days of hush from Friday to Sunday must have seemed like the weight of eternity.
It is how the Lord planned it. It’s His will. It’s His pleasure.
And He put time between His Son’s first advent and the second. He’s not silent, it’s not dead time, but we do often wish that He should get on with it. Let’s have vindication now, no more commercials. Let’s have all those knees bowing now, no more haters or hesitators. Yes, and amen. Maranatha! Our Lord, come! And also, Lord, teach us to wait well, to wait according to Your pleasure. He’s prepared a meal for us to enjoy in the meantime as we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).