But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2
As I celebrate Christmas, it is great to see the Old Testament prophecies that were hard at work showing that He was indeed coming. Such is this passage. It breams with hope from a backwater place. Bethlehem was "famous" as the place from which David was born. But it remained a quiet small rural nowhere, even in Israel. But this passage makes it clear that though the greatest of physical kings in Israel had hailed from there, a future king would come that would make the place even more important.
It is clear that this passage is not in reference to David, simply because of the last lines of the prophecy. The ruler is to come forth still (at the time of writing) and would become a ruler in Israel. This was in reference to a future prediction. Yet, strangely, the character of this future ruler would be firmly rooted in eternity. He would come forth, but would already be ancient. That is because the last lines are nods to a divine origin.
The New Testament makes it clear that this ruler who "shall come forth" from Bethlehem is Jesus. Matthew quotes Micah 5:2 to explain the nativity narrative (Matthew 2:6) and in so doing shows us that the astute students of the scriptures expected Someone divine in the Messiah. It is clear that Jesus' humble birth in Bethlehem was an event in which God invaded the earth.
And now as I celebrate Christmas, I celebrate this event. God entered into human history by becoming a human being. Yes, He had sovereignly created humanity and directed it toward His glory, but He also chose to send His Son so that God could be a man, live among us, teach us what it means to be fully His creation in His image, and die for the penalty of sin, so that we might find abundant and eternal life in relationship with God forever. That is what Christmas is and that is why celebrating it is more than tramping through snow to buy trinkets for people who worry about material gifts! Strangely, we have perverted the celebration of God's invasion of earth with our own selfishness. Jesus came to get our focus off our wants and into God's heart.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2
As I celebrate Christmas, it is great to see the Old Testament prophecies that were hard at work showing that He was indeed coming. Such is this passage. It breams with hope from a backwater place. Bethlehem was "famous" as the place from which David was born. But it remained a quiet small rural nowhere, even in Israel. But this passage makes it clear that though the greatest of physical kings in Israel had hailed from there, a future king would come that would make the place even more important.
It is clear that this passage is not in reference to David, simply because of the last lines of the prophecy. The ruler is to come forth still (at the time of writing) and would become a ruler in Israel. This was in reference to a future prediction. Yet, strangely, the character of this future ruler would be firmly rooted in eternity. He would come forth, but would already be ancient. That is because the last lines are nods to a divine origin.
The New Testament makes it clear that this ruler who "shall come forth" from Bethlehem is Jesus. Matthew quotes Micah 5:2 to explain the nativity narrative (Matthew 2:6) and in so doing shows us that the astute students of the scriptures expected Someone divine in the Messiah. It is clear that Jesus' humble birth in Bethlehem was an event in which God invaded the earth.
And now as I celebrate Christmas, I celebrate this event. God entered into human history by becoming a human being. Yes, He had sovereignly created humanity and directed it toward His glory, but He also chose to send His Son so that God could be a man, live among us, teach us what it means to be fully His creation in His image, and die for the penalty of sin, so that we might find abundant and eternal life in relationship with God forever. That is what Christmas is and that is why celebrating it is more than tramping through snow to buy trinkets for people who worry about material gifts! Strangely, we have perverted the celebration of God's invasion of earth with our own selfishness. Jesus came to get our focus off our wants and into God's heart.
