O Little Town of Bethlehem

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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.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
And he shall be their peace.
When the Assyrian comes into our land
and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
and eight princes of men;
Each December, millions of people around the world watch Frank Capra’s 1946 film, "It’s A Wonderful Life". Although it wasn’t a hit when it debuted, it has become a Christmas classic.
In a Time magazine essay, Roger Rosenblatt pondered the film’s continuing appeal. He concluded that the story is really about friendship.
That helps to explain why we often feel choked up as we watch George Bailey’s family and friends rally around him in his time of greatest need. Rosenblatt said, “Just when George thinks he’s alone in the world, the world shows up to declare its love for him.”
That sentence seems to capture the essence of our celebration of the birth of Jesus. Just when we thought we were alone in the world, Christ came to declare God’s love for us.
Adapted, David C. McCasland
Micah is one of the Minor Prophets and as such, his ministry may be less known to us.
The purpose of Micah’s ministry was …
… to bring God’s “lawsuit” against his people (3:8). He indicts Samaria and Jerusalem for their sins (1:2–7), with both Assyria (5:5–6) and Babylon (4:10) looming as instruments of the divine sentence.
Free from Assyrian interference in the first half of the eighth century, the reigns of Jeroboam II of Israel (782–753 b.c.) and the Judean kings Uzziah and Jotham (see Date) witnessed the emergence of a wealthy upper class.
Yet this brought with it significant corruption. As Amos had condemned the economic and legal injustices prevalent in the northern kingdom in the first half of the eighth century (Amos 2:6–7; 5:10–12; 6:4–5), so Micah catalogs specific sins of both the northern and southern kingdoms.
These sins included idolatry (Mic. 1:7; 5:12–14); the seizure of property (2:2, 9); the failure of civil leadership (3:1–3, 9–10; 7:3), religious leadership (3:11), and prophetic leadership (3:5–7, 11); the belief that personal sacrifice satisfies divine justice (6:6–7); and corrupt business practices and violence (6:10–12).
Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1693). Crossway Bibles.
Micah ministered in a context of many people who were oppressed and cheated by the upper class, wealthy of society. Micah’s prophecy, especially our text from Micah 5, brought hope to those who were downtrodded by society.
In our text, Micah identified Bethlehem Ephrathah as the place in which the Messiah would be born. This, of course, is the key scripture to which the religious leaders pointed when the wise men arrived at King Herod’s palace, asking about a newborn king.
But notice how this Bethlehem was identified - Bethlehem Ephrathah. At that time, there was more than one Bethlehem - and so that is why the prophet included Ephrathah, the name of the district in which this town was located.
Bethlehem, located five miles south of Jerusalem in Judean hill country, was an extremely insignficant town. Bethlehem was not included in either Joshua’s list of all the cities that the Israelites conquered nor in Nehemiah’s list of cities to which the exiles returned in Judah.
Yet, even though most people would have overlooked this tiny town, the nation’s greatest king - David - had come from her. More importantly, Micah now prophesied that a new ruler - a second David, if you will - would come from this town.
Yet this Ruler would be unique for his
…whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Someone has written…
But this Ruler was not a recent creation, for even though He would be born in Bethlehem, He had existed from eternity. When the Hebrew word for “everlasting,” ˓ôlam, is used in connection with God, it can only mean “from eternity on” (cf. Pss. 25:6; 90:2). That can be its only meaning here if the Ruler is none other than the Son of God, the Messiah.
Kaiser, W. C., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1992). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (Vol. 23, p. 64). Thomas Nelson Inc.
To this tiny, insignificant villa, God would come down!
But then verse 3 goes on to talk about how God would “abandon” the people of Israel.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
The first part of this verse might seem to suggest that God has given up Israel until Mary gave birth to Jesus, but the last part refers to the dispersion of the Jews throughout the world returning to Israel.
There have been times throughout history when Jews have returned to their homeland - the return of the Babylonian exiles, the rebirth of Israel in 1948, and yet this scripture speaks of the very end of time when Israelites will return to their homeland in an even greater way than we have seen so far.
The rest of our text, even while there was an initial fulfillment when Jesus first came to earth, points to the end of time when He returns.
But what we should notice is the idea that God gave up the people - abandoned them - for a period of time. Yet God would not leave them alone forever.
(pause)
Micah was prophesying to a people who were being oppressed by the powerful. He addressed a town that was insignificant. He spoke of God’s apparent abandonment of his people.
(pause)
But this was God’s message… “I haven’t forgotten you. I will not leave you alone forever. I will right the wrongs being done to you.”
Big Idea: Christmas reveals God’s love for the least.
Big Idea: Christmas reveals God’s love for the least.
Our world values the best, the strongest, the tallest, the smartest, the fastest, the most skilled, the most talented, the wealthiest, the most powerful.
(pause)
But God loves us all… all the way down to the very least.
(pause)
We know this. We see this truth demonstrated throughout scripture, whether it was God choosing the youngest son of Jesse to be Israel’s king, even though David’s father hadn’t thought to put him in the lineup of his sons, or it was God using a little captive Israelite girl to bring hope to Naaman the leper, or it was Jesus walking through the crowded Pool of Siloam to offer healing to one lame man who had spent years trying to hop into the water when the angel stirred it, only never to be fast enough.
(pause)
We see God’s love for all, even the very least, taught throughout scripture as well.
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
(pause)
Here in Micah’s prophecy we find that Christmas reveals God’s love for the least again. To a people oppressed by others, insignificant in the world, and feeling abandoned by God, the prophet spoke wonderful news.
1. The Shepherd-King will be present with us, v. 4.
1. The Shepherd-King will be present with us, v. 4.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
Someone has written:
He, the Ruler born in Bethlehem, the Messiah, shall stand: sometimes this posture denoteth the ministry of a servant, but here it speaks the readiness, cheerfulness, firmness, and stability of both the ruler, his government, and kingdom.
Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 948). Robert Carter and Brothers.
In the previous verse, it was said that God had given up - abandoned his people. But when Messiah comes, He will stand in their midst!
The presence of Jesus gives us security and hope. Do you remember what Jesus asked when so many of his would-be disciples left him for the hard sayings he taught them about spiritual truth?
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Do you remember the disciples’ consternation near the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry as our Lord revealed that he must leave them to prepare a place for all who believe in Jesus in Heaven?
But Jesus assured them:
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
About forty days after Jesus’ resurrection, he ascended into Heaven, but he left with the promise of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon the church on the 50th day, the Day of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit abides with us and in us today - the presence of Jesus among us. But one day soon, Jesus will come back to live with us throughout eternity.
Revelation 5 the worship of Heaven coming to a standstill. A scroll had been presented which contained the mysteries of the end of time. But no one was worthy to open it.
(pause)
John wept. But an elder hushed him. Then John saw…
And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
(pause)
Of course, the seals, bowls, and trumpets revealed many terrible things to come as God’s judgment will be poured out upon the world at last. But near the end of John’s vision, we read…
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
Christ will conquer all his foes in the great Battle of Armageddon. He will reign on earth for a thousand years. Then, God will create a new heaven and a new earth.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
(pause)
Right now, sometimes God may seem distant to us. But the wonderful reality of the first Christmas but also Christ’s second coming is that He will be physically present with us for eternity!
2. The Shepherd-King will provide for us, v. 4.
2. The Shepherd-King will provide for us, v. 4.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
The Hebrew word for “shepherd” in this verse is ra’ah. It has a double meaning of both feeding sheep but also that of ruling or guiding sheep. Simply, we see the shepherd’s care, the Shepherd’s provision for his flock.
(pause)
And so Christmas reveals God’s love for the least in the Shepherd’s tender care for all his people.
(pause)
As David wrote in Psalm 23:1-3
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Because God is our shepherd, we can know that we will be taken care of. He provides our every need. He watches over us. He guides us and protects us.
For those who are being taken advantage of, who feel insignifican, forgotten or abandoned, surely this is good news! God does care us… because he truly loves us.
This is true for us, His people, today and it will be true throughout eternity.
Elizabeth English tells the story of Christmas 1949 when she and her husband Herman locked the doors to their small town appliance store at 11 PM. They were dead tired and had sold out of everything including record players, bicycles, dollhouses and games. They had only one lay away package left and the person never came for it.
The next morning, Elizabeth, Herman and their 12 year old son Tom woke up and opened their gifts. But it just wasn’t the same. Tom was growing up and all he asked for was clothes and a few games. His childish exuberance of past years was gone.
As soon as breakfast was over, Tom went next door to play, Herman mumbled that he was going back to sleep and Elizabeth found herself cleaning up the aftermath of breakfast and the opened gifts. And the holiday doldrums set in.
It began to sleet with snow mixed in and the wind rattled the windows. Suddenly, she had a feeling hit her that she should go on a walk. "That's crazy," she thought, looking out the window and she fought it for an hour but finally gave in. She told her husband she was going to walk to the store. "That was crazy," he said, but she put on her coat, gloves and scarf and went anyway.
She shivered as she tucked her hands in her pocket. When she got to the store, she was surprised to see two small boys, exclaiming, "There she is. See, I told you she would come." They were half-frozen and one of the boy’s face was wet with tears.
"What are you children doing here? You should be home on a day like this!" They were poorly dressed with no hats or gloves and shoes that barely fit.
"We’ve been waiting for you. My little brother Jimmy didn’t get any Christmas gifts and we want to buy skates. We have $3, see." It broke Elizabeth’s heart to tell them that they had sold out of everything. But then the layaway package came to mind. "Wait a minute" as she went to the shelf praying that they would be the right size. And miracle upon miracle, they were. They were a perfect fit.
When they handed the money over, Elizabeth refused to take it, and she was rewarded with awe and wonder and joy in the boy’s eyes when they realized she was giving them the skates. "Now take that money and get some gloves!" she said. Then she said to the boys, "How lucky you were that I came."
"I knew you would come," the older boy said.
"How?"
"I asked Jesus to send you."
And upon hearing that tingles went down Elizabeth’s spine. God had planned this. As they waved goodbye, she turned home to a brighter Christmas than she had left. Family and friends soon arrived, and they had a delicious diner and a wonderful time. But the one thng that made that Christmas really joyous was the one thing which makes every Christmas wonderful--Jesus was there.
(From a sermon by Tim Smith, Good News to the Poor, 10/19/2009)
3. The Shepherd-King will be peace for us, v. 5.
3. The Shepherd-King will be peace for us, v. 5.
And he shall be their peace. …
The prophet Isaiah chimes in with Micah, saying
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Truly, Jesus, our Shepherd-King, provides peace for he is the Prince of Peace.
So many rulers, kings, dictators, presidents, and despots throughout history have proclaimed peace. Yet even despite their best efforts, they could not establish lasting peace.
(pause)
Christ brings true peace.
(pause)
Christ provides a way for us to have peace with God. He died on the Cross in our place and paid the penalty for our sins. He is our bridge to God.
So there is no need to be at war with God or to fear his judgment. In Christ, we find pardon and peace.
(pause)
In Christ, we can also experience peace with others, especially as much as it lies within us.
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
Yes, sometimes people simply refuse to get along with us, but because of Christ’s peace in our hearts, we can get along with them.
(pause)
But our hope is that when Christ returns, He will establish peace over all the earth. Zechariah speaks of Christ’s millenial reign of peace, saying…
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Big Idea: Christmas reveals God’s love for the least.
Big Idea: Christmas reveals God’s love for the least.
How does Christmas reveal God’s love? Christmas is the story of the Shepherd-King who has come to be present with us, provide for us, and to be our peace!
Dr. James Dobson relates a story of an elderly woman named Stella Thornhope who was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior through a slow developing cancer.
Now, several days before Christmas, she was almost snowed in by a brutal weather system. She felt terribly alone - so much so she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas.
Late that afternoon the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box. He said, "Mrs. Thornhope?" She nodded. He said, "Would you sign here?"
She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, "What's in the box?" The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little puppy, a golden Labrador Retriever.
The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, "This is for you, Ma'am. He's six weeks old, completely housebroken." The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity.
"Who sent this?" Mrs. Thornhope asked.
The young man set the animal down and handed her an envelope and said, "It's all explained here in this envelope, Ma'am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift to you." The young man then handed her a book, How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever.
In desperation she again asked, "Who sent me this puppy?"
As the young man turned to leave, he said, "Your husband, Ma'am. Merry Christmas."
She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her.
The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then.
She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden furry ball and held it to her neck.
Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor's house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come."
Suddenly Stella felt the most amazing sensation of peace washing over her. Her heart felt a joy and a wonder greater than the grief and loneliness.
"Little fella," she said to the dog, "It's just you and me. But you know what? There's a box down in the basement I'll bet you'd like. It's got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights that are going to impress you. And there's a manger scene down there. Let's go get it."
God has a way of sending a signal of light to remind us life is stronger than death. Light is more powerful than darkness. God is more powerful than Satan. Good will overcome evil.
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light," the prophet said. "On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned" (Matthew 4:16).
As we approach Christmas this year, God wants you to be assured: He has not forgotten you. He has not abandoned you. Rather, God wants to encourage you with his love.
God loves us all, even to the very least!
(pause)
How then should we respond to God’s love for the least - His presence, provision, and peace that He has given us?
(pause)
I challenge you to express God’s love to the least by demonstrating His love in some practical way to others this week.
Maybe you need to be present with someone who is feeling alone and abandoned?
Maybe you can share with someone who is need?
Maybe you can be peace for someone who is experiencing turmoil?
(pause)
God’s love is for us all, even the least. Let’s celebrate His love and share it with others this Christmas!