From somewhere little comes someone great
Notes
Transcript
1 “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
3 Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has given birth. Then the remainder of His kinsmen Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth.
This is the word of God for the people of God…
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
A passage often used during the Advent season
I want to unpack its importance today.
The Author and Context
The Author and Context
Micah prophesied in the 8th century BC.
He was actually mentioned by name in Jeremiah 26:18
18 “Micah of Moresheth used to prophesy in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies has said: “Zion will be plowed like a field, And Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the house like the high places of a forest.” ’
Micah was from Moresheth near the Philistine city of Gath — Develop
Micah mentions three kings — Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah
That places his ministry between 740 to 733 BC and ending sometime after the Assyrian invasion of the Northern Kingdom in 701 BC.
Micah prophesied to the Northern Kingdom whose capitol was Samaria and the Southern Kingdom whose capitol was Jerusalem.
He was a contemporary prophet with Isaiah.
It is very clear that it is the sins of the people that will lead to their undoing,
Micah is quoted twice in the New Testament
Micah 5: 2 in
5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For from you will come forth a Ruler Who will Shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Micah 7:6 in
35 For I came to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a person’s enemies WILL BE the members of his household.
With this background let’s consider…
Little Bethlehem
Little Bethlehem
Bethlehem was an insignificant community and not a place where a king would be born.
Bethlehem — Name means “house of Bread”
A fitting name for the birthplace of the One who said — John 6:35
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.
It was then no accident that God chose this city as the birthplace of His Messiah.
Think for a moment about the judgment God will bring to Israel as stated in the previous chapters of this book.
Then here is the ray hope!
In the midst of God’s judgment as is always the case a promise of deliverance and restoration, the coming of Messiah!
However, the fulfillment of the promise will come from an unexpected place — Israel must God back to Bethlehem
The Significance of Bethlehem
The Significance of Bethlehem
1 “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
Likely a reference to the attack on Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 588 BC
At the time Jehoachin was the King of Judah and was humiliated and sent in chains to Babylon.
The humiliation is referenced in verse 1 when Micah states, “on the cheek.” — an ancient custom of humiliation.
It would in the minds of Israel mark the end of the David’s line of Kings.
David’s line has been defeated and God has abandoned His people.
2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
God is going to bring forth a new King from the House of David.
Coming from Bethlehem is God’s way of showing this king will be of the House of David coming from the city of David’s family!
1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.”
12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, the man whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.
Then there is the ending lines of verse 2 — “His times coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”
It could be seen that this Kings origins are a mystery and beyond human comprehension as he comes from God.
Or it could also mean His appearance was planned long ago in the purpose and providence of God.
I believe both to be true!
God has a plan in place and this is not some spontaneous response to rescue Israel.
Rather it is part of God’s eternal plan for all people! — 1 Peter 1:20
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
Conclusion
Jews still struggle with Jesus as Messiah.
Jesus didn’t fit with their template for Messiah
They read the Old Testament promises about a great king who will defeat the enemies of Israel and reign in Jerusalem.
They struggle with the fact that Jesus died by crucifixion. Everyone who hangs on a tree is cursed.
So they reject Jesus.
Christians have always understood Jesus fulfilled this prophecy.
Jesus is the one whose Kingdom endures forever.
Jesus is the King who gives His people security and peace which the world can not give or take away!
So why not make Jesus Lord, King, and Savior of your life?
How many people in our life, our oikos, need this good news!
One of our core values, are you intentional with your outreach?
God succeeded in establishing His Kingdom through Christ and currently reigns in that kingdom!
