Micah 5:2 - Little Town of Bethlehem
Christ Foretold - Little Town of Bethlehem - Micah 5:2
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… (Micah 5:2)
WHAT’S IN A NAME: Bethlehem was well known as the hometown of David, Israels greatest king.
Q: Bethlehem means House of Bread. What implications does this have for your Christian life?
A: As believers, we get to feed on Christ, who is the Living Bread (John 6:35) when we come to Bethlehem! Let’s be nourished by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3)!
Q: Ephrathah means fruitfulness or abundance. What implication does this have for your Christian life?
A: He alone is the One who can produce within you real spiritual fruit for His glory (John 15:5). When our hearts are sinful, they are unfruitful and barren. Our spiritual fruitfulness is found in obeying and loving Jesus.
GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE: The Roman emperor Caesar Augustus had issued an order that every citizen was to return to his hometown for a census. This was in the providence of God as it caused Mary and Joseph to leave Nazareth and travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus would be born. Otherwise, Jesus would have been born in Nazareth and would not have fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah.
Micah says the Messiah would be born in a little town called Bethlehem. Read Luke 2:1-7; Matthew 2:1-6; John 7:40-42 to see the events that led up to this event.
Here's the grand truth behind these passages. Caesar might have been ruling, but God was overruling. God was just moving the pawns on the chessboard as he wished (Proverbs 21:1).
Q: How do these events recorded in the Gospels strengthen our walk with the Lord?
A: God is always in control and is working out His plan that can never be thwarted. He is sovereign over our lives in every area.
GOD LOVES THE WEAK THINGS: Bethlehem is scarcely worth counting among the clans of Judah, yet God chooses to bring his magnificent Messiah out of this town. God chose something small, quiet, out of the way, and did something there that changed the course of history and eternity.
The deepest meaning of the littleness and insignificance of Bethlehem is that God does not bestow the blessings of the Messiah — the blessings of salvation — on the basis of our greatness or our merit or our achievement (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
WRAPPING IT UP: Read Micah 5:2 again: 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.
Q: What important things does the phrase “coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” show us about Jesus?
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… (Micah 5:2)
WHAT’S IN A NAME: Bethlehem was well known as the hometown of David, Israels greatest king.
Q: Bethlehem means House of Bread. What implications does this have for your Christian life?
A: As believers, we get to feed on Christ, who is the Living Bread (John 6:35) when we come to Bethlehem! Let’s be nourished by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3)!
Q: Ephrathah means fruitfulness or abundance. What implication does this have for your Christian life?
A: He alone is the One who can produce within you real spiritual fruit for His glory (John 15:5). When our hearts are sinful, they are unfruitful and barren. Our spiritual fruitfulness is found in obeying and loving Jesus.
GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE: The Roman emperor Caesar Augustus had issued an order that every citizen was to return to his hometown for a census. This was in the providence of God as it caused Mary and Joseph to leave Nazareth and travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus would be born. Otherwise, Jesus would have been born in Nazareth and would not have fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah.
Micah says the Messiah would be born in a little town called Bethlehem. Read Luke 2:1-7; Matthew 2:1-6; John 7:40-42 to see the events that led up to this event.
Here's the grand truth behind these passages. Caesar might have been ruling, but God was overruling. God was just moving the pawns on the chessboard as he wished (Proverbs 21:1).
Q: How do these events recorded in the Gospels strengthen our walk with the Lord?
A: God is always in control and is working out His plan that can never be thwarted. He is sovereign over our lives in every area.
GOD LOVES THE WEAK THINGS: Bethlehem is scarcely worth counting among the clans of Judah, yet God chooses to bring his magnificent Messiah out of this town. God chose something small, quiet, out of the way, and did something there that changed the course of history and eternity.
The deepest meaning of the littleness and insignificance of Bethlehem is that God does not bestow the blessings of the Messiah — the blessings of salvation — on the basis of our greatness or our merit or our achievement (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
WRAPPING IT UP: Read Micah 5:2 again: 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.
Q: What important things does the phrase “coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” show us about Jesus?
- It shows us the glory of Jesus, that He is far more than a man
- It shows us the love of Jesus, that He would leave the glory of heaven for us
- It shows us the nature of Jesus, that He would add humanity to His deity
- It shows us the sympathy of Jesus, that He remains fully man and fully God
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