Christ came from a small town
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| Prophet Micha (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God” (v. 4a).
The final prophecy we will examine in our brief study of the Old Testament
teachings about the Messiah is Micah 5:1–6, a passage cited in part by Matthew in 2:6 of his gospel. A more thorough reading of Micah’s word to Israel than we undertook when we looked at Matthew 2:6 will help us better grasp the significance of our Savior’s birthplace.
As always, we begin with the original context of the prophecy in order to
interpret the text rightly. Micah prophesied during the second half of the
eighth century and the first decade of the seventh century B.C., a time of
great moral decline in the history of Judah and Israel. The poor were
oppressed and some priests were sexually promiscuous. Because of such
debauchery, God sent Micah to prosecute the covenant, that is, to convict His
people of their violations. During this period, the people were told that the
covenant curses would fall on them, finally culminating in exile to Assyria
and Babylon (Lev. 26:27–33; Micah 4:10).
However, this was not the prophet’s final word. Though judgment would fall,
Micah in today’s passage says a ruler born in Bethlehem will redeem a faithful
remnant (Micah 5:2, 7). As we have already seen, Bethlehem is the city from
which David hailed (1 Sam. 16:1–13), which informs us that Micah is talking
about a Davidic king. The Messiah will come to lead the people out of exile
and back to their land where they will be sheltered from their foes.
King Jesus was born in Bethlehem while His people suffered under the hands of
occupiers. Aside from being David’s birthplace, Bethlehem in Hebrew means
“house of bread,” providing a fitting place for the Bread from heaven to
become incarnate (John 6:22–59). Micah’s prophesy of the king also speaks of
Him having an origin “from old” and “from ancient days” (5:2). This hints at
His divinity, a truth more clearly revealed in the New Testament (John
1:1–18).
Bethlehem was tiny and seemingly insignificant (Mic. 5:2). Yet, the Lord chose
to reveal His glory and salvation in this village, not a mighty city (Luke
2:1–20). Needless to say, this is right in line with His character. He loves
to fulfill His purposes through those things man has forsaken (1 Cor.
1:18–31).
God’s often uses what the world deems insignificant or unlovely. Across the
world, His kingdom is spread by ordinary people who will probably themselves
never be famous or remembered in the history books of men. Yet, those who know
Christ are remembered by God and are the most significant people of all in His
eyes, the only eyes that really matter. Each one of us, famous or not, can be
used by the Lord in mighty ways.
