Truth From Bethlehem
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."
– Micah 5:2
The prophet Micah is in the category of the “Minor Prophets.” Micah means “who is like Jehovah,” and he had a calling unlike all the others. Although from the Southern Kingdom, Micah ministered for about forty years to both Israel and Judah (Micah 1:1). Other than the books being shorter than those of the major prophets, I do not know why these books are called minor. There is nothing minor about them. They are compelling books with many references to our Savior Jesus Christ, and we see that here with Micah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah.
When you look at what is going on in the book of Micah, what battles were ensuing, and the events taking place as he was prophesying, all of a sudden, you get this “little” verse that just seems to appear out of nowhere. Just as this minor prophet’s words are full of power, this small verse in the middle of Micah carries so much weight. It is a Messianic prophecy given through circumstances that seem to have nothing to do with the times and events.
This setting was just like it was in the book of Isaiah. Ahaz would not ask God for a sign, so God gave His sign and said, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). There are so-called “Christians” today that do not believe in the virgin birth. I would say to them that they believe in a different Jesus. If Jesus were born of a man, He would have a sinful nature, and He could never be our Savior. He would then need salvation Himself. Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18). He is without sin so that He could pay the penalty for our sin. If not, He would have died on the cross and never been resurrected again. But He did pay our penalties on the cross and rose again on the third day (Mark 16:6). These are important distinctions to make and understand for true believers. There is no better news than that!
In Matthew’s Gospel, we find him referencing this specific verse from Micah. He is speaking to the Jewish person of the day. He pulled out many of the Old Testament Scriptures to make the point that Jesus Christ is King of kings! This is why we must gain an understanding of Jewish history. It gives us insight into their perspective and experience. They knew the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Exactly where Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1). They had something solid to hold onto that would solidify their faith if they believed. As Christians, we believe, but there are so many more truths that we can hang our faith on so we can confidently say, “I believe, and I know why I believe.” Christianity is not blind faith; it is faith in the truth of God’s Word. Is your faith standing firmly on the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior?