Context: Micah was a prophet who lived at the same time as Isaiah. The theme of this book is judgment and deliverance by God.
Text:
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans [a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins [b] are from of old,
from ancient times. [c] "
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace. (NIV)
Footnotes:
Micah 5:2 Or rulers
Micah 5:2 Hebrew goings out
Micah 5:2 Or from days of eternity
taken from www.biblegateway.com
Just like we sometimes give hints to others about their Christmas gifts, God gave the Israelites hints about the greatest gift he would give. No matter how obscure the clues, the recipient of the gift understands what they meant when the gift is finally opened.
It is much easier for us, in hindsight, to comprehend the hints and understand how they were fulfilled by Jesus. But it's a fascinating puzzle to go back and find the clues, knowing that no man could have created such links between prophecy and reality.
In these four short verses, so much is told about the Christ who is to come:
- from Bethlehem
- tribe of Judah
- ruler of Israel
- one of ancient times (you can't get much more ancient that creation!)
- born of woman
- shepherd to his flock
- with the strength of the Lord
- bringer of peace
To those who doubt, these prophecies may seem weak or coincidental, but to believers they are a clear demonstration that God has a plan for the world. His plan will unfold in due time, and it will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is in control and that he loves us.
Imagine how Mary and Joseph would have looked back at the prophecies...to see what had been fulfilled and to understand what was yet to come. We don't know if they had access to the holy scrolls or the training to do this, but the stories about the coming Christ were ingrained in Israel's history so they would have at least heard some of the prophecy.
In fulfillment of Micah's prophecy, God gave us the gifts of leadership, strength, and peace. Enjoy them!
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