12-08-19 One Bethlehem Night

Scripture:    Micah 5:2-5a & Luke 2:3-7

Micah 5:2-5a

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."  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.

MICAH 5:1. HE HAS LAID SIEGE AGAINST US

Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us.
They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

This verse tells of a troubled time—a time of siege, and starvation. This verse, then, sets the stage for verse 2, where Micah will begin to tell of the redemption of Judah.

MICAH 5:2. OUT OF BETHLEHEM WILL COME FORTH A RULER

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah“ (v. 2a). Bethlehem means “house of bread” and Ephrathah means “fruitfulness.” These names suggest a very different picture than verse 1. They also link to a better day when David was King, whose father was Jesse, “that Ephrathite of Bethlehem” (1 Samuel 17:12).

 “being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel” (v. 2b). Bethlehem is a small town a few miles from Jerusalem. God’s choice of Bethlehem rather than Jerusalem as a place to begin the redemptive process reflects God’s preference for the lowly and unassuming rather than the grand and mighty. Examples: God’s choice of David, Jesse’s youngest and least likely son—and God’s gift of his own son as a baby in a manger—a son who would die on a cross to save the world.

“will come forth to me” (v. 2b). The ruler who is to come from Bethlehem will come forth to serve Yahweh’s purposes. He will seek Yahweh’s glory rather than his own.

Who will this ruler be? “All the ancient Jewish interpreters regarded the ruler as the Messiah. This is not a case of Christmas reading Jesus back into the OT text. It is agreeing with Jewish understanding that it speaks directly of the hoped for Messiah and we now know that messiah is only Jesus.

“whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (v. 2c). This promised ruler will have roots going back to the covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:9-21), which was renewed on several occasions, most notably between God and David (2 Samuel 7).

In the New Testament, Matthew will trace “the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).

MICAH 5:3-5a. HE SHALL SHEPHERD IN THE STRENGTH OF YAHWEH

Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers (Hebrew: ‘ah—brothers) will return to the children of Israel. He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.  He will be our peace.

“Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth“ (v. 3a). “He” refers to Yahweh, and “them” to Israel (see v. 2)—but to whom does “she who is in labor” refer?

Christians see this as a reference to Mary and the birth of Jesus the Messiah. Micah is talking about Judah who has been in suffering will give birth to a better day – however, it is also quite possible that this is one of the many instances in the Bible where God inspired the person writing to say more than he knew.

“then the rest of his brothers will return to the people of Israel” (v. 3b). This almost certainly refers to the remnant who will return to Jerusalem from exile.

“He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God” (v. 4a). “He” in this instance refers back to “one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel” (v. 2), and is clearly a messianic prophecy. This ruler/messiah will exercise a benevolent rule, in which he will act in the role of a shepherd—protecting the flock—feeding the flock—providing for the flock’s every need. He will do so “in the strength of Yahweh”.

“in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God” (v. 4b). This ruler who is to come—will bear the majesty associated with Yahweh’s name.

“and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth” (v. 4c). “They” refers back to “the children of Israel” but this messiah will be great throughout the earth, beyond the people of Israel.

One of the tasks of a shepherd (v. 4a) is providing security for the sheep. Part of that involves keeping the flock together. Part of it involves leading them to good grass and water. And part of it involves protecting them from enemies, such as bears and lions. In this instance, the ruler/messiah will perform those tasks for “the children of Israel” (v. 3).

“He will be our peace“ (Hebrew: salom) (v. 5a). Salom (or shalom) is more than the absence of anxiety or troubles. It involves the kind of security that comes from faith that God loves you and will provide for your needs.

One Blessed Hope

Luke 2:3-5    And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Like Father Like Son

Luke 2:6-7    While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Finale (One Bethlehem Night/One Blessed Hope)