A COMING RULER

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“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.”

Micah 5:2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When the nation of Israel first came into being, it was composed of twelve tribes, each named after the sons of Jacob, the son of Isaac who we know later had his name changed to Israel therefore giving the new nation its title.

Not all of these tribes were equal as some were bigger and more prominent than the others with the tribe of Judah being the largest. It was from this tribe that the coming Messiah would emerge, a righteous Branch from the stump of Jesse which placed Jesus predicted Jesus would be born in the line of David.

Now, intuitively, a person would have thought that if a great leader was to emerge to rule over Israel, that leader would come out of the great and holy city of Jerusalem. But as we see in today’s words from the prophet Micah, God pronounced that the coming Messiah would come from the smallest of the Judean clans. Look at these words from chapter 5:

“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.” Micah 5:2

Approximately 700 years before a virgin named Mary would give birth to God’s only Son Jesus, not in Jerusalem but in the little town of Bethlehem, God announced what was to come through Micah. And yet, no one was ready when the birth happened.

When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem to participate in the national census ordered by Caesar because Joseph was in the line of David, there wasn’t a welcoming party there with reserved accommodations and health care providers at the ready to assist in the birth. Rather, the young couple found no rooms available anywhere except for the shelter of a stable where Jesus was born with only his parents and the animals in attendance. Such were the circumstances when the great Ruler sent by God occurred.

It’s not as if the Jewish religious authorities had forgotten about the prophecy. For when the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, seeking the One who had been born the King of the Jews, the chief priests and teachers of the law told Herod that the Messiah was foretold to be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-8), quoting the words of Micah. And so Herod dispatched the wise men to Bethlehem with the order to come back and report to him the child’s whereabouts so that he could worship Him, a ruse because Herod really wanted to eliminate the threat to his power.

And so it was, just as God had said it would be. Jesus was born out of Bethlehem, home of the Ephrathites who were the smallest of the Judean clans, and He was destined to be a Ruler, not just over Israel but all mankind. At His coming, as it is today, He was the King of all kings and Lord of all lords, reigning in the greatest authority and majesty.

As we continue to make our way towards Christmas day, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.