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 in the line of David (Jeremiah 23:5).

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 a place known as the city of David, a small town called Bethlehem. 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.

For we know that 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 holding onto reserved accommodations and health care providers at the ready to assist in the birth. Rather, the young couple found no rooms available anywhere and were forced into the shelter of a stable where Jesus was born with only his parents and the animals in attendance. Such were the circumstances when the greatest Ruler ever was sent by God.

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 would dispatch 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. More on that later as we progress through this season but for now, we focus on this prophecy given to Micah by God, a God who made it clear that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, home of the Ephrathites who were the smallest of the Judean clans, and this birth would usher in a divine Ruler who would reign 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, ruling with the greatest authority and majesty given to Him by His Father (Matthew 28:18).

As we continue to make our way towards Christmas day, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord, God’s only Son who was born in Bethlehem.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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