Journey to Bethlehem: An Advent Challenge

Day 13: Read Micah 5:2-5

The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2-5 is an important prophecy for Christians, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah, from you will come one who will rule Israel for me. He comes from very old times, from days long ago." The writer goes on to say that the Lord will give up his people until the one who is having a baby gives birth and then the rest of his relatives will return to the people of Israel. When this happens the ruler of Israel will stand and take care of his people with the Lord's strength. He will have the power of the name of the Lord his God. The Israelites will live in safety because his greatness will reach all over the earth. He will bring peace.

Israel and Judah had seperated. The people once united were at odds with each other and this made them open to temptation from the neighboring countries. The people would go through long periods of time where they didn't obey God and it was during these times that the people faced war, as well as captivity at the hands of their enemies. The prophecy recorded in Micah 5:2-5 would have come as a tremendous blessing to the people of Judah and Israel because it promised safety in the form of a Savior who would rule over them. 

Once again, we see that God likes using a small, insignificant object or person to be the source of His blessing for His people. In the prophecy we see that God has chosen Bethlehem, a town so small that it isn't allowed to be part of Judah's army, to be the birth place of the Savior, the one who will rule Israel for Him. The prophecy begins to illustrate that the Savior will be God by indicating that He is from old times, He will have the Lord's strength, and finally that He will have the power of the name of the Lord his God. Micah 5:2-5 also states that God intends to leave His people until the birth of the Savior. I believe that God gives up His people so that they will be ready when His son is born and will recognize Him as their Savior. When Jesus is born the people of Israel are so ready for their Savior that wise men are studying the stars looking for signs of His arrival. The birth of the Savior is the start of this prophecy, but the prophecy ends when He comes again. It is then that the Israelites will have safety and live in peace.

Day 10: Read Matthew 1:22-25

The Birth of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:22-25 further explains the rationale behind the specifics of Jesus's birth and Joseph's dream. Everything happened in order that what the Lord had said through the prophet would be fulfilled. The prophet had said, "The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son and they will name him Immanuel, which means God is with us." After this is revealed Joseph wakes up and does what the angel told him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife, but he didn't consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born. When Mary gave birth to a son, Joseph named him Jesus.

One of the ways that God has always demonstrated His work in our lives is through prophecy. Prophecy is a good way to weed out the truth. If I say that a man is coming in 3 days and he will end world hunger then you will know in 3 days if I am right. If he comes then I am telling the truth, but if he doesn't then you know that I do not profess the truth. Throughout history there have been countless claims, but only a select few have come true. These prophecies are measured by their accuracy and their accuracy determines the reliability of the speaker. Now the prophesies written in the Bible are not as specific to their timing as in my example, but they are specific: "The virgin will be pregnant." This isn't an ordinary occurrence and is in fact an impossibility. I suppose technically that today a virgin could become pregnant using in vitro but this was not the case when the prophecy was originally spoken. 

The prophecy itself is an attention grabber because of its sheer implausibility, but it goes on and is even more specific: "She will have a son and they will name him Immanuel, which means God is with us." In this prophecy you are given 3 things: 1) a virgin birth, 2) a son named Immanuel, and 3) God is with us. Mary becoming pregnant when she was a virgin, having a son named Jesus, and then having Jesus die on the cross as the Son of God are the prophecy fulfilled. In the fulfillment you are able to see that speaker is speaking truth. God is real and in Him there is truth. This is important to realize in an age of untruth. More than ever we are bombarded by new thoughts, ideas, and opinions that all claim to be truth, but the reality is there can only be one truth. It is through prophecy that truth can be revealed and in the fulfillment of prophecy the one truth is made clear. Jesus is the truth, He is the way, and He is the source of life. Prophecy has made that much clear.