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Saturday (Day 7)

VERSES: Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:3-6

The Old Testament holds many promises and prophecies about the coming Messiah. The Messiah would be the savior of the world and would bring blessing and shared victory to all who trusted in Him. Yesterday, we saw some of the victories that Messiah would bring as we reflected on Isaiah 9:1-7.

In Micah 5:2, we see a prophecy that tells us where the Messiah will be born - in Bethlehem Ephrathah. Ephrathah was an ancient name for the territory around the town of Bethlehem. The savior of the world would be born in this little town. Micah’s prophecy, written 700 years before Jesus’ birth, was clearly understood by the people of Israel. After all, when the Gentile wise men arrived in Matthew 2 and inquired where the Messiah was to be born, Herod’s advisors quickly confirmed Bethlehem as the birth place of the King of Kings, quoting today’s verse, Micah 5:2.

To you and me, this makes sense. We have ALWAYS associated Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Son of God because we are so familiar with what took place there at Jesus’ birth 2000 years ago. But at the time of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem was not a thriving metropolis. It was a very small town, so insignificant that it does not even show up in the list of towns in Judah in Joshua 15 and Nehemiah 11. But, this was the place that God had ordained for His birth.

Micah 5:2 continues to say that His “coming forth is from of old, from ancient of days.” This is a reminder that the Messiah would not begin His existence at His birth, but that He would appear in Bethlehem like the sun appearing in the sky as the clouds part after a rainy day. The sun was always there, we just could not see it until the clouds parted. In a similar way, Jesus has always existed as the eternal Son of God, but became visible to humanity as He humbled Himself and was born in Bethlehem.

You may be familiar with the term “Advent.” This is a term used in connection with the Christmas season in many churches. “Advent” means “appearing.” At Christmas, we celebrate the Son appearing in Bethlehem, advancing His mission to reveal God to mankind and reconcile mankind to God.