The Promised MessiahSample

Miraculous Birth

Read: Hosea 11:1; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:5–6, 14–15

SOAP: Matthew 2:6

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Into the Text

The circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth were nothing short of miraculous. The timing, location, and events that occurred were ordained by God, long before Jesus was conceived.

The prophet Micah testified that God would bring a king out of Bethlehem. Even though Judah was one of the smallest clans and Bethlehem one of the smallest villages, God had an incredible plan to bless Bethlehem. Israel’s greatest king, David, was from Bethlehem, and God would bring another King, one much greater than David, from Bethlehem as well. This King would shepherd and guide God’s people.

Micah says the ruler to come from Bethlehem would have His origins from ancient times. Though Jesus’ earthly life began in Bethlehem, He is the Ancient of Days. Bethlehem played a significant role in the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Messiah. When the Magi, who were Gentiles looking for the Jewish Messiah, arrived in Jerusalem and inquired of the Jewish scribes, they learned—based on this prophecy from Micah—that He would come out of Bethlehem. Even though He was raised in Nazareth, the place of Jesus’ birth was significant and part of God’s plan in redemptive history.

Hosea’s reference to God calling His Son out of Egypt refers to when God brought the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. This passage was not considered a Messianic prophecy, but instead a reminder of God’s love for His people.

And yet, just as God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, God brought Jesus out of Egypt after He fled there as a little child to escape Herod. Matthew highlighted the patterns of God’s work in his Gospel, including this instance where God brought Israel out of Egypt to establish His covenant with them. This foreshadowed how He again would bring His Son out of Egypt to fulfill the first covenant and establish the new covenant.

God was working in mighty, incredible ways as He prepared to enter our world as a human. His hand was on every detail, working in every circumstance for hundreds of years to bring about His plan. This is our God. He is working in ways we cannot see, and may not ever see. We will never know the full extent of what He is doing behind the scenes, but we can be confident that He is always working.