The Essential JesusSample

O Little Town of Bethlehem

PRAY: "Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name" (Psalm 103:1).

READ: Micah 5:1-5

REFLECT: Micah was no TV preacher. His messages weren't slick, packaged, or positive. They were rough, passionate, and hard-hitting (for example, Micah 3:1-4). He would have been a terrible fundraiser because his main theme was to denounce sin, especially of the wealthy and powerful. "Come on, boss. You'll never build a donor base like that!" Micah wasn't trying to be popular; he was trying to be faithful to the message he had been given (Micah 1:1): God was going to punish Israel for her sins. Micah's prophecy was fulfilled when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took the people captive.

Buried in the middle of his challenging prophetic book, however, we find our passage today one of the most unique in the Old Testament. In it, Micah looks beyond his current situation to a time far in the future when God would send a Savior whose rule would extend to "the ends of the earth" (Micah 5:4). Even in just these few verses, we learn several important details about this coming Savior, all of which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

His origins. The Savior would come from the little town of Bethlehem (v. 2). At the time of Jesus' birth, this was the commonly held understanding (Matthew 2:3-6). It was such an unlikely place, and yet God orchestrated an incredible chain of events--a census of the Roman empire, a late-night trip by a pregnant woman and her fiancé, and a birth in a stable to make it happen (Luke 2:1-7). Jesus fulfilled this precise prophecy made centuries before his birth.

His character. Micah picks up on the shepherd imagery, as have other prophets. But he adds that the Savior's strength and majesty won't be based on human ability

but rather on "the name of the LORD his God" (Micah 5:4). And the Savior won't just achieve a time of peace, "he will be their peace" (v. 5). Micah was prophesying about none other than Jesus Christ, who made peace with God by his death on the cross.

APPLY: Do you feel like you are at peace with God? Why?

PRAY: Heavenly Father, I marvel at the intricate nature of our plan of salvation and that you have given me the opportunity to understand it.