December 5th

Micah 5:2

Old Testament prophecies made it clear that the Messiah would come from the lineage of King David and be born in the town that David came from which was Bethlehem Ephrathah in Judah (as distinct from the Bethlehem of Zebulun). The name means ‘house of bread’ and it was a fertile agricultural land. Ephrathah is the name of a clan who were allies of Caleb, it is the birthplace of Naomi and Elimelech (Ruth 1:2). It was a small insignificant town until David’s birth there.

In Matthew 2:3-6 this scripture is quoted when Herod starts to enquire about where the Messiah is to be born, and the religious rulers tell him it is in Bethlehem. Jesus’ birthplace causes some confusion later in his ministry as people question if he can be the Messiah; they are assuming he was born in Nazareth and no Messiah comes from there (Jn 7:41-42). However, as we know, a Roman edict means that Mary and Joseph must return to Bethlehem for a census since they are both of the lineage of David, and that is where Jesus is born. Sadly, the families of Bethlehem are going to pay a high price for this honour as Herod kills all the infants in the town once he realises the wise men have given him the slip (Jer.31:15, Matt.2:16-18). The kingdom of peace has not yet arrived, but it will.

What can we take from this part of the story? Perhaps firstly that God kept his promise to King David and Jesus is born there after all, despite Mary’s hometown being elsewhere.

Secondly, God is happy to choose the small and insignificant. When Jesus is born the shepherds will be invited to the birth celebrations, his ministry will focus on the weak, sick, oppressed and poor much more than the ‘significant’ people of the day. Jesus is going to open up the Kingdom of heaven to all who choose to believe, whoever they may be.

Both Micah and Isaiah are prophets of judgement, but also of hope. They both have a dream of a future where peace will reign, and oppression will end. They are both looking into the future when the Messiah will come.

Reflection

God is not a respecter of status or place. He is happy to use the nobodies and the disregarded places to fulfil his plans. We can easily feel like our lives and the place we live in is insignificant to God. If that is the case then I’d encourage you to ask God to help you see your life as he sees it. Every life has enormous value and importance to him, in Jesus he has given part of himself for us and filled us with his Spirit. You and your world matter to God.