12/21/2017
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” – Micah 5:2
With these 36 words, Micah offered hope to a nation that was facing total destruction. In fact, in 722 B.C., during Micah’s lifetime, the Assyrian army totally destroyed the nation of Israel.
And then, most of the Israelites were deported back to Assyria where they died. This dark period in Israel’s history really gives us a picture of the world ever since the Fall, back in the garden, when man sinned against God.
Darkness describes a world without hope. Micah’s message of hope is still God’s message to the world. God knew, even before He created the world, that we would rebel against Him and go our own way. And if we are all honest, we must admit that each of us has at one time or another abandoned God and gone our own way. And that is really what sin is – living your life independent of God. You basically say to God, “I don’t need you!”
Well, we all need something. You need something to survive this world and whatever or whoever you are depending on is your god! If not for the plan of God to save us, we would all be hopelessly lost.
But God did have a plan. Micah 5:2 is one of the verses in the Bible that lifts the veil so we can see God’s plan. From Micah, we learn that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, rule over a Kingdom, and have ancient origins.
Do you see that Jesus is the fulfillment of this great prophecy? This should give you hope. And this is what Christmas is all about — hope. I hope you have hope. If not, why not turn to Jesus this Christmas?
