Micah 4:8-5:15
Dear RTB’ers,
Yesterday’s readings had mixed messages from Micah – judgment and condemnation in chapter 3, then deliverance in chapter 4. Today he starts out sensitive, then drops a bomb on Judah’s leaders, that they are going into exile in Babylon. Their actual exile would be hundreds of years down the road (586 BC), but it was revealed to Micah sometime in the lower 700s BC:
Now why do you cry aloud? …Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. (vv. 9a, 10) The rest of that chapter then promised deliverance to Judah, “threshing” their enemies.
And then we get to chapter 5. I truly hope that you read the Scripture readings before you read my posts, because today I know that you would have been hit with a Christmas “WOW”!
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (v. 5:2) Micah is predicting Jesus’ birth some 700+ years down the road! And that verse was well known to the Jewish leaders – recall the Magi asking where this new king would be born: And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for from you will come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:4-6) All scripture ties itself together!
Sing it with me, “O little town of Bethlehem…!”
Blessings!