“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2
In an ancient prophecy, given some 700 years before the birth of the Messiah and Savior, His birthplace was foretold. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem (house of bread), a small village south of Jerusalem once called Ephratah or Ephrath (fruitful) – one village among the thousands of Judah – Messiah was to be born.
But Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, nearly 100 miles to the north, in Galilee. Both Mary and Joseph had been told by an angel that the Child in her womb was the long-promised Messiah, conceived by the mighty working of the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38); but they were not in Bethlehem. Would the ancient words of God fail? Not at all!
Luke 2:1-7 tells us: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
And just who would this Bethlehem-born Child be? He would be “ruler in Israel,” meaning that He would be King over God’s chosen people – including those from the tribes of Israel who looked to Him for salvation and those from outside Israel who were grafted into God’s people and kingdom through faith in the Messiah. Cf. Romans 11.
His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Contrary to what some think about Messiah Jesus – those who hold to the old Arian heresy and its modern forms – Jesus is the eternal Son of God, neither created nor made. He has always been “from of old, from everlasting.” He is God Himself – Jehovah – in human flesh, come into this world to redeem fallen mankind and to establish an eternal kingdom over which He shall reign for ever and ever!
Jesus, the Anointed King over God’s people, has come and shall rule over His kingdom forever. His everlasting kingdom is made up of all those who, by the gracious working of God’s Spirit, acknowledge the LORD God and the truthfulness of His Word and admit and confess their sins and shortcomings, trusting that He mercifully forgives and accepts them as His own dear children for the sake of the redeeming sacrifice of Christ Jesus upon the cross. Those in the Messiah’s kingdom, look to Messiah Jesus for forgiveness and life everlasting and, as a fruit of their faith in Jesus, they submit to His rule and seek to live in accord with His Word.
From a small and unlikely place, God’s Son – the Messiah and Savior came into this world – but He is God Himself come into this world as a true man, born of the virgin Mary, that He might redeem us and bring us into His everlasting kingdom. He establishes His kingdom, not by earthly might and power, but by the preaching of His life-giving Word and calling those lost in the darkness of sin into the light of His mercy and forgiveness.
O dearest Jesus, my God and my King, graciously forgive my sins and grant me a place in Your eternal kingdom. Create in me a new heart that I might love You, live for You and serve You forever!
[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible. More devotions at www.goodshepherdrogers.org.]