“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[b] 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.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders
who will rule[c] the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.[d]
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.
Micah, another prophet who lived long before Jesus, says Jesus will be born in Bethlehem. He explains that Jesus will be ruler over Israel’ v2. When Jesus was born, Micah’s prophecy was fulfilled.
Question 1
Why does Micha say that the Messiah’s ‘origin’ (beginning) is in the past? What does this teach us about Jesus’ birth?
Question 2
What has the Messiah come to do? Look specifically at verses 4 and 5.
Question 3
How has what Micah said come true when Jesus came into the world?
Question 4
How does this prophecy help us to marvel at Jesus?
Pray:
Thank you, Father, that Jesus is the ‘ruler’ you have promised! Thank you that Jesus is the good Shepherd who has been sent to ‘lead the flock in the strength of the Lord’. Help us to remember that we are perfectly safe if we believe in Jesus.
