Micah 5:2
“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.”
Today’s Reading: Micah 5:1-9 and Matthew 2:1-12
You may be familiar with the story told by Matthew of when the Magi from the east traveled to visit the “king of the Jews”. This star appeared to them and they followed it all the way to Jerusalem where they were asking people there where they would find Jesus. King Herod heard about them and called them in to see him so he could also locate Jesus and kill him.
King Herod was actually Herod I or Herod the Great. He was also known as King of the Jews. Herod was an Edomite. Edomites were descendants of Esau who as you recall sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a bowl of soup which also earned him the name Edom. Esau (or Edom) eventually moved his family to a land south of the Dead Sea that is today southern Israel and southern Jordan.
The Edomites adopted the pagan rituals and did not follow God’s law. They regularly attacked Israel and were constantly at odds with Israel. The Edomites came under King David’s control and then were eventually ruled by the Assyrians. They were then brought back under Jewish control after the Maccabean wars around 160 BC and forced to convert to Judaism. Then when Israel and Judah came under Roman control, Herod was named king of Judea after he successfully conquered Judea for Rome.
Herod was tasked with keeping the peace in Judea so he sought to win the support of the Jews by reducing their taxes and lots of land improvement projects. He built himself a large palace but he also updated the temple in Jerusalem making it bigger and more elaborate than even Solomon’s temple.
But Herod was a brutal and ruthless ruler. He killed dozens of members of the Sanhedrin as well as the high priest, his mother-in-law and even one of his wives and their two sons. Augustus Caesar is famously reported to have said, “It is better to be Herod’s dog than one of his children.” Herod had his power and his title and he would literally do whatever it took to keep it.
Herod was also considered a Jew but didn’t observe Jewish law. Thus he was unfamiliar with the Scriptures. So he called in the chief priests and Pharisees to find out where the Messiah was prophesied to be born because he needed to stamp out this potential rival king even this king was sent by God. These religious leaders quoted Micah 5:2 to King Herod which tells of the birth of the Messiah:
“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel’” (Matt 2:4-6).
So we can see the fulfillment of Micah 5:2 in the person of Jesus being born in Bethlehem. Jesus was in fact still in Bethlehem when the Magi found him. When they saw Jesus, they responded in worship:
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matt 2:11).
This is the true and proper response when Jesus is fully revealed to us because he is God. Jesus said to Satan in the desert, “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Matt 4:10). That quote comes from Deuteronomy 6:13 where God commanded the Jews to give Him their full allegiance. God would share the worship of His people with no one. Yet, when Jesus is first encountered by the Magi, they respond in worship because when they saw Jesus, they saw God and worship was their natural response.
Jesus would be worshipped many times throughout his ministry and he accepted it each and every time:
“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matt 14:32-33).
“Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” (John 9:38).
“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him” (Matt 28:8-9).
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him” (Matt 28:16-17).
Jesus is worthy of our worship. He wants our worship and he wants it exclusively. We should worship Jesus with our praise but more than words, he wants our hearts. True worship is to dedicate our lives to him and give him the desires of our heart. That is truly the worship he desires:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Rom 12:1).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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