Christ in the Old Testament

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.” (NIV)

Today’s Reading: Micah 5:1-9

Micah 5:2 is a prophecy directed at Bethlehem. God is speaking directly to Bethlehem telling them that His Messiah will come from there. God calls them Bethlehem Ephrathah because there two cities named Bethlehem. The other Bethlehem was located about 65 miles to the north of Bethlehem Ephrathah in the region of Galilee.

Ephrathah was either another name for the town of Bethlehem or it was the name of the surrounding area. We are first introduced to this town in the book of Genesis. Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel dies here:

“So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb” (Gen 35:19).

We have discussed the connection between the prophecy in Jeremiah of Rachel weeping for her children and the slaughter of the baby boys by Herod recorded in Matthew’s gospel. Rachel’s sister Leah was the mother of Judah so it would seem to make more sense for Leah to weep over the death of these babies. But because Rachel is buried there, the prophecy connects her to the birth of Jesus.

Bethlehem Ephrathah was also the birthplace of King David:

“Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah” (1 Sam 17:12).

Is it a coincidence that King David and Jesus are born in the same little town? Yeah I don’t think so either. Jesus, the Son of David, the Root of David, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is born in Bethlehem. Of course he is! God has a way of orchestrating events to point us to more important events. David’s birth in Bethlehem points to the birth of Jesus.

Bethlehem means “house of bread” and Ephrathah means “fruitful.” When Jesus was born, it was a small little town with a population of about 300. Micah uses the Hebrew word ṣāʽîr meaning “small”, “little” or “least”. In Scripture, ṣāʽîr almost always portrays the unexpected elevation of the least. God chooses the insignificant often where ṣāʽîr is found:

“There is the little (ṣāʽîr) tribe of Benjamin, leading them” (Ps 68:27).

“The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest (ṣāʽîr) a mighty nation” (Isa 60:22).

The eternal ruler of Israel will come from the small and insignificant town of Bethlehem. It is the way of God to make the least the greatest. That was the heart of the message that Jesus preached. We are to intentionally make ourselves small so that God can be big:

“Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest’” (Luke 9:48).

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matt 23:12).

“He mocks proud mockers
    but shows favor to the humble and oppressed” (Prov 3:34).

When we follow Jesus, we agree to participate in God’s upside-down way of doing things. The least become great. The humble become exalted. The small become rulers. It should be our daily mission to become less so He can become more. And it makes sense if you think about it. Paul writes:

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor 1:27-31).

The world expects the smart and the strong to be successful. There’s nothing unusual about the valedictorian becoming rich or the high school quarterback becoming famous. It’s expected. But when the weak become great or the small become strong, that’s when people ask how that happened. That’s when we can point to God and give Him the glory.

When we recognize that we are not really strong because we are not capable of saving ourselves. We are sinful people and we are in need of a savior. We need God’s help because we are really powerless. When we approach the throne with a posture of humility, God pours out his grace on us. Then when the world asks how we got to be so strong, we can boast in the Lord and give Him all the glory.

Today’s Prayer: Lord, your ways are greater than mine. I am powerless and have no control over the next minute of my day. Help me to recognize my position and live today with a posture of humility.