“Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.
But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
Therefore He will give them up until the time
When she who is in labor has borne a child.
Then the remainder of His brethren
Will return to the sons of Israel.
And He will arise and shepherd His flock
In the strength of the LORD,
In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.
And they will remain,
Because at that time He will be great
To the ends of the earth.
This One will be our peace.
When the Assyrian invades our land,
When he tramples on our citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. Micah 5:1-5

Micah was an Old Testament prophet who preached to the common people of Judah. His prophecy concerned the sin of God’s people and the resulting invasion by the Assyrians. But then as you read through Micah’s prophecy he begins to speak of a coming deliverance under a strong Jewish leader. As you read chapter 5 it is easy to see why many people in the day of Jesus were looking for a military/political Messiah. They were looking for a leader around whom they would “muster yourselves in troops” for battle.

However, it is always best to let scripture interpret scripture. So in Matthew 2:6 we find that interpretation. Remember when the Magi came to Jerusalem looking for the newborn King of the Jews? They had seen His star in the east and had come to worship him. King Herod called for the Jewish scholars to ask where any King of the Jews would be born. Correctly they quoted Micah 5:2: AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.

Isn’t it a marvel that the Jewish scholars could accurately quoted scripture, but missed Jesus? Let’s not miss Jesus during our UNCOMMON Christmas. Meditate on the wonderful characteristics of Christ that Micah foresaw:

Ruler (Is He your ruler?)
His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. (Christ existed long before Micah and His birth in Bethlehem)
Shepherd of His flock
In the strength of the Lord
In the majesty of the name of the Lord
He will be great to the ends of the earth

Weekly Memory Verse: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? Psalm 27.1