One of the clearest prophecies of the Messiah’s birth is given to us in Micah, one of the Minor Prophets. Micah’s contribution to the Christmas story is often overlooked in favor of the more familiar New Testament passages we love to hear this time of year. The prophet writes, "But you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, although you are small, out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” Micah 5:2
It was Micah’s prophecy that the chief priests and teachers of the law turned to when Herod asked them where the Messiah was to be born (Matt. 2:3-8). But aside from being referred to then, and in the beautiful Christmas Carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” which is based on this passage, Micah’s words barely come up at Christmas. And yet what he said raises several questions.
For instance, why was Bethlehem chosen to be Jesus’ birthplace? Why not the much larger, significant capital city of Jerusalem, only six miles away? Why did God choose to honor Bethlehem in spite of its insignificant size and lack of importance?
And why did God choose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus’ parents? They certainly were not chosen because of their great achievements or because of the opportunities they could afford Jesus.
And why were the shepherds chosen to receive the angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth? Was it because they were super-spiritual, or men of unquestionable moral fiber? No. Shepherds in Jesus’ day had the reputation of being a little “rough around the edges.”
So why did God choose these insignificant people and places as key players in the Christmas story? One possibility could be that since he was a rural man from a tiny village himself, Micah knew what it was like to be overlooked in favor of more spectacular, significant people and places. Perhaps because of this his prophecies tend to point to a different reality, one that stresses that with God, hope can often be found in unexpected places. Micah reminds us that with God, it is common to encounter the unexpected and the paradoxical – often in unexpected reversals of circumstances. Hope arises from devastation; suffering embodies salvation; life emerges from death. Thus, when it comes to the nativity – the birth of the Messiah – Micah sees a coming ruler who, in keeping with a sense of divine irony, will arise from one of the least of the clans of Judah.
Micah’s contribution to the Christmas story is a reminder with God, hope and salvation will come from places and people that are seen as insignificant in the eyes of the world. Paul agrees in 1 Cor. 1:28 where he writes, “God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are.” Part of the paradox of God’s action in the world is that what is of no account in the eyes of most people is often held closest to the heart of God.
This Christmas let’s direct our attention to the amazing Christmas star, the majestic angel choirs singing in the skies, and the three kings who came to honor the newborn king. But let's also notice the lowly, the least, and the unexpected and their contribution to the story. Those to whom a Savior born in a cattle trough seems most predisposed to relate to. This year let’s make part of our Christmas preparation be to remind ourselves to look for the divine where we would least expect Him to be. That’s Micah’s gift to us this Christmas.
It was Micah’s prophecy that the chief priests and teachers of the law turned to when Herod asked them where the Messiah was to be born (Matt. 2:3-8). But aside from being referred to then, and in the beautiful Christmas Carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” which is based on this passage, Micah’s words barely come up at Christmas. And yet what he said raises several questions.
For instance, why was Bethlehem chosen to be Jesus’ birthplace? Why not the much larger, significant capital city of Jerusalem, only six miles away? Why did God choose to honor Bethlehem in spite of its insignificant size and lack of importance?
And why did God choose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus’ parents? They certainly were not chosen because of their great achievements or because of the opportunities they could afford Jesus.
And why were the shepherds chosen to receive the angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth? Was it because they were super-spiritual, or men of unquestionable moral fiber? No. Shepherds in Jesus’ day had the reputation of being a little “rough around the edges.”
So why did God choose these insignificant people and places as key players in the Christmas story? One possibility could be that since he was a rural man from a tiny village himself, Micah knew what it was like to be overlooked in favor of more spectacular, significant people and places. Perhaps because of this his prophecies tend to point to a different reality, one that stresses that with God, hope can often be found in unexpected places. Micah reminds us that with God, it is common to encounter the unexpected and the paradoxical – often in unexpected reversals of circumstances. Hope arises from devastation; suffering embodies salvation; life emerges from death. Thus, when it comes to the nativity – the birth of the Messiah – Micah sees a coming ruler who, in keeping with a sense of divine irony, will arise from one of the least of the clans of Judah.
Micah’s contribution to the Christmas story is a reminder with God, hope and salvation will come from places and people that are seen as insignificant in the eyes of the world. Paul agrees in 1 Cor. 1:28 where he writes, “God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are.” Part of the paradox of God’s action in the world is that what is of no account in the eyes of most people is often held closest to the heart of God.
This Christmas let’s direct our attention to the amazing Christmas star, the majestic angel choirs singing in the skies, and the three kings who came to honor the newborn king. But let's also notice the lowly, the least, and the unexpected and their contribution to the story. Those to whom a Savior born in a cattle trough seems most predisposed to relate to. This year let’s make part of our Christmas preparation be to remind ourselves to look for the divine where we would least expect Him to be. That’s Micah’s gift to us this Christmas.
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