Matthew 2
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’
Micah 5
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.”
3 Therefore He shall give them up,
Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;
Then the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel.
4 And He shall stand and feed His flock
In the strength of the LORD,
In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God;
And they shall abide,
For now He shall be great
To the ends of the earth;
5 And this One shall be peace.
q Who sent Him?
q Where did He come to?
q Why did He come?
q Was He here before?
Who sent Him?
Micah 5:2 the Father sent Him.
We can forget that at the heart of our salvation, the Father is present, along with the Holy Spirit who impregnated Mary.
There is no distinction in honour; we give it solely to Jesus yet here we see the Trinity in unity bringing Jesus to the earth.
What was that day like in heaven when the Son left?
‘Go’, said the Father, ‘Go’ said the Spirit, ‘I will go’ said the Son.
When Jesus unrobed Himself the angels looked on. He took off His crown, his clothes of glory and clothed Himself with a robe of clay.
How the angels bowed down in wonder that the Eternal God should become lower than they. Did they weep? Did they wonder at the love He had for mortals?
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. And
Heb 2:7 & Ps8:5
They saw Him leave, they heralded His arrival and they attended Him through to the cross, watching has God gave Himself to redeem sinful humankind at the Father’s command under the anointed Holy Spirit.
They couldn’t bear to leave Him; once you meet Him, you don’t want anything else.
Heb 10:9 He came to do the will of the Father
Every step He took was marked by the approval of the I AM.
Where did He come to?
Bethlehem as spoken by the prophet Micah.
Why not the splendour of Jerusalem? Surely Kings are born here?
The first mention of Bethlehem is when Rachel died in Gen 35
She died in childbirth as she borne Benjamin (the son of my right hand) to Jacob. (Ben-oni child of sorrow)
Another women Naomi who bought back Ruth the gentile.
Jew and Gentile blood unite here through Boaz and Ruth to bring to birth the Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David, who we know is the linage of Jesus.
Bethlehem was the city of Royalty where Kings were born.
Jesus wasn’t born a prince, but a King. No other person has been born King.
Bethlehem has a double meaning;
q House of bread
q House of war
Jesus was born in the house of manna, being the bread from heaven.
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. & Jn 6:35
Where do we get food and nourishment? The world, careers etc.
He is food to the righteous but causes war to the wicked.
Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
He is either house of bread to you or house of war.
If you don’t eat the bread of heaven and sip the liquor of the Rose of Sharon, then from His mouth shall come a two-edged sword.
Who wants to be at war with the Almighty?
I would rather hear,
‘Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.’
The name Ephratah:
Old Jewish name, meaning fruitfulness or abundance.
Our fruitfulness comes from Him.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Where is Bethlehem’s position?
Little among the thousands of Judah.
Jesus comes in at lowly hearts, not in the mighty and proud.
The event happened according to God’s time and purpose.
What are the chances of the census beginning at that time and Mary and Joseph having to travel to Bethlehem when she was heavily pregnant?
What providence is that?
Why did Caesar Augustus choose to send people at that time? It was his plan but God’s decree.
God may use whomever, Christian or pagan, donkey or whale.
Who are we to question His ways?
His ways and thoughts are not ours.
You may wonder why events happen at certain times and they may disagree with your circumstances, but God has everything in control.
Man thinks he is in control but the Almighty has the last say.
There is nothing that breathes without his say so; the earth and the universe hang on His word.
The sea dares not go beyond the shore.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Why did He come?
To be Ruler and King. As I said, no one was born King. The prince of Wales has to wait until his time but Jesus was the King of kings and Lord of lords. 1 Tim 3:16, Rev 17:14 & Rev 19:16
His heart beats royalty. He came to be King of the Jews, yet His own didn’t recognise Him. John 1:11
Is He king and ruler in your heart?
If you say, ‘I’m under none and no one rules me or tells me what to do’, then I fear for your soul.
For to be ruler of your own life means you are not of His kingdom.
I don’t mean professing a religion, but Him.
He came to be ruler in Israel of which we are if we belong to Him; He came to mark us with His name, sealed forever by His precious blood.
Was He here before?
The text says, “Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.” Micah 5:2
He was not secret or silent before this time; this child had worked wonders long before.
He may be the infant then but He was also the ancient of days.
He made a covenant to save us from before the foundation of the earth.
Eph 1:4 He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
It was everlasting that He signed the compact with His father; He would pay in blood.
If He held you before you were born, how much more will He hold you now?
He knew what your faults would be; yet He still came because He loved you and still loves you now.
It was He who called all things into existence.
Time doesn’t allow for me to tell of the sightings in the OT with Abraham, Jacob, Joshua and with the three in the fiery furnace.
Conclusion
Do you consider yourself too small or belittle yourself in your heart? Then take heart that He came to the little town.
He will come to your poverty, your wretchedness, your torment and affliction; for He is the Everlasting who came to take your punishment upon Himself.
What do you have to do? Nothing, but birth Him in your heart; He has done it all.
John 1:12 To as many who receive Him, to them He gives the power to become sons of God.
