0 Little Town of Bethlehem
Reading: Micah chapter 5 verse 1-4 / Matthew chapter 2 verse 1-6.
“But for now, prepare for the worst, victim daughter! The siege is set against us.
They humiliate Israel’s king,
slapping him around like a rag doll.
2But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
the runt of the litter--
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
3Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
home to the family of Israel.
4He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,
cantered in the majesty of GOD-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
for the whole world will hold him in respect--
Peacemaker of the world!”
Ill:
• A visitor to a small town of Marchwood, Southampton was walking along the main street;
• When a wild dog leapt out and attacked a small boy.
• Without a thought for his own safety,
• The passer-by instinctively dragged the dog off the small boy,
• Wrestled it with his bare hands and managed to choke it to death,
• The incident was witnessed and would soon be reported in the local press.
• When the reporter meet the hero,
• He shook him by the hand and told him about the story he was going to write.
• He said that the headline in that week’s paper would be:
• "Brave Local Man Saves Child By Killing Vicious Beast"
• The hero said to the reporter;
• "But I’m not from this town,"
• "No problem," replied the reporter,
• "The headline will be: Southampton Man Saves Child By Killing Dog"
• "As a matter of fact," revealed the hero,
• "I’m not from Southampton at all. I’m from Portsmouth."
• The reporter glared at him,
• "In which case the headline will be: Portsmouth Man Slays Family Pet."
Some people have a small town or village mentality:
• e.g. Park Gate is still called by many ‘The Village’,
• Even though today it is a highly populated habitation.
• e.g. Some folks may have moved to a village and been there 10 or 15 years;
• Yet they are still considered to be ‘outsiders’ by the other locals.
Ill:
• Trivia question does anybody know which is the smallest town in England.
• Answer is Manningtree. (It can be found on the River Stour which borders Essex and Suffolk).
• It may be the smallest town in England,
• But to most people in England it is totally insignificant, most of us never even heard of it!
• And we have no desire to visit it.
By contrast:
• Sitting on a hillside about five miles south of Jerusalem.
• Is another small town, one that has become well known all around the world!
• Yet had it not been for the fact that Bethlehem is the birth¬place of Jesus,
• Like Manningtree it would for most of the world be a place of little prominence.
Ill:
• Tabloid newspapers often do a 10 things you always wanted to know about……
• Latest celebrity or sports star or whoever else is in the news.
10 things about Bethlehem:
(1). The name Bethlehem means; “House of bread”.
(2). There were two Bethlehem’s in Palestine.
• So notice that our prophecy is detailed "Bethlehem Ephrathah of Judah",
• Which means; ‘belonging to the tribe of Judah’.
• This is to distinguish it from the other Bethlehem which was in Galilee in the North,
• In the territory of Zebulon (12km from Nazareth).
(3).
• Bethlehem’s first mentioned in the Scriptures;
• Is in connection with the death of Rachel, Jacob’s wife.
• She died in childbirth, when Benjamin was born,
• And was buried nearby Bethlehem (Genesis chapter 35 verse 16-20).
(4).
• The main characters in the book of Ruth,
• Ruth, Naomi and Boaz all lived in Bethlehem,
• A book which tells the story of how a Gentile girl,
• Would become the great-grandmother of King David, and be in the Messiah’s genealogy!
(5).
• Bethlehem was the birthplace and home of David and his family.
• (1 Samuel chapter 16).)
• And it was the place where Samuel the prophet anointed David to be king.
• (1 Samuel chapter 16).
(7).
• Bethlehem was prophesied as the place of the Messiah’s birth (Micah chapter 5 verse 2),
• Alfred Endersheim (End-er-sheim) in his book, ’The Life and times of Jesus the Messiah’
• Lists 456 promises / prophecies, pointing to the Messiah’s coming.
• 700 years after Micah walked the earth, his prophecy came true!
(8).
• Bethlehem was the place of Infanticide.
• A tragic mass murder of male children.
• Frightened by the news that a new king was born and might rival him,
• Herod ordered the slaughter of all male babies under 2 years old (Matthew 2: 16-18).
(9).
• Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate in Bethlehem (first Bible to reach these shores)
• And from it John Wycliffe used it as a basis for the first English translation of the Bible.
(10).
• Today Bethlehem is an Arab town of about 35,000 residents;
• Made up of both Jewish, Christian and Moslem.
This session:
• We are going to look at just one of those 456 prophecies;
• Ill: Bible prophecy must be specific not general.
e.g.
• Next Saturday someone is going to win the national lottery (too wide)
• ……………………….who will live in Hampshire (too wide)
• ……………………….who will buy their ticket in (Chandlers Ford / Arlesford).
• ……………………….who will a man.
• ……………………….who will be wearing a blue coat.
• ……………………….who will have a beard (started wide but now narrow & narrower)
(B). Background to the prophecy:
Micah, Isaiah & Hosea were all on planet earth around the same time;
• In fact the book of Micah (chapter 1 verse 1) and the book of Isaiah (chapter 1 verse 1):
• Both start off by mentioning the names of three kings: “Jotham, Ahaz & Hezekiah”
• Of these kings mentioned (vs 1): two were good kings (Jotham, & Hezekiah).
• But the third king mentioned (Ahaz) was a wicked man who sold the nation into idolatry.
(2). Micah the prophet:
In contrast to his associate Isaiah who was born in a palace and therefore wealthy;
• Micah came from a small rural place called Moresheth,
• A country town about 20 miles South-west of Jerusalem.
• It was so small that it is not identified by itself;
• It is linked to the larger, more well known city of Gath, (e.g. 1:14 “Moresheth Gath”).
Micah was born ‘in the sticks’ (a country bumpkin) but God sent him to the city to preach:
• At the time of Micah the land was split into a north, south divide,
• The north was called Israel and the south was called Judah.
• Micah gave his message to the two capitol cities in each land;
• Samaria (capitol of North) and Jerusalem (capitol of the South).
• By preaching in the capitol cities his message would reach two kingdoms.
• And therefore reach all the people of God.
(3). His message is hard hitting:
ill:
• Samuel Clement (better known by his alias Mark Twain);
• Attended a Sunday morning services.
• He met the pastor at the door afterward and told him;
• That he had a book at home with every word the pastor had preached that morning.
• The minister said, impossible and assured him that the sermon was an original.
• Clement (Mark Twain) still held his position.
• The pastor wanted to see this book so Clement said he would send it over in the morning.
• When the preacher unwrapped it,
• And looked at the book that contained every word the pastor had preached that morning,
• Mark Twain sent him a dictionary and in the flyleaf was written this:
"Words, just words, just words."
Now Micah’s message was more than words – it was alive:
• It was given to him direct by the living God,
• Quote: Oswald J. Smith.
“The world does not need sermons; it needs a message.
You can go to Bible college and learn how to preach sermons,
but you will have to go to God to get messages.”
Micah message is hard-hitting:
• He denounces the rulers, priests and prophets,
• He deplores the money-grabbing exploitation of the helpless;
• He rebukes the dishonesty taking place in business;
• And he highlights the sham religion that was taking place!
As well as:
• Telling-forth the current situation;
• He also forth-told and He made predictions.
• He predicted that God’s judgement will fall on Samaria and Jerusalem;
• And only after that judgement will there be restoration.
But notice that Micah is not all doom and gloom:
Quote: Professor Chad Walsh,:
“’The true function of a preacher is to disturb the comfortable
and comfort the disturbed.’"
• Micah is not all doom and gloom because he also sees a glorious future,
• When Jerusalem will become the religious centre of the world,
• And Bethlehem will give birth to a greater David,
• One who will establish his kingdom and rule over all God’s people.
(3). The Prophecy
Most simplistic outline of the book:
• Chapters 1-2: “God of Judgement
• Chapters 3-5: “God of hope”
• Chapters 6-7: “God of pardon”.
The book of Micah:
• Is composed of three sermons,
• Each sermon begins with the word “hear” or “listen”:
• Chapter 1 verse 3: “Hear, O peoples, all of you”
• Chapter 3 verse 1: “Listen, you leaders of Jacob”.
• Chapter 6 verse 1: “Listen to what the Lord says”
Ill:
• The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt was the thirty-second President of the United States:
• Who often endured long receiving lines at the White House.
• He complained that as he walked down the lines shaking hands;
• That no one really paid any attention to what was said.
One day, during a White House reception, he decided to try an experiment.
• To each person who came down the line and shook his hand, he murmured,
• “I murdered my grandmother this morning.”
• The guests all nervous and thrilled about shaking hands with the President;
• All responded with phrases like, “Marvellous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you”.
• It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia,
• That his words were actually heard.
• Not shocked or puzzled by the statement,
• The Bolivian ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”
• Well the book of Micah is composed of three sermons,
• Each sermon begins with the word “hear” or “listen”:
The Prophecy:
(1). Defeated King (Chapter 5 verse 1):
ill:
• Calvin Coolidge (was another US President – 30th - 1872-1933) was a man of few words.
• He found himself sitting next to a young lady at a dinner.
• She said, "Mr President; I have made a bet with my friends;
• That I can make you say at least three words to me during dinner".
• Calvin Coolidge replied; "You lose"
• And he remained silent for the rest of the meal.
Verse 1a: is about an earthly king who lost:
“Marshal your troops, O city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek with a rod.”
Micah is looking ahead to when an enemy would lay siege to the city of Jerusalem.
• So many of the enemy soldiers are camped both inside and outside Jerusalem,
• That Micah calls the city “A city of troops”.
• He then tells us that this captured king will be humiliated,
• They will strike a rod across his face.
Ill:
• The rod was the symbol of the kings authority & power,
• But here it is snatched from him and used to beat him.
• This was common practice in the ancient world;
• Ill: They put out the kings eyes, bound him and would take him home as a prisoner.
Verse 1: Is a picture of a defeated king:
• The nations king has been surrounded, captured and totally humiliated,
• The ruler is completely unable to defend himself, never mind his people.
• He has been reduced to a public disgrace, he is conquered & crushed.
• It was a picture that would further demoralise the hearers listening to Micah.
(2). A Promised King (Chapter 5 verse 2):
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
• Notice: the verse starts in contrast to verse 1; “But”:
• Micah will turn our eyes away from a defeated king, to a future king.
Verses 2-5 are now going to speak about the coming Messiah.
“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.”
MICAH TELLS US 4 IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE MESSIAH:
(1). He will be Humble (verse 2a)
Ill:
William Carey is considered the father of modern missions:
• The man who spent his early years as a cobbler
• Became one of the greatest linguists the church has ever known.
• It’s reported that Carey translated parts of the Bible into as many as 24 Indian languages.
• When he first went to India, some regarded him with dislike and contempt.
• At a dinner party a distinguished guest, hoping to humiliate Carey, said in a loud voice,
• “I suppose, Mr. Carey, you once worked as a shoemaker.”
• Carey responded humbly, “No, your lordship, not as a shoemaker, only a cobbler.”
• Carey didn’t claim to make shoes, only to mend them.
Carey displayed the same characteristic as the Lord he served – humility:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
• The focus in this verse is not on Bethlehem’s physical size,
• But on its political significance or rather insignificance.
Ill:
• It was so insignificant that when Joshua divided the land (Joshua 15: 20-63).
• It was not even mentioned in the list of place-names in Judah
• 115 towns and cities are named with their villages,
• But not Bethlehem, that’s how insignificant it was.
We know of course that the Messiah was humble:
• Born not only in an insignificant place;
• But also in insignificant circumstances – a stable and a feeding trough!
(2). He will rule forever (verse 2).
“Out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,”
• This insight is not unique to Micah,
• God had already said this to king David (2 Samuel chapter 7 verse 16)
“Your dynasty and your kingdom will continue for all time before me,
and your throne will be secure forever.’”
• An eternal secure kingdom is not the product of mere men,
• A throne eternally secure requires a divine king for its fulfilment.
Quote Arnold Toynbee tells us:
“The world has known 21 great civilizations, but all of them have endured only for a time and then they passed away.”
Ill:
Think of just a few examples:
• Babylon, Greece, Rome (even Britain had an empire).
• They were all mighty and seemed invincible,
• But today there glory has gone, they have all fallen and been replaced.
But in contrast to human kingdoms:
• This promised king will have an everlasting kingdom,
• Because it does not depend on human resources, but on God!
Ill:
Poem – Dr Murray.
(3). He is eternal (verse 2b)
These next words that Micah prophesied:
• Would have shocked and mystified his hearers.
• Micah declares that the Messiah would pre-exist before this physical birth in Bethlehem:
“Whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
• The phrase “from ancient times”
• Can also be translated “from days of eternity”.
Ill:
Our baby Arlo.
• We can trace his origins (ill: know his father, ill: grandfather etc).
• ill: We know his actual birth date and the time he was born (8.40am 25th December).
• ill: We know the date he was predicted to come (18th December)
• ill: We can have a pretty good guess as to about when he was conceived (we won’t go there!)
• But that is all there is!
• There is nothing more to tell,
• Note: All human beings who trace there ancestry will eventually end up at a dead end,
• A place where they can go back no further.
Yet Micah says in verse 2:
• This baby will be different:
• The origins of this king will go way beyond 9 months! Back into eternity!
Ill:
4 gospels.
• Mark gives us no genealogy of Jesus,
• Jesus is pictured as a servant, no-one is interested in the genealogy of a servant.
• Matthew who wrote with Jewish readers in mind, & pictures Jesus as the King of Jews.
• Ends his genealogy of Jesus (chapter 1) at Abraham, the father of Jews.
• Luke who pictures Jesus as the perfect man,
• Ends his genealogy of Jesus (chapter 3) at Adam, the father of mankind.
• John who pictures Jesus as God in the flesh,
• Starts his genealogy of Jesus in eternity.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
• The origins of this king will go way beyond 9 months!
• They go all the way back into infinity!
(4). He will be Human (verse 2).
“Out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel”.
“Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you”.
• A child would be born,
• Flesh and blood.
Ill:
• Regarding the birth of this king,
• Micah’s contempories Isaiah intensified the promise, Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6-7:
6For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this!
• A child is born (flesh & blood)
• But a Son is given (you can only give what you already have!)
• In this verse we see the humanity of Jesus;
• And the deity of Jesus side by side.
Quote:
“Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel”.
Ill:
Cliff Richard – “God in a body”.
(3). a Shepherd King (Chapter 5 verse 4):
He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace.
• The king described by Micah will not be a tyrant,
• Verse 4 tells us he will be like a good shepherd.
Ill:
Psalm 78 verses 70-72 describes David this way.
“He (God) chose his servant David,
calling him from the sheep pens.
71 He took David from tending the ewes and lambs
and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants—
God’s own people, Israel.
72 He cared for them with a true heart
and led them with skillful hands”.
A GOOD SHEPHERD:
• Is strong and fit,
• An unflinching and courageous leader.
• This shepherd will stand firm in the face of danger,
• He will make sure the people are fed, not fleeced
Notice:
• Where this shepherd will find his strength
• Verse 4: He will deride inner strength because of his relationship to the Lord his God.
• Human shepherds, even the bravest can be overcome and killed and robbed.
• “The best of men are only men at the best”
• This shepherd will be different, no-one will conquer him against his will.
• This shepherd operates in the ‘strength, glory & power of the Lord’.
• Micah is telling a demoralised, deflated, depressed people;
• That a day is coming (when the Messiah comes) when they shall dwell secure.
Quote:
“True security is not to be found in men or armies,
Not in possessions or wealth,
Not in idols and false gods.
Security is found in the great shepherd of the sheep”.
Notice:
• The shepherds greatness extends not just over the territory of Israel,
• But to the ends of the earth!
He will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace.
When the Messiah comes and sets up his kingdom:
• The security he brings does not depend on being in a particular geographical place,
• It does not depend on a particular circumstances.
• It is the result being in the presence of the Shepherd; ‘He will be their peace’
• And so that can be in any place throughout the entire world.
Note: In the New Testament
Jesus is called the Good Shepherd (John chapter 10 verse 11):
• Emphasis: “I am the shepherd, the good one!” as opposed to faithless shepherds.
• Because he loved the sheep and was willing to die for them.
• His actions prove his goodness;
• His actions prove his love for us.
Jesus is called the Great Shepherd (Hebrews chapter 13 verse 20):
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
• Question: What is the difference between ‘good’ and ‘great’?
• Answer: You can of course be a good musician but not a great one!
• This line of demarcation can be applied in all professions.
• Jesus we are told was excellent in every detail of what he was and did.
• The writer of Hebrews is telling us, reminding us, encouraging us;
• With the fact Jesus rose from the dead;
• So that his constant care would always be assured – we are secure in him!
Jesus is called the chief Shepherd (1 Peter chapter 5 verse 4):
• Peter has been telling Church leaders to ‘feed God’s flock’:
• And to copy the example of Jesus.
“…and when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
Peter reminds the leaders that the serving shepherd has risen to become the chief shepherd.
• He is now the owner of the flock!
• And to those who serve the future is bright, it brings a reward!
Our shepherd is good, great and the Chief! And we are secure and safe in him!
