Scripture Introduction
Probably few of us are really familiar with the twelve books in the section of the Old Testament called the “Minor Prophets.” They are not unimportant, but small books compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel – the Major Prophets.
Pastor James Boice, who preached through the twelve Minor Prophets on and off over a period of ten years, said that these books especially “dramatize three aspects of God’s character: his sovereignty, his holiness, and his love.” Micah fits in this section both in size and in focus.
Even if you are unfamiliar with Micah’s ministry and message, you may hear some verses you recognize, especially at the beginning and end of our text. We start in Micah 5.1 with the promise of a future ruler who will shepherd his people, read through the warnings of danger and destruction, and end with the proper response to God’s power and presence in Micah 6.8. Please, now, give your attention to the reading of this portion of Scripture as God speaks to us through the Word and Spirit, even as he did to Israel so long ago.
[Read Micah 5.1-6.8. Pray.]
Introduction
Last week our family watched The Nativity Story, a 2006 film which portrays the life of Mary (the mother of Jesus) from her betrothal to Joseph through the Massacre of the Innocents. To pace the story and provide historical and theological insight, the filmmaker intertwined events in Mary’s life with that of the three wise men and King Herod. Three sets of characters with very different histories and purposes, whose stories merge in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. [I thought the movie was very well-done; we all thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated it.]
Watching it reminded me again of the power of the pride which kept Herod and the Jews from accepting the Messiah they had so long hoped for. The film powerfully portrayed the self-love which motivated their behavior.
Matthew tells us what happened. Astrologers from the Orient saw the signs and traveled west to honor the child born king of the Jews. Of course, they went straight to Jerusalem, for that was the city of kings. But no royal baby had been born. So where was he?
King Herod, anxious about his own hold on power and the political turmoil that might follow another messianic claim, nervously assembles the religious leaders and experts in the Scriptures (priests and scribes), and asks them what the scrolls say about the Christ, the anointed one. They say, “He will be born in Bethlehem, for so for so it is written by the prophet.”
So the wise men go to Bethlehem to worship. In her play based on the life Christ, Dorothy Sayers explains their attitude by having one of the Magi say, “No place is too lowly to kneel in.” The nature of the King prompted worship; the location did not matter.
But the Scribes and Priests do not follow the wise men; they despise the prophecy. Herod, on the other hand, believes the prophecy, but rather than travel to Bethlehem to worship, he sends soldiers to murder all the male babies in that town.
What is the difference between the wise men and these others who knew so well the promise of Micah? They did not lack knowledge – remember that they are the ones who direct the wise men to Bethlehem. They knew the scriptures, but they did not respond in faith. Why not? What was missing to convert knowledge into saving faith?
During advent we are studying the theology of the prophets and carols. Christmas Carols are some of the most universally loved songs in our language, and, as it turns out, they contain some of the most profoundly Biblical teaching. Today we consider O Little Town of Bethlehem. The answer to my question is implied in this carol, just as it is revealed in the prophecy of Micah.
The key appears in verse 3: “No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.” Meek souls: those who depend on God for everything, who have nothing in themselves to garner God’s favor, but rejoice to receive all freely of grace. Bethlehem was the humblest of towns, and this song is about a humble God for a humble people.
Pride kept Herod and the religious Jews away from Bethlehem and the King – how do we ensure the same does not happen to us? First the Bible tells us that…
1. We Must Join In Worship of the Humble God
When the wise men asked, “Where is the King?”, Herod knew exactly where to find the answer. The priests and scribes had long studied the holy writings in the hopes of seeing the Messiah deliver them, so they know the answer is Bethlehem.
However, because Matthew’s readers are less familiar with the prophesy, he quotes it for us. [Read Matthew 2.6, then Micah 5.2 in parallel.]
Matthew 2.6 And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.
Micah 5.2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Matthew changes Micah’s words. Micah said of Bethlehem, “You who are too little to be among the clans of Judah….” Matthew instead says of the city, “You are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.” What was “who are too little,” becomes “are by no means least.” Why does Matthew change the prophecy and what does this mean? (This will take a bit of digging and explaining, so please bear with me as I try to untangle this. Hopefully, your work will be rewarded.)
Let’s start with Micah. The prophet preached while Israel apostatized and God punished. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Micah’s message brought the terrifying truth that Israel’s persistent sin brings God’s corrective discipline. Not because God is mean or vindictive, and certainly not because he refuses to allow people to have fun, but because sin is so destructive – to us and to community.
That is why Hebrews 12 explains that “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives…. He disciplines us for our good. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Discipline is not God’s punishment to drive people away. Sin is our running away from God and all that is good; discipline is God’s lovingly turning us back.
But it is hard and it hurts. So in the midst of all the trouble Micah foretold and Israel experienced, God also allows him to preach the good news of a Savior born to be king.
Micah 5.2b: One “shall come forth for me who is to be ruler in Israel…. 4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.”
Micah is saying: things are bad now because of our sin, but God will rescue, God will deliver, God will save – and the Savior will be a Shepherd-King. This is the good news promised of old and fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
The surprise part is that the Redeemer will be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5.2a: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you” the One will come. Rather than arrive from the city of Kings, he will be born in a town utterly insignificant: too little to be among the clans of Judah. What does that mean?
If you have your Bible, turn to Joshua 15, where Judah is assigned its portion in the promised land. Joshua 15.1-19 defines the boarders, then, beginning in verse 20, the cities belonging to Judah are named: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah (no, I’m not stuttering, these are the cities of Judah). By my count, 106 are named, but no Bethlehem. Too little to be listed. The same happens (or doesn’t happen) in Nehemiah 11: when the list of cities and towns is made, Bethlehem is too little to be included.
God does this to rebuke proud Jerusalem. Many a king claimed this city as his own, and then ruled in his own wisdom and strength, driving God’s people into sin and misery. When God raises up a king, he will rule righteously and care more about the people than himself. Therefore, he will be born in a place that shows his dependence on God. He will shepherd in the wisdom of God; he will rule in the strength of the Lord.
Now we switch to Matthew 2.6: “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Matthew changes the words to highlight the irony. This unheard of, cow-pasture of a town, too small to register in the census, is now exalted above all. Bethlehem – you were thought to be utterly irrelevant, but you are by no means least, for from the least comes the greatest. From nothing comes the one who alone is something. From humility comes glory.
Bruce Waltke (Old Testament professor at Westminster Seminary) explains: “Matthew 2.6 reformulates the text to make its meaning plain: by virtue of its divine choice as the site for the Messiah’s birth the most insignificant place will bring forth the most pre-eminent person. Bethlehem, too insignificant to be mentioned by the cartographer of the book of Joshua or Micah’s catalogue of Judah’s cities of defense, is today, incredibly, the centre of pilgrimages from around the world and is universally renowned because Jesus Christ fulfilled this verse.”
This is 1Corinthians 1 demonstrated in practical history!
1Corinthians 1.27-29: But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
God could have chosen a great city as the birthplace for his son: Rome, Constantinople, Syracuse, Thebes, Zhengzhou, Athens – all magnificent places for the King of kings! But he intentionally chose one humble and despised.
We lived in Chicago for a season and learned that one of its nicknames is, “The Second City” (named so after it was rebuilt after the great fire). That is a title of honor, because being the second most prestigious city in the United States “ain’t bad.” But sometimes the title grates on Chicagoans, because it sounds like bragging by New Yorkers, and many Chicago natives think their city really is number first.
Well imagine your city’s nickname was, “the least city.” Where would you chose to be from? Greenhorn, OR, population: zero. Or Tenney, MN, population: six. Or Monowi, NE, population: one. The smallest town in Ohio is Venedocia, population: 160. I would not choose a pathetic place, but God chose Bethlehem to demonstrate his nature. Jesus was despised and rejected; he came to serve, not to be served. In humility he made himself nothing. God was born in Bethlehem because it is least – which fits a humble God!
2. We Must Be Humble To Respond Properly to God’s Work
Skipping to Micah 6.6, we pass by the indictment of the Lord, his complaint against Israel that precipitated harsh discipline. In the face of this correction, the people of Israel throw up their hands and complain also: “What do you want God? Burn offerings? I will bring them. A thousand rams, I will sacrifice them. Ten thousand rivers of oil, I will crush the olives until the cities flow with them. What about my firstborn child, will that your hand of judgment and satisfy your anger?
Then the answer from God in Micah 6.8: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
The contrast between what Israel offered and what God required had already been seen in the lives of Pharaoh and Moses. Pharaoh did not know God, and God said to Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” (Exodus 10.3). But about Moses, God said: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12.3). Humility and knowing God always come together. “No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.”
William Law (wrote in the early 1700s and had a significant influence on Whitefield): “Because a humble soul is the very essence of religion, because humility is the life and soul of piety, the foundation and support of every virtue and good work, the best guard and security of all holy affections; I shall recommend humility to you, as highly proper to be made the constant subject of your devotions; earnestly desiring you to think no day safe, or likely to end well, in which you have not early put yourself in the posture of humility, and called upon God to carry you through the day. This virtue is so essential to the right state of our souls, that there is no pretending to a reasonable or pious life without it. We may as well think to see without eyes, or live without breath, as to be godly without humility. Yet, generally speaking, it is the least understood, the least regarded, and the least desired of all virtues, amongst all sorts of Christians.”
3. Conclusion
God’s choice of Bethlehem beautifully illustrates the humility of our God. He could have arrived with power, but he was born as a helpless baby in a despised town. How poignant, in a world which values pride and strength, prestige and honor, God comes veiled in humility.
The wise men saw through the disguise and kneeled. The only question that remains is how will we respond?
The true people of God, while we do still chafe against God’s humbling, believe humility is good and desire it. We trust the good news: “Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.”
