Making it Happen

Micah 5:2

(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.

It's one thing to make prophecies that are general. Nostradamus' work sometimes takes a little mental gymnastics to fit into what seem to be fulfillments. Then you have the work of St. Malachy, who is hopefully right that the Papacy is winding up. Either way, his work takes some mental gymnastics too. If you squint just right you can see where he has been right through the years.

While there is some prophecy like that in Scripture, this verse is not one of them and it shows us just how incredible the Bible is as an inspired text. Plus, it's hard for us to imagine just how small Bethlehem was. We may sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" at Christmas, but the smallness is almost inconceivable to us now. Think of the smallest little country town you can think of. In today's terms, Bethlehem might have had a blinking light to mark the town center, but certainly would not have had a full-fledged traffic light. It would have been just a few hundred people at best.

What would be the chances of two kings coming from that town? I'd say pretty small. Yet that is what happened. David was born there and ended up being Israel's most faithful king. Then Jesus was born there to a virgin girl. What humble beginnings for the earthly ministry of the king of the Jews! This is especially remarkable when you consider that He has existed with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit through all eternity past. To go from being part of the creation of the universe to a baby in a tiny backwater town is humility indeed. This helps to give me some context for Philippians 2 as well.

Tickling Their Ears

Micah 2:11

(11) If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink," he would be the preacher for this people!

I suppose it would be easy to use this verse out of context as a proof-text for complete abstinence from alcohol. I don't think that is what Micah is doing here, and neither does the author of the notes in the ESV Study Bible. Instead, what Micah is saying is that anyone who preaches to the desires of the people would be very popular.

I am amazed at the chronological snobbery of those who think that the Bible is outdated. While our technology has improved I don't think human nature is any different. Osteen's latest book is proof of that. We are no different from those folks from so long ago. We want people to validate what own desires as being godly. Instead we should be looking to God's Word to change our desires.

That's easier said than done. Preaching that way will garner no private jets. However, I think that the reward in heaven will be worth it.

Great is His Faithfulness

Micah 7:18-20
(18) Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
(19) He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
(20) You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

It's pretty easy for me to read the Old Testament with an eye toward God's justice and wrath. I think that the Old Testament partly exists to show us that God takes things very seriously and that He is indeed just. However, there are moments of great hope in here.

Think about all the promises of wrath in the Prophets as well as the times when that wrath was poured out. Israel blew it. Yet here God promises mercy to His remant. Personally, I haven't quite decided how this relates to national Israel compared to us Gentiles. But what I do know is that either way it shows that God is indeed abounding in lovingkindness.