Isaiah 61:10-11 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, s a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”
Micah 5:2-5 The Coming Messiah
“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.” 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. And He shall stand and feedHis 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; and this One shall be peace.”
Imagine that you are a “stranger in a strange land,” an exile living in Babylon, despised, and scorned by the local people. Your parents have told you stories of a time when your grandparents and great-grandparents lived in their own land; however, that’s a land your parents have never seen either. Your parents have been born in this land of exile. But your parents have told you that the prophets of your people have foretold that a Messiah, a Savior will come and will lead your people out of exile and establish them in their own land.
A few generations later, your descendants will accompany Ezra back to Israel and will help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple. But your land remains under the rule of foreigners, and your people are subjugated. When will Messiah appear? Have the prophets really heard from God, or is the idea of a Messiah simply a lovely dream?
Yet several generations later, and your land is now under Roman rule. The Romans despise your people for being weak and unable to defend themselves and also despise your religion because of its many restrictions. When Roman soldiers stride through the streets, people shrink back, for soldiers are known for pushing even the elderly out of the way and seizing anything attractive from shops that line the streets. Surely, surely, this is the time for Messiah to ride in on a white horse and deliver his people!
If we ignore the history of the Jewish people, we ignore their reasons for passionately longing for a Messiah to deliver them. The problem is that sometimes when God gives us answers, we don’t like the form in which the answers appear. Although Micah’s prophecy has been well-known for several hundred years, it’s likely that on this night, many religious leaders in Jerusalem really don’t believe it. Bethlehem? BETHLEHEM? That tiny village? What might possibly move God to choose Bethlehem as the birthplace of a Messiah? Surely Micah must have heard God wrong! And if Messiah is to come from the line of David, certainly he will be born to one of the best families in Jerusalem who can proudly trace their lineage all the way back to David.
If you really want frustration, just try putting God in a box and see how you’ve wasted your time. God is a God of infinite variety and is always doing new things, in ways that we cannot possibly anticipate. David was the runt of his family, the last-born and considered so insignificant that he was the one his father sent out to risk his life herding sheep and defending them from wild animals. After all, Jesse had several more big strong handsome sons-if something happened to the youngest, it was no big deal. But God chose David to shepherd His people Israel. God watched as Abraham Lincoln educated himself, reading by the light of the fireplace in a small log cabin, and then chose Lincoln to guide America through one of the greatest crises she ever faced. Lincoln was anything but handsome; in fact, cartoonists of that day portrayed him as an ape. But God knows hearts and God is the One who promotes people.
God’s timing is perfect. Acts 2:1 says, “Now when the Day of Pentecost had FULLY come…” At Pentecost, God waited until the maximum number of people from the maximum number of various nations were present in Jerusalem, and that was the time when the Holy Spirit descended. All those people gathered in Jerusalem listened as those in the upper room began praising God in the heart languages of the people in the crowds.
Galatians 4:4-5 tells us, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.…”
On that holy night in Bethlehem, the fullness of time arrived, and the infant Savior of the world was born to humble believing parents. Nothing in the world would ever be the same again.
1. Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Give ye heed to what we say:
News! News!1
Jesus Christ was born to-day:
Ox and ass before Him bow,
And He is in the manger now.
Christ is born today! Christ is born today.
2. Good Christian men, rejoice,
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Joy! Joy!
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He hath ope’d2 the heav’nly door,
And man is blessed evermore.3
Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!
3. Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one, and calls you all,
To gain His everlasting hall:
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, words fail when we try to praise You for Your greatest gift of all-Jesus and the salvation he has bought for us with his blood. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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