I didn’t think of this question last week, but perhaps you did for me….. If these men knew the Word of God well enough to follow the star, then why didn’t they also know that Christ would be born in Bethlehem? If they knew one scripture, why didn’t they know this scripture as well? I’m afraid that I don’t have a specific answer to that question. But I do know that most Christians don’t know their Bibles as well as they think that they do, or as well as they should considering all the lessons that they have heard and all the years that they have been saved. It could have been that these men simply never learned that particular lesson. And it might have been that as soon as Herod passed on what he learned from his priests that they slapped themselves in their collective foreheads, remembering something that their fathers had taught them, but which they had forgotten. Or perhaps they finally understood something that they had missed earlier.
Also, believing as I do in the sovereignty of God, their lack of understanding may have been divinely intended for Herod’s benefit. What if they had gone directly to Bethlehem without stopping at Jerusalem, and Herod had never been made aware of Jehovah’s incarnation? He would have died within the next eighteen or twenty months without ever giving the Messiah a thought. The Lord may have had a special reason for making sure that Herod was acquainted with the One who is to be King of all kings. Even though that man died as a rebel and unbeliever. In a similar way, there have been thousands of people who were raised in godly churches, who heard the prophecies and truth about Christ, but who died in the same spiritual condition as Herod. And yet, the Lord made sure that those people heard the truth for which they would be judged.
Initially, not only didn’t the magi know where Christ was to be born, but Herod didn’t know either. As soon as he heard the words “king of the Jews,” he was diligently asking the same question. The instant answer was that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Why was the answer Bethlehem? Because it had been declared – prophesied – promised – in one lone verse in the Old Testament Scripture.
This leads me directly to a lesson which reaches beyond our scriptures for the day. I sometimes hear criticism of the type of Bible study in which we are engaged this morning. Also, I assume that some people visit us once and then move on, because they don’t appreciate our feeble attempts at an in-depth study of the Scriptures. There are people who say that the most important aspect of Christianity is a believer’s ardent love for God, but this kind of Bible study is not conducive to that love and proper Christian service. Some of them will even take that a step farther, saying that sincere love for God is the only thing of importance. They actually down-play – or even condemn – a serious study of the Bible. To those critics I offer the words of the Lord Jesus, first spoken to the woman at the well in Sycar – “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” There can be no doubt that heart and spirit are important with the Lord, but at the same time God must be worshiped and served “in – or according with – TRUTH.” And there is only one source for spiritual truth – the pages – the words – even the details of the Scriptures.
These wise men traveled for hundreds of miles and many days in order to worship the king of kings. But, despite their sincerity, their fervency, their zeal and their desire, they were incapable of rendering to Christ Jesus the glory due unto His name, because they didn’t know the scriptures as well as they should. You and I need to have and know the Word of God. We must know the Word of God in order to serve the Lord properly. Or to put it into language often despised – we must know Biblical doctrine. For example, the prophet Isaiah had been exposing some of the sins and heresies of Israel when he said, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.” The problem with Israel had nothing to do with their fervency and sincerity – their spirit. Israel had a doctrinal problem in that they didn’t know the difference between truth and error. God’s command to them was that they return “to the law and to the testimony.” That is still the need of the day.
King Herod claimed to be a religious man, and I’m sure that his priests declared that of themselves even more. But their spirituality was based on sin and heresy – not on truth and the Bible. There was only one way to know whether or not the religion of Herod’s priests was genuine – compare what they believed and practiced to the law and the testimony. It wasn’t enough that they knew what Micah 5:2 taught. Far more important was what they were going to do with what Micah 5:2 taught. The Lord Jesus has commanded us to “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Acts 17:11 teaches us that Biblical nobility is to be found in them who “receive the word with all readiness of mind, and who search the scriptures daily.” If it takes six months or six years to fully study the Book of Matthew, then we need to take that time. The Lord said something else through Isaiah which relates to what we are doing here. “Whom shall (we) teach knowledge? and whom shall (we) make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little… The word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.”
Six weeks ago, when we were looking at the credentials of Christ, we took note of His birthplace. The fact that He was born in Bethlehem, just as it had been prophesied, helps us to identify Jesus as the Messiah. In the context of a wider message, we gave some thought to Micah 5. Once again, we are confronted with this prophecy, and in order to understand this chapter, we need to return to that Old Testament prophecy. But let’s not deal with these heretics and their misquotation of the prophecy. Let’s go right back to the original.
Both of those prophets had a similar message. They both condemned the sins of Israel, and they both warned of upcoming judgment. Micah begins with the words, “Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.” These words of prophecy are as applicable today as they were 2,100 years ago. And they are as applicable to our nation as they were to the nation of Israel so many years ago. “Behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria (or America) as an heap of the field … and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. And all the graven images (all her idols) thereof shall be beaten to pieces…” Chapter two begins with – “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.”
It needs to be recognized that while Israel’s society was crumbling, it was still religious. They had their unauthorized high places – their religious gatherings and societies – “churches” if you will. And they had plenty of corrupt prophets and priests. Chapter 2 speaks of prophecies filled with lies and falsehood. Chapter 3 condemns judges who work for reward and priests and prophets whose purpose is only to become rich. In chapter 6 we read – “Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” This isn’t talking about the sacrifice of the Son of God, but of idolatrous parents offering their children to false gods, or even supposedly to Jehovah Himself. The Lord “hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” In chapter 5 Jehovah tells Israel through His prophet – “I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.” In the days of Isaiah and Micah Israel was as religious as America is today. But her religion was idolatrous and her doctrines where heretical. Just as we are in our society today.
Then, as Isaiah did in his book, in the midst of Micah’s condemnation and warnings, there were promises of the coming of the Messiah and the eventual blessings of the Millennial kingdom. “In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.” Just like Isaiah, the prophecies of Micah move quickly back and forth between the promise of judgment and the promise of blessing. And the prophecy to which Herod’s priests refer is a part of that.
Following that, for the better part of a century the cream of Judah’s society lived as captives in Babylon. Then over time, some of the people were permitted to return to Jerusalem. The returnees began to serve God, but often without much spirit and usually without much truth. And as a result, for the next 500 years Israel had almost no positive testimony for the Lord.
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Despite Israel’s sin and God’s disapproval, the Lord was not going to break His covenant. He had promised salvation and a Messiah, and in the fulness of time God sent His Son. By the way, “Ephratah” is given as another name for Bethlehem as early as the days of Ruth and Naomi. Later when Cyrus gave permission for the Jews to return to Judah, we have several lists of names and the places to which they returned. Bethlehem is mentioned, but the returning residents of that community were just a handful. While it’s big city neighbor, Jerusalem, grew and prospered, Bethlehem shrank back, living in the shadows.
Bethlehem was never a great and prosperous community, but at times, it has been a very special place. Not only was it formerly the birthplace of King David, it would be the birthplace of his greatest successor. And when the magi came to Jerusalem, they asked where the King had been born. Micah scripture speaks of the ruler – which boils down to the same thing. And Herod’s helpers quoted this verse as the birthplace of the Messiah.
Ah, but this ruler of Israel, bears some characteristics which neither Herod nor David could ever possess. “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This doesn’t refer to prophesies of Christ which have been around almost for ever. And it isn’t speaking about the decree of God which was made before the foundation of the earth. It is a declaration that this ruler Himself is eternal, and that is a problem if it’s not kept in a divine context. Nothing is or ever has been eternal but God Himself. This ruler in Micah 5:2 is eternal, because He is the Son of God – the Second Person of the Trinity. Whether the prophet understood it or not, this future ruler – the Messiah – would be God’s eternal Son.
One of the characteristics and problems with a lot of Old Testament prophecy, is that the high points, the peaks of prophecy, often appear to stand side by side, when in fact there are great valley’s between them. This prophecy ultimately points toward the Millennial kingdom, when the whole world will be under the physical dominion of Christ. But it begins with the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, after more than 500 years of spiritual darkness. And following this birth – this incarnation – another 2,000 years before the rest of the prophecy is fulfilled. Micah goes on – “Therefore will he (Jehovah) give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. and he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.”
We will come back to the subject of the Millennial kingdom later. And we don’t have the time or perhaps the patience to go through all the details of the next few verses. But at this point let’s just be aware that the Bible declares that the babe born in Bethlehem will one day rule the entire earth, sitting on the throne of his grandfather David. But prior to the commencement of that Kingdom there will be wars, pestilences, natural disasters and human atrocities which the world has never experienced before. For seven years, primarily focused upon Israel, the Lord will pour out tribulation which will eventually bring that people to their knees before Him. The collateral damage of that tribulation will splash like acid over the entire world, during which time men will be pleading for death to take them, so that they can escape all the pain and problems. It’s to this Ruler – this Messiah – that Micah refers. And it is about His Millennial reign and the preliminary seven year tribulation that he speaks.
But in the mean time – praise the Lord – in the mean time – The babe born in Bethlehem – which means “House of Bread” – is Himself the Bread of Life. The babe born in Ephratah – which means “place of fruitfulness” – has been blessing thousands of repenting, believing sinners. The Book of Matthew begins with wise men looking for “he that is born king of the Jews.” While accomplishing their goal, they more precisely found the One who would first be the Saviour. Like the other gospels, Matthew takes us up to the cross, where the Lamb of God shed His blood as a ransom for many. Eventually this Messiah will rule and reign, but in the mean time He is preparing a people for His Name, for His glory and for His Kingdom.
In the light of this, please remember these points – When Micah spoke, Israel was a religious, but hedonistic, wicked nation – totally unworthy of God. When Matthew refers back to Micah’s prophecy, Israel was still the same wicked people, desperately needing a new heart. And today, nothing has changed as far as the world and our society are concerned. We, too, deserve to be consumed by the wrath of Almighty God. But, as the Lord calls, convicts and confers, sinners are repenting before God and realizing that the sacrifice which Christ made on the cross was for their salvation. Even sinners as wicked as ourselves may be saved – delivered from their sins – by the grace of God.
Has the Lord impressed upon you that He wants you to be His saint? Are you living in repentance; is your faith in Christ Jesus? This One, born in a stable, eventually died on a cross. He died as the Lamb of God, a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of many. Repent before Him, and put your trust for salvation in the sacrificial work that He completed on the cross.