“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
December 20, 2009
Micah 5:2-5a
Next Sunday, we’re going to study Matthew chapter 2, what happened after Jesus was born. After Jesus was born, there was a hunt for the newborn king.
The wise men hunted him. They followed His star.
And Herod hunted him, too. He sent the wise men to the little town of...where?
Bethlehem.
Why did Herod send them to the little town of Bethlehem that we sang about this morning?
Because the Old Testament said that’s where He would be born.
Does anybody know what book of the Old Testament?
When King Herod had the chief priests and the scribes look up the prophecies about where the Messiah was to be born, where did they find their information?
The book of Micah, chapter 5.
Would you turn there with me?
Keep in mind that as you turn back to it, you’re turning back 700 years. 700 before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah wrote these words down from God Himself.
Starting in verse 2 and reading to the first part of verse 5.
“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. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 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. And he will be their peace.”
In Micah 5, the LORD talks directly to Bethlehem.
Now, He was talking to anyone who was listening. This is God’s Word to us.
But He was specifically addressing the town of Bethlehem.
God had a message for Bethlehem.
This message was embedded in a much longer message–I wish I had time to explain all of the book of Micah this morning–Micah was written to a nation that was going downhill fast.
And God had stern words through Micah for the nation of Israel. But also words of hope. Embedded in the rebuke and the predictions of coming judgment were also words of restoration and reformation and revival.
Micah 5 verses 2 through 5 are a part of that great hope.
The hope of the nation was bound up in a person, a ruler, who was going to come and bring restoration and security to God’s people.
We call this person–the Messiah. The Christ.
And Micah 5 predicts His advent–His coming.
It comes in the form of a message to the little town of Bethlehem.
God has a message for Bethlehem.
And it’s also a message for us today.
Let me try to sum it up with three lines:
#1. “O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, I’M GOING TO SURPRISE YOU.”
Look at verse 2.
“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.”
You’ll notice that the verse begins with the word “but.” It follows on the heels of a chapter about the judgment that God is going to bring on Judah for her idolatry and faithlessness.
In verse 1, God tells Judah to get ready for a beating.
But verse 2 predicts a radically different treatment to eventually come from the Lord.
God is going to send a ruler who will bring blessing. A ruler who will come FOR God to rule OVER Israel.
But not a ruler like anyone would expect.
He’s going to send the ruler OUT OF...Bethlehem?!
Bethlehem?
Bethlehem is small.
It’s not called “little town” for nothing.
Verse 2 says, “though you are small among the clans of Judah.”
Nobody expects a Messiah to come from Hicksville.
Do you remember how we studied the book of Joshua this year?
Remember all of those tribal allotments?
This tribe got this city. This tribe got that city?
It went on for chapter after chapter? Do you remember that?
Bethlehem didn’t even get mentioned in the book of Joshua.
It’s almost like it’s not on the map.
The Messiah is going to come from there?
God is saying, “I’m going to surprise you.”
And that’s exactly what happened, isn’t it?
We’ve been studying the gospel of Luke this year. This is our second Christmas this year. Remember, we had one back in September.
We were surprised what God uses.
Mary? A young girl from nowheresville? Poor, humble, a great family–sure, but the smallest little insignificant branch on the family tree.
That’s who God uses?
Mary and Joseph?
The shepherds. God announces the birth of His Son with all of the angel chorus to ...a bunch of dirty, smelly, shifty old sheep-herders?
That’s surprising!
No one would have expected that–except maybe somebody who was paying attention to God’s message to Bethlehem.
“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.”
Jesus was a surprise.
He didn’t come to the strong, the beautiful, the rich.
He came to the small, the insignificant, the humble, the weak, the needy, the undeserving
He came to Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and...to the little town of Bethlehem.
And He continues to surprise.
He continues to reveal Himself to those Who need Him most but deserve Him least.
Are you surprised by Jesus?
I think we have grown used to Jesus. We take Jesus for granted.
We tend to domesticate Jesus and twist Him into our own understand and expectations.
But Jesus isn’t tame.
And He is constantly surprising.
One of the greatest surprises is how Jesus saves.
He doesn’t save us by expecting us to be good and then blessing us.
That’s Santa’s approach!
“Be a good boy and you’ll get presents.”
That’s not how Jesus works.
Jesus expects us to be bad. He knows that’s what we are.
And He gives us Himself anyway.
He calls that “grace.” And He gives it away for free!
It’s shocking!
Now, that grace, if you accept it, will turn your life around. You’ll become good because of it.
But you don’t get it by being good.
Surprise! You get it out of the goodness of Jesus’ heart and His death on your behalf.
God is saying, “I’m going to surprise you.”
#2. O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, I’M GOING TO KEEP MY PROMISES TO YOU.
Look at the last phrase of verse 2. It talks about the Messiah’s origins. Where He comes from.
“...whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Now, this may teach that the Messiah will be eternal. Will come from eternity. The NIV text note brings that idea out as does the King James Version.
And that’s definitely true.
But I think that something else is getting emphasized here.
I think God is emphasizing His covenant promises.
Now, for as small as Bethlehem was, isn’t true that Bethlehem had never had a ruler come from it before, had it?
What ruler, what king, had come from Bethlehem?
Kind David had, right?
It was small back then. It small in Micah’s time.
But it had produced a great king. And that king had received some promises, hadn’t he?
Have you ever head of the Davidic Covenant? 2 Samuel 7.
If you are in the Youth Boys Class, we’re going to study that in just a few weeks.
God promised King David an eternal throne and a king on that throne for eternity.
That’s a big promise!
And an old one. An ancient promise.
A promise that connects with the all of the promises that God had given to His people before that.
A promise from of old, from ancient times.
And that promise is going to be made good in an eternal messiah, a forever King–named Jesus.
When Jesus was born “out back” behind the inn and then placed in a manger, God was keeping an ANCIENT PROMISE.
One that many thought that He had forgotten!
But God always keeps His promises.
In spite of whatever comes in between the promise and the fulfillment–God always keeps His promises.
That’s the point of verse 3.
There is trouble between verse 2–the prediction of the Messiah–and verse 4–the triumph of the Messiah.
Lots of trouble. V.3
“Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.”
There will be trouble. Abandonment. Exile. Suffering.
It will seem like childbirth it will be so painful.
But there will be a return and a restoration.
God will keep His promises.
The Messiah will come. And He will fulfill all of God’s plan.
God is saying, “O little town of Bethlehem, I will keep my promises to my people.”
And He’s saying that to you, too.
Are you trusting God’s promises?
Sometimes it take a long time to see their fulfillment.
700 years between Micah 5 and Matthew 2!
And we haven’t yet seen all that God is promising here.
But He will keep His promises to His people.
You can count on it.
And you can live on it.
The promises of God are precious and powerful. They are the fuel we need to live our lives in faith.
Trust God and obey Him!
Because God always keeps His promises.
And this is what He promises:
#3. O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.
When the Messiah comes, this is what will happen. V.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. And he will be their peace.”
What glorious words! What glorious promises!
Shepherd His flock. What a great word. The LORD is my Shepherd.
They will live securely. No danger. No trial. No more suffering. No threats.
He will be their peace. The prince of peace comes and brings peace to His people.
Yes!
God is saying, “I will take care of you, through my Messiah.”
Notice how He will do it.
“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.”
This Messiah will be empowered by God Himself. He will be God Himself in the flesh.
This little baby that we’ve sung about will not stay a baby.
He will stand in the strength of the Lord!
He will come from humble beginnings–little town of Bethlehem.
But look where He ends up–“his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.”
That’s happening right now, isn’t it?
There are people celebrating His birth this week at the ends of the earth.
And what does that mean for us?
It means that He will take care of us.
“And they will live securely. And He will be their peace.”
This has begun but it’s also something we’re still looking forward to.
God is still saying this to us today.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
Jesus is our Security.
Jesus is our Peace.
But one day, He will return–His Second Advent–and He will bring these blessings in full measure. What a day that will be!
When Heather was pregnant with our first child, we went to see an obstetrician that had been recommended to us.
He was a very strange man–kind of like Kramer from Seinfeld, if you know what I’m talking about.
He would burst into the door, make funny faces, have strange art push-pinned to the wall.
A really weird sense of humor. I think that “baby-catching” at all hours of the night turns out some strangeness in doctors.
We have might have been tempted to try out a second doctor.
But this doctor took our picture the first day to remember what we looked like, to pray for us, and to hold us in his heart.
And then at the end of our first meeting, he did this.
He said to Heather, “Look at me. Look at my eyes.”
“I will take care of you.”
I’ll tell you, we would have entrusted ourselves to his care no matter what condition Heather had–and no matter what strangeness he brought into the room.
“I will take care of you.”
Friends, God is saying that to you, too.
He will shepherd you.
He will give you security, in Him.
He will be your peace.
“I will take care of you.”
O Little Town of Bethlehem.
Lanse Free Church
Brothers and Sisters.
God Is Saying,
“I’m Going to Surprise You.”
“I’m Going to Keep My Promises to You.”
“I’m Going to Take Care of You.”
December 20, 2009
Micah 5:2-5a
Next Sunday, we’re going to study Matthew chapter 2, what happened after Jesus was born. After Jesus was born, there was a hunt for the newborn king.
The wise men hunted him. They followed His star.
And Herod hunted him, too. He sent the wise men to the little town of...where?
Bethlehem.
Why did Herod send them to the little town of Bethlehem that we sang about this morning?
Because the Old Testament said that’s where He would be born.
Does anybody know what book of the Old Testament?
When King Herod had the chief priests and the scribes look up the prophecies about where the Messiah was to be born, where did they find their information?
The book of Micah, chapter 5.
Would you turn there with me?
Keep in mind that as you turn back to it, you’re turning back 700 years. 700 before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah wrote these words down from God Himself.
Starting in verse 2 and reading to the first part of verse 5.
“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. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 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. And he will be their peace.”
In Micah 5, the LORD talks directly to Bethlehem.
Now, He was talking to anyone who was listening. This is God’s Word to us.
But He was specifically addressing the town of Bethlehem.
God had a message for Bethlehem.
This message was embedded in a much longer message–I wish I had time to explain all of the book of Micah this morning–Micah was written to a nation that was going downhill fast.
And God had stern words through Micah for the nation of Israel. But also words of hope. Embedded in the rebuke and the predictions of coming judgment were also words of restoration and reformation and revival.
Micah 5 verses 2 through 5 are a part of that great hope.
The hope of the nation was bound up in a person, a ruler, who was going to come and bring restoration and security to God’s people.
We call this person–the Messiah. The Christ.
And Micah 5 predicts His advent–His coming.
It comes in the form of a message to the little town of Bethlehem.
God has a message for Bethlehem.
And it’s also a message for us today.
Let me try to sum it up with three lines:
#1. “O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, I’M GOING TO SURPRISE YOU.”
Look at verse 2.
“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.”
You’ll notice that the verse begins with the word “but.” It follows on the heels of a chapter about the judgment that God is going to bring on Judah for her idolatry and faithlessness.
In verse 1, God tells Judah to get ready for a beating.
But verse 2 predicts a radically different treatment to eventually come from the Lord.
God is going to send a ruler who will bring blessing. A ruler who will come FOR God to rule OVER Israel.
But not a ruler like anyone would expect.
He’s going to send the ruler OUT OF...Bethlehem?!
Bethlehem?
Bethlehem is small.
It’s not called “little town” for nothing.
Verse 2 says, “though you are small among the clans of Judah.”
Nobody expects a Messiah to come from Hicksville.
Do you remember how we studied the book of Joshua this year?
Remember all of those tribal allotments?
This tribe got this city. This tribe got that city?
It went on for chapter after chapter? Do you remember that?
Bethlehem didn’t even get mentioned in the book of Joshua.
It’s almost like it’s not on the map.
The Messiah is going to come from there?
God is saying, “I’m going to surprise you.”
And that’s exactly what happened, isn’t it?
We’ve been studying the gospel of Luke this year. This is our second Christmas this year. Remember, we had one back in September.
We were surprised what God uses.
Mary? A young girl from nowheresville? Poor, humble, a great family–sure, but the smallest little insignificant branch on the family tree.
That’s who God uses?
Mary and Joseph?
The shepherds. God announces the birth of His Son with all of the angel chorus to ...a bunch of dirty, smelly, shifty old sheep-herders?
That’s surprising!
No one would have expected that–except maybe somebody who was paying attention to God’s message to Bethlehem.
“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.”
Jesus was a surprise.
He didn’t come to the strong, the beautiful, the rich.
He came to the small, the insignificant, the humble, the weak, the needy, the undeserving
He came to Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and...to the little town of Bethlehem.
And He continues to surprise.
He continues to reveal Himself to those Who need Him most but deserve Him least.
Are you surprised by Jesus?
I think we have grown used to Jesus. We take Jesus for granted.
We tend to domesticate Jesus and twist Him into our own understand and expectations.
But Jesus isn’t tame.
And He is constantly surprising.
One of the greatest surprises is how Jesus saves.
He doesn’t save us by expecting us to be good and then blessing us.
That’s Santa’s approach!
“Be a good boy and you’ll get presents.”
That’s not how Jesus works.
Jesus expects us to be bad. He knows that’s what we are.
And He gives us Himself anyway.
He calls that “grace.” And He gives it away for free!
It’s shocking!
Now, that grace, if you accept it, will turn your life around. You’ll become good because of it.
But you don’t get it by being good.
Surprise! You get it out of the goodness of Jesus’ heart and His death on your behalf.
God is saying, “I’m going to surprise you.”
#2. O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, I’M GOING TO KEEP MY PROMISES TO YOU.
Look at the last phrase of verse 2. It talks about the Messiah’s origins. Where He comes from.
“...whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Now, this may teach that the Messiah will be eternal. Will come from eternity. The NIV text note brings that idea out as does the King James Version.
And that’s definitely true.
But I think that something else is getting emphasized here.
I think God is emphasizing His covenant promises.
Now, for as small as Bethlehem was, isn’t true that Bethlehem had never had a ruler come from it before, had it?
What ruler, what king, had come from Bethlehem?
Kind David had, right?
It was small back then. It small in Micah’s time.
But it had produced a great king. And that king had received some promises, hadn’t he?
Have you ever head of the Davidic Covenant? 2 Samuel 7.
If you are in the Youth Boys Class, we’re going to study that in just a few weeks.
God promised King David an eternal throne and a king on that throne for eternity.
That’s a big promise!
And an old one. An ancient promise.
A promise that connects with the all of the promises that God had given to His people before that.
A promise from of old, from ancient times.
And that promise is going to be made good in an eternal messiah, a forever King–named Jesus.
When Jesus was born “out back” behind the inn and then placed in a manger, God was keeping an ANCIENT PROMISE.
One that many thought that He had forgotten!
But God always keeps His promises.
In spite of whatever comes in between the promise and the fulfillment–God always keeps His promises.
That’s the point of verse 3.
There is trouble between verse 2–the prediction of the Messiah–and verse 4–the triumph of the Messiah.
Lots of trouble. V.3
“Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.”
There will be trouble. Abandonment. Exile. Suffering.
It will seem like childbirth it will be so painful.
But there will be a return and a restoration.
God will keep His promises.
The Messiah will come. And He will fulfill all of God’s plan.
God is saying, “O little town of Bethlehem, I will keep my promises to my people.”
And He’s saying that to you, too.
Are you trusting God’s promises?
Sometimes it take a long time to see their fulfillment.
700 years between Micah 5 and Matthew 2!
And we haven’t yet seen all that God is promising here.
But He will keep His promises to His people.
You can count on it.
And you can live on it.
The promises of God are precious and powerful. They are the fuel we need to live our lives in faith.
Trust God and obey Him!
Because God always keeps His promises.
And this is what He promises:
#3. O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.
When the Messiah comes, this is what will happen. V.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. And he will be their peace.”
What glorious words! What glorious promises!
Shepherd His flock. What a great word. The LORD is my Shepherd.
They will live securely. No danger. No trial. No more suffering. No threats.
He will be their peace. The prince of peace comes and brings peace to His people.
Yes!
God is saying, “I will take care of you, through my Messiah.”
Notice how He will do it.
“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.”
This Messiah will be empowered by God Himself. He will be God Himself in the flesh.
This little baby that we’ve sung about will not stay a baby.
He will stand in the strength of the Lord!
He will come from humble beginnings–little town of Bethlehem.
But look where He ends up–“his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.”
That’s happening right now, isn’t it?
There are people celebrating His birth this week at the ends of the earth.
And what does that mean for us?
It means that He will take care of us.
“And they will live securely. And He will be their peace.”
This has begun but it’s also something we’re still looking forward to.
God is still saying this to us today.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
Jesus is our Security.
Jesus is our Peace.
But one day, He will return–His Second Advent–and He will bring these blessings in full measure. What a day that will be!
When Heather was pregnant with our first child, we went to see an obstetrician that had been recommended to us.
He was a very strange man–kind of like Kramer from Seinfeld, if you know what I’m talking about.
He would burst into the door, make funny faces, have strange art push-pinned to the wall.
A really weird sense of humor. I think that “baby-catching” at all hours of the night turns out some strangeness in doctors.
We have might have been tempted to try out a second doctor.
But this doctor took our picture the first day to remember what we looked like, to pray for us, and to hold us in his heart.
And then at the end of our first meeting, he did this.
He said to Heather, “Look at me. Look at my eyes.”
“I will take care of you.”
I’ll tell you, we would have entrusted ourselves to his care no matter what condition Heather had–and no matter what strangeness he brought into the room.
“I will take care of you.”
Friends, God is saying that to you, too.
He will shepherd you.
He will give you security, in Him.
He will be your peace.
“I will take care of you.”
O Little Town of Bethlehem.
Lanse Free Church
Brothers and Sisters.
God Is Saying,
“I’m Going to Surprise You.”
“I’m Going to Keep My Promises to You.”
“I’m Going to Take Care of You.”
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