Micah 5:2

MICAH 5:2

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little among the thousands of Judah, out of you one will come to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.” (ASV)

Micah 5:2, written roughly seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth, pin-points that the messiah would emerge from the tiny village of Bethlehem—“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little among the thousands of Judah, out of you one will come to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.” Because the prophecy names an obscure town, outside the power centers of first-century Judea, the likelihood of it being fulfilled it by chance is minute. Scholars who have attempted to quantify messianic prophecies estimate the odds of one person fulfilling just eight clear predictions (including Bethlehem south-west of Jerusalem as the birthplace) at about 1 in 10¹⁷. Micah 5:2 therefore serves as a cheerful “Christmas” conversation starter: it connects the nativity story to an ancient, specific promise and invites us to consider that the improbable convergence of prophecy and history in Jesus’ birth is best explained not by chance, but by God faithfully revealing His Messiah.

Sharing Jesus: This scripture is one of the many prophesies that describe details about the coming Savior, and is very specific about which Bethlehem Jesus would be born. Here's another interesting fact: Jesus' earthly parents, Joseph and Mary, were actually living in Nazareth. But God had them end up in Bethlehem (Ephrathah) by inspiring Caesar Augustus to conduct a census - which caused them to travel there - where Jesus was then born. (Luke 2:4-5) There are so many places where our Sovereign God tells us what He will do and then through an interesting method, He fulfills His plan. Are you ready to surrender and submit to a life of following Christ? Share your story with us!

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