TODAY’S SPECIAL: Micah 5:1-5
TO CHEW ON: "But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be a ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Micah 5:2
Royally dressed strangers on camels were asking to see the king. “Bring them in!” Herod commanded. “What do you want?” he asked when they stood before him.
“Where is the king of the Jews? We have been following his star. It has led us this far and now we want to worship him.”
Herod called the priests and teachers. “Where is the king of Jews to be born?
“In Bethlehem,” they replied. And then they read these words from our reading today: "But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be a ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." They are words Micah had written 750 years earlier.
Micah’s prediction of where Jesus would be born came true. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This fulfilled prophecy is another proof that the Bible is no ordinary book. Only God could know details like the place a person would be born centuries before it happened.
The many prophecies in the Bible that have come true make us look at the ones that haven’t with expectation. When God says that Jesus will come again and that each one of us will someday stand before Him - He isn’t kidding! Are you ready?
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to know and act on Your word as truth. Amen.
MORE: Exploring Bethlehem
Find out about Bethlehem through books or the internet:
1. Does it still exist?
2. In which country is it?
3. Find a picture of the place in Bethlehem where people think Jesus was born.