READING: Micah 1-7
David was born there (1 Sam 16, 17:12), and he was but a shepherd boy. The village of Bethlehem was small, hardly comparing to the city of Jerusalem — and yet, that is where the Messiah, too, would be born: “though you [Bethlehem Ephrathah] are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel” (Micah 5:2). This ruler would have ancient origins (indeed, the New Testament would reveal Him as eternal), and yet His kingdom was still to come. Only Jesus the Messiah could meet these specifications.
His earthly origins, though, would be as a baby in a borrowed stable in an unremarkable village. When the world was upside down — children would dishonor their parents, and “a man’s enemies are the members of his own household” (Micah 7:6) — God would step into that world into a most unimpressive way. That baby would later die on a borrowed cross and be buried in somebody else’s tomb, but He was the Messiah come to die for the sins of the world. Through His death, God “pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance” Micah 7:18). Indeed, He reigns over our sins, treading them underfoot and hurling them into the depth of the sea (Micah 7:19).
A village. A baby. God in the obscure. The Creator stepping into a small and unexpected place. His lowering Himself to be born among the shepherds so that you and I might become His sheep.
Our God specializes in the small, the unknown, the insignificant, and the least. That’s a good thing, since all of us fit into those categories.
ACTION STEPS:
- Micah 6:8 says that God’s followers are to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before Him. Assess your life in the light of those three characteristics.
- No god is like the God of the Bible who does not stay angry forever and who delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18). In your prayer today, fall at His feet and worship Him.
PRAYER: “Father, I’m a nobody — but You specialize in people like me. Thank you.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Nahum 1-3
