But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth, and he shall be the one of peace. Micah 5:2-5a
The Gospel of Matthew says that when the magi came to Jerusalem in search of a newborn king they were unsure where their search would end. They consulted the scholars, chief priests and scribes, who directed them to Micah. "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel." Matthew 5:6 Matthew emphasized "ruler" calling Bethlehem "among the rulers of Judah," rather than "one of the little clans." Matthew also conflated and condensed the text of Micah to connect ruler and shepherd imagery. He neglected the part of a woman in labor giving birth since that was assumed at this point.
Micah drew on a long tradition of birth stories and the saviors God sent to the people. Exodus tells the birth story of Moses. Judges makes much of the birth story of Samson. The culmination of Ruth tells of the birth of Obed, but the point was that Obed's birth would lead to David. 1 Samuel begins with the birth story of Samuel to Hannah who would guide Israel on the difficult process of finding a good and faithful king. Hannah's story has rich connections to Mary's story in the Gospel of Luke. Isaiah, a contemporary of Micah made much use of childbirth and the coming of a savior. During the Assyrian invasion Isaiah offered Ahaz the sign of a child's birth as a promise of rescue. "Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah also sang of the hope of a rulers birth saying, "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;..." Isaiah 9:4 The story of Jesus birth clearly fits into this stream of expectation and hope coming through the birth of a child.
For a "little clan" that is a lot. Located about 6 miles south of Jerusalem the little town of Bethlehem played an outsize role in the telling of the story of God. There is also a long list of references to God's choice of "little" places or insignificant people. God's choice of Israel was precisely because they were nobodies in the world. "It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples. It was because the LORD loved you and kept his oath..." Deuteronomy 7:7 Gideon protested that his "clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family." Judges 6:15 Likewise, Saul, the first choice for a king in Israel, protested, "I am only a Benjamite, from the least of the tribes of Israel, and my family is the humblest of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin." 1 Samuel 9:21. Perhaps the point was, God does not look for talent, strength or power. Rather God looks for those he can work with and raise up so that the honor goes to to God alone. As soon as rulers started taking credit for their success, God abandoned them and started looking for another lowly character with whom to work.
The location of this child's birth, "Bethlehem of Ephrathah" also has a long history in the story of God's people. Rachel, the mother of Joseph, who in Egypt saved his brothers and their families from famine "was buried on the way to Ephrathah, that is Bethlehem." The story of Ruth took place in Bethlehem. David's family was from Bethlehem. Bethlehem is named close to 40 times in the Hebrew scripture. Mostly these references became focused on David as an idealized king and model for Messiah. Even so, it is in line with the way God works throughout the story choosing the least likely places and people to work through, rather than the powerful ones might expect.
The long history of these birth expectations and their association with Bethlehem lies at the root of "whose origin is from of old, from ancient days." "Origin" hearkens to the long line of parents extending back through the families of Israel. In a sense "Bethlehem" may be considered the ancient "parent" of Israel's rulers. By the time of Micah, David was ancient history, and though he was by no means ideal, he was remembered as better than the rest. Though, arguably, Solomon exceeded him, and Hezekiah and Josiah's stories are cleaner. With Ruth and Rachel the significance of Bethlehem extended further back than David to one of the original saviors of the people Joseph.
Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk humbly with God.
Pastor Tim Bauer
Comentários