Book of Micah
You remember that when the wise men came from lands east to Jerusalem to see the young Child horn to be the Great King, no one could tell them where to find Him. The ruler of the city did not know and sent for the men who had the Scriptures; they read from the writing of Micah the name of the town front which God had said the Great Ruler would come, These were the words they read, which God had told Micah to write as though to the town itself:
“Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2.
Bethlehem was a few miles south of Jerusalem and even then an old town; it was first called Ephratah, and both names were given to be sure the right place was known (Gen. 35:19).
The wise men went to Bethlehem, and God caused a special star to shine over the place where the Child Jesus was, so they knew He was the One to be the Great King, and they worshiped Him.
That was about 700 years after Micah wrote the words, which shows that the coming of that holy One to earth had been planned long before; other prophets also told of Him, but Micah was the only one to give the place of His birth.
Notice also the last part of the verse: the Great Ruler to come had been “from everlasting”. That Child the wise men saw was not like any other, but was from everlasting—, had always lived. He was the Son of God who left Heaven and took the form of a child. But the leaders of that land did not want Him to be King, they fulfilled other words told to Micah, “They shall smite the Judge (Ruler) of Israel with a rod upon His cheek.” Micah 5:1. They did still greater evil, they had Him put to death. But God raised. Him, and He now waits until God will send Him to take the rule over Israel and all the earth, as promised in the prophets.
There are now great factories to make war weapons, and many men are taught their use every nation feels the terrors of war. How different the time of peace which Micah was told to write about, after “many peoples and strong nations are judged!”
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more... and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it.” Micah 4:3,4.
Micah must have begun to tell God’s words when young. He told them many years, about the same time as Isaiah. Some of his words are written in the book of Jeremiah, telling that beautiful Mt. Zion would be plowed like a field, because the people disobeyed God. All those words came true (Jer. 26:18, Mic. 3:12).
Micah told of God’s great mercy to Israel, and His mercy is also for all who now believe on His Son: “Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19.
Read the story of the wise men (Matthew 2:1-12).
ML 09/13/1942