"But 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 from of old, from everlasting."
Micah 5:2
Part 2
Yesterday: The Identity of the King
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah.”
Bethlehem is named the “house of bread.” The area is fertile, suitable for crops and sheep.
“Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah.”
Bethlehem was a small insignificant and often ignored town until God appointed His Son’s birth to take place there.
Today: The Imminent Ruler is the Ancient One
“Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.”
“Yet out of thee.”
Out of Bethlehem shall come God’s Ruler for Israel.
“Shall He come forth unto Me.”
This is similar to what the LORD said to Samuel when he was searching for the new king to replace Saul.
“I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided Me a king among his sons” (1 Samuel 16:1).
“That is to be ruler in Israel.”
“…he says to Bethlehem, ‘out of thee shall come one to be a ruler.’ ‘The judge of Israel had been smitten;’ now there should ‘go forth out of’ the little Bethlehem, One, not to be a judge only, but a Ruler”[1] (Barnes).
This Ruler will “come forth” out of Bethlehem. But this is not where He “began.”
“Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will not come into existence at His birth in Bethlehem! Micah tells us that this Ruler is the One “whose going forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” He has always been in existence with His Father and the Holy Spirit. They are the eternal God, the “three in one.” Bethlehem is the place where His Father is appointing His Son’s entrance into humanity. He will go forth from there to do all that His Father has planned for Him to do.
Jesus, the Creator, is eternal, and He will transcend time and space and will add humanity to His Deity. We need to understand the essential necessity for Jesus to be Virgin born and live in human flesh. Jesus’ physical body will be delivered by Mary, His virgin mother, in Bethlehem. This will be when God’s Son puts on human flesh and comes to live with “us” (people) on the earth. Jesus will need a human body so that He can live a sinless life, and so He can die, being God’s sacrifice for our sin. He will suffer and die in our places. Without His human body, this could not be, for God cannot die.
“From everlasting.”
God’s coming Ruler is from eternity past.
“‘From the days of all time;’ from time as it came out of eternity. That is, there was no time in which he has not been going forth-coming in various ways to save men” [2] (Clarke).
Looking ahead, Micah tells the place of His birth.
“…Christ was born in Bethlehem, the city of David. He was thereby to be made known to the people from His very birth as the great promised descendant of David, who would take possession of the throne of His father David for ever” (K&D).
He has come from eternity past, and His reign on David’s throne is throughout eternity future!
Quote: “But unto the Son, he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore, God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Hebrews 1:8-9). Here is what will happen. “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). From this point on, Jesus Christ is eternally ruling from the throne. Amen and Amen!
[1] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Micah 5:2.
[2] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Micah 5:2.