The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 5:2,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times."
Here is a prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus Christ, close to 700 years prior to the event. This passage from Micah is provided in Matthew 2:6. We find it in the account of the Magi quoting it in answering King Herod's question as to where the Messiah was to be born. As you recall, the result of quoting Micah 5:2 by the Magi was the slaughter of all boys, two years of age and under, in Bethlehem, in Herod's effort to kill Jesus as a very small child. The importance to the spiritually dark forces of destroying Jesus can be measured by the extreme measure Herod took.
This prophecy tells us several things about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was to come from Bethlehem, which was fulfilled, as we see, some seven hundred years later. He will come from the tribe of Judah, and he will be the ruler over Israel, something yet future to happen. The prophecy also tells us that Jesus Christ is from "of old, from ancient times." His birth in Bethlehem to Mary is not his beginning and not the beginning of his story.
Many prophecies about the coming Messiah are provided to us in the Scriptures. Unbelieving academics and theologians (yes, there are many unbelieving theologians) have been attempting to discredit the many prophecies found in the Scriptures for years and years. It is always the same worn out story for these sad folks, with accounts of new found evidence, always dressed up in exciting newly-arrived-at information, that the Bible is anything other than what it actually is!
Empty claims, (that are always subsequently disproved through archaeology and newly found manuscript evidence, etc.), have been offered, re-offered, regurgitated and re-run. The same fare is always offered: the books of the Bible were always written much later than expected (in desperate attempts to explain away fulfilled prophecy), the books of the Bible were always written or redacted by someone else, other than the author we expect (in desperate attempts to invalidate the inspired Scriptures), the books of the Bible contain all kinds of material that is in error, including the misrepresenting of historical, geographical and cultural details, conflicting theology, etc.
None of this is true. The Bible is a collection of true and reliable documents. Its pages are filled with historically correct information, geographically correct information, is entirely consistent within itself theologically, and provides us those things God wants us to know of himself and what he is doing. Nothing is more exciting to read than accounts of what is to take place in the future and then to read the later accounts as to how the foretold things came to pass precisely as written.
It certainly ought to motivate all of us to spend more time in the Scriptures to find out what God wants us to know of himself, what God is doing in this age, and what is coming down the pike for us. What could be more fascinating?
Since Micah accurately prophesied the place of birth of the Messiah, and because of the many other fulfilled prophecies in Scripture, does that not motivate us to read and study our Bibles to find out about what is coming our way in the future? What the end times will look like, what will bring about the end of this age, the nature of the second coming of Jesus Christ and what takes place then?
Pretty exciting stuff!
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times."
Here is a prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus Christ, close to 700 years prior to the event. This passage from Micah is provided in Matthew 2:6. We find it in the account of the Magi quoting it in answering King Herod's question as to where the Messiah was to be born. As you recall, the result of quoting Micah 5:2 by the Magi was the slaughter of all boys, two years of age and under, in Bethlehem, in Herod's effort to kill Jesus as a very small child. The importance to the spiritually dark forces of destroying Jesus can be measured by the extreme measure Herod took.
This prophecy tells us several things about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was to come from Bethlehem, which was fulfilled, as we see, some seven hundred years later. He will come from the tribe of Judah, and he will be the ruler over Israel, something yet future to happen. The prophecy also tells us that Jesus Christ is from "of old, from ancient times." His birth in Bethlehem to Mary is not his beginning and not the beginning of his story.
Many prophecies about the coming Messiah are provided to us in the Scriptures. Unbelieving academics and theologians (yes, there are many unbelieving theologians) have been attempting to discredit the many prophecies found in the Scriptures for years and years. It is always the same worn out story for these sad folks, with accounts of new found evidence, always dressed up in exciting newly-arrived-at information, that the Bible is anything other than what it actually is!
Empty claims, (that are always subsequently disproved through archaeology and newly found manuscript evidence, etc.), have been offered, re-offered, regurgitated and re-run. The same fare is always offered: the books of the Bible were always written much later than expected (in desperate attempts to explain away fulfilled prophecy), the books of the Bible were always written or redacted by someone else, other than the author we expect (in desperate attempts to invalidate the inspired Scriptures), the books of the Bible contain all kinds of material that is in error, including the misrepresenting of historical, geographical and cultural details, conflicting theology, etc.
None of this is true. The Bible is a collection of true and reliable documents. Its pages are filled with historically correct information, geographically correct information, is entirely consistent within itself theologically, and provides us those things God wants us to know of himself and what he is doing. Nothing is more exciting to read than accounts of what is to take place in the future and then to read the later accounts as to how the foretold things came to pass precisely as written.
It certainly ought to motivate all of us to spend more time in the Scriptures to find out what God wants us to know of himself, what God is doing in this age, and what is coming down the pike for us. What could be more fascinating?
Since Micah accurately prophesied the place of birth of the Messiah, and because of the many other fulfilled prophecies in Scripture, does that not motivate us to read and study our Bibles to find out about what is coming our way in the future? What the end times will look like, what will bring about the end of this age, the nature of the second coming of Jesus Christ and what takes place then?
Pretty exciting stuff!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment