The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 26 October 2023 – A Ruler From Bethlehem
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TOPIC: A Ruler From Bethlehem
READ: Micah 5:1-15 (NKJV)
- Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
- ” But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, [Though] you are little among the thousands of Judah, [Yet] out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth [are] from of old, From everlasting.”
- Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time [that] she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel.
- And He shall stand and feed [His flock] In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth;
- And this [One] shall be peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land, And when he treads in our palaces, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
- They shall waste with the sword the land of Assyria, And the land of Nimrod at its entrances; Thus He shall deliver [us] from the Assyrian, When he comes into our land And when he treads within our borders.
- Then the remnant of Jacob Shall be in the midst of many peoples, Like dew from the LORD, Like showers on the grass, That tarry for no man Nor wait for the sons of men.
- And the remnant of Jacob Shall be among the Gentiles, In the midst of many peoples, Like a lion among the beasts of the forest, Like a young lion among flocks of sheep, Who, if he passes through, Both treads down and tears in pieces, And none can deliver.
- Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries, And all your enemies shall be cut off.
- ” And it shall be in that day,” says the LORD, “That I will cut off your horses from your midst And destroy your chariots.
- I will cut off the cities of your land And throw down all your strongholds.
- I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no soothsayers.
- Your carved images I will also cut off, And your sacred pillars from your midst; You shall no more worship the work of your hands;
- I will pluck your wooden images from your midst; Thus I will destroy your cities.
- And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury On the nations that have not heard.”
THE MESSAGE:
Bethlehem was well known as the hometown of David, Israel’s greatest king; yet it was never a great or influential city. It was truly little among the thousands of Israel. Yet, God chose it as the birthplace of the Messiah, the Ruler in Israel. This passage from Micah 5 was quoted by the chief priests and teachers of the law when Herod asked about the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 2:5-6). Bethlehem means House of Bread, and Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Now, ‘Ephratah’ was the old name of the place which the Jews retained and loved. It meant ‘fruitfulness,’ or ‘abundance.’ “Ah! well was Jesus born in the house of fruitfulness; for whence cometh my fruitfulness and thy fruitfulness, my brother, but from Bethlehem? Our poor barren hearts never produced one fruit or flower, till they were watered with the Saviour’s blood” (Spurgeon). Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting: This glorious promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and Micah’s prophetic voice declared that though Jesus came from Bethlehem, He did not begin there. His goings forth are from eternity past. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).
The Ruler serves His flock. Micah anticipated a future time, one that was partially fulfilled in the Babylonian exile and return, but will be ultimately fulfilled in the Great Tribulation and restoration of Israel. In both those eras, the LORD will seem distant from Israel until the time for restoration is ready.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, may Your Spirit water me continually with the Saviour’s blood that I may be fruitful, Amen.
