The crowds murmured while the critics lurked in the shadows. Complaints, compliments, and confusion over the Man from Galilee spread among the Jews at the Feast of Tabernacles like political opinions circulate today on social media during election time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hard-hearted, egocentric Pharisees and chief priests did not know the Old Testament as well as they professed. They chided the common people for their ignorance of the Law (7:48) and then contemptibly challenged Nicodemus to \u201c[s]earch and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee\u201d (7:52, NASB). Yet, the prophet Jonah was from Gath Hepher of Zebulon (2 Kings 14:25; Joshua 19:10-13), which is in Galilee. Furthermore, in the desperate, dark days of Assyrian dominance in Galilee in the late eighth century B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 15:29), the prophet Isaiah foretold of the everlasting Prince of Peace coming as a \u201cgreat light\u201d in \u201cthe land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali\u2026in Galilee of the Gentiles\u201d (Isaiah 9:1-7). Who was this \u201cgreat light\u201d? Jesus of Nazareth, Who \u201ccame and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet\u201d (Matthew 4:13-14). Indeed, in one sense<\/strong>, the greatest Prophet of them all, the Messiah, came \u201cout of Galilee.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In another real sense, the \u201ccommoners\u201d2<\/sup><\/a> were right, too. \u201cScripture said<\/strong>\u2026that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was\u201d (John 7:42). David may have dwelt in Israel\u2019s capital city of Jerusalem once he became king and conquered the Jebusite city (2 Samuel 5:6-7), but it seems most any Jew knew that David\u2019s heritage was in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Bethlehem was not the Bethlehem of Zebulon (Joshua 19:15; in Galilee), but the Bethlehem of Judah, also known as Ephrath or Ephrathah.3<\/sup><\/a> People of Bethlehem were known as \u201cEphrahthites\u201d (Ruth 1:1-2; 1 Samuel 17:12). David\u2019s great grandfather, Boaz, \u201ccame from Bethlehem\u201d (Ruth 2:4; 4:11). David\u2019s father, Jesse, was an \u201cEphrathite of Bethlehem Judah\u201d (1 Samuel 17:12,15; 16:1,4). Prior to his 33-year reign in Jerusalem, which became known<\/strong> as \u201cthe city of David\u201d (2 Samuel 5:7-9), David himself referred to Bethlehem<\/strong> as \u201chis city\u201d (1 Samuel 20:6). In this sense, even Luke referred to Bethlehem of Judah<\/strong> as \u201cthe city of David\u201d (Luke 2:4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why did Joseph and Mary travel all the way from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea? To be registered in the Roman census (Luke 2:1-2). But why Bethlehem? Because \u201call went to be registered, everyone to his own city<\/strong>\u201d (Luke 2:3), and Joseph \u201cwas of the house and lineage of David,\u201d and Bethlehem was \u201cthe city of David\u201d (Luke 2:4,11,15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In about 1,400 B.C. God used a non-Jewish, Mesopotamian soothsayer named Balaam to prophesy to the Moabites about, among other things, how \u201ca Star <\/strong>shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter<\/strong> shall rise out of Israel\u201d (Numbers 24:17). Some 400 years later, this prophecy had an \u201cimmediate\u201d application in Israel\u2019s great King David. But 1,400 years later, Balaam\u2019s prophecy would have its remote application and ultimate fulfillment in \u201cthe Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star<\/strong>\u201d (Revelation 22:16; cf. Isaiah 11:1,10; Revelation 5:5). [And He has the greatest of all scepters\u2014having \u201call authority\u2026in heaven and on Earth\u201d (Matthew 28:18).]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amazingly, one of the first signs of the coming of the long-awaited Messiah was the appearance of \u201cHis star\u201d (Matthew 2:2,9), which \u201cwise men [or \u201cmagi,\u201d NASB] from the East\u201d followed all the way to Judea (Matthew 2:1).4<\/sup><\/a> The wise men stopped in Jerusalem, asking, \u201cWhere is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him\u201d (Matthew 2:2). But Herod, the ruthless king of Judea, knew nothing about these things and inquired of \u201call the chief priests and scribes\u2026where the Christ was to be born<\/strong>\u201d (Matthew 2:4). What these men knew was the same thing the crowd knew 30-plus years later in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7): The Messiah was to be born \u201c[i]n Bethlehem of Judea<\/strong>, for thus it is written by the prophet, \u2018But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel\u201d (Matthew 2:5-6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n What \u201cScripture\u201d is this that says \u201cthe Christ comes from the town of Bethlehem<\/strong>, where David was\u201d (John 7:42)? Who was this prophet who wrote that \u201ca Ruler\u201d will come from \u201cBethlehem, in the land of Judah\u201d (Matthew 2:5-6)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n His name was Micah and he was from the country town of Moresheth (about 20-25 miles southwest of Jerusalem). Micah himself refers to the town as \u201cMoresheth Gath\u201d (1:14), likely implying that for a time, it \u201chad fallen under the power of the neighboring Philistines of Gath.\u201d5<\/sup><\/a> Micah lived during the same period as other eighth-century prophets, including Amos (1:1) and Hosea (1:1), who prophesied to the Northern Kingdom, and Isaiah (1:1), who prophesied along with Micah in the Southern Kingdom. It was \u201cin the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah\u201d that Micah received \u201cthe word of the Lord\u201d (Micah 1:1). These three kings reigned a combined 56 years (from about 742-687 B.C.). \u201cJotham\u2026reigned sixteen years\u2026and did what was right in the sight of the Lord\u201d (2 Chronicles 27:1-2). Hezekiah, though not perfect, was also a great king, one of the greatest in Judah\u2019s long history, serving for 29 years (2 Kings 18:1-20:21; 2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33). Sandwiched between these two rulers was the cowardly, repulsive King Ahaz, one of the worst, most wicked kings in Judah\u2019s history, reigning for 16 dark years. Among other things, he \u201csacrificed to the gods of Damascus,\u201d \u201cburned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel,\u201d \u201cshut up the doors of the house of the Lord,\u201d and overall, \u201cencouraged moral decline in Judah\u201d (28:23,3,24,20).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadly, whether during the reigns of wicked or righteous kings, the people of Judah, like their northern counterparts (Micah 1:5-13), mostly \u201cstill\u2026acted corruptly\u201d (2 Chronicles 27:2). Repugnantly sinful behavior was especially characteristic of those in positions of authority. But the mighty prophet Micah did not hold back. He was given \u201c[t]he Word of the Lord\u201d (Micah 1:1), and as a good steward of the Divine revelation, he let the \u201chigh and mighty\u201d have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity, who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity. Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money (Micah 3:8-11).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201c[H]er rich men are full of violence\u201d (6:12). Speaking hyperbolically, Micah professed, \u201cThe faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands\u2014the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire; so they scheme together\u201d (7:2-3). In short, they \u201chate good and love evil\u201d (3:2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tragically, Jerusalem was a repugnant center of spiritual disease (as was Samaria in the North). The courageous prophet Micah boldly confronted all manner of abusive leaders and prophesied of their eventual demise. \u201cFor behold, the Lord is coming\u2026. The mountains will melt under Him\u2026. I will make Samaria a heap of ruins\u201d (Micah 1:3,4,6). And \u201cZion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins\u201d (3:12). Indeed, the brutal Assyrians conquered Samaria in 722 B.C. And though Jerusalem was spared for a time following the fearless prophesying of Micah and Isaiah and the righteous reforms of King Hezekiah (cf. Jeremiah 26:18), the capital city of the Jews would fall calamitously at the hands of the Babylonians in 587 B.C., approximately 100 years after Micah pronounced the Lord\u2019s judgments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But not all is lost. There is Hope from Heaven. A Hero is on the horizon. Yes, God and His faithful prophets have condemned sin from the beginning,6<\/sup><\/a> but the story never<\/strong> ended there. Even as Adam and Eve were lurking in the midst of sinfully-minded blame games (Genesis 3:11-13), God boldly announced to the devil His gracious plans to save humanity through \u201cthe Seed\u201d of woman, Who would deal a crushing blow to the head of Satan (Genesis 3:15). \u201cSince the world began,\u201d God \u201cspoke by the mouth of his holy prophets\u201d about the Hope, the \u201chorn of salvation,\u201d Who would save His people from sin and its fatal consequences (Luke 1:67-70).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remarkably, the Bible writers did not speak in mere broad generalities about the coming Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, God announced that the Deliverer of humankind (and the sinful mess that humanity made) would be a male descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, and David.7<\/sup><\/a> Notice the spectacular specificity of the prophets! The Messiah, Who would bless \u201call the families of the earth\u201d (Genesis 12:3), would come from Abraham (not his brothers Nahor or Haran). The Savior would come from Isaac (not Ishmael, and not Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishback, or Shuah, the other sons of Abraham\u2014Genesis 25:2). He would come from Jacob (not Esau, the father of the Edomites). He would come from Judah (and not one of the other 11 sons of Jacob, not even Levi, the father of the Levitical priesthood). The ultimate \u201canointed One\u201d (i.e., Christ) would come from the anointed King David (and not the other seven sons of Jesse\u20141 Samuel 16:1-13; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Jeremiah 23:5-6). And from where did the greatest king in Israel\u2019s history hail? Not Hebron, Jerusalem, or Jericho. Not Dan, Bethel, or Beersheba. And not Bethlehem of Zebulon (Joshua 19:15). Not anywhere in all of Palestine except from \u201cthe little among the thousands of Judah\u201d (Micah 5:2)\u2014the town of Bethlehem of Ephrathah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Micah chapter 5 begins with a doom-and-gloom statement seemingly about the siege that Sennacherib\u2019s ruthless Assyrian army would lay against Jerusalem and King Hezekiah.8<\/sup><\/a> Hezekiah (the most powerful \u201cjudge of Israel\u201d) would be openly insulted by Sennacherib\u2019s spokesman, the Rabshakeh, who would come to the door of Jerusalem, shouting taunting words of mockery in the Hebrew language for all to hear.9<\/sup><\/a> In the words of Micah, Assyria would \u201cstrike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek\u201d (Micah 5:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though the household of David in Hezekiah\u2019s day would face humiliation,10<\/sup><\/a> \u201cthe true Israel will come forth triumphant.\u201d11<\/sup><\/a> How? Because \u201cthe One<\/strong> to be Ruler<\/strong> in Israel\u2026shall come forth\u201d (Micah 5:2). The One <\/strong>long-awaited descendant of Abraham and David was coming (Matthew 1:1). And though His presence on Earth<\/strong> would still lie in the future, the Messiah, Micah testified, already had a past<\/strong>!His goings forth are \u201cfrom of old;\u201d \u201cfrom long ago\u201d (NASB).12<\/sup><\/a> How long? Micah said, \u201cFrom the days of eternity<\/strong>\u201d (5:2, NASB).13<\/sup><\/a> But that must mean that the Messiah is\u2026God. Indeed, as Isaiah, Micah\u2019s fellow 8th<\/sup>-century prophet in Judah, said, \u201cFor unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God<\/strong>, Everlasting Father<\/strong>, Prince of Peace\u201d (Isaiah 9:6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Micah and Isaiah, God Himself would step out of the splendors of heaven to be the Prince of Peace, the Ruler in Israel.14<\/sup><\/a> And where would He first make His appearance? Centuries before the Messiah\u2019s birth, the prophet Micah gave us one more piece of the puzzle. Micah (and only Micah) precisely <\/strong>revealed the place from which the Messiah would come forth: the little town of Bethlehem in the region of Judea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scribes and chief priests in King Herod\u2019s day (Matthew 2:4-6) knew of the Messianic nature of Micah 5:2. The elitist Pharisees, as well as the \u201ccommoners,\u201d knew it some 32 years later (in John 7). And yet, though the Messiah stood in their midst, most missed, ignored, or refused to accept the amazing, fulfilled fact that Jesus was born just five miles down the road in Bethlehem of Judea\u2014just as Micah, the proven inspired prophet (cf. Jeremiah 28:9), promised He would 700 years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup><\/a> Jesus grew up in Galilee and remained in this region during much of His ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2<\/sup><\/a> The \u201ccrowd\u201d whom the Pharisees claimed did \u201cnot know the law\u201d (John 7:49).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3<\/sup><\/a> Which is \u201cthe name either of Bethlehem itself or of a district in which Bethlehem was situated\u201d [Ernest Masterman (1996), \u201cEphrath; Ephrathah,\u201d International Standard Bible Encyclopedia<\/em> (Electronic Database: Biblesoft)]. Moses wrote that after Jacob\u2019s wife Rachel died, she was \u201cburied on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)\u201d\u2014Genesis 35:19; cf. 48:7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4<\/sup><\/a> From where did these men receive such knowledge? How did they know that one particular \u201cstar in the East\u201d indicated the Messiah\u2019s entrance into the world? No one can know for sure, but it seems they had Divine direction, perhaps similar to what they later received in Matthew 2:12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5<\/sup><\/a> \u201cMoresheth Gath\u201d (1996), Fausset\u2019s Bible Dictionary<\/em> (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6<\/sup><\/a> Genesis 2:17; 3:8-19; 4:5-15; 6:3-8; Luke 11:49-51; 2 Peter 2:5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7<\/sup><\/a> Genesis 3:15; 12:1-4; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; 49:10; Isaiah 11:1,10; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Jeremiah 23:5-6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8<\/sup><\/a> Cf. 2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36-37.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9<\/sup><\/a> \u201c[T]he Rabshakeh said\u2026 \u2018What confidence is this in which you trust? You speak of having plans of power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Now Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt\u2026. [G]ive a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses\u2014if you are able on your part to put riders on them!… Have I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, \u201cGo up against this land, and destroy it!\u201d\u2026 Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?… Do not listen to Hezekiah\u2019\u201d (2 Kings 18:19-31).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10<\/sup><\/a> As well as Babylonian captivity roughly 100 years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11<\/sup><\/a> Homer Hailey (1993) A Commentary on the Minor Prophets<\/em> (Religious Supply), p. 208.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12<\/sup><\/a> The Hebrew term qedem<\/em> literally means \u201cancient time, aforetime\u201d [Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs (1906), The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon<\/em>, studylight.org\/lexicons\/eng\/hebrew\/06924.html]. It is used of God in Deuteronomy 33:27 and Habakkuk 1:12 where the term is translated \u201ceverlasting\u201d or \u201ceternal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/sup><\/a> This Hebrew word (olam<\/em>) often refers to \u201cfor ever, ever, everlasting, evermore\u201d (Brown, et al., https:\/\/www.studylight.org\/lexicons\/eng\/hebrew\/05769.html). Often it is used in reference to the eternality of God, including in Micah 4:7 where the prophet referenced the Lord\u2019s eternal reign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14<\/sup><\/a> Cf. John 1:1; 20:28; Philippians 2:5-11.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Confusion Over the Christ The crowds murmured while the critics lurked in the shadows. Complaints, compliments, and confusion over the Man from Galilee spread among the Jews at the Feast of Tabernacles like political opinions circulate today on social media during election time. The hard-hearted, egocentric Pharisees and chief priests did not know the Old… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,13,82],"tags":[],"kids-category":[],"people":[274],"bible-book":[],"language":[168],"age-group":[173],"publication":[248],"class_list":["post-23804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deity-of-christ","category-inspiration-of-the-bible","category-prophecy","people-eric-lyons","language-english","age-group-adults","publication-reason-revelation"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/LI-Micah-Predicted-the-Place-EL-02.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23804"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32703,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23804\/revisions\/32703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"kids-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kids-category?post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"people","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people?post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"bible-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible-book?post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"age-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/age-group?post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=23804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Bethlehem of Judea\u2014\u201cThe City of David\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Star of Bethlehem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Dark days of Micah<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Hope\u2026and Homing in on the Hero<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Micah\u2019s Messianic Prophecy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Endnotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n