Advent Prophecies - The Town of Bethlehem

Advent season is upon us. A special time to reflect on the arrival of Jesus, our Savior. The hope of the world. Advent prophecies are displays of the beautiful reality of Jesus’s first coming. They should bring peace to all of the good news of Jesus and also anticipation for his second coming. Today’s Advent prophecy takes us to the town of Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.” Over 500 years later, this prophecy is exactly fulfilled when Herod inquires of the chief priests and scribes in Matthew 2:4-6 where Jesus would be born. They answer him by quoting the prophecy from the book of Micah and speaking of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is a small town about 14 miles southwest from Jerusalem. It is also where King David was born, Israel’s most famous king who is in the genealogy of King David (Matthew 1:1). How could Micah the prophet have known, with such specificity, what was going to take place 500+ years before it ever happened? The only logical answer is the Holy Spirit, the one who wrote the Bible. He gave Micah this information – authoritative, accurate, and true. Think about that for a second. This prophecy comes to pass with total accuracy hundreds of years later. The connections and perfect assimilation of every puzzle piece are baffling. Were it not for a Divine hand, establishing Divine connections, writing a Divine story. When I see prophecies in God’s word that have no explanation other than the hand of God writing a magnificent story, it provokes worship and obedience to God’s Word. May each one of us feel an increased adoration in this advent season for our Father in heaven, for Jesus his son, and for the Holy Spirit. May our worship of the Triune God and obedience to his will similarly increase.