5. JESUS BEFORE JESUS – MICAH

Again, fam bam [it sounds funny I know😁 but I promise it’s a word!😂], all discussions in this series will be based on scripture. We established that the Bible is historically and archeologically proven to be true through the materials provided in the Intro here. You can check out the rest of the series here.😉

Micah lived between the years 772 and 722 before Christ. His book isn’t too different in structure from Hosea’s which we looked at last week [check here if you haven’t read it😎]. Micah is called to Samaria and Jerusalem, during the reign of three kings of Judah – Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.

Micah prophesies about judgment coming to Samaria and Jerusalem for their sins; rebuked their leaders and prophets. Then he talks about hope for the last days and the Lord’s plan of redemption. In Chapter 5, the Lord reveals to Micah a promised ruler of Jerusalem. He says:

Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod. 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.”

In a single sentence, Micah gave three crucial pointers to the Messiah:

1. That His ancestors would be of the tribe of Judah.

Here’s the beginning of Matthew 1:

This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah….(5 generations in between)…Salmon, the father of Boaz, Boaz of Obed, Obed of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.

David was the father of Solomon…(19 generations in between)…Eleazar was the father of Matthan, Matthan of Jacob. And Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. – verse 16.

Yes, Joseph, the husband of Mary, even though Jesus was not born of the seed of Joseph! The Messiah’s lineage was traced through an adopted father. Notice the prophecy was careful to say he the Messiah would “come out” of the tribe of Judah? Isn’t that mind-blowing? Even if you don’t think it is, mine is well blown, thank you!🤷🏽‍♀️😂

2. That it would be the clan of Bethlehem that the Messiah “comes out of”.

Look what Matthew opens Chapter 2 with:

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.

If you know anything about citizenship, you know birth in a particular country is one of the easiest ways of acquiring citizenship. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. So this “coming out” of Bethlehem was by virtue of His birth in the city of Bethlehem.

Annnd:

3. That the Messiah’s origins were from old, ancient times.

The popular John 1:1-3 does it for this:

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

Jesus’ own words confirmed His existence before time begun:

Rev. 1:1 & 8:

This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants – the events that must soon take place. “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

John 8:56 – 58, Jesus answering a question posed by group of Jews:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’😂 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Remember what God told Moses to say when Pharaoh asked who sent him? Yup. THE I AM!☺Amazing Stuff! Amazing Stuff!! Amazing Stuff!!! Until next week,

Stay Learning!

Rad!⭐❤