Micah 5:2-5a (NRSV)
Read Micah 5:2-5a on biblegateway.com
Verse 2But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Verse 3Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. Verse 4And 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 live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; Verse 5and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers.
Devotion
The prophet Micah, like so many of the Hebrew prophets, regularly upends his hearers’ expectations. In this description of the coming ruler who brings peace, Micah says the promised ruler will come from Bethlehem of Ephrathah, “one of the little clans of Judah.” This detail shows how unexpected such an origin might be: from a small tribe comes a great ruler. I am reminded of the line from Helena’s description of Hermia in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “And though she be but little, she is fierce!” (Act III, Scene 2) Bethlehem may be small, but it will soon “punch above its weight”!
The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are all about upending our expectations. What looks insignificant at first glance turns out to be more important than we could ever imagine. In that lowly stable we see yet another way that God surprises us: by using the power of love rather than the love of power to save the world.
Prayer
Keep us watchful, O God, of the ways in which you surprise us. Help us to remember that no one is small or insignificant in your eyes. Amen.
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