Day 15 - It's The Same Guy
- Pastor b.Side
- Mar 15
- 3 min read
“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.” - Micah 5:2
The eternally unchanging nature of God is a key point to consider when reflecting on the full counsel of God’s Word. Many people find it hard to understand Jesus’s identity as God. This challenge doesn’t come from a lack of clarity in scripture; God has made His intentions clear. He is the only One capable of fulfilling His promises, and He prophesied certain signs to indicate the progress of His work. Jesus fulfilled those signs by showing that He is the incarnation of God and that He came to accomplish everything.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah…”
The prophecy of Micah 5:2 reveals who Jesus is. Here, God predicted the birthplace of Israel’s Messiah. The Hebrew term “Messiah” means “Anointed One.” The Messiah is the one whom the Father appointed to fulfill all His eternal covenants with Israel and the world. That’s why we call the Messiah “the Savior.” God promised to provide salvation from sin, death, and hell through a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David. These details show that God would keep His Word by becoming flesh as a descendant of these men to carry out His judgments and blessings as the KING of kings. God identified Bethlehem Ephrathah as the birthplace of the Messiah, a city within the territory given to the tribe of Judah. The Messiah would be seen as “little” or insignificant among many in Judah, yet would uniquely have God’s approval to approach Him. Who can approach God as a sinner? Micah’s prophecy teaches that the Messiah would be a sinless Jew, born in Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah.
“Out of you shall come forth to Me The One…”
God also called the Messiah “The One to be Ruler in Israel.” He would be the King of Israel to fulfill God's eternal covenant with King David. The Messiah would be One “Whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.” The Messiah would be eternal. His birth wouldn’t mark the beginning of His existence. He would be “from old,” meaning that His life would predate His birth. Even though He would be born as a man on a specific day, He would be eternal.
“Whose goings forth [are] from of old, from everlasting…”
Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. He was born a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David in Bethlehem. Uniquely conceived by the Holy Spirit, He remained pure from sin throughout His life. His birth, baptism, transfiguration, death, resurrection, and ascension all serve as public proof of the Father’s approval. Jesus demonstrated His authority as the KING of kings through His teaching of the Word, control over creation, authority over demons, and various miracles. He proved His eternality through His resurrection. He confirmed that He is God, the Messiah. This prophecy shows that God DOES NOT CHANGE, even though He may present Himself differently than we expect.
Prayer for today
Our heavenly Father, You have shown that even if the way You reveal Yourself to us may change, Your nature, character, purposes, and promises stay the same! Help us remember the eternal truth of Your Word and trust that You are always working to fulfill Your promises. We see the first coming of Jesus as proof of this. Guide our attention to the promise of His second coming and the everlasting impact of it. Amen.
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