Bivle Study - Prophecies (6) - The Ruler Who Cares for HIS People - Micah 5 and Matthew 2 = January 9, 2022
Bible Study – Prophecies (6) – The Ruler Who Cares for
HIS People – January 9, 2022
This is lesson six (6) and our final lesson in this
series entitled, “Irrefutable: Prophecies That Point to JESUS.”
Focus scripture Micah 5:2-5a and Matthew 2:1-6, 9-11.
JESUS leads and cares for HIS people.
Salvation is about relationship. Once a person experiences
GOD’S redemptive plan, he or she understands the reason why salvation is
through the passion of JESUS. Salvation is the process which takes place quicker
than the twinkle of the eye. When a person asks JESUS to forgive him or her for
his or her sin, the shed blood of JESUS opens the door or path to GOD. Asking
JESUS to come into our heart completes the salvation process. A Spiritual
conception takes place. GOD’S Spirit, The Divine Spiritual Sperm, and the
person’s spirit (think of the human spirit as the egg that must be fertilized
Spiritually) united, the miracle of Spiritual Birth takes place. It is the
beginning of an intimate relationship with GOD through the miracle of Spiritual
birth. The person born Spiritually is a Child of GOD, never ever to be unborn. There
are rewards from GOD as the Spirit-born person serves GOD. Read 1 Corinthians
3:11-15. Read verse 15. That person is in Heaven but by the skin of their
teeth.
How does a person know this? This Spirit-born
relationship is confirmed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The miracle of
Spiritual birth establishes a person’s relationship with GOD through their
faith in JESUS, which is foundational. It is upon the foundation laid by the
passion of JESUS that each Spirit-born person builds. Yes, we build with things
that will burn up but we will also build with things that will survive the test
of fire. The Spiritual building process continues until the Spirit-born person
meets JESUS in Heaven. Once, the Spirit born person sees JESUS, he or she will
be like HIM.
GOD gave us the foreshadow of HIS redemptive plan in the
Old Testament scriptures with its fulfilment in the New Testament. When a
person accepts JESUS as his or her Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells and
confirms the truth of Spiritual birth. Let’s explore!
Let’s read Micah 5:2-5a:
2 Bethlehem
Ephrathah,
you are small among the clans
of Judah;
one will come from you
to be ruler over
Israel for (GOD).
His origin[a] is
from antiquity,
from ancient times.
3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the
time
when she who is in
labor has given birth;
then the rest of the ruler’s
brothers (fellow Jews) will return
to the people of Israel.
This verse can be difficult to understand. In essence, GOD is
taking HIS hands off of Israel until HIS promised Messiah is born. During this
quiet period the Jews are scattered but when JESUS is born a new dispensation
is ushered in to Israel. The Jews will come back to Jerusalem to witness the
magnificent event of the ministry of JESUS. Hearts and lives will be changed.
4 He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majestic name of
the Lord his God.
They will live securely,
for then his greatness will
extend
to the ends of the earth.
5 He will be their peace.
Prophesy is often hard to see and understand until it is
fulfilled. The Bible gives us the opportunity to look back to the prophecy that
confirms where GOD’S promised Messiah would be born, HIS life and passion. We
are looking back to prophecy and the fulfilment of that prophecy regarding
JESUS.
Who does not want us to see the truth in GOD’S Word? You got
it, Satan. JESUS encountered Satan and so do we. As Spirit-born people, we know,
as recorded in 1 John 4: 4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because
the one who is in you (JESUS) is greater than the one (Satan) who is in
the world.
JESUS has conquered Satan and the spirit world. HE won the
victory and by being Spirit-born so have we.
GOD chose an orderly path for JESUS, HIS only Son, to come to
earth. The Prophet Micah added that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
Ephrathah. Bible scholars believe the Holy Spirit added “Ephrathah” to pinpoint
the exact location. Ephrathah was the name of the district. The place where
King David was born.
JESUS was to be born of a virgin, 100% human and to live as
100 percent human, yet 100% GOD, subject to sin and physical death. The
shedding of HIS sinless blood, paid, in full, for the sins of all mankind but
each person must accept HIS eternal gift. The shed blood of JESUS opened, once
and for all, the path between mankind and GOD. GOD has accepted JESUS’ passion
as full payment for sin for all who will accept it. Those who accept it
instantly receive forgiveness and eternal life through the miracle of Spiritual
birth.
The Prophet Micah is the only Old Testament prophet who wrote
where JESUS would be born some 700 years before it took place.
We who are alive today and are Spirit-born are waiting for
the seconded coming of JESUS, at any moment. We do not want to go through the
process of dying. JESUS tells us to be ready at any moment for HIS return. The
message from GOD is for all humans to be ready. For those of us who are
Spirit-born, I believe, we escape our earth suit before we experience the death
of our physical body.
Let’s read Matthew 2:1-6:
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King
Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying,
“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at
its rising and have come to worship him.”[a]
3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply
disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So
he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked
them where the Messiah would be born.
5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this
is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”[b]
Little Bethlehem, about five miles from the great city of
Jerusalem and the location of the temple, would be the birthplace of the
promised Messiah. Bethlehem was where the sheep were cared for that would be
used for sacrificing in the temple in Jerusalem. How appropriate for this to be
the birthplace of JESUS, WHO sacrificed HIS life to give all people the
opportunity to have their sins washed away for whoever accepts HIM.
The wisemen had to journey a long distance from their
location to Jerusalem. Some have speculated that the Magi, which is plural,
could have had to travel 1,400 miles. The Prophet Daniel is considered part of
the early beginning of Magi. The group referred to as Magi were of Gentile
origin. They were star gazers who worshipped
YAHWEH. This is not to be confused with astrology but considered astronomy. GOD
revealed HIS plans and purpose to them through the heavenly bodies.
We generally think of the wisemen or Magi being three because
of the three gifts they brought to JESUS. This can lead us to make false
conclusions. Some speculate that there were 12 wisemen, one wiseman per tribe
of Israel but again that is an assumption. Whatever the number in the group,
they had servants traveling with them and it was a long journey. The gifts they
brought were not paltry, they were fit for a king. In fact, some speculate that
the gifts made JESUS’ family wealthy. Certainly, enough to support them in
Egypt when GOD led Joseph to relocate to Egypt when Herod began having all the
male children 2 years old and younger in that area killed.
GOD led the Magi to Jesus and they worshipped HIM.
“Then they opened their
treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Notice that worship came
before they opened their treasures which were gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Many have assigned
meanings to each of these gifts:
-
Gold was a gift fit for a King
-
Frankincense is an aromatic and used in worship to produce a
sweet smell.
-
Myrrh is a spice used in embalming.
The key is they could be
translated into goods and housing to sustain JESUS’ family when Joseph was led
by GOD for them to flee to Egypt.
Back to our scripture
---
Let’s read Matthew 2:9-11:
9 After hearing the
king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its
rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child
was. 10 When they saw the star, they were
overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house,
they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their
knees, they worshiped him.[d] Then
they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to
go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
Many try to speculate what the star was e.g. comet,
planets passing close to each other, etc. It was a special star to lead the wisemen to
where the Messiah was. GOD leads us today by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
If you have had that experience, you know what I am writing about. It is like
no other. Once you are where GOD desires for you to be, then do as GOD has
instructed you.
Notice in verse 10, the
desire of the wise men was to find the promised Messiah sent by GOD:
-
There was an interruption in their journey but when the pause in
their journey had ended, they continued their quest to find this promised
Messiah.
-
What had the pause in their journey produced? The King called in
the Jewish experts who provided not only the king with information but also the
wise men.
-
Now, they knew the general location of the Promised Messiah,
Bethlehem, but where?
-
When they continued their quest, behold HIS Star
appeared and they followed it.
-
They were overjoyed with excitement because they knew they were
on the right track.
-
HIS Star, a special Star, led them to where JESUS was.
-
When they met HIM, they Immediately fell to their knees in
honor, respect and in an act of worship. They had found the Messiah for WHOM
they had been searching. The treasure of great price.
-
They acknowledged their discovery by giving HIM three precious
gifts. (Some speculate that these valuable gifts were used by Mary and Joseph
to fund and sustain their journey to Egypt to protect JESUS from the king’s
orders to kill all boy babies age two and under.)
-
Once the wise men found JESUS, GOD warned them not to go back to
report to King Herod. GOD warned them, (notice THEM) in a dream to take another
route back home. The wise men were obedient to the prompting of GOD.
-
Verse 11, we learn that Joseph, Mary and JESUS were living in a
house and that JESUS had grown. JESUS was now referred to as a child. Some
speculate that JESUS was about 2 years old.
What can we learn from
this? Many of us search for GOD and the Promised Messiah, JESUS. GOD’S desire
is that all who search for HIM will find HIM. GOD still leads people to
discover JESUS through the guiding light and voice of the Holy Spirit. JESUS is
the flesh manifestation of GOD. GOD sent JESUS and JESUS chose to come to earth
for the express purpose of giving HIS sinless life to pay for all of our sin –
past, present and future – in full, the instant we place our faith in JESUS. Do
you desire to find JESUS? Then talk to GOD and ask HIM to lead you to HIM. But
will GOD listen to all who earnestly seek HIM? Oh, YES with both ears. That is
why HE sent HIS only SON to earth to give HIS sinless life just for you.
All humans are on a
quest to find truth. But every person has an adversary, Satan. Satan’s desire
is for a person to not discover the truth of salvation. Faith in
JESUS results in eternal life and a person being Spirit-born into the family of
GOD.
What does John 3:16-18
reveal to us?
16 For God so loved the
world (that is every person) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
him.
18 Whoever believes in him
is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because
they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
GOD loves every one of
us. You never become unloved by GOD unless you harden your heart toward HIM and
you shut HIM out of your life. HE desires for you to be honest in your search
for truth, which is found in JESUS, the Promised Messiah. Tell HIM why you do
not believe in JESUS and ask HIM to help you see the truth.
Be honest with GOD and
tell HIM, what you honestly feel toward HIM. It could be, “I hate YOU for
----;” and fill in the blank. Or “It is hard for me to believe in YOU because
of all the tragedy in the world!” Lay it out to HIM. Then ask GOD to help you
find truth by leading you to the Promised Messiah, JESUS. When you do and you
are honest, then begin your journey to find HIM. Follow the promptings of GOD.
Ask HIM to give you something to follow. It could be to get a Christian Bible
and read it or any number of ways HE leads.
When you find JESUS,
worship HIM. GOD warned the wise men not to return by the same route they had
taken to find the Promised Messiah but to take a different route. Once a person
discovers truth, through faith in JESUS, he or she has a new guiding Star/Light
and that is the indwelling Holy Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide,
direct, enlighten, assure, confirm, instruct, guarantee, reveal truth and so
much more to you as you obediently serve GOD through faith in JESUS.
If you have never asked
JESUS to forgive you for your sins and for HIM to come into your life, do so
now. If you have asked JESUS into your life but have not been living for HIM,
confess it and ask HIM to restore the joy of your salvation. GOD never leaves
us or abandons us.
Blessings!!!
posted by Bible Study | 5:14 PM
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