Tag: christmas verse

By Elizabeth Prata

Christmas is such a special time of year, I thought I’d do a short series focusing on just the scriptures related to the holiday, so we may ponder, rejoice, and think about all that it means that God Himself incarnated in order to save us from our sins.

Today let’s look at Micah’s prophecy.

THE RULER WILL COME FROM BETHLEHEM, Micah 5:1-5, Legacy Standard Bible

“Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.

2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from everlasting,
From the ancient days.”

3 Therefore He will give them up until the time
When she who is in childbirth has borne a child.
Then the remainder of His brothers
Will return to the sons of Israel.

4 And He will stand and shepherd His flock
In the strength of Yahweh,
In the majesty of the name of Yahweh His God.
And they will remain
Because at that time He will be great
To the ends of the earth.

5 And this One will be peace.

Barnes Notes says of the phrase in verse 4, “He will stand”:

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
And He shall stand – The prophet continues to speak of personal acts of this Ruler who was to be born. He was not to pass away, not to rule only by others, but by Himself. To stand is the attitude of a servant, as Jesus, although God and Lord of all, said of Himself, “He shall come forth and serve them” Luke 12:37; “The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister” Matthew 20:28. “He shall stand” as a Shepherd Isaiah 61:5, to watch, feed, guard them, day and night; “He shall stand,” as Stephen saw Christ “standing on the Right Hand of God” Acts 7:55, “to succor all those who suffer for Him.” : “For to sit belongs to one judging; to stand, to one fighting or helping.” “He shall stand,” as abiding, not to pass from them, as Himself saith, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” Matthew 28:20 : and He shall feed His flock by His Spirit, His Word, His Wisdom and doctrine, His example and life; yea, by His own Body and Blood John 6. They whom He feedeth “lack nothing” Psalm 23:1.

Bethlehem means “House of Bread”. Isn’t that interesting that Jesus who is Bread of Life, comes from the House of Bread. God does not overlook a single jot or tittle. His prophecies are precise!

“He will be great…to the ends of the earth”. What a day that will be when no one rejects Jesus! No more will people raise their fist against Him, no more will they harden their hearts in opposition, nevermore will they be stiff-necked and hateful toward the One True Savior.

He is strong. He is majestic. He IS Peace.

By Elizabeth Prata

1But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

2The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in the land of the shadow of death,
The light will shine on them.

3You shall multiply the nation,
You shall make great their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

4For You shall shatter the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their taskmaster, as at the battle of Midian.

5For every boot of the booted warrior in the rumbling of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

6For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

7There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.

I wonder if the ancient readers wondered about the verse that a son will be born to them, who will be called Mighty God.

Verse 2 mentions the darkness. I think of John 1:1-5 about the ‘darkness’, which has not overcome the Light.

Roy Gingrich comments on Isaiah 9:2,

A great light will shine upon the people of these territories, who have been walking in darkness (this prophecy was partially fulfilled when Jesus ministered for sixteen months in Galilee, Matthew 4:12–16, during His earthly ministry). …

All of this deliverance and joy will be based upon the incarnation and the birth of Christ (“Immanuel,” 7:14), 9:6, 7. Christ will be both human (“a child is born”) and divine (“a Son is given”). He will bear five names: (1) “Wonderful” (He will do wonderful things);
(2) “Counsellor” (He will be able to advise all men in regard to all things);
(3) “The Mighty God” (He will be the mighty “El.” “El” is contrasted with man, 31:3; Hosea 11:9);
(4) “The everlasting Father” (“the Father of eternity”); and
(5) “The Prince of peace” (He will subdue all of His enemies and give peace to all of His friends).

He will do six things:
(1) He will sit upon the throne of David;
(2) He will set the kingdom of David in order;
(3) He will establish justice in this kingdom forever;
(4) He will bear the government of the world upon His shoulder;
(5) He will keep on extending His government (rule) until it covers all men (“of the increase of His government there shall be no end.”) All who refuse to come under His rule will be destroyed; and
(6) He will keep on bestowing His peace until it has been bestowed upon all men (“of the increase of His peace there shall be no end”).

Gingrich, R. E. (1993). The Book of Isaiah (pp. 16–17). Riverside Printing.

Hallelujah for our Great God!