“Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.” (Micah 5:1–5)
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis gives us one of the most memorable pictures of what a true king is like. When the Pevensie children first hear about Aslan, they are surprised to learn that he is not a man, but a Lion. Nervous, they ask Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe. Mr. Beaver responds, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he is not safe. But he is good. He is the King, I tell you.” Later Lewis writes, “People who have not been to Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time.”
Friends, that is often how we treat Christmas. In our cultural imagination, Christmas feels gentle and domesticated. We picture baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying quietly in a manger, surrounded by shepherds and cute animals. It is calm, peaceful, sentimental. And for the most part, the world is very comfortable with that scene. You see it displayed in shopping malls, set up on front lawns, and printed on Christmas cards. Whether religious or not, most people can handle the idea of a sweet baby in a manger.
Why is that? Because at first glance, nothing about that picture seems confronting. A baby does not seem threatening. Many people have no issue with “baby Jesus.”
But the true story of Christmas, and the true story of the child born in Bethlehem, is anything but safe. When we look closely at Scripture, we see that Christmas is actually deeply confronting. It confronts us with the reality of our sin. It confronts us with our inability to save ourselves. It confronts us with news that a mighty warrior King has come, a King who will conquer his enemies and all who persist in rebellion against him. It confronts us with the arrival of a King who will establish an eternal throne. This is a King who, in the truest sense, is anything but tame. Like Aslan, he is both good and terrible at the same time.
Perhaps nowhere is this clearer than in the prophecy of Micah. Writing seven hundred years before Christ, Micah foretells the birth of a child in Bethlehem who will be “ruler in Israel” and who “shall be great to the ends of the earth.” This child will not be an ordinary king. He will be the King of kings and Lord of lords. Micah shows us that Christmas confronts us with the reality of this coming King. Of course he is not safe. But he is good. He is the King.
Micah 5:1–5 was spoken during a time of fear and judgment. The Assyrian army threatened Judah. The king was humiliated. Jerusalem was surrounded. The people feared that their nation was finished. Into that darkness, God delivered a word of hope:
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.”
Micah tells us two essential truths about the origin of this King.
First, his origin will be Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the town of David, Israel’s greatest king. Out of this same small, rural town, God promised to raise up a greater Son of David whose kingdom would never end. This is why, when the wise men arrived in Jerusalem in Matthew 2 asking, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” the chief priests and scribes immediately quoted Micah 5. Even in Jesus’ day, everyone understood that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Yet Micah also describes Bethlehem as “too little to be among the clans of Judah.” Bethlehem was insignificant. It was small, overlooked, and unimpressive. It was not the kind of place where anyone expected a king to arrive. And that is exactly the point. God delights to choose what is low and despised in the world so that no one may boast in his presence. From Jesus’ birth in tiny Bethlehem, to his upbringing in Nazareth, to his death on a criminal’s cross, his whole earthly story carried the mark of humility. And yet from that humble place, God brought forth the One who would be great to the ends of the earth.
Second, Micah tells us this King’s origin is not only Bethlehem but eternity. His “coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Some translations say, “from the days of eternity.” In other words, this child would be born in time, but he himself has no beginning. He comes from Bethlehem, but he also comes from forever. He is fully human, yet fully divine. The infant in the manger is the eternal Son of God who stepped into history for us.
This means the story of Christmas did not begin in Luke 2 or Matthew 2. The origin of Christmas is the eternal plan of God. Before the foundation of the world, God purposed to save a people through the incarnate Son. In the fullness of time God sent forth his Son to redeem us and to give us eternal life. He was born to die, so that we might live.
Micah also tells us why this King came. He gives us three beautiful reasons.
He came to rule. Micah writes, “From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.” Jesus is not an optional addition to our holiday season. He is God’s appointed King. His reign does not stop at the borders of Israel. Micah says, “He shall be great to the ends of the earth.” One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
He came to shepherd. Verse 4 says, “He shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.” This King uses his power for the good of his people. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, who stands to protect them, who gathers his brothers and sisters from every tribe and nation. His purpose is to bring his people safely home.
And he came to be our peace. Micah 5:5 says, “He shall be their peace.” Jesus does not only bring peace. He is our peace. Our greatest need this Christmas is peace with God. The good news is that through his death and resurrection, Jesus has made that peace possible. “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Friends, the baby of Bethlehem is not safe in the sense of being tame or casual. He is the eternal King from Bethlehem, the Shepherd who rules, the Savior who brings us peace. He is good. He is the King. The question for us this Christmas is simple: Will we bow before him, trust him, and rejoice in him as our King from Bethlehem?
