Matthew
shared what happened when,
“Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star
in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had
heard these
things,
he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered
all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded
of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In
Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet”,
and in chapter two and verse six of his book, Matthew shares how, “a
Governor, that shall rule my people Israel” where
we read:
for
out of you shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
The
verse reads, “And
you Bethlehem, in
the land of Judah, are you not the least among the princes of Judah:”
Matthew began with the words, “and
you Bethlehem”
which means “and you the city of Bethlehem which means house of
bread and was the village about six miles south of Jerusalem”, “in
the land”
or “within the region, territory, country and ground”, “of
Judah”
or “belonging to the southern portion of Palestine lying on this
side of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, to distinguish it from Samaria,
Galilee, Peraea and Idumaea which means he shall be praised”, “are
you not”
which means “you are not in the least and by any means” “the
least”
or “the smallest and of the less importance” “among”
which means “by and with” “the
princes”
or “the leaders, guides, rulers, prefects, presidents and chiefs”
“of
Judah”
which refers to “belonging to the southern portion of Palestine
lying on this side of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, to distinguish it
from Samaria, Galilee, Peraea and Idumaea which means he shall be
praised”. Matthew shared the quoted words of the “chief
priests”
and “scribes”
which were written by the prophet Micah.
The
verse goes on to say, “for
out of you shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.”
Matthew continued with the words, “for
out of you”
which means “because, since and on account that from Bethlehem”
“shall
come” or
“will arise and arrive” “a
Governor”
which means “a leader, commander, ruler and authority”,
“that shall rule”
or “who shall feed, tend, keep, furnish and nourish” “my
people” which
means “God's nation, those who are of the same stock and language
and tribe” “Israel”
which means “he shall be prince or governed by God” and is “the
family and descendants of of the nation of Israel”.
Matthew continued to share the prophet's words as he told how a
“Governor”
or “ruler and overseer” was to come from “Bethlehem”
and “reign over” God's people “Israel”.
When
we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the “chief
priests” and “scribes” referred to the prophet
Micah's words in chapter five and verse two. The Messiah was to be
born in “Bethlehem”, and the leaders of the people of
Israel knew it. God had His plan to bring forth His Son Jesus as the
“Savior and Lord” of the world, and the prophecy of Micah was
fulfilled in His birthplace. Let all who read these words consider
the accuracy of yet another prophesy and realize, God had a plan for
the Christ, and Jesus fulfilled every aspect of that plan.
Next
time Matthew shares how the prophet
wrote, “Herod...inquired of
“ the
“wise men”
“diligently”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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