Hark, the herald angels sing
Come, thou long expected Jesus
What child is this
It came upon the midnight clear
Ere zij God (glory to to God)
The First Noel
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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 And he shall be their peace.
It is easy to measure the importance of person by their sphere of influence. It's too easy to ignore the unknowns. It's also too easy to say "since I am not strong I am insignicant".
At the time that Micah wrote this book, things in Israel were not going well. It was not a time of hope and prosperity.
But Bethlehem this insignificant little town.... It is so little it couldn't provide people for battle. Not where one expects God to raise up a deliverer.
It's another case of not looking at the outside but looking to the heart. God always sees the heart.
This ruler will be mighty God, wonderful counsellor, Prince of peace
He will be their longterm security.
God helps us not because of our influence but because we are utterly in need of him. The is only our need that brings God to us.
From Insignificant Bethlehem came the shepherder of the world. The peace bringer of the world.