Prophecy helped to validate who Jesus is.
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. 5 And he will be their peace.
The promised ruler of Israel did not come as a surprise, the prophets told about his coming and they also told us where he would be born, down to the exact little village. This wasn't a place to expect somebody special to come from but it was the place that God chose for his Son to begin his time here on planet earth.
God chose King David from the humble beginnings of Bethlehem and he will do the same with the future king that will sit on David's throne.
Elimelech, the husband of Naomi and father-in-law of Ruth, was from Bethlehem, as was Boaz (Ruth 1:1-2, 2:1,4). David was born in Bethlehem, and here he was anointed as future king by Samuel. *
Bethlehem means "house of bread" and Ephrathah means "fruitful." What a beautiful picture these words give us about the coming King. It is pretty cool that the "house of bread" is where the "Bread of Life" was born. (John 6:1-35, 7:42)
| John 6:31-35 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day." 35 Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. |
God revealed his plan to Israel in great detail so that there could be no doubt that this child is our Savior, and yet so many ignore the facts and have no idea that God made his plan so clear.
I thank God for his plan, and that he made it so clear to us, his plan brought me salvation that I could never attain on my own.
Show me the plans that you have for me, Lord, give me enough detail for each moment, so that I may know your will and follow it.
