Dan Herold | Micah 5:2-5a | December 20, 2015
(Sermon starts at 17:04)
In western Wisconsin, not far from the Mississippi river, there’s a small unincorporated community called Herold, Wisconsin. It’s kind of hard to find if you aren’t familiar with the area because it’s a few miles from the nearest city and that nearest city only has a population today of somewhere between 700-900 people. The community consists of a couple farms and not much else other than the sign along side the road that lets you know that you are in Herold. I’ve known about this little place for just about my whole life, but other than my wife I’d be surprised if anyone else had ever heard of it. That little town that no one has ever heard of is pretty special to me though. It’s the place where my ancestors lived and farmed, it’s where my dad grew up, and it’s where my uncle Donnie lived when I was little. There are pictures of my dad and I standing next to the town sign and one day hopefully there will be pictures of me and my children by that sign. But, if you were to visit Herold, you’d probably wonder what’s so great about this tiny, seemingly insignificant little town.
Today we read about a little town in Israel that God chose to be the birthplace of his Son. He told us about his selection through the prophet Micah in verse 2 of our text:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.”
God’s selection of Bethlehem is an excellent object lesson that shows us how even the things that seem insignificant can play a big role in God’s plans. As we see how God chose Bethlehem and worked out the salvation of the world through that small town, we can better appreciate that he also chooses us to be his own and works out his good and gracious will in our lives as well.
Historians tell us that only a couple of hundred people lived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the New Testament. Doesn’t it seem strange to you that God didn’t choose Jerusalem, the nation’s capital and largest city, the center of commerce and political power, where people of royalty and wealth and influence lived? Why did he choose a little farming village for such a great event as the birth of the Savior?
It shouldn’t surprise us though. God has a long history of using the least likely people to accomplish his purposes. God chose young David over his older brothers who seemed to be more qualified to begin Israel’s royal line, and he chose one of the smallest of Judah’s towns to be the birthplace of the Savior in the beginning of the New Testament.
God often seems to use insignificant people to accomplish his great plans. His choice of Abraham and his favor toward Israel, a nation which continuously rebelled against God, were unlikely by our standards. Moses wondered, why anyone would have picked him to lead a nation. People must have doubted that Galilean fishermen could lay the foundation for the Christian church. In the Gospel reading Elizabeth greets Mary with words of praise, but Mary is awed that God wants to bother with her and her low estate in life.
God’s choice of Bethlehem is part of a pattern that continues throughout the New Testament. St. Paul describes the people of the early church in the same kind of terms in 1 Corinthians 1.
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
God’s choice of Bethlehem reminds us that we can’t be too little or too insignificant for God to bless and to use in his plans. What a great reminder it is to us when we feel the load of our guilt or the consequences of our sin. Our place in his kingdom doesn’t depend on our greatness, but on his.
And there’s also a warning here for any of us who might be caught up in the pursuit of our own greatness. We tend to apply the “bigger is better” idea to just about everything—even our churches. We are tempted to trust in our wisdom and accomplishments so much that we no longer depend on God’s mighty power—but the miracle that happened at Bethlehem reminds us how much we need our Lord.
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God’s object lesson in choosing Bethlehem is filled with beautiful pictures of him blessing his people. The name Bethlehem means “house of bread,” and that’s a fitting description. Its valleys were full of wheat and barley. It’s hillsides were grazing lands for sheep and goats. Crops like almonds, figs, olives, and pomegranates grew there. And in John chapter 6 Jesus—who was born in that house of bread, Bethlehem— describes himself as the “bread of life.”
Because man does not live by bread alone Jesus came to us while we were wrapped up in working to get things that won’t last and he said,
“I am the Bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.”
What makes up your spiritual diet? If it is Jesus, the bread of life, then Micah assures us,
“He will be your peace.”
But, like all towns, Bethlehem’s borders contained its fair share of sorrow as well. It was the location of a burial stone that was a monument to a great love and a great loss. In the Old Testament, Jacob’s wife Rachel, for whom he had worked 14 years, died in Bethlehem. She died as she gave birth to their son Benjamin. Years later Jacob would still mourn as he remembered her. Centuries later, when thousands of Jews were led off to captivity in Babylon, it was as if the mother of Israel was still heard weeping. Jeremiah lamented,
“A voice is heard in Ramah… Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.”
Years later this same prophecy would be remembered and repeated — as King Herod killed the innocent children of Bethlehem in his attempt to get rid of Jesus.
God’s choice of Bethlehem, with its sad history, reminds us of how God comforts us when we are sad. In the midst of personal mourning and sadness, Jesus comes to us. Israel may have appeared to be abandoned, Micah admits, but there was no defeat there. When the Ruler comes, the scattered people of God will live securely under this Savior who brings us peace. There are many hurts and disappointments in our lives, but we can lift up our heads because our Savior is here for each of us.
But the greatest message of this little town is in its kingly significance. Here David, the shepherd boy was born and later anointed by Samuel to become the greatest king Israel ever had. Through David Israel conquered all its enemies, extended its borders, established peace and brought about a time of spiritual renewal. All this, though, was only a foreshadowing of the greater King to come. A census by Caesar Augustus would bring Mary and Joseph to this City of David where the King of kings would be born.
God’s choice of Bethlehem reminds us that in all of life’s uncertainties God is in control. He directs all things for our good — especially for our salvation. Our savior, who was born in this little town of Bethlehem, is with us and at the same time has gone before us into heaven and we can live securely through him.
Bethlehem really is a special lesson in God’s grace, as “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in” it through the birth of Jesus, the Savior. Let it be our prayer, too, not just at Christmas but as we walk with our Lord throughout the year: “Oh, come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel.”
Amen.