Micah 4:14, 5:1-4a
Now, we have come to the eve of the solemn feast of
the Nativity of the Lord. During these past Advent days, we have reflected that
Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father, comes an infinitively long way
over eons of time span, as God the Father had planned to have His Son appear in
the human flesh of Jesus, as Emmanuel, which means God with us, even before the
time, before the Creation. And, He made it clear in response to Adam and Eve
fell to temptation by Satan that Christ the Son will come as the Son of the
woman and destroy Satan, the source of corrupting the humanity with sin, as
indicated in Genesis 3:15.
We have also reflected that the woman, through whom
Christ the Son, will come out is a virgin, as Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and he
shines as the great light in the world of darkness of sins, as Davidic King,
who is also called wonderful counselor, God-hero, and prince of peace (Isaiah
9:1-6).
So, who is this virgin to give birth to Christ so
that he comes to us in the human flesh, being the critical instrument for God
to make the Logos-Theos (Word-God)
incarnated (made into flesh) to let him live among us (John 1:1, 14)?
It is Mary, whose lineage trances to the Levites
priests, given her family connection to Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, the
priest. God the Father, even before the time and the Creation, as Blessed Pope
Pius IX indicated in his 1854 Ineffabilis
Deus, designated Mary to serve Him as the Theotokos, the mother of the Son of God, the Christ, making her the
Immaculate Conception, to ensure the Christ incarnate has the unblemished
flesh. And, this truth of Mary being the
one to share her flesh for the incarnation and theophany of Christ was revealed
to the very woman, Mary, directly by Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Luke
1:26-38). Though at first anxious, Mary accepted the Annunciation of her
mission to serve as the handmaid of God, fulfilling the role of the Theotokos, the mother of the Son of God,
with her fiat, “May it be done to me
according to your Word (Luke 1:38)”.
When God made it clear this to Mary, she was already
betrothed to Joseph, whose lineage is Davidic (Matthew 1:6-16, 1:20), through
Angel Gabriel, it was also made known to Joseph, as well, by Gabriel, calling
him to accept Mary with the Son of God in her womb, as his legal wife, and
Joseph consented to this (Matthew 1:18-25).
With Gabriel’s announcements to Mary and Joseph, the
holy couple, it was made clear how the prophecies of Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 7:14,
and 9:1-6, will be fulfilled, nine months before it took place.
Now, there is one important thing about the coming
of the incarnated Christ that we have not reflected yet. And it is about where
this fulfillment of the birth of the incarnated Christ out of Mary will take
place.
Actually, it was before Assyria destroyed the
Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom upon the division of the original Kingdom
of Israel after Solomon) in 722BC, perhaps, around the time when Ahaz was king
of Judah (Southern Kingdom), Prophet
Micah indicated that it will be Bethlehem in his prophecy.
When God made it clear about the virgin birth of the
incarnated Christ through Isaiah during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, the
house of David (Isaiah 7:14), it was a time of dark gloom (Isaiah 9:1). So, it
was also during that dark time in the history of Israel, thus said Prophet
Micah:
Now grieve, O grieving daughter! “They have laid siege against us!” With the rod they strike on the cheek the ruler of Israel. Micah 4:14
The Assyrians have already laid siege against the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel, because this kingdom, also known as Ephraim, had been far more sinful and spiritually corrupted from its kings down to its people, compared to its southern counterpart, Kingdom of Judah, though Ahaz, king of Judah, at that time was also sinful and corrupt. So, Micah prophesized that Israel will be attacked by Assyria as a divine punishment .
On the other hand, in terms of the Southern Kingdom,
Judah…
But
you Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come
forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them p until the time when she
who is to give birth has borne, then the rest of his kindred shall return to
the children of Israel.
Micah 5:1-2
In the above words of God through Prophet Micah, it
is said, “But you, Judah (in which there is the region of Ephrathah, that has
the town of Bethlehem), you will not be punished like Israel (your northern
counterpart), because the savior, the Messiah, the Christ, whose origin traces
before the time and the Creation (i.e. John 1:1; Proverbs 8; 22-31), will be
born in you!
Ephrathah?
Perhaps, this geographical name rather sounds unfamiliar, unless you are
so familiar with the Holy Land. But, if you are an ardent student of the Word
of God, then, you may recall that Ephrathah is mentioned in David’s Psalm, in
Psalm 132:6, as he was thinking of the permanent dwelling place for God. It is,
indeed, the specific are where David grew up, where he tended the sheep of his
father, Jesse, as a child. And Bethlehem is in this area. So, Ephrathah,
Bathlehem, and David, all of these are related to each other. And, in this
prophecy of Micah on the birth of Christ, by telling the birth place of Christ
as Bethlehem in Ephrathah, it is indicating Christ’s Davidic connection, in
line with Matthew 1:1-16 and 2 Samuel 7:5-16 and Isaiah 9:6.
Bethlehem-Ephrathah not only represents a
geographical region of Ephrathah, in which Bethlehem is located, but also the
lineage of David, whose hometown is Bethlehem. Because of this, the Kingdom of Judah, the
Southern Kingdom, will not share the same fate with the Kingdom of Israel, the
Northern Kingdom. So, God made it clear
not only the incarnated Christ will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) but also
this birth will take place in Bethlehem, in the region of Ephrathah of the
Kingdom of Judah, the house of David.
So, the darkness of gloom, which includes the destruction of the Kingdom
of Israel, will be over upon this birth of Christ. Until Christ’s birth out of
Mary in Bethlehem, God will “give them up”(Micah 5:2a) by hiding his face from
the Israelites (Micah 3:4).
So, the birth of Christ out of Mary means God
turning His face back to His people. And, upon this, those who have scattered
in the darkness shall return as they find Christ!
Micah further prophesized:
He
shall take his place as shepherd by the strength of the Lord, by the majestic
name of the Lord, his God; and they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth: he shall be peace
(Micah 5:3-4a).
Now, the Son born of Mary, the incarnated
Christ, is reaffirmed to serve his Father,
as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) to assure the peaceful pasture for God’s
sheep, us, by the majestic name of our Lord God. Yes, the incarnated Christ is the Good
Shepherd (John 10:11) and the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6), indeed!
So, we know now that the incarnated Christ will
arrive in Bethlehem, in the region of Ephrathah, of the Kingdom of Judah, the
house of David, when Mary’s virgin pregnancy is due.
Are our hearts set in Bethlehem to welcome the
incarnated Christ, brought by Mary and Joseph?
Are our hearts ready to provide a comfortable and peaceful room for the
incarnated Christ at his theophany in his holy family?
We now only have less than a day.
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