What to Expect When You're Expecting

December 15, 2020

What to Expect When You're Expecting

Micah 5:2-5

Emily Bradberry

Central Truth

From the very beginning, God promised to send a Messiah to rescue humanity from its sin. He would accomplish this in a seemingly insignificant location. We see that God's promises are always sure, even when He works in ways and in time frames that we may not understand.

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.

2 ^{1

5:2
Ch 5:1 in Hebrew} 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.

When the Assyrian comes into our land
and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
and eight princes of men;

Footnotes

[1] 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew

I grew up in a small suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, called Fayetteville. It is not a one-blinking-yellow-light kind of town, but still one that many people from Georgia have never heard of. About seven years ago, a production company from Los Angeles bought a cow pasture and built a movie studio. Now, movies like The Avengers and The Hunger Games are filmed in Fayetteville. This family-centered city went from a no-name town to one being referenced on late-night television.

Over and over again in Scripture, we see God using the most unlikely people and circumstances to bring forth His plan of redemption. Micah and the people of Israel and Judah were facing punishment for years of the people's disobedience. They would soon be taken into exile. Before this happened, God gave a piece of information about the long-awaited Messiah. This information was a message of hope in the midst of despair.

Bethlehem was a town not even worth mentioning. If the Israelites had smartphones, they would have needed to zoom in a few times before the name Bethlehem would even pop up on the map.

Can you imagine the excitement and confusion from this prophecy? Bethlehem. Really, God? Even though the Israelites held the truth that Messiah would come, the people grew weary and failed to trust in God's plan. We can easily read these verses and flip a few books over to the end of the story in the New Testament, but the Israelites had to wait hundreds of years for the fulfillment of this prophecy.

You may be in a season of waiting and weariness. Waiting is never easy, especially when you cannot see any change. Just like God did not forget the Israelites, God has not forgotten you. We can trust that no matter how long we wait, God always remains faithful. The results may not look the way we anticipated or desired, but God never abandons His people. As the people looked toward this tiny city for hope, we can look confidently at the person of Jesus—who is our hope.

1. Have you found yourself feeling weary of waiting for God to show up or answer your prayers? What truths about God does this prophecy teach us?

2. How has God fulfilled His promises in your own life? Which promises of God do you have a hard time believing? How can you begin to remember the ways in which God is faithful daily?

3. What would it look like for you to expectantly wait for God to answer a prayer or show up in your current situation? How can you celebrate this Advent season with a spirit of expectancy?