JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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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.
A Ruler from Bethlehem
2*But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.
3The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then at last his fellow countrymen
will return from exile to their own land.
4And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.
5And he will be the source of peace.
When the Assyrians invade our land
and break through our defenses,
we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us,
eight princes to lead us.
From the very beginning, God promised a Messiah, a Savior, who would come and rescue the people from their sin and brokenness. He would bring them back to a relationship with God. The details of the Messiah weren’t given all at once, but in pieces. Micah and the people of Israel and Judah were facing punishment for years of disobedience. They would soon be taken into exile. Before that happened, God gave his people another glimpse of the coming Messiah, which was a message of hope amid despair.
Bethlehem wasn’t a big or important city… there’s a reason we call it “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” However, it was the hometown of David, another king who was born in humble circumstances. Having Jesus enter the world in the “city of David” (Luke 2:11) emphasized that he was the promised descendant of David, the branch of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1).
Even though God told his people where they could find the Savior, he also told them that they would have to wait. Hundreds of years passed before Jesus was born, and Micah’s prophecy was finally used to determine where the Magi could find the Messiah (Matthew 2:1-6). The Magi were wise men from the East who followed a star to find and worship Jesus.
God works in ways we may not understand, through unexpected people or places. Although we might have to be patient with his timeframe, we can trust that he is always at work. No matter how long we wait, God always comes through. He offers hope to us because his promises are sure. God never abandons his people. We can say this with full confidence as we look at the manger in the small town of Bethlehem.
1. What promises did God make about the Messiah in these verses? How did he keep those promises when Jesus was born?
2. How has God proved himself to be faithful in your own life?