“‘But
you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of
Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Matthew 2:6
King Herod and his family were converted Jews. The Roman government installed him as ruler
over Judah. He was a wicked man who had members of his own family and many
great rabbis killed to satisfy his immense ambition. He was greatly disturbed at the statements of
certain Magi who had stopped in Jerusalem seeking directions: “Where is the one who has been born king of
the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” He called in the chief priests and teachers
of the law and asked where this king of the Jews was to be born so he could go
and worship him himself. Their answer
was to quote the minor prophet Micah which we read above. While it is not an exact quote of the verse
in Micah, we do find that they have combined the basic thought from verses 2
& 4 (* See Micah 5:2,4 below).
The thing that jumps out at me from this verse in Matthew is
that the king of the Jews will be a shepherd to his flock. God knows His creation needs to be led. History proves man is incapable of making the
right choice when it comes to life decisions.
We allow too many outside influences to distract us, causing us to step
off our path onto a tangent. Like sheep
we follow wherever we are led. Who our
shepherd is makes all the difference in the world. Israel needed shepherding and by extension,
so do we. The Lord Jesus came into the
world to teach us how we should act toward others. His main reason for coming was to because the
sacrifice necessary to expunge man’s entire sin debt. He did it with His own blood.
Believers around the world should know that succumbing to
Christ’s leadership is necessary to become all God knows we can be. Being “saved” isn’t a one and done endeavor, get
forgiven, then go on your merry way. It’s
a lifelong relationship with the creator of all that exists. It must be cultivated as we would a
garden. Allow Christ to shepherd you as
you seek to live like Him. Until next
time, walk with the King and be a blessing!!
* Micah 5:2 “But
you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who
will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
Micah 5:4 “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.”
[New International
Version (NIV)]
