A Promise to Your Child

Micah 5:2-Isaiah 7:14

I can stand on His promises

One thing I learned as a parent is to never make a promise to your child that you can't keep. When you promise children something, they will remember. And they will remind you at the most inconvenient times. Even as adults we hear promises from politicians, we make promises that we have every intention of keeping but sometimes circumstances, situations, finances can get in the way. It's not that we don't want to keep them, we just can't. The book of Micah is divided into three sections; the first sections gives a warning to Judah about continuing to live unfaithfully towards God yet still claiming to be God's people. The prophet Micah gives evidence of the people's lack of faith and predicts the destruction of Jerusalem as a consequence. The second section, however tell us of the future restoration of the people after the coming destruction including the promise of the king who will replace the flawed rulers of present; a King that will bring peace and security. The promise, the promise of a Savior; throughout the old testament prophets have prophesized about the Messiah. In 2 Samuel 7: 12 Nathan the prophet says, " And when thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his Kingdom he shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of His kingdom forever." 1 Chronicles 17:14 says, "But I will settle Him in mine house and in my kingdom forever. And His throne shall be established for ever more." Isaiah 7:14 tells us, "Therefore the lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Micah is speaking on the promise of God, he says but thou Bethlehem though thou be little among the thousands of Judah. Bethlehem the word means house of food or bread. (so appropriate that the Jesus-the bread of Life should be born in Bethlehem) You see Bethlehem was a tiny village south of Jerusalem; as a matter of fact Bethlehem was too small to be mentioned among the more than a hundred towns allotted to the tribe of Judah. But God can do a lot with a little. He can take a small jar of oil, and make barrels that overflow, He can take 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish and feed thousands, God can take a handful of meal and supply food for a woman and her son for days. God can do a lot with a little. Micah says out of this small town God's promise of the messiah was coming. But this is more than an announcement of Christ's birthplace here we have a wonderful description of his person; He is the Ruler of Israel coming out of