2005-12-07 - Who Could Fill These Sandals?

Part 1 - Originally Published 1997-12-03

If I was I betting man, I would wager you a small sum that you will receive at least one Christmas Card this year with the verse Micah 5:2 on the card. A great verse, no doubt. But think about it, just who is this Baby that was born in Bethlehem, and gee, lots of babies were born in Bethlehem. What's the big deal? What I am saying is, just because Jesus was born in Bethlehem, does that make Him the Savior? If you are just investigating Christ and Christianity you might say, "Come on, give me more evidence." Glad you asked. Sure, the probability of one man fulfilling one prophecy is pretty high. Tens of thousands of people were born in Bethlehem since Micah 5:2. Over the next few weeks, let's look at over fifty other prophecies fulfilled by this baby we call Jesus. Let's see how many people can meet all these requirements to be our Lord and Savior.

He is to be born in Bethlehm

Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah, from you will come one who will rule Israel for me. He comes from very old times, from days long ago.

Matthew 2:1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. When Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.

He is to be a descendant of Abraham

Genesis 22:18 Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed, because you obeyed me."

Matthew 1:1 This is the family history of Jesus Christ. He came from the family of David, and David came from the family of Abraham.

He is to be a descendant of David

Psalm 132:11 The LORD made a promise to David, a sure promise that he will not take back. He promised, "I will make one of your descendants rule as king after you.

Romans 1:3 The Good News is about God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David.

He is to be from the Tribe of Judah

Genesis 49:10 Kings will come from Judah's family; someone from Judah will always be on the throne. Judah will rule until Shiloh comes, and the nations will obey him.

Hebrews 7:14 It is clear that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests belonging to that tribe.

He is to be from Nazareth

Matthew 2:22-23 After being warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee, ²³ to a town called Nazareth, and lived there. And so what God had said through the prophets came true: "He will be called a Nazarene."

John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the man that Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

I made an A in Statistics in College, and it seems to me, that one man fulfilling just these five prophecies is pretty incredible, and statistically the probability must be getting close to 1 in at least several million that one man could fit this bill. If I had more data, we could figure it; maybe one of our readers will do that! But there is more! And the more Jesus fulfills, the more likely He is the Anointed One.

He is to be born of a virgin, and His name will be Immanuel

Isaiah 7:14 The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel.

Matthew 1:20 & 23 While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, descendant of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit." ²³ "The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel," which means 'God is with us.'"

He is to go to Egypt, then return to Israel

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.

Matthew 2:13-15 After they left, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, because Herod is starting to look for the child, so he can kill him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to return." ¹⁴ So Joseph got up and left for Egypt during the night, with the child and his mother.¹⁵ And Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This happened to bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet: "I called my son out of Egypt."

Young babies are to die, in an attempt to kill Jesus at His birth

Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the LORD says: "A voice was heard in Ramah of painful crying and deep sadness: Rachel crying for her children. She refused to be comforted, because her children are dead!"

Matthew 2:16-17 When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was furious. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem, and in the surrounding area, who were two years old or younger. This was in keeping with the time he learned from the wise men.¹⁷ So what God had said through the prophet Jeremiah came true.

Next week we will look at some more evidence to narrow the odds down even further, to see that only Jesus Christ could fill the sandals of our Lord and Savior.

Father, keep pressing on us the desire to know your Son Jesus better. Press us not to just know about Him, but to really Know Him. Father, we praise You and thank You for sending us the most undeserved and most wonderful gift ever to be so freely given, Your Son Jesus Christ, in HIS name we pray, Amen

Comments or Questions?
David

david@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org