Some say that The Old Testament contains over 400 prophecies about the coming Messiah. Others place the number at around 300. This number may be correct but I will teach you about the most relevant ones on this series of my evening devotional.
Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled these prophetic writings and the odds of that happening are just incredible.
Mathematics & Astronomy Professor Peter W. Stoner chances of just 8 prophecies has made the statement that the (like these) coming true by sheer chance is 1 in 10 to 17 (100,000,000,000,000,000). That would be equivalent to covering the whole state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep and then expecting a blindfolded man to walk across the state and on the very first try find the ONE coin you marked (roughly equivalent to the Province of Ontario being 1.5 feet deep and Quebec about 1 foot deep).
Today we see a very specific prophecy about the birthplace of the Messiah.
Bethlehem Ephrathah
Micah 5:2 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.
In the New Testament the gospels start with the fulfilment of this prophecy. In Micah 5:2, we see prophecy revealed that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah, the ruler of Israel. This prophecy was written about 700 years before the birth of Jesus
Luke 2:4-6 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[a] who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
Because Jesus’ first years were spent in Nazareth, it was assumed by some that he was born there as well. In John 1:46, Nathanael said about Jesus to Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” We know also that “The Messiah would be called a Nazarene.”
Herod felt threatened
Concerned that his rule would be threatened by this “king of the Jews,” Herod convened a committee of those “in the know” and asked them about the Messiah’s birthplace. They gave a unanimous answer: Bethlehem, in Judea, and in proof they cited the prophet Micah.
The location, Bethlehem, was an open secret, having been predicted by the prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah. But Micah offered further details that should’ve given Herod pause. The Messiah had existed since before ancient times and would be king and shepherd to his people, ruling the whole earth in the name and majesty of God.
When Matthew wrote his Gospel, he was bringing incredible news. He quoted prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures to make his point that our long-awaited Messiah had come and His name was Jesus
Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.
Matthew alters “Bethlehem Ephrathah” to “Bethlehem, in the land of Judah” – which is the same place, and specifies which of the two Bethlehems was meant – in order to underscore that it was Judah and not some other place, the very land of the tribe of Judah, from whom the Messiah was expected to come.
How beautiful to see this prophecy from 700 years’ prior being fulfilled in Christ!
The Messiah - born in Bethlehem