Semper Reformanda

“Bethlehem Ephratah” | The Advent of Christ | 24/25

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. Micah 5:2-4 (KJV)

Bethlehem means ‘the house of bread.’ (H1035)[1] Ephratah means ‘fruitfulness.’ (H672)[2] The Old Testament bore the promise of the messiah. But the promise never bore fruit until the coming of Christ. Spurgeon captures the essence of these two words quite poetically. He writes, “Our poor barren hearts ne’er produced one fruit, or flower, till they were watered with the Saviour blood. It is his incarnation which fattens the soil of our hearts. There had been pricking thorns on all the ground, and mortal poisons, before be came; but our fruitfulness comes from him.”[3] Micah was addressing the Israelites at a time of political turmoil. The promise of a messiah felt impossible. Piper writes, for Micah the coming of Christ was the confirmation of the promises of God.[4] And the good news is, we live in the age of the advent. Christ has already arrived. We are in the middle of the promise fulfilment. We have seen His assurance, and we have testimonies of His faithfulness. We have more witnesses to anchor our faith in, as compared to the Isreal of the Old Testament. All of God’s promises are yes in Christ.[5] We celebrate His birth because it is the confirmation of God’s promises in Christ.

[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1035/kjv/wlc/0-1/

[2] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h672/kjv/wlc/0-1/

[3] https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/the-incarnation-and-birth-of-christ/

[4] Piper, J. (2014). The Dawning of Indestructible Joy

[5] 2 Cor. 1:20

“And this man shall be the peace” | The Advent of Christ | 23/25

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. Micah 5:4-5 (KJV)

It will be great if there were no hunger or poverty in the world. It will be great if there were no wars or hatred among people. And perhaps, by the end of humanity Christ will restore such peace on earth. But for now, there is a peace that he is busy restoring; that is a peace between us and YHWH. Yes! There is great evil in this world; greedy capitalists, politicians, terrorists, et cetera. But there is a greater evil, there is sin and punishment. It manifests in our relentless unbelief; we may know God intellectually but may feel far from him in our inner most selves. Christ came to restore this peace, between sin and the Holy wrath of God. Peace on earth will be established after there is peace between us and God. The advent is a wonderful reminder that the Son of God came to establish an everlasting peace, tied to Him, and through Him, in an eternal bond.

“They shall be (my) people” | The Advent of Christ | 22/25

I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. Hebrews 8:4-10 (KJV)

Old Testament worship pointed towards the heaven. The rituals referred to higher realities. With Christ, there is a fulfilment of the OT that transcends impersonal transactions through the Law. He fixes our desires. Israel repeated fail the old covenant because it is not in our natural desires to worship God. The new covenant is personal. It is initiated with an internal transformation. Worship is not performative. It becomes the character of a new identity. The advent is a wonderful reminder of this blessed state, this affordance to actual desire God and godliness in our lives.