Micah 4:8 “And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.”

While thinking about the angel’s message to the shepherds, it is very interesting to discover that there is a strong prophetic correlation between the manger scene and the future ministry of Christ on the Cross. It is a correlation that the shepherds would have recognized immediately on that night.

The connection between Luke 2 and the above verse is amazing. Micah 5:2 revealed that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. He would be much more than a man – but He would “be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” He would be God Himself!

Bethlehem was known to be the town where the sheep were raised for the Temple sacrifices. The shepherds were specially trained to identify and protect lambs that would Biblically qualify for sacrifices. They would also know the Scriptures.

In Micah 4:8, there is mention of “tower of the flock,” which – although its location is currently unknown – was believed to have been nearer to Jerusalem than to Bethlehem. It was from this tower that shepherds could watch over the sheep and protect them from harm.

The “tower” – also known as “Migdal Eder” – may have been part of the remains of a fortress in David’s time. Part of it had a stable were sheep giving birth would be taken. After birth, they would be swaddled and laid in a manger – carved out of stone in the ground – not wood.

The sheep would also be evaluated by these temple shepherds to ensure that they qualified to be a sacrifice. The swaddling helped to ensure that they did not harm themselves and remained “without blemish” for sacrifice.

When Jesus was born, Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and then laid Him in the manger. When the shepherds were told by the angels that they would find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes and in a manger – they knew exactly where to go.

They also knew what the symbolism meant – that the One laid in the manger would one day be the perfect “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” introduced later by John, according to John 1:29. It also meant that He would be the Final Sacrifice – no other animal or other type of sacrifice would ever be accepted by God after that point.

Since Christ has fulfilled all the Scriptures required for sacrifices, and since He has been offered by God’s perfect plan for our sins – have you accepted His only Sacrifice for sins – or do you plan on paying for them yourself? Because of Jesus payment for sin on the Cross and subsequent resurrection, be aware that “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

If you would like to learn more about salvation, please follow the link.

After God gave His promise in the Garden of Eden that He would one day bring forth a Savior that would undo the curse, He also said that a sign would be given when the child would be born. Yesterday, we saw that He was prophesied to be born of a virgin. Later, God revealed where His Son would be born – in Bethlehem of Judea.

Bethlehem was a small town (“though thou be little”) that was not far from Jerusalem. The town was known as the birthplace of David. Many years before Joseph and Mary, God had told David that the Savior would come through his descendants. The people of Jesus’ day knew it and some of them said: “Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” (John 7:42).

That Christ would be born of the descendants of David was promised several times in the Bible. One of the Scriptures that had promised this centuries before Christ’s birth (and centuries after David) was Jeremiah 23:5,6: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Even though both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David, neither of them lived in Bethlehem. When the time came, God had to bring them to this little town so that Jesus could be born there.

God moved in Caesar’s heart at the right time to create a taxing of the people. When the taxing was declared, he demanded that everyone go to the birthplace of their ancestors – which brought them to Bethlehem right on time – and has God had said.

In addition to the promise that the One born in Bethlehem would be a King, note also the phrase that follows: “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This verse, as do many others, reveals that Christ was not just a human, but that He was also God – only God has lived forever past – and He will live forever in the future, too!

God also works all things out for those who will serve Him. He knows how to direct and keep each one of His children that will obey Him. He has always kept His word and will continue to do so. To His children that are saved by faith and serving Him, He says: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Christian, are you following the Lord today? Can you trust Him enough to do His will for you? Why not recommit to serve Him better this Christmas season – and beyond?