“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55:8-9
Once again, we see how the smallest and least significant of places, Bethlehem, becomes the ancestral place of the birth of Jesus. The Bible is replete with upside-down explanations.
Young David, the least honored of his clan, becomes the King of Israel and leader of a mighty nation. Then he becomes part of the lineage of Jesus. Jacob, the second born twin (Esau’s brother) also becomes an ancestor in the chosen lineage of Jesus. Then of course, there are the scorned women- Rahab, Ruth, Tamar, and Bathsheba, all of whom had stories not expected in a royal lineage.
The list goes on. Unexpected people who play a major role in a holy story- because the story is one of a savior who does not find race, ethnicity, wealth, privilege or bloodline to be a preferential value in his Kingdom economy.
Ah, but we have corrupted the story, right? We are “respecters of persons”. We rank privilege and race as demarcations of preference. We think that because of heritage, perhaps we have a corner on the truth.
Let’s remember that the last shall be first, and first shall be last. What appears right to mankind is not always the way God sees things. Remember the principle of paradox. God’s economy differs from ours. The beginning of wisdom is humility- the humility to know that God’s plans and ways are higher than ours…
Prayer: Lord, gives us wisdom to be able to see your way, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 