Read Micah 5:2

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. 

One of the most incredible things about God’s prophecies is how He sometimes gives great details of what He will do. There are actually two very specific prophecies about Bethlehem regarding the Messiah. Besides our verse above, see also Jeremiah 31:15 which is a prophecy about the children of Bethlehem being killed – we will study this a bit more in a later lesson.

It did not matter where Mary and Joseph were living when Jesus was conceived (a later study). God had promised Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and God would make that happen without picking Mary and Joseph up and spiriting them to Bethlehem just in time for Jesus to be born. 

Do you believe God knows or controls the smallest details of your life? And if He does, are you still able to make choices for yourself? You cannot choose everything in your life. For example, you could not choose who your parents were or who your siblings are. Yet, these relationships have the largest influence of your life in what choices you can make about who you want to be. God’s plan will work out – your choices determine whether you want Him to work out everything for good for you.

*What bad thing in your life have you seen God turn into good?