Verbal Spark!

While we can find a few examples of the audacious liberties of the writer of Matthew, considering it is the Christmas season, the supposed time of or at least time of reflection of the birth of the one called Jesus, taking a look Matthew 2:5-6 will suffice for now. There it is written:

“So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Many Christians are fond of telling the critic to take context (of their scriptures) into consideration, but as we will see, they need to realize that within their own “inspired” scripture the writer of Matthew paid little attention to context. He clearly had an agenda and it was to prove to his Jewish audience that Jesus was the anointed messiah of the Jews. He sought to prove this at all costs even if it meant making up stories (Matthew 27:52 and 53) r in this case, picking out pieces of scriptures to push his agenda.

To the Christian, the writer of the book of Matthew is quoting what is supposed to be a prophecy predicting the birth of Jesus. Fact is, he isn’t. This is what he wants the gullible to believe, that is, that Micah chapter 5 (where the quote is derived) is a prophecy predicting the birth and birthplace of Jesus. Upon closer observation, taking context into consideration and a little history, Micah chapter 5 was not looking 700 years into the future.

First of all, Micah was an Israelite prophet who lived during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, 700 years before the time of Christ. Hezekiah’s reign was marked by a serious threat from the Assyrians under the leadership of king Sennacharib who even went as far as beseiging the city of Jerusalem in an attempt to starve the inhabitants before taking the city. Somewhere in all of this or more like prior to this with the apparent news of the Assyrian advance on Jerusalem, Micah in the role of prophet, there to give moral support gives his famous prediction. His prediction was CLEARLY meant for the immediate future.

After making a clarion call for Judah’s troops to amass and then babbling off some vague open ended renderings common to “prophets,” he gets to the point. He foresaw a messiah arising from the family of Ephrathah, one who has ties to an ancient legacy. That he is NOT speaking of Jesus is clear from the fact that this hero would arise ‘…When the Assyrian comes into our land…’ (Micah 5:5) and He shall deliver us from the Assyrian,
When he comes into our land
And when he treads within our borders (Micah 5:6).