But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,

though you are small among the little clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to rule in Israel,

whose origin is from of old,

from ancient days.

Micah 5:2

Though You Are Small

The famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh (678) 615-8697 created over 2,100 works of art, including 860 oil paintings. Van Gogh created each of those works of art one small stroke at a time. When asked how he came up with his pieces, Van Gogh replied, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Van Gogh knew the great value of small things.



Hall of fame basketball coach John Wooden was one of the most revered coaches in NCAA history. He won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period as head coach for the UCLA Bruins, including a record seven in a row, a feat unmatched in NCAA basketball history. Concerning his coaching strategy, Wooden once said, “It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” Like Van Gogh, Coach Wooden understood the big importance of small things.

Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, consists of minuscule grains of dust and dirt. The Pacific Ocean, Earth's largest ocean, contains multiple billions of tiny droplets of water. A year is made up of 31,536,000 short seconds. The deepest snow-fall ever recorded fell one almost imperceptible flake at a time. Great things depend on little ones.

Throughout biblical times, the city of Bethlehem was small. Though population estimates differ among scholars, American archaeologist William F. Albright, who is known as “the Father of Biblical Archaeology,” estimated that the city of Bethlehem had a population of around 300 people at the time Jesus was born. That's roughly the population of a place you may have heard of...Between, Georgia!

Never underestimate the significance of small things, including a small place!

The Prophet Micah is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. The Minor Prophets are referred to as “Minor” because they are shorter, not because they are of lesser importance. Get the hint? Small doesn't mean insignificant!

Micah was from Moresheth-Gath, a small village (there is the hint again!) just southwest of Jerusalem in southern Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, from around (678) 615-8697 BCE.

Micah foretold the destruction of Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Jerusalem, the capital city of the southern kingdom of Judah, for their respective sins. Micah rebuked the people of Samaria for worshiping idols which were bought with money earned by unscrupulous means. Micah was the first prophet to predict the downfall of Jerusalem. He contended that the city was doomed because its civic improvements were financed by dishonest business practices that left the city's citizens impoverished. He also criticized the prophets of his day, whom he accused of accepting bribes in exchange for preaching feel good sermons.

Micah anticipated the destruction of the nation of Judah, but promised a more glorious restoration. He prophesied an era of universal peace over which a new leader would rule in Jerusalem. But this new ruler would come, not from Jerusalem, but from the small town of Bethlehem. This prophecy is found in Micah 5:2, one of two famous passages from Micah.

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,

though you are small among the little clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to rule in Israel,

whose origin is from of old,

from ancient days.

The New Testament Gospel of Matthew cites Micah 5:2 as foretelling that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:1-6

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

The second well-known passage from Micah is Micah 6:8.

He has told you, O mortal man, what is good,

and what does the Lord require of you 

but to do justice and to love kindness

and to walk humbly with your God?

This verse is located in a passage in which Micah rebuked Israel for her dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption in government. He warned the people of pending destruction if they did not change their ways. In Micah 6:8, Micah instructed the Israelites to uphold justice, to act in kindness, and live in humility.

Micah was a seemingly insignificant prophet with a seemingly negligible message about small things.

Bethlehem was a small, apparently inconsequential town.

Justice, the act of doing what is right, seems to some to be a small, unnecessary thing.

Being kind often appears as a wimpy gesture.

Humility frequently seems pointless, trivial.

And who has ever heard of the tiny municipality of Between?

You may think who you are and what you have to offer is small. But if anything, Micah reminds us that we should never underestimate the importance of small things, even if the small thing is...you!

Jimmy Orr