Wednesday
Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod. 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 old, from ancient times.
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.
(Micah 5:1-5a, NIV)
As we noted in last week’s verses, Micah was a prophet used by the Lord to pronounce judgment against both Israel and Judah. He is especially sensitive to issues of injustice that plague the poor of his day, and his prophecies demonstrate how injustice is linked to idolatry. When commandments one through four are broken, commandments five through ten will be as well!
Yet Micah also prophesizes that the Lord will pardon the penitent, and promises that the Messiah will lead the faithful. Today’s verses reveal a few of the details of God’s plan for his Son, the Messiah. The promised “ruler over Israel” will come from Bethlehem and he will “shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord.” Micah then elaborates on what the Messiah’s reign would mean for the faithful: “they will live securely… and he will be their peace” (vv. 4-5a). The shepherd imagery, the vision of security in a world without fear – these are the repeated promises of the Old Testament prophets.
Jesus’ references to his role as a shepherd and his care for his sheep were designed to establish his links to Old Testament prophecy. He is the promised Good Shepherd. He is the “peace” for his people, a fulfillment affirmed by the Apostle Paul when he wrote that “he [Jesus] himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for the gift of your Son, the promised ruler from Bethlehem, who is our shalom. Help us to look only to Jesus to find true fulfillment. Amen.