December 8 – Micah 5:2-5

Main Focus: When we behold Jesus, we respond by resting in the peace he brings his people.

Traditionally, the second week of Advent is about peace, so we’ll turn first to Micah 5:2-5 to read a precision about the coming David king who would not just bring his people peace but himself be their peace. Then we’ll jump to John 10 to dig a little more into this shepherd title given to Jesus.

Micah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah roughly 750-700 BC, prior to the fall of the northern kingdom to Assyria in 721 BC. Here’s a 6-minute intro video on the book of Micah if you’d like more background. Micah pronounces God’s judgment on his people, especially due to their idolatry (1:7) and unjust treatment of vulnerable people (2:1-5). But as is typical of the Old Testament prophets, their messages of accusation are accompanied by messages of hope in a coming future, one in which God would act decisively to secure his people’s well-being and their enduring obedience to him.

In 5:2-5 Micah announces a future hope in the form of a coming ruler born in the same town as the archetypal king of Israel, David. Along with other Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 49, Ezekiel 34, Daniel 7, etc.) we understand this ruler to be the Messiah, God’s anointed king who ushers in a new era of human history. Read through those prophecies and you’ll notice that this king’s reign is remarkably supernatural; this is no ordinary king. We see that same curious nature here in Micah; this king’s coming forth is from ancient days, who will stand in both the strength and name of the Lord, all of which shows his close identification with Yahweh.

In discussion we’ll focus on a particular title given to the Messiah: shepherd. We’ll note all that this shepherd is promised to accomplish, reigning in strength, bringing security, and especially himself being peace for his people. This latter point is worth discussing further; what does it mean for this shepherd to be our peace? The text doesn’t unpack the term, and neither will our discussion questions, but the Hebrew word shalom that gets translated “peace” means something more than just the absence of conflict. Shalom is wholeness, nothing lacking or out of order, all things existing in harmony and benevolence, which all comes from God’s active presence.

We tend to think of peace as merely a state or a vibe, not a person, so we’ll jump to the Gospel of John to keep unpacking this shepherd terminology as applied to the Messiah. There in John 10 we’ll hear Jesus’s description of what it means for him to be a shepherd for his people. The Good Shepherd cares for his people, knows them intimately, and leads at great cost to himself. His life is given in order that we might have ultimate peace in fellowship with God.

And his comments about caring for the sheep and knowing his own will help us key in on what it might mean for Jesus to be our shepherd. All that he has to say about the cost of being the Good Shepherd, being willing to face down the wolf that would harm his flock and lay down his life in their place, is all directed towards you and me; he did all this for us, so that we might hear his voice. Thus peace is not merely a service Jesus provides for us, a sort of spiritual buoyancy, but is profoundly relational, tied right in with our willingness to heed the shepherd’s call.

Resources