Micah 5:1-15: a reflection

1Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek. 2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times. 3Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel. 4He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. They will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth. 5He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men. 6They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border. 7The remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, that don’t wait for man nor wait for the sons of men. 8The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver. 9Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries, and let all of your enemies be cut off. 10“It will happen in that day”, says the LORD, “that I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots. 11I will cut off the cities of your land and will tear down all your strongholds. 12I will destroy witchcraft from your hand. You shall have no soothsayers. 13I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars from among you; and you shall no more worship the work of your hands. 14I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you; and I will destroy your cities. 15I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that didn’t listen.”

In the midst of threat and siege, Micah gives a promise of hope, pointing to a small and unlikely place: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient days. From little, overlooked Bethlehem would come the ruler who would shepherd his people in the strength of the LORD; and, Micah says, he shall be their peace.

Notice where God chose to bring forth the promised ruler: not from a great city, but from small, insignificant Bethlehem. God delights to bring great things from small and overlooked places; the ruler who would shepherd his people and be their peace came not from the seats of power, but from a little town easily passed over. And this ruler, Micah foretells, would not be a warrior only, but a shepherd, and himself the peace of his people.

That promise was fulfilled in Christ, born in Bethlehem, the shepherd-king who is our peace. And it holds a double encouragement. First, God works through the small and overlooked; do not despise small places, small beginnings, small and unnoticed people, for God brings his great purposes from such as these. And second, and above all, the ruler promised from Bethlehem is our peace. In a world of threat and unrest, Christ himself is our peace, the shepherd who leads us in the strength of God. Look to him who came from Bethlehem, and find in him the peace that Micah promised, the shepherd-king who is himself our peace.

Lord, in the midst of threat, Micah promised that from small, overlooked Bethlehem would come the ruler who would shepherd his people, and that he would be their peace, a promise fulfilled in Christ. Encourage me with this. You delight to bring great things from small and overlooked places; the shepherd-king came not from the seats of power, but from a little town easily passed over. Keep me from despising small places, small beginnings, small and unnoticed people, for you bring your purposes from such as these. And thank you, above all, that the ruler promised from Bethlehem is our peace. In a world of threat and unrest, Christ himself is my peace, the shepherd who leads me in your strength. Help me look to him who came from Bethlehem, and find in him the peace that Micah promised. Be my peace, Lord Jesus, my shepherd and my king.