He Will Be Our Peace | Advent Day 8
Daily Scripture Reading: Micah 5:4-5
Micah, whose name means “Who is like Yahweh?,” is one of twelve minor prophets. He was a native of Moresheth, a village twenty miles from Jerusalem.
Micah has been called “the defender of the poor” because of his prophecy over Israel and Judah during a period of self-serving rulers, corrupt judges, and idolatrous people around 730 BC. Micah foretold the destruction of the armies of the Assyrians to Israel’s king.
In the backdrop of faithless and corrupt rulers, Micah peers into the future 700 years to contemplate the Bethlehem birth of Jesus, the perfect ruler and Shepherd-King. Consider the description of our Messiah King that will “shepherd his flock,” meaning to teach and to rule as a good shepherd with wisdom, care, and love. This Messianic King will accomplish this by divine power in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God while bringing peace (Shalom) to his people.
As John Wesley wrote, “the standing position of the Shepherd speaks of the readiness, cheerfulness, and stability of Christ, His government, and kingdom. His church, made up of converted Jews and Gentles, shall continue; the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. For the church is so redeemed and established that Christ might be glorified throughout the world” (Wesley, 384). The figure of the seven shepherds and eight leaders of men denotes the significance of an all sufficient and more than adequate provision for every need.
Prayer
Everlasting Father, we are humbled when we recognize that Lord Jesus is in every book of the Old Testament, indicating that His origin is from ancient days. May our lives be marked with watchfulness, faithfulness, and joyful expectation of the “blessed hope” that awaits us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.