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Scripture
MIcah 5:2-5a
Introduction
If you have noticed there is a common theme that has run through the prophets.
Judgement redemption.
Wesley commented once that we would not know grace if there was no judgement.
In fact you can’t have grace without judgement.
If there is no judgement then there is no need for grace.
That’s where universalism breaks down.
But we are not going down that rabbit trail this morning.
But what we have seen is a Hebrew Christmas.
That is we have seen God coming into the world to forgive the Judeans of their sin, bring them back from exile, and place them back in the promised land under a new covenant.
While it seemed to them God had abandoned them, God never forgot them and kept working in human events to redeem and restore them.
And God kept working through the oppression of Alexander the Great, Antiochus, and the Romans, and even Hitler.
God kept working, God is with us and he came to us that night in Bet Lechem.
Hebrew for hose of bread.
Bet is house lechem or lehem, means grain or food.
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם
Background
Micah’s name is an affirmation of sorts, it means “who is like YHWH.” he preached during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, some 55 years and was a contemporary of Isaiah.
Jotham and Ahaz are apostate Kings, they didn’t follow Torah or YHWH.
Hezekiah was a great reforming King bringing his subjects back to the true faith.
He accuses the people and the Kings of living an apostate lifestyle, perverting worship, and promoting injustice towards others.
the rich were becoming richer, the poor poorer.
The merchants were taking advantage of pole by unscrupulous business practices.
the poor, the widow, the orphan, the alien, were all but forgotten and the political and religious leaders were ignoring it all.
In the text that Micah preached for us just a mont ago, he claims that one is coming, a great ruler who will correct all this.
Exegesis
This ruler will be born in Bethlehem.
Matthew understands this to be a prophecy of the Christ.
Matthew 2:1-
When Joshua divided the land among the 12 tribes, Bethlehem was such an insignificant town at the time it i snot included in the list of cities for that parcel.
In fact in Micah’s time it probably held only a couple of hundred residents.
it’s claim to family, however, is that Jesse David’s ftaher lived there and David resided there as King until he moved his throne to Jerusalem.
This is a bold prophecy Micah makes.
He claims that a strong ruler, the messiah will come from Bethlehem, just like David did.
God always uses the humble places and people to partner with.
It’s never the high brow and rich.
Just as Jesus who resided and grew up in the insignificant town of Nazareth, the Messiah will be born in another insignificant town, save for David’s history there.
He also claims that this has been God’s plan for a long, long time.
Micah does say that Judah will continue to under go calamity for a while and these will be like birth pangs of a woman in labor.
But when the “kindred” or exiles return to Israel this Davidic leader will lead them like a shepherd.
And it is verse 4and 5a we will take a look at.
If you noticed Matthew combines verse 2 with this verse.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
Micah 5:4-5a
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
It was common in the ANE to compare kings to shepherds and Israel was no exception.
David, a shepherd and great King, will be followed by this Great Messianic King who will be a good shepherd as well.
This shepherd will depend totally on YHWH. he will be YHWH’s agent feeding his flock in the strength of the Lord
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
It was common in the ANE to compare kings to shepherds and Israel was no exception.
David, a shepherd and great King, will be followed by this Great Messianic King who will be a good shepherd as well.
This shepherd will depend totally on YHWH. he will be YHWH’s agent feeding his flock in the strength of the Lord. he shall be know the world over as the great King. he will be a King of peace, not of war.
The people shall live secure . . .
Application
What is security?
Were the Judeans secure?
No, not in what they thought brought security.
The were being attacked by the Assyrians.
They had already taken some 40 towns in North Judah and reduced the Northern Kingdom Israel to nothing.
The were besieging Jerusalem and things looked bleak.
But here is Micah talking about a day to come when they could really live secure because of this new ruler to come a Davidic ruler of peace who will come in the name and glory of God.
Micah tells them to face this crisis in light of the big picture he is painting.
Redemption is coming God is working.
This is the message for us as well.
Our security comes form God and understanding that God is with us although current events in our lives may not indicate that.
Problem is we don’t really trust in that.
Security is an important issue to us, isn’t it?
I ran a google search on the word security and got over 5 billion, yep you heard me, 5 billion hits!
On the first page it showed, jobs in it security, gave me several definitions of security, directed me to a page about financial security, several adds about home security.
I am surprised it did not say something about social security.
Politicians have been using that as a political football for years, making us well feel insecure, as if money really provides security anyway.
I mean we all know that there is no real security in our savings and checking accounts, our pensions or 401k’s right?
Nothing is secure that is temporal.
Politicians, insurance salesmen, military recruiters, all prey on our insecurities, because in the end we are all insecure.
Deep down we know that security doesn’t reside in us and our decisions.
in other words we cannot really make ourselves secure.
The writer of Ecclesiastes says this by remarking all is vanity.
Kansas meant this when they sang:
Now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Adam, know what the literally means?
Dust.
We are all dust, because this is all temporary.
it’s cliche, but you can’t take any of it with you.
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