Read: Micah 5:1-9
And he shall be their peace. (v. 5)
Micah’s prophecy took place in an age of empires. Micah was a prophet in the 700s BC, a time when the Assyrians conquered Israel and invaded Judah. God’s people had for centuries taken his supernatural protection for granted. They suddenly felt very vulnerable (v. 1). Tragically, they responded by reaching for alliances with pagan political powers instead of trusting God. Through Micah, God tells his people that their salvation wouldn’t come from Assyria, Babylon, Egypt or any world superpower. It would come from . . . the little town of Bethlehem.
In the face of global political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and ecological upheaval, it’s easy to feel vulnerable. The world’s problems are so big and we are so small. It’s natural to look for someone or something big and powerful to trust—that president, this leader, or that empire. The problem is that their peace always comes at the cost of someone else’s. God offers something different—restoration and true peace, shalom, for all the nations (vv. 7-9).
The peace God promised through Micah did not come from a world superpower; it came from a Savior (vv. 2-5). This Savior would be born not in the capital but the little town of Bethlehem. His first home would be not a palace but a stable. The crown he would wear was made not of gold but of thorns. He would win the world by giving his life. He shepherds us into his way of peace: taking up our cross and following him.
As you pray, look for peace in the right place: the Savior who gave his life for you.
Ben Van Arragon is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, he now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
