The Peace of Advent: Peace on Earth, or War of the Worlds? Micah 5:1-5a

THE PEACE OF ADVENT: Peace on Earth, or War of the Worlds?

Micah 5:1-5a

Introduction: 73 years ago today, December 7, 1941, a day F.D.R. famously said “would live in infamy,” the United States forces in Pearl Harbor were brutally attacked, and we were at war. So now all is calm, all is right as we continue through the Advent season, right? Not quite. In fact, whether it has been violence between nations or violence among individuals, there has been no "peace on earth" since the fall! (Think Cain and Abel, it didn't take long for things to turn violent!). Last week I saw a part of a movie, a modern remake of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. It seems like an odd movie between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but, maybe, it does illustrate the tension between “the already and not yet” aspect of God’s story as He is working it out on the stage of human history.  The angels announced, “Peace on Earth, good will toward men…” but we can’t deny that history has been marked by violence and warfare through the centuries. The tragic killing of two hostages in Yemen by Al-Qaeda terrorists last week is only the most recent reminder that all is not well in the world. Is the Advent season a time when we see a glimmer of “peace on earth?” Or is it a time when the “war of the worlds” is most evident?  The second candle in the Advent wreath that was lit today is called the “Candle of Peace” by some, others refer to it as the “Bethlehem Candle.” As the Advent reading for today pointed out, one text that brings together both of those ideas, “Bethlehem” and “Peace,” is Micah 5:1-5a.  

“Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.  ² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.  ³ Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.  ⁴ And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.  ⁵ And he shall be their peace…” (Micah 5:1-5a).

This passage is one that we associate with the Christmas story. Remember the story of the Magi in Matthew chapter 2, when they came to Jerusalem looking for the one who had been born “king of the Jews”?  Herod inquired of the religious leaders as to where Messiah should be born and they quoted this very Scripture: He would come from Bethlehem (see Matthew 2:1-6).  By the time Jesus revealed himself publically he had living for most of his life in Nazareth, and that became a point of contention for some as they considered who Jesus might be: How could Jesus of Nazareth be the Messiah?

“Others said, ‘This is the Christ.’ But some said, ‘Is the Christ to come from Galilee?  ⁴² Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’  ⁴³ So there was a division among the people over him” (John 7:41-43).  

I think this is an example of John assuming his readers knew the story of Jesus from the synoptic Gospels, so there was no need for him to explain that Jesus had, in fact, been born in Bethlehem in fulfillment of the Scriptures. But how do we reconcile the tension we see in Micah 5 and in our experience: How can we understand a world in conflict and chaos, and the idea that “He is our peace”? After all Jesus himself said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword”  (Matthew 10:34).  Yet He later said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid…” (John 14:27).

The Big Idea:  Even in this chaotic world, we can have peace with God and peace in our hearts as we wait for the day when the Good Shepherd will bring peace on earth.

I. There is no peace on earth: The world is decidedly hostile toward God and toward the people of God (1).

“Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.”

Israel then – Captivity in the North, enemies in the South.

As Micah is writing, seven hundred years before the time of Christ, his world is in crisis.  The unthinkable had happened, and the northern kingdom of Israel had fallen to the Assyrians and the writing was on the wall in the south. The phrase “Seige is laid against us…” pictures the enemies surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls. Think of the irony: “Jerusalem” means “City of Peace,” yet as Micah wrote it was surrounded by an attacking army and seemed to be on the brink of being overrun. There was no peace—the threat of annihilation was imminent. One thing the prophets were doing, Micah included, was reminding the people that their circumstances were not the result of God falling down on his promises or forgetting about Israel. Rather it was chastening that God allowed in order to drive the people to repentance.

The world today is hostile toward God (and His people!)

If we “fast forward” 2700 years or so to today, we can see that the world is still in Chaos.  The hatred of Israel by its neighbors goes without saying (take a look at a map of the Mideast if you need a reminder!). It is also true that the persecution against the church is rising in many parts of the world, and even in our country which prizes tolerance and inclusion, Christianity is rejected and ridiculed by the authorities and the very influential media. More and more, Bible believing Christians are being marginalized by the mainstream and looked upon as radicals and extremists.  There is no “peace on earth,” and the worst of it is that the world is hostile toward God and His people. But even in this chaotic world, we can have peace, peace with God and peace in our hearts as we wait for the day when the Good Shepherd will bring peace on earth.

II. God has a plan to bring peace (2). That plan included sending the Prince of Peace in the fullness of time.

² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 

He used an unlikely place: the little town of Bethlehem – Bethlehem was known in Israel’s history. It appears in the book of Ruth as the place where Ruth met Boaz. It was the town where David, the son of Jesse was born. So there was an association between Bethlehem and David, and the promises that were made to David. Even so it was a hamlet, a small village, not Jerusalem where the Temple was located, or even a city made important by culture or commerce. What set it apart was the sovereign choice of God. When we consider God’s electing grace there is no room for boasting. The Corinthians were a people who struggled with that, they thought they were something special what with all the flashy spiritual gifts that they had. Paul sought to correct their perspective a bit when he wrote,

²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  ²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,  ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  ³⁰ He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.  ³¹ Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (I Corinthians 1:25-31).

Bethlehem was an unlikely choice, from a human perspective, as a place to which God would send the Savior of the world. We too are nothing to boast about, but he has chosen us, you and me, to share the news of the Savior with the world!

God chose an unlikely place, he also had and unexpected plan: He promised a ruler, shepherd, and deliverer who would be “…from ancient days…” i.e., He would be pre-existent, eternal.

·                    Both the son of David and Son of God – When God made the promise of a son to David in 2 Samuel 7  he was speaking of his descendants who would assume the throne after him, but also looking forward to the coming of David’s ideal son, the One who would also be the Son of God, who would have an eternal reign. It was not a plan we could have imagined: the Son of God became a man, the Word was made flesh and lived among us, He took the form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of men—knowing that it would lead to the Cross, where He would bear our sins in His own body! God had a plan to bring peace! So even in this chaotic world, we can have peace with God and peace in our hearts as we wait for the day when the Good Shepherd will bring peace on earth.

III. The Promise of Peace: Already and not Yet (3-5a).

³ Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.  ⁴ And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.  ⁵ And he shall be their peace.

The promise of v.3 is that the captivity and defeat that had come upon Israel and was coming upon Judea would one day end, and that deliverance was connected to coming of Messiah.  I don’t think he is talking here specifically about Mary giving birth to Jesus, but rather that the Promised One, the deliverer, would rise at the appointed time from Israel. And yes, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, that He might redeem those who were under the Law and that we might receive the adoption as sons. Peace!  What wasn’t clear when Micah wrote was that that restoration would be in phases: there would be a re-gathering, as the captivity ends and a remnant returned to the land under Ezra. After being re-established in the land there would be a first coming of the promised one in the fullness of time, the birth of Jesus which we celebrate during this season. His death and resurrection would make peace with God possible for fallen humanity. There would also be a future turning back of Israel to God that will be linked to His second coming (see Romans 11), and ultimately, one day, peace on Earth as he puts his enemies under His feet.

·        “He shall stand…” (v.4). This brought to my mind the scene in Acts 7 as Stephen is being stoned. He saw heaven opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the Father. It seems to imply that He is active, watching, exercising his rule in the world, even at the hour of our death. Even in that moment Stephen was able to pray for his attackers, and though he died, he died in peace. That can encourage us that nothing touches us that has not first passed through the hands of our loving heavenly Father—nothing. One aspect of the peace we have in our hearts is the assurance that we are never alone, He is with us always.

·        “Shepherd His flock…” We see this image in other contexts in Scripture. The image of the Lord as a “shepherd” is something that would have resonated in the biblical world. They saw shepherds and sheep all the time, it was part of their culture and life.  They understood what a shepherd meant to his sheep: knowing them, feeding, leading, and protecting them. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows us intimately, and who laid down his life for His sheep. He is the Bread of Life who feeds our deepest hunger, He is the Shepherd who leads in green pastures and beside still waters, and as our Shepherd He protects us from the enemy, and is with us even when we pass through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

·        “In the strength of Yahweh and the majesty of the NAME…” A merely human shepherd could fail us. He could fall short, and lead us astray or leave us vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.  Remember David’s brothers as Goliath taunted the army of Israel? They cowered in fear. But David understood, “The battle is the Lord’s.” Our Shepherd, Jesus, shepherds us in the strength of YAHWEH!  Think of the power that describes! He is the Lord of Glory, the Creator of the Universe, the Master of History, the Omnipotent I AM. Nothing we face is too difficult for Him.

·        “And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth…” That is the future for the faithful remnant, the true Israel that Paul is describing in Romans 11 when he says “all Israel will be saved.” And that is the future for us, His sheep, those who “hear His voice and follow Him.” Our response of faith demonstrates that we are His.

He himself shall be our peace. There is a tension here. Remember that Jesus said "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). It seems that Jesus is preparing his disciples, telling them that the message they are called to preach would bring rejection and persecution from the world. He reinforces that in the Upper Room discourse in John when he says, “Do not be surprised if the world hates you, it hated me first!” (see John 15:18-21). That is exactly what we often see as we call people to turn from sin and trust in Christ.  But He also told the disciples in the Upper Room, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).  How can both of these ideas be true? We may not see peace in the world during our lifetime, but we can have peace in our hearts. First of all we’ve been reconciled to God, so we have peace…

 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Several of the themes we are looking at this month converge in Romans 15. There we are reminded that God himself, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit gives us Hope and Joy and PEACE…

“And again Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.’  ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:12,13).

We have the assurance that one day, one day soon, the Enemy of our souls will be finally defeated and war and hatred and the consequences of sin will be no more,

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20).

In fact Paul may be alluding to this passage in Micah when he speaks of the gentiles being reconciled to God through the blood of Christ. Micah says in the future, “This one will be our peace…” while Paul writing from his perspective says in Ephesians 2:14  “For he himself is our peace…”

What is God saying to me in this passage? Even in this chaotic world, we can have peace with God and peace in our hearts as we wait for the day when the Good Shepherd will bring peace on earth.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? According to Isaiah the promised Messiah would be called, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  At the end of the Upper Room discourse, as Jesus was speaking to His disciples and preparing them for what was coming, He said  “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Pearl Harbor day, a reminder of the darkness of the human heart. Whether it is a world war or terrorist murder as we saw in Yemen this week, there is a lot of violence and chaos in the world. Even so, we can have peace with God because of Jesus, and the peace of God, the peace the passes understanding, because of Him. That is something to celebrate this Advent Season. I like the NIV rendering of the angel’s greeting to the shepherds in the Christmas story, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). Think of it!  AMEN.