Campus Ministry Night
Micah 5
January 15, 2025
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme is this: The Lord shall come from Bethlehem to rule over His people and be their Shepherd.
In these sermons during Epiphany, I want to show to you that each of these Old Testament characters point us to Jesus. On Sunday, it was clear that Joshua walking through the Jordan River pointed us to Jesus walking into the Jordan River to be baptized.
But today we take a look at Micah chapter 5. And believe it or not, you have heard this prophecy before. This is one of the big prophecies in the Old Testament that give very specific details about Jesus. It is in this chapter that the priests and the scribes tell Herod about where Jesus is to be born.
I’ll admit that it’s difficult to imagine the context for this passage. For we in America are the biggest and strongest nation, and we have few threats against us. We have all lived our lives in relative peace and there has not been a land war on American soil. Most of us have never seen war up close, only on the news. But that being said, imagine that we are under siege by the enemy. Imagine that we are trapped and surrounded by people who do not like us. Imagine that you are the underdog and you are about to lose your homes and your jobs and your wives and your children.
Imagine that you are about to lose a battle and the war. That might not be a common context for us, but that was the daily fear of the people of God. For the people of God had been slaves for 400 years. The people of God had enemies all around them, the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, the Moabites, all the -ites. The people of God were threatened in this Micah passage with destruction from Assyria. And the southern kingdom would later be exiled to Babylon. Then the Greeks and the Romans would rule over them. God’s people were rarely free. They were constantly under siege or made to be slaves.
In truth, I want you to know that the people of the Middle East have always been at war and have always wanted to destroy one another. It was true back then and it is true today.
But even with that context, even if we can imagine being under attack, God never forsakes His people. God promises to fight for them. God has promised to deliver them. But He does not call on Jerusalem to muster up troops. He does not expect to use the powerful and populous to protect His people. Again and again, the Lord God does not use the strength of the army to win the war because God wants us to trust in Him to overcome our enemies.
He uses the weak and the small for His purpose, and He delivers them. Hear the words of the Lord. 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. Imagine for a minute that North Platte was coming to ransack Curtis. It’s a crazy thought. But rather than calling upon Lincoln to save us, God would tell us that Stockville and Moorefield will come to save us. That’s no insult to Stockville or Moorefield, but that is so few people in comparison to North Platte. How could God do it?
That’s how it is, when God calls upon Bethlehem to save the nation. God uses the few to save the many. God demonstrates His power over against all the nations of the world to keep His people safe. He shall take from the least of these and from that small town shall be born a Savior. That’s why the priests and scribes tell Herod about this passage. Micah’s words had lain dormant for hundreds of years, but they were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ.
And it’s a shame that the New Testament stops the prophecy there for it goes on when Micah says, 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. In other words, the battles will be waged, and wars will be lost. Land will be taken and families will be dispersed. The people shall be given up. Israel will lose. And they certainly did throughout their history. But when the virgin gives birth to Jesus, then the people will be saved. Seven hundred years later, God enters Bethlehem as a baby boy and all the angels announce it.
And here’s the Epiphany theme. When it says that the rest of the brothers shall return to the people of Israel, that means the Gentiles. That means us. In the grand scheme of things, one lost battle and one ransacked city does not compare to the love of God for His people. In the long range of history, the most significant moment was when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem. For this is a salvation that is way more than 1,000 people waiting to be delivered. In fact, through the birth and death and resurrection of Jesus, the whole earth has believed in Jesus the Savior and the rest of the brothers have joined in the heavenly host.
And here again Micah describes your Lord Jesus Christ when He says, 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. And he shall be their peace. That’s the comfort that we need to hear. That’s the comfort that we know so well. That’s what Jesus Christ has accomplished, that He defeated our enemies. And that’s what He has accomplished, that He has established His Church. And we the rest of the brothers have joined the Bethlehem band of believers. And He, Jesus Christ the Lord, shall rule over us now and always and He shall be our Shepherd forever and ever. Amen.
Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog
The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack
Rev. James Peterson
St. John Lutheran Church
Curtis, Nebraska
©2025 James Peterson. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com
