5:2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little
clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule
in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
5:3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is
in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall
return to the people of Israel.
5:4 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;
5:5 and he shall be the one of peace.
Comments:
Many years before the time of Micah, God promised David that his
dynasty would last forever. Although prophets such as Micah warned
that judgment would come from unfaithfulness, Micah forsees a
restoration beyond that judgment.
Micah was able to see God's hand in all events, believing that God
works toward restoration in the simplest acts of justice. Micah
points to the small town of Bethlehem as the source for the coming
shepherd-messiah, God's most powerful demonstration of love.
I wish this reading would've included verse 1 and the remainder of
v.5. these additional verses would pick the present tension of those
to whom Micah spoke: God's people are indeed ones who are under
seige and subject to the whims of political powers, and God's people
are destined to (again) be subject to the same even as the prince of
peace is celebrated. ...seems peace is to be temporal even as the
king of peace reigns!
perry in k/w
I find it interesting that Bethlehem is one of the least likely
places from which any good should come -- sort of like Nazareth.
Yet, Ruth was from there as was David.
Can it be that our own place of service is a very unlikely place and
yet God is looking to be revealed by us right where we are?
We may say, of course, but do we really believe it. Blessed are they
who believe.
A thought that many of our appointments ( I am UM) or calls are
small churches and/or in small towns. How many times have we heard
"Oh we're too small to do anything more than just servive" Are they
really, or are they just in a small church mind set? What great
things could come from a small church/town when thy believe?
Mary Christmas to You All! Rev. Nancy in Trumbull, NE USA
This being the Love Week, I think I'm first going to tackle this in
the orriginal context of the invasion of Babylon. This seems to be
the culmination of the two previous weeks of Hope and Peace, the
orriginal audience of this passage had neither.
Most of the sources that I've been looking at date this not to the
exilic period, but during the invasion. The king (Hezekiah?) was a
sham of a king ruling over an all but dominated people. This passage
speaks of a foil of the king that the people have. We have a ruler
likened with David as opposed to the farce that sits on the throne
now. A ruler who will have the strength of God as opposed to the
sinful and weak ruling class. There is also the promise of the
restored Davidic covenant that will come after this establishment
passes away.
The passage promises peace and hope for the future... both are the
manifestations of God's love for a downtrodden people. Only a loving
God would seek to restore a people who, quite frankly, don't deserve
it at this point.
Of course you can't get away from the messianic promise of this
passage. I believe that it was quoted by the wise men in Matthew
(sorry, I don't have the reference.) Even in the footnotes of my
Jewish study bible it states that there is Messianic expectation in
this passge.
Given the oringinal context of this passage I think that it gives an
even greater appreciation for the Messiah that we have. He is not a
temporal ruler which can be easily toppled by his own lust for power
or his own corruption and wickedness. The ruler in this passage he
who shepards his flock and who is the peace of his people.
This being the Love Week, I think I'm first going to tackle this in
the orriginal context of the invasion of Babylon. This seems to be
the culmination of the two previous weeks of Hope and Peace, the
orriginal audience of this passage had neither.
Most of the sources that I've been looking at date this not to the
exilic period, but during the invasion. The king (Hezekiah?) was a
sham of a king ruling over an all but dominated people. This passage
speaks of a foil of the king that the people have. We have a ruler
likened with David as opposed to the farce that sits on the throne
now. A ruler who will have the strength of God as opposed to the
sinful and weak ruling class. There is also the promise of the
restored Davidic covenant that will come after this establishment
passes away.
The passage promises peace and hope for the future... both are the
manifestations of God's love for a downtrodden people. Only a loving
God would seek to restore a people who, quite frankly, don't deserve
it at this point.
Of course you can't get away from the messianic promise of this
passage. I believe that it was quoted by the wise men in Matthew
(sorry, I don't have the reference.) Even in the footnotes of my
Jewish study bible it states that there is Messianic expectation in
this passge.
Given the oringinal context of this passage I think that it gives an
even greater appreciation for the Messiah that we have. He is not a
temporal ruler which can be easily toppled by his own lust for power
or his own corruption and wickedness. The ruler in this passage he
who shepards his flock and who is the peace of his people.
