Peace Series

Peace Micah 5:2-6

How does God bring peace to us in the midst of adversity?

1. He reminds us of His divine nature. v. 2

He is eternal.

He is omniscient.

He is sovereign.

God allows, even orchestrates every circumstance in your life

.

He is merciful.

As we begin to understand more and more of God’s divine nature, the more we experience internal, not external, rest and peace.

2. He reminds us that our adversity is NOT eternal. v.3

Adversity is born from one or both of two sources of brokenness:

Because of our individual poor choices

Because of the poor choices of others.

When we accept that all suffering has a shelf-life—it brings us peace.

3. He reminds us that He is our peace. Vv.4-6

In Advent, we celebrate what Jesus brought into the world by lighting a candle each week. Week one: candle of hope (light). Week 2 candle of love (light). Week 3 candle of joy. (light) And this morning, we light the candle of hope.(light)

Turn to Micah 5:2-5 in your Bibles. It’s the 6th of the 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament. Remember from our study awhile back, they’re called minor, not because they’re less important, but because they’re short.

Micah one of the great 7th century prophets; contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. By this time, the kingdom had split; the northern kingdom consisting of 10 of the 12 tribes was called Israel or sometimes Samaria because that was its capital; the southern kingdom, made up of 2 of the 12 tribes was called Judah. (MAP)

Israel, the northern kingdom had really turned its back on Yahweh. They were worshipping false gods like Baal and Molech. Molech (pic) was a particularly detestable god because worshippers would sacrifice a child by heating up the idol in the flames and then put a baby in it. A defenseless little baby torturously put to death for a false notion of right and wrong—much like our country’s legalization of abortion. We are abhorred, and rightfully so with the thought of sacrificing a baby to a false god, but America sacrifices a million babies a year to the false notion that a woman’s right to control her own body extends to aborting the baby. Let me be quick to say, I have friends here and I know there are many more here who have been a party to abortion and I can say unequivocally, that God’s forgiveness and grace extends to all who repent. And I have sins in my life that are just as abhorrent to God. So I have no stones to throw…But still it must be said.

So that’s what was going on the northern kingdom at the time of Micah. In the Southern kingdom, it wasn’t much better. They were smug and self-righteous believed they were protected by God because that’s where Jerusalem, the holy city was and inside that city was Solomon’s great temple; the “dwelling place” of God. But those who had money and affluence were indifferent to the plight of the poor. Those who had power used it to push themselves higher at the expanse of the weak.

God laid on Micah’s heart to call God’s people to repentance: Turn from your sinful ways; turn to Yahweh and worship Him only; treat those less fortunate than you with compassion and generosity.

But they wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t repent. And Micah warns them that God will not be mocked. And as a matter of fact, in just a few years God raised up Assyria who swept down in 721 B.C. and sacked Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom and slaughtered many and carried many away into slavery. And 140 years later Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians swept down and sacked Jerusalem, tore down the temple, and carted 10s of 1000s off to exile in Babylon.

I know this is Christmas time and you came this morning to get your spirits lifted, and sing nice little songs and experience the warm and fuzzies. And Micah has a prophesy that we’ll examine in a moment that will warm our hearts and point us to wonderful, anxiety free peace. But make no mistake, There is no room in the human heart for the peace of God AND the sins of the fallen flesh. If I hold onto my fleshly desires and actions, they diminish or can even extinguish the peace of God in my heart.

So this morning I can’t get to the promise of peace until first I have given ample focus to what gets in the way of our peace…and that is our stubborn refusal to give up stuff in our lives that is not consistent with the character and person of Jesus. So let me pray.

The 1st 4 chapters the focus is on Samaria and Jerusalem. But when he gets to chapter 5, he focuses not on Samaria, not on Jerusalem, but on Bethlehem.