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.
Sol let’s read Micah 5:2-5 (on screen)
v.2 Bethlehem: “house of Bread” 8 m south of Jerusalem; home of Rachel; home of David; Ephrathah: fruitful, referring to the fertility in the region
clans of Judah: repeatedly the OT points to the Messiah coming from Judah, one of the 12 clans or families of Israel.
v.3 (all) Here Micah is speaking about the exile of God’s people and their return to Israel from Exile. It came true in 3 stages: in 538 B.,C. under Zerubbabel; with Ezra in 458 B.C. and then under Nehemiah in about 444 B.C. So the stage was set for the 1st advent, the 1st coming of Jesus. Micah has that in view, but there’s something else. Since 1948 with the emergence of modern country of Israel, Jews have been returning to modern day Israel. This signals that we are in the last days and the Messiah’s return; His 2nd appearing/advent is imminent & the eventuality that the Messiah would usher in the complete and total reign and rule of God.
v.4 & 5 Nimrod is another name for Babylon so here Micah is circling round back to the near future when 1st Assyria and then Babylon will invade.
I know this can be confusing but remember: The Bible is rarely linear and usually circular. It always handles the immediate and the eventual in perfect balance. (need tablet/markers) Micah speaks of the invasion of Assyria and Babylon that is looming and the return of the exiles. But there is also in Micah the soon coming appearing of the Messiah and the scattering of God’s people in Acts 8… and then the eventual 2nd coming of the Messiah.
So Pastor Russ—how does this apply to my life? What does this have to do with the stinkin Advent candle for crying out loud?
When you put all this together, you see that God’s promise of peace was to be experienced in times of great trouble and heartache and suffering.
So the question is: How does God bring peace to us in the midst of adversity?
1. He reminds us of His divine nature. v. 2 “one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.”
The Messiah that will be born in Bethlehem will not be new to the universe. He existed before this was written. In fact, the Bible calls the Messiah the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. This speaks directly to the incarnation: God in the flesh; God in human form.
I remember talking to a prospective staff member years ago and I asked him the question: “When did Jesus begin?” His answer, alarmingly, was, “Jesus came to be 2000 years ago.” I went “egggh, wrong Beiber boy. Jesus always has been and always will be. He had no beginning and He has no end.
Now think what that means. I can’t fully cover ALL of the attributes of Jesus’ divine nature, but let’s look at 4.
He is eternal. Jesus has been around, literally forever. I know you think I’ve been around forever, but Jesus really has! Nothing is new to Him. Nothing is outside of His experience. And get this, a relationship with the eternal Jesus is an eternal s thing. He’s promised He’ll never leave us or forsake us. He’s not a fair-weather friend. So when we need someone that we can depend on and be there for us—He’s it!
He is omniscient. (all knowing) There’s not a situation in all the universe that He doesn’t know about. There’s not a problem that He can’t solve. I have this rubic’s cube in my office on my conference table and it’s all messed up. I don’t know how to unmess it. Curt Hale can come in sit down, and in about 15 seconds unmess it and get it all straight.
But Curt can’t unmess your life. He can’t even unmess his own life. We don’t have that ability as human beings. But Jesus does. No matter how complicated your problem is and how unsolvable it seems to you, the divine Jesus, the Incarnate God, can diagnose it and then begin to unmess you.
He is sovereign. Nothing happens outside of His knowledge or control. Nothing. It’s amazing to me that when someone gets thrust into an adversity, a spouse walks out, a loved one is in a car wreck, someone loses their job, they act as if God is somehow surprised by this event; that it snuck up on Him; that He couldn’t stop it. Now this may rock your world, but God allows, even orchestrates every circumstance in your life. You can take that and conclude that God is an awful, torturous or impotent God. Or you can take that and conclude that God knows more than we know and has a higher purpose than we know about and He has a plan and a provision for you to get you through it. I choose the latter.
He is merciful. He loves me and has a preferred future for me that is far better than any pain I presently suffer. So I choose to believe that God allows adversity in my life for His glory and for my good.
His origin is from antiquity and from ancient days. 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 (on screen)
Micah’s speaking of the invasions and exile; an incredible adversity. It was then and still is a broken world. We live in an incredibly broken world. Nature is broken. People are broken. Adversity is born from one or both of two sources of brokenness:
Because of our individual poor choices The Israelites were in a pickle because of their insistence to choose their own pleasures instead of the pleasure of God. And when we decide to depart from God’s word, will, way, we always, not sometimes, always experience pain…if not immediately, we will eventually.
Because of the poor choices of others. The degradation of our environment, begun by the poor choice of Adam and Eve and continued for thousands of years leads to cancer and other diseases. The poor choice of a drunk driver runs a red light and brings untold grief to a family. A philandering spouse destroys a marriage and inflicts pain and suffering on the children for the rest of their lives.
But you know what? No matter what adversity we face, it won’t last forever. Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” What the Psalmist is saying is that no circumstance is forever; that eventually the pain and suffering will give way to something far better.
Marriages can be restored. Health can be restored. Jobs can be restored. Sorrow and greif can be alleviated. And ultimately, what isn’t restored in this lifetime will be restored when we go to be with Jesus.
In the adversity I’ve experienced in this life as a Christ follower, I’ve found out this fundamental fact, that 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
Don’t have time to get into the weeds in these verses, but look at v.5 “He will be their peace….When Assyria invades our land.” V.6 “So He will rescue us from Assyria.”
Does this seem strange to you? Cause Assyria is coming. Assyria is invading. Yet Micah says that the Messiah will rescue us; that the Messiah will bring peace. What’s going on here?
The Scripture is pointing to the fact that peace, deep down unshakable peace does not come from the lack of adversity. As a matter of fact, the deepest peace I’ve ever felt has been in the midst of some of my greatest adversities.
The adversity comes. It creates fear or anxiety or sorrow in me. I start crying out for relief. I want the pain to stop. I want the reason for the pain to go away. But this response doesn’t bring peace. The more I focus on the adversity, the less peace I experience. But then I start thinking about who God is: that He’s eternal, omniscient, sovereign, and merciful—and peace begins to replace fear and sorrow. I remember that no circumstance is forever; that God is an amazing restorative God so that weeping may last awhile but there will be joy once again—and peace begins to flood into my soul. And ultimately I focus on my relationship with Jesus and how His presence in my life is the source of real, lasting, victorious peace. And I find rest and peace deep in my heart despite the chaos of my circumstance.
Closing illustration
