Bible Study - Micah 5:1-6 - 11-4-2009

We had a wonderful discussion this morning of Micah 5:1-6.  This is a passage cited in Matthew 2:6, naming Jesus as the one who fulfilled the prophecy.  Note, however, that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecy in the manner expected by the whole passage.  Micah writes of one who will be a mighty king over Israel who will be a shepherd for Israel and conquer those who would destroy Israel, specifically the Assyrians.  He, with other rulers of Israel will rule the Assyrians with the sword (Micah 5:5b-6).

Verse four and the first half of verse 5, however, states that this great king shall be "the one of peace":

(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)and he shall be the one of peace.

Obviously, Jesus did not fulfill the part of the prophecy stating that he would rule the Assyrians with the sword, and many feel he didn't fulfill the part of the prophecy written above.  As Christians, we believe what the earliest followers of Jesus believed, that he is the one spoken of in the prophecy and that he has and will be the one of peace.  The final consummation of that peace has not yet occurred, but his reign has begun.

Jesus preached and lived peace.  He was not a military ruler who conquered other nations.  Rather, he gave up his life, offering us grace and forgiveness.  By his life, teaching, death, and resurrection, Jesus was and is "the one of peace", teaching his disciples to bless those who curse them and not return evil for evil, offering grace and forgiveness.

As we discussed Micah, we turned to the cycle of violence throughout the Bible and throughout human history.  A nation or people (individuals, groups, etc.) is oppressed or conquered by others.  A remnant remains.  That remnant seeks justice or vengeance upon their former oppressors.

How can we end the cycle of violence?  Grace and Forgiveness.


We must break the chains that connect us to the cycles of violence and revenge.  We disown our ties to whatever "families" bind us to hatred, violence, and revenge, and we join the family of Jesus Christ.  Our true family is the family of Jesus Christ, the family that forgives and blesses when wronged.  Our other "families" (national identity, race, culture, social groups, blood families, etc.) may hold on to past hurts or wrongdoings, and when they do, we need to dissolve those ties.

We needn't completely disown these other "families", but we can unbind ourselves from the chains of past hurt or wrongdoing that cling to these families.  Perhaps this is part of what Jesus meant when he said:
"one’s foes will be members of one’s own household" (Matthew 10:36).  We can renounce the bad parts of our past and our families without renouncing them entirely. 

Peace, grace, justice, forgiveness:  these are the marks of Jesus' kingship and the way he fulfilled Micah's prophecy as "the one of peace."  As a religion, we have strayed far from our king throughout our history, seeking vengeance and killing in his name.  We must renounce those parts of our history as well.  Jesus told us to forgive, not to kill, and that is a large part of why we follow him as our Lord.