EquippedMama

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace
    when the Assyrians invade our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,

Micah 5:2-5, Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Bold and italics added.

During the Advent season many people hear portions of Micah 5 read as these verses contain significant Messianic prophecies. These verses give us hope and remind us of the sovereign plan of the Lord to send His Son to save us from our sins (John 3:16). Most of us love these familiar passages which we have quasi-memorized from years and years of hearing them read aloud. They can become as much a part of our Christmas celebration as the glazed ham or glittering tree lights.

These verses were penned approximately 700 years prior to the birth of Christ by the prophet Micah, in this chapter, the Lord pronounced judgement on His people for their rebellion against Him. He promised foreign invasion (v.5) and devastation by their enemy (v. 6). Yet in the midst of the promise of doom, the Lord offered hope and the promise of peace.

In the past few days I have been mulling over the phrase at the beginning of v. 5 “This One will be our peace.” In context, the One promised was Christ, yet it seems almost a strange prophecy given the judgement foretold. Not much seems more intimidating than foreign invasion and destruction by an enemy nation, yet Micah spoke of Christ bringing true lasting peace.

As we start a new Advent season there doubtless are things in your life that threaten your peace. 2022 has been filled with formidable challenges, to be sure, and the threat of future challenge seems always around the corner. But regardless of your circumstances, you can know the peace offered in Jesus Christ.

True peace is known only when your relationship is right with God.

Christ came to make a way for that relationship to be made perfect and restored. All of us, in and of ourselves are separated from God. We are by nature separated because we have broken God’s law through sin. We sin when we do or think anything contrary to God’s law. Lust. Stealing. Lying. Wanting what others have. (Exodus 20). These are all sins which create chasm between us and God. As the writer of Romans says,

 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23

He goes on to state further that:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Jesus Christ, the second member of the Trinity became a man, and was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life, and died on a cross at the hands of evil men an undeserving death. In this death he took the punishment for our sins and three days later rose from the dead. Our sins had destined us to Hell, eternal separation from God and eternal punishment. But the Bible says that:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

This Christmas season, have you experienced the peace of having your sins forgiven? Regardless your circumstances, you can know peace, the peace promised by the One who is our Peace, Jesus Christ.

Happy Advent Season, Mama. I hope regardless your circumstances your hearts and lives are filled with unshakable peace.

-EquippedMama

Have questions? There’s a great resource that explains how to have peace with God here or reach out using the Contact Us tab.