Micah 5:4-5a

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. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses.

From Background Notes [BN] for the weekend of November 30^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Moved by the promise of such deliverance, Micah breaks forth in a prophetic utterance that reaches far beyond the immediate, passing crisis of Hezekiah and Jerusalem in 701.

In 5:2-5a he speaks about the future appearance of “One who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” He does not say when this person will come, but he does tell us where.

1)     This One comes out of Bethlehem, a small rural community, separated from the urban elite in Jerusalem.

2)     This One comes from of old, from ancient times. By combining these two origins, the prophet heightens the mystery which surrounds this figure.

References to “old” and “ancient times” usually point to a divine origin, since God is said “to inhabit eternity”  [BN,7]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am