By Deanna Huff, Ph.D.
Do you ever feel like good leaders are hard to find? Imagine the impact of bad leaders. When societies reject the moral compass and stray from God’s Word, we see the disappearance of truth, goodness, and beauty. Micah, a faithful prophet, faced a similar immoral society. He declared his message to Jerusalem during the reign of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Many of the contemporary leaders of Micah’s time loved evil and hated good (3:2). Moral corruption was rampant in the land. Israel and Judah were engaging in idol worship, committing acts of injustice, and displaying external religiosity. God’s leaders, often called shepherds, were leading the people astray. Many of the prophets were tickling the ears of the people with false messages of peace (3:5-7). Numerous leaders were taking bribes, and some educated priests betrayed God’s Word for financial gain (3:11). Several judges were partial and crooked (6:10-11), and dishonest practices prevailed in Israel. God called on Micah to deliver a message of judgment and hope to the people of Israel.
Micah 5:2-5
2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His times of coming forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
3 Therefore He will give them up until the time
When she who is in labor has given birth.
Then the remainder of His kinsmen
Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will remain,
Because at that time He will be great
To the ends of the earth.
5 This One will be our peace.
Micah reveals the judgment of God to Israel, but he also relates a message of hope—the hope of the arrival of a Good Shepherd-King. God saw the destruction of the bad shepherds and revealed to his people that the Good Shepherd-King was coming to rule. Micah was written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. He proclaimed the ruler would be born in Bethlehem from the clan of Judah. He would come and rule over Israel. He is identified as being from long ago, referencing an ancient lineage. The reference to eternity reflects the origin of the predicted Messiah, revealing His divinity. There will be unity with the people of God in this future kingdom under the Good Shepherd-King’s rule. He will shepherd the people of God with protection and goodness. He will be their peace and defender.
Micah uses the image of a shepherd to identify the rule of God, which provides a tangible picture of God’s care for his people. Micah describes God’s actions, “I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation (4:6-7).” The Good Shepherd-King will care for his people. The Good Shepherd-King is revealed in the life of Christ through His birth in Bethlehem from the line of Judah. He is God in the flesh (John 14:9). He is the Good Shepherd. John reminds us of Jesus’ words: “If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd.” Jesus is the greatest leader to follow, and he came to rule a new coming kingdom for all who confess their sin and call on Him for salvation. He is the King (Rev 19:16).
Three takeaways
- God is the Good Shepherd who cares about His people.
- God cares about the character and actions of leaders. We should follow Jesus’ leadership.
- God cares about preparing his people. Through the prophets, He prepared them for the coming Good Shepherd-King, and He is preparing people today through His Word and His disciples to know that there will be a second coming of a New Kingdom with the perfect, good King.
Enjoy this Christmas advent by thinking about the Good Shepherd, King Jesus, and His faithfulness in keeping His Word. This prophecy fulfillment in Micah reveals his trustworthy character. We know He is preparing a place for us in the new kingdom where truth, beauty, and goodness will be forever with the Good Shepherd-King.
