“And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.” (Micah 5:4-5a, ESV)
Micah pronounced a vision of the coming Kingdom. He prophesied the coming of the real and eternal King, the Messiah. The greatest of all Kings and rulers was to come out of a lowly town of Bethlehem, the city of David. The Messiah, like his ancestor David, would rule over all the people of Israel. He would defeat all those who opposed Him or persecuted His people. He would destroy all the idols and all the false religions and bring judgment upon all those nations, people and prophets who promoted evil and sin. The Messiah will be honored and glorified by all.
Jesus is the Messiah who has fulfilled the prophecy! He was born in Bethlehem. He did not come as a military genius or a political leader, or even as a community activist or organizer. Yet He came to establish a kingdom. He did this by sacrificing His own dignity, position and life through His death as a common criminal. He then called weak, despised and inept people to spread the kingdom not with swords, guns, or bombs but with truth, mercy and love. Though the lot of His followers has never been easy they have brought down mighty kingdoms by letting people know that God loves them even though they (and we) do not deserve it. God’s acceptance and mercy can do more to change the hearts of men than laws, threats, or violence.
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