Question
And He Will Be Their Peace
Micah 4:1-5:5
Key Verse 5:5
Today’s passage is the revelation of what will happen to the daughters of Zion. But God shared what will happen in the far end first because it is the ultimate reality. The near future will be for them to be in Babylon as Exiles. The far end future refers to them being changed into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Through the Savior.
Mic 4:1 In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills,and peoples will stream to it.
Mic 4:2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,to the house of the God of Jacob.He will teach us his ways,so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Mic 4:3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Mic 4:4 Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree,and no one will make them afraid,for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
Mic 4:5 All the nations may walk in the name of their gods;we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
The LORD'S Plan
Mic 4:6 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will gather the lame;I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief.
Mic 4:7 I will make the lame a remnant,those driven away a strong nation.The LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever.
Mic 4:8 As for you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.”
Mic 4:9 Why do you now cry aloud—have you no king?Has your counselor perished, that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?
Mic 4:10 Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city to camp in the open field. You will go to Babylon;there you will be rescued. There the LORD will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies.
Mic 4:11 But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, “Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!”
Mic 4:12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan,he who gathers them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
Mic 4:13 “Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hoofs of bronze and you will break to pieces many nations.”
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the LORD,their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
Mic 5:1 Marshal your troops, O city of troops,for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod.
Mic 5:2 “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.’”
Mic 5:3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.
Mic 5:4 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.
Mic 5:5 And he will be their peace.
Read 4:1,2. How is the mountain of the Lord described? Why will people stream to it? Why is it important: 1) to “know” his ways; and 2) to “walk” in his paths? Why do many end up not walking in his paths even after coming to know his ways?
The Mountain of the Lord is described as the chief above all other mountains. It is high and foremost. This is the case because the word of God or the law of God is coming from that mountain. Symbolically, the law of God is the highest idea. Why will people stream to it in order to stream to that mountain and walk in God’s path. People would come to that mountain not for other things, but only because of the Lord himself and his law.
We first need to know God’s ways and then we need to practice walking in his path. Without knowing God’s ways, we cannot walk in them. Without walking in them, the knowledge of God’s ways does not mean much. It is like theory and practice.
These people trust in their own understanding too much, that is why they don’t walk in his ways. It is the hardest battle for each person to deny his own understanding and rely only on the word of God. Proverbs 3:5,6 talk about the importance of trusting in the Lord alone. We trust what we know. We don’t believe God’s words.
Mic 4:1 In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills,and peoples will stream to it.
Mic 4:2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,to the house of the God of Jacob.He will teach us his ways,so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Read verse 3. Why is it important to have the Lord judge and settle disputes among people? What will happen when the Lord does this?
Mic 4:3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
It is because the Lord is righteous and just. His judgment is fair. So, we should not try to settle disputes among ourselves, but entrust our judgment to God.
There will be peace when the Lord does this. There will be no more wars or conflicts in the world, such as that in Iraq. The net result of coming to the mountain of the Lord and walking in the paths of the Lord is peace. All the weapons for war, would be beat into plowshares.
Read verse 4. What is the effect (on every man) of the Lord who has spoken? What does this teach us about the way for people to get along with one another?
There will great peace and security will be given to those who know the Lord and walk in his ways and walk in them. This is the secret of ultimate peace and security and no fear of harm from others.
By hearing the Lord, knowing the Lord, and walking in his paths.
Read verse 5. Who are “we”? What does the word “will” [instead of “may”] indicate about the way for those who love the Lord and obey him to overcome peer pressure? Why is it important to walk in the name of the Lord “for ever and ever”?
We are idol worshippers.
A personal decision is required. To have faith in God’s word, requires a personal decision because it is the way to live against the mainstream of this world. It is important to walk in the name of the Lord from time to time you will be really tired and weary. Consistency is important because God is faithful.
Read 4:6-5:1. This passage talks about God’s training for the chosen people Israel (i.e., Babylonian captivity), particularly for those who are in leadership positions, and the good that will come out of it. What does this passage tell us about the purpose of the Lord’s discipline? Why is it important to know the Lord’s purpose?
The Lord’s discipline was to help them to accept the Lord’s will. The purpose was to help them and gather them once again. God sent them as exiles in order to bring them back through their repentance. Why is it important to know the Lord’s purpose. We can receive the Lord’s discipline with a clear learning point and receive it with joy.
Read 5:2-5. How is the Savior to be born (and who was indeed born) in Bethlehem described? What blessings will he bring to the people on earth? What does the word “rule” or “shepherd” indicate about the way for one to live under His blessings?
He is described as a ruler.
He will shepherd over his people. The people under him can live securely under him. Peace and security will be under him. If you have those things, even financial security. We don’t need much more. We can also live with eternal life.
We need to be ruled by God and be shepherded by God in order to be truly blessed with God’s peace and security. We need God, without him we cannot create our own peace.
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Message
And He Will Be Their Peace
Micah 4:1-5:5
Key Verse 5:5
Today we would like to think about Jesus who came to prepare for us a living environment.
Part I. Everyone under his own vine and fig tree [The need]
When God created the world, the first thing he did was to prepare an environment in which life can prosper. We see this as the case in Genesis 1-2.
In our real life setting, businessmen, such as realtors know it better. Among realtors, there are three words they emphasize all the time: location, location, and location.
When I first moved to Downey, the first question I asked the realtor across the street was, “Is Downey safe?” The realtor said, “You bet.” Then he added, “Downey is a rose among thorns.” As I have been living in Downey, I have found that it is indeed a good place to live. Crime reports on each city of this nation indicate that Downey is safer than Beverly Hills, or other cities like Compton or Los Angeles.
God’s servants, like the Apostle Paul, recognize the importance of the living environment, so he said in 1Ti 2:1-4 that our goal should be to live a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and holiness. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 he even says, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.”
King David appreciated the significance of a living environment, so in a poetic tone in Psalm 23, he describes it as “green pastures with quiet waters.”
In the same way in Micah 4:4 the Prophet Micah describes a living environment. Micah 4:4: “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”
Part II. Why do you now cry? [The reality]
Although we are badly in need of a safe environment, the present reality indicates that life here on earth is getting increasingly unsafe.
In Modern Times, a book by historian Paul Johnson, Johnson explains that in the last 100 years the world has gone through violence after violence. As we already know we went through World War I, World War II, and many are apprehensive of World War III coming down on us.
In order to understand the gruesome reality we are in, all we need to do is simply find what the following words have in common: Rambo, Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, Hijackers, and the collapse of the World Trade Center. They are all related to violence causing the environment to be unsafe.
The causes of the environment becoming dangerous are mostly man-made. Reports indicate that American homes are getting increasingly unsafe. Husbands beat wives, wives beat or murder husbands, parents are violent to their children, and children sue parents.
This is true in all other sectors of life in America. Think about Hollywood movies, and how they make movies full of violence, sex, and profanity. This is increasingly true with movies made even for kids. According to a study by researchers from the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health, violence, sex, and profanity increased significantly in movies [made for kids] between 1992 and 2003. And there are video games for children that are very violent.
At the Downey center, I saw children playing video games, and a lot of them involve kicking, cutting, thrusting, slashing, and killing. And when they play, they carry weapons like machine guns, clubs, and plastic knives.
In the day of the Prophet Micah, both the Northern Kingdom Israel (called Samaria) and the Southern Kingdom (called Judah) were beset by war-like nations. Living about 750 years before Christ in a small town called Moresheth, which was south of Jerusalem, Micah predicted the downfall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, which was fulfilled by the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in about 586 BC and again by the Romans in 70 AD. The Temple has not been rebuilt since that destruction. Jerusalem was destroyed a second time by the Romans in about 135 AD. Since then Jerusalem has been beset by waves of violence after violence.
Part III. He will stand and shepherd his flock [The solution]
Thank God that He came up with a program for us. The Lord understands our problem so he developed a program. This program is couched in one person named Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Long before the birth of the Savior the Prophet Micah prophesied that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem of Israel. In the passage for today he also described the beautiful picture of the work the Savior is going to fulfill.
“In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.” Here the word “mountain” is symbolic of Jesus himself. The word “chief” is suggestive of Jesus being supreme in all aspects of the ways of life, especially in his ability to make the environment safe.
The Prophet continues to say, “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”
This prophecy sets forth three steps in which we can avail ourselves to this vision becoming a reality for us.
First, come
The first thing we need to do is to come to the mountain of the Lord’s temple, which is to come to Jesus Christ. When Jesus came this was what he asked his followers to do, for upon beginning his public ministry Jesus went out to the Sea of Galilee and invited people like Galilean fishermen. One of the first ones he called was Simon Peter and said, “Come, follow me, I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)
Jesus then kept inviting people saying, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Here, “Come to me,” means come to Jesus Christ. Revelation 3:20 is more specific on this point, for it reads, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” This is what we need to do.
In addition, people come to Jesus by us inviting them to the fellowship with Jesus Christ. The early disciples did the same thing. Phillip was one of the first disciples who responded to Jesus’ invitation. Upon finding Jesus as the Savior he went to his friend Nathanael, and said, “Come and see.”
In the same way sisters brought sisters to Jesus. In John 4 after a Bible study with Jesus, a Samaritan woman saw that Jesus is the Savior, so she said to all the townspeople saying, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"
On December 17, we are going to have a Christmas worship service at the USC Bouvard Hall. The first floor alone has 500 seats. Let us go around the college campuses and diligently invite people to the service. Shepherd William Larsen made a beautiful invitation card. USC Coworkers also were able to make a reservation at a nice on campus restaurant where we can have a lunch fellowship after the worship. But in so doing let us first come to our Lord Jesus and His words, for we have prepared lectures on Christmas message in four lessons.
Second, learn
The second step is for us to learn of Him. The Prophet Micah said of people streaming to Jesus, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways…” Here the word “teach” tells us that we must come to Jesus and learn of him. Teaching becomes effective only if we have a learning mind. In learning, we need to focus on the subjects of the study, that is, learning His ways. Let us turn to our neighbor and say, “He will teach us his ways…” “His ways” means the ways which Jesus believes in. Jesus has his ways. We have our own ways.
There are different ways in which we can get things done. Frank Sinatra sang a song, “My Way;” where he says, “I did it my way.” Michael Jackson became a rock star and he had his own way to dance; so through his “moon-walk” style, he became extremely successful.
But as far as a living environment is concerned, the environment in which man can enjoy a quiet, peaceful life in all godliness and holiness, we must learn of Jesus’ ways. Last weekend one friend of mine visited my house. He then urged me to memorize the entire book of Romans, for this book teaches us the essence of the way of Jesus. Another friend of mine is now endeavoring to memorize Jesus’ sermons on the mount. This is also a good way to learn of Jesus’ way. And there many examples of people who struggle to learn of Jesus’ ways. In so learning let us remember that Jesus is big. So we must commit ourselves to learning of Jesus all the days of life, through Bible studies, teaching the Bible, through careers, through reading books, etc.
Third, walk
The final station for us to see the vision becoming a reality for us is to walk in his paths. Think about the way God created us. We have a brain that sits on top of our shoulders. Then we have all other bodily parts. At the bottom we have two feet which we walk with. So walking in his paths is the final stage. It is to translate into action what we learn of Jesus. It is to implement (or practice) what Jesus teaches us. For example, Jesus says that to give is more blessed than to receive. So with our hands we give something to others (such as kind words, materials, or our services). As we keep doing this, God will gradually change our living environment.
The next effect of all this (with all peoples on earth practicing what Jesus came to teach) will be a perfect environment where life will prosper.
Conclusion: We celebrate the birth of the Savior born in Bethlehem of Judea. He came to provide for us a living environment in which we can live peacefully and quietly, in all godliness and holiness. About 8 centuries before the birth of the Christ the Prophet Micah saw this vision and shared it in the passage. But this vision will not come true for us unless we go for it. And we learned that daily we must come to the Lord, learn of him, and walk in His paths. As we accept Him as the Lord and Savior and walk in His paths, then he himself will be our peace, the peace that transcends all [human] understanding.
One word: He will be their peace
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