“This One will be our peace” (Micah 5:5). That sounds good, doesn’t it? With war raging in Ukraine, with American streets filled with violence, with our politicians at each others’ throats, who doesn’t need some peace these days?

And the people in Micah’s time were in an even worse situation. During the period of his ministry, the Assyrian empire gradually expanded to engulf the northern kingdom of Israel: its capital, Samaria, was conquered in 722 BC, and its people were carried off into exile. The Assyrians would also invade the southern kingdom of Judah, with only Jerusalem remaining free of their clutches.

And things weren’t much better on the home front. Just as people march and protest about systemic injustice today, the poor people of Israel and Judah suffered all kinds of oppression: they lost their property (Micah 2:2) even while their political and religious leaders looked the other way in return for bribes (Micah 3:11).

So surely they welcomed the news that Micah brought to them, news about One Who would feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, One Who would be great to the ends of the earth (Micah 5:4). It’s still good news for us today that Jesus will one day return and establish His reign over all the earth, destroying all injustice and bringing an end to all oppression.

But when will He come? Micah told his listeners that the Lord would give them up into the hands of their enemies until the coming of the Messiah (Micah 5:3), and we know they did indeed have to wait a long time for their deliverance. Yes, it took 700 years for God to send the Messiah Who Micah said would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), 700 years of conquest and exile and bondage for God’s people. And when Jesus finally showed up, He did not in fact come to deliver His people from political oppression as they expected. Instead, He came to set them free from a much more serious problem, their bondage to sin and death.

In the same way, we may not see a change in the outward circumstances of our lives anytime soon. We may not see peace return to our world or our streets for months, or even years. But like the people of Micah’s day, while we wait for God to deliver us, we are called to live in the freedom of the gospel, seeking to root out the injustices and the idolatries that we see all around us as well as within our own souls. For it is only when Christ returns that our struggles will finally be at an end, for only then will the world be the way He created it – a place of perfect peace.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Micah 5:2-5a (NASB)

2 ” But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings 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 borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren 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 And this One will be our peace.