Advent Devotional by Steve Hemphill

Micah 5:2-5a

And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders. (Micah 5:4)

Anyone who knows me will know I see lots of movies at the cinema . . . a lot! That means I also see tons of movie trailers (previews) of coming attractions. Sometimes the preview tells the whole story and leaves little reason to come back to see the movie. But the really good preview whets your appetite and makes one anxious for more. The prophet Micah is giving us a taste of the coming attraction of the Messiah. While he may have been a prophet, he doesn’t seem to have a real clear understanding of who/what he is predicting. Any reading of Micah 5 leaves the impression there is going to be a real strong militaristic Messiah coming . . . maybe a Rambo type Messiah.

The reality makes me question his prophetic skills! This Passage in Micah explains why the Jewish leaders of the time of Jesus rejected him. Jesus was the furthest thing from a Rambo savior imaginable. But I shouldn’t be too harsh on Micah’s prophetic skills . . . we have the benefit of a written record of the Messiah and we still get it wrong today.

How many of us prefer a Messiah who can perform visible miracles like Jesus did with wine and various healings? How many of us prefer a Messiah who’ll answer our prayers to vanquish our enemies and enhance our wealth? If Micah had prophesied “Joy, Peace and Contentment” . . . he would have been drummed out of the Prophets Union! But that is precisely what the real Messiah offered then and now. For us today, Jesus offers a personal joy, peace and contentment which is merely a preview of coming attractions.

Steve Hemphill