"Our Shepherd Ruler" by Connie McNeill
“And He will be our peace” (Micah 5:5).
This is a mysterious little passage. There are many unknown and unanswerable questions about references in it, but not all are. For example, the Gospel writers believed it was a messianic prophecy, and we continue to understand it as such. The ruler of old references David who was Israel’s preeminent ruler, and the shepherd ruler (which could also describe David) refers to the ruler who would bring peace, not just to Bethlehem’s backwater area, but to the whole world.
What captures my heart in this passage is in verse 5, and he will be our peace. That’s nice. No! no! Don’t you dare ho-hum this verse. It is remarkable. In this passage, we live at peace when we are being invaded by a very serious and powerful enemy. This enemy marches through the fortifications we have built for protection. However, our shepherd ruler will stand and defend us in the strength of the Lord. In the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
How will we live in these circumstances? How will we live when faced with known and unknown enemies? How will we live with uncertainty? How will we live in such turmoil and frightening times and places? How will we live under siege? How will we live when we protect ourselves and others from a potentially deadly virus? How will we live when we cannot gather in person with loved ones? How will we live when nothing seems secure?
We will live securely. We will live securely. We will live securely. We will live securely. Our Shepherd Ruler is our peace regardless of our circumstances, and when Christ is our ruler and our peace, then who he is, then his greatness, will reach to the ends of the earth. I’m grateful for that, but my prayer this day is for peace of heart a little closer to home, and I’m including you.