Advent 1 - Micah 5:2-4 - The Promised Shepherd

Micah 5:2–4 ESV

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. 4 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.

Main Theme

Micah’s prophecy foretells the humble yet majestic birth of Christ, the Shepherd-King, who brings salvation to His people. The seemingly insignificant town of Bethlehem becomes the stage for God’s redemptive plan, where Christ, the eternal ruler, comes to shepherd and reign in righteousness.

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Intro

Stepping into Advent

The purpose of Advent

To help us remember

The previous wait for Christ

And the longing for the First Advent

The current wait for Christ’s return

And the longing for the Second Advent

As we studied half of the minor prophets earlier this year we saw their regular focus on the coming promised messiah, especially in the midst of great calamity sent by God.

While they were bringing messages of great judgement against Israel, the prophets also had a promise of great hope: the promised Son of David would come and heal the world.

The hope and longing set out in their writings are instructional to us as we should also be hoping and longing for the return of Jesus Christ, the Final Advent when Jesus will redeem all his people and even the very earth from the clutches of sin.

So this year for Advent we are turning to their writings and learning from their hope for the Promised Messiah.

Context of Micah

Micah prophesied during a time of moral decline and political instability in Israel and Judah (8th century BC).

And most of Micah is filled with declarations of judgement for Israel’s sin, but when we get to chapter 5 we see something interesting.

Through Micah, God promises to send a savior. But instead of a focus on this savior’s prowess in battle, this Savior was described as being a great Shepherd.

Micah foretold both judgment and salvation, addressing both the people's sin and God’s promise of deliverance.

- The prophecy in Micah 5:2-4 comes as a message of hope in the midst of impending exile.

Link to Christmas

Why would we look at this prophecy in Micah first in this series? Because it is one of the first prophecies that Jesus fulfilled through his life.

Matthew 2:6 makes it abundantly clear when he quotes verse 2 directly in saying why he would be born in Bethlehem.

Now, for many of us, we have always known Jesus was born in Bethlehem and we probably have heard this prophecy many times from our Christmas readings in Matthew, but we had no idea where the prophecy came from.

And I think a huge reason for this is that we have allowed the Christmas “season” to bleed into the Advent “season.”

This is probably confusing for some of you, so let me explain.

In the Christian calendar there are actually seasons and holidays that are meant to walk us through the story and life of Christ throughout the year.

The season of Advent is the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day, and it actually ends during the evening of Christmas Eve.

The season of Advent was intended, for nearly all of our Christian history, to be a season where we feel the intense longing for the Messiah, the Christ, to come.

The song “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” captures this emotion very well and is technically an “Advent Song” and not a “Christmas Song.” It is a song that cries out in longing and reminds us to rejoice in the Promised Christ.

This is what Advent should do for us. It should remind us of how much those who came before Christ longed for his coming to make a way to be free from sin and it should intensify our longing for the Final Advent where Jesus will return and complete the work of redemption that he began in his First Advent.

And I think we would really benefit from keeping Advent separate from Christmas. Think of all the people who struggle immensely with the Christmas season for all sorts of reasons.

For them, the month of December is torture. They feel alone because they can’t bring themselves to feel happy for the entire month. All they can think about is who or what they have lost.

They feel the sting of sin and its consequences, often death, acutely at Christmas. And they have a deep sense of longing for the sad things to come untrue.

And in the season of Advent, that is precisely what we’re supposed to feel. It is to remind us how deeply we need a savior and to bring us to feel that longing and desire for him.

Because, let’s be honest, when life is busy but going alright, it is so easy to forget how much we need our savior.

That season of longing and desire comes to a climax then, late in the evening before Christmas Day. And that longing and desire is fulfilled in the birth of Christ, Emmanuel - God with us.

So, going back to the Church calendar, we celebrate the day of the fulfillment of those longings in the Holiday of “Christmas Day”

and then the Christmas season extends for 12 days (Which is where we get the 12 days of Christmas). Historically, these days have been set aside as 12 days of celebration!

Can you imagine, 12 days of Christmas celebrations?! In a strange way, we’ve backed out of our longer celebrations following Christmas Day in order to celebrate more in the days of Advent and I think that’s made us a bit anemic when it comes to truly understanding and engaging with this season.

and they end on January 6, which is a day known as “Epiphany” and the celebration of Jesus being shown to the magi. It is, effectively, the close of the story of Jesus’ birth and the close of the season of focusing on his birth.

So, circling back again, we’re looking at this prophecy, because our Christmas story is incomplete without it and our view of Christmas will be lacking.

This prophecy sets the stage for understanding the incarnation of Jesus as the promised Shepherd born in Bethlehem.

The Humble Shepherd

Micah 5:2 ESV

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Exposition

- **Bethlehem Ephrathah**: A small, unimportant town in Judah, the birthplace of King David, now chosen again as the birthplace of the ultimate King.

To us, Bethlehem is a big deal, but to most Israelites, it was nothing. It’s only claim to fame was that it was the city of King David.

Ruth and Jesus

We have finished Judges and are now working on Ruth in our Sunday night Bible Study, and the story of Ruth is a fascinating story.

An insignificant Jewish family leaves their insignificant town of Bethlehem and travels to the Pagan nation of Moab.

In that nation, the Jewish sons marry Moabite wives, but then all the men in the family die. And the only remaining member of the family who traveled from Bethlehem is insignificant Naomi, the Matriarch of no-one. And she sends her daughters in law back to their families to find new husbands, but one of them, Ruth, stays.

And she gives probably the most beautiful covenant we see between humans in Scripture in Ruth 1:16-17

Ruth 1:16–17 ESV

16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

And what follows is a beautiful and refreshing story of the human faithfulness of Ruth, but even more so of God’s faithfulness to his followers, no matter where they come from.

But we have to ask the question, what is it doing in the Bible? It’s sweet and all, but it’s interrupting the history of Israel that seems to be a pretty straight line from the end of Judges to the beginning of 1 Samuel. What’s the point of Ruth?

And if we are quick to skip genealogies, we will miss out on the whole point of the story, because there is a small genealogy at the end of the story.

In Ruth 4:13-17 we read:

Ruth 4:13–17 (ESV)

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

This insignificant young widow from a pagan nation, married a man from the insignificant town of Bethlehem but she was the great-grandmother of the greatest king of Israel!

NOT ONLY THAT, but how well do you know the genealogy of Jesus from Matthew 1? Who is one of the ancestors of the Promised Messiah?

DAVID! and also RUTH! The first time I realized this, I was floored! The story of Ruth is a major part of the story of how God brought His Messiah to save humanity! It is not just a story of God’s faithfulness to Ruth and Naomi, but it is also a story of God’s faithfulness to all of his people, to us!

No one derides Bethlehem today! We honor it as the birthplace of Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ!

This might seem like a long time to spend on this, but it’s so important to understanding Christmas! God flips our expectations on their heads!

We expect the Messiah to come from Zion and from the best of the Israelites and instead he comes from Bethlehem and a formerly pagan widow.

And this is the very heart of God! To show his majesty through the lifting up of the poor and weak!

“From you shall come forth for me (2)”:

God is raising up a ruler according to His purpose and for His glory. The Messiah is God's appointed deliverer for His people.

“Whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days”

This phrase speaks to the eternal nature of the Messiah. He is not a mere man but has an origin in eternity, pointing to the pre-existence of Christ (John 1:1-2 ).

John 1:1–2 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

Application

- God delights in using the humble and insignificant for His purposes. Bethlehem reminds us that God’s ways often defy human expectations.

- Reflect on the humility of Christ’s incarnation—how the eternal Son of God came into the world in lowly circumstances.

This challenges our pride and calls us to humility.

- Are we seeking greatness in the world’s terms, or are we willing to embrace the humility of Christ?

Theological Emphasis

God’s sovereignty

Even in small, overlooked places like Bethlehem, God accomplishes His redemptive purposes.

The Ruling Shepherd (v. 3)

Micah 5:3 ESV

3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.

Exposition

“He shall give them up until the time”

This reflects a period of waiting and suffering for Israel, likely referring to the time of exile and the long wait for the Messiah. God allows His people to face judgment, but not without hope.

“When she who is in labor has given birth”

Refers both to the literal birth of Christ and symbolically to the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.

“The rest of his brothers shall return”

The Messiah's coming will result in the gathering of God’s people. This hints at the inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in the redemptive work of Christ, who will reconcile and gather His scattered people (John 10:14-16) from all over the earth!

John 10:14–16 ESV

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Application

1. Advent is the season of waiting, and it is so hard to wait.

In Christ, we find the fulfillment of God’s promises.

We can trust God’s timing.

2. The birth of Christ brings not only personal salvation

but also the restoration and gathering of God’s people.

We get to see the Great Shepherd drawing his flock in, and if we are in Christ, we are part of that flock!

3. Are we participating in the mission of gathering God’s people by proclaiming the gospel?

Theological Emphasis

God’s faithfulness in history

Even when it seems God is silent, He is working out His plan of salvation.

Christ as the Shepherd

Christ's birth marks the beginning of His gathering of His sheep, both Jew and Gentile, into one people.

We see the reality of this in the church! The bride of Christ!

Do you want to see the fulfillment of this prophecy? Look around you! The gathering of believers is Christ’s fulfillment of this verse!

The Savior Shepherd (v. 4)

Micah 5:4 ESV

4 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.

Exposition:

“He shall stand and shepherd his flock”

The Messiah is not a distant ruler but a Shepherd-King who personally tends to His people. The image of a shepherd speaks to His care, guidance, and protection.

He CARES about you.

“In the strength of the Lord”

Christ’s reign is not in human power but in divine strength. His rule is upheld by the power and majesty of God.

“They shall dwell secure”

The peace and security of God’s people are guaranteed under the reign of Christ. He provides spiritual security that transcends earthly troubles.

“He shall be great to the ends of the earth”

The scope of Christ’s reign is universal. This points to the global mission of the church and the spread of the gospel, which extends to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Application

1. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leads us, protects us, and secures us. In a world of uncertainty, we find true peace and security in His reign.

2. The universality of Christ’s reign challenges us to think beyond ourselves and our local context. The gospel is for all people, and Christmas is a time to reflect on the global mission of Christ.

3. Are we trusting in the strength of Christ, or are we looking to earthly powers for security?

Theological Emphasis

Christ as the Shepherd-King

He is both tender in His care and mighty in His strength.

The universal reign of Christ

The kingdom of Christ knows no boundaries. He is the ruler of all, and His glory will spread to the ends of the earth.

Conclusion: The Promise Fulfilled in Christ

Recap

Micah 5:2-4 is a prophecy of hope that points directly to Christ’s first advent. He is the eternal Shepherd-King, born in Bethlehem, who rules in strength and brings peace to His people.

- At Advent, we join with Micah in longing to see the day of God fulfilling this promise, but we have the benefit of living on the other side of Christmas from Micah.

At Christmas, we see and celebrate the fulfillment of this prophecy, knowing that Christ’s reign will one day be fully realized when He returns.

Key Points to Remember

1. Christ’s birth in Bethlehem fulfills God’s sovereign plan to bring a humble yet eternal King into the world.

2. Christ, the Shepherd-King, rules with divine strength and gathers His people in peace.

3. His reign extends to all the earth, and we are called to proclaim His greatness to the nations.

Call to Action

- This Christmas, let us respond to the humility of Christ by humbling ourselves and submitting to His reign.

- Rejoice in the security we have in Christ, and let the peace of His reign shape our lives as we live under His care.

- Commit to participating in the mission of spreading His greatness to the ends of the earth.

Closing Prayer

Thank God for the gift of His Son, the Shepherd-King, and ask for grace to live in the peace, humility, and security of His reign.