Love Comes Near:  An Advent Bible Study, Dec. 14th

Read Micah 5:2-5a
Write Micah 5:5a

Micah 5:5a - "and he shall be the one of peace."

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"This passage is a beautiful foreshadowing of the Messiah. Because the
Israelites are under affliction, this announcement of a great ruler gives
them great hope.

"Christmas is a celebration of the shadows, whispers and hopes of us all,
becoming a reality.

"What hints toward the Messiah jump out at you from this passage?"

Micah 5:2 - "...from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
..."

Micah 5:4 - "And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the
LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God."

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"Here are a few not to be missed: 

"'But you, O Bethlehem ... who are too little...'
Even from the whispers of Jesus hundreds of years before his arrival, we see
him using unexpected vessels to tell his story.

"'... whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.'
The Israelites assumed this meant from the line of David, and they were right.
But, they didn't know the deeper truth, that while the Messiah was to be born
in Bethlehem; Bethlehem is not where he began. A great part of the gift of
His coming, is remembering he willingly left his seat in heaven to be with us.
And, that God's plan of the ages has *always* included Jesus.

"Read Ephesians 1:4 and 1 Peter 1:20."

"'And he shall stand and shepherd his flock...'
Shepherding is a dirty job. Not a career that many aspired toward. But, it's
an accurate picture of what Jesus does for us and scripture uses this parallel
often. This prophecy hints at the shepherd's involvement in the Christmas
story. His use of shepherds as the first witnesses of Jesus' birth, it's
another example of God using humble people as his vessels.

"'... for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth...'
An alluding to a Savior for all mankind, both Jew and Gentile.

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"Love Comes Near 

"Another hint in this prophecy is the final line that says, 'And he shall be
their peace.'

"I imagine the Israelites read this line and assumed it meant that he would
bring them peace among their enemies. But, he doesn't intend to simply bring
peace. He will *be* peace.

"Read Ephesians 2:14

"The peace that Jesus became, is not a conditional peace. Or a temporary peace.
It's a supernatural peace that we can access, once we accept His gift of sal-
vation.

"Read Psalm 34:14

"Just like all God's gifts, they are ours for the taking. But, sometimes we
aren't willing to do the work. To make the changes necessary to walk in God's
peace. 

"In what ways do you need peace this Christmas? How can you actively pursue
His peace?"