Peace

What do you think of when you hear the word "peace"? What comes to mind? With Christmas coming soon, perhaps you think about a quiet family gathering around the Christmas tree, or a time alone enjoying the light snowfall on a cold winter's night? With all the violence in the streets and wars in both Israel and the Ukraine, it's hard sometimes to even imagine what a world of peace would even look like.

Sunday, December 10 will be the second Sunday of Advent. The Bible theme this Sunday is PEACE. We could go in any number of directions with this, but I would like to consider the peace that Christ brings. There are several different Scriptures that speak of peace, but I would like to look at one passage in particular that speaks directly of the fact that our peace is in Christ. Here it is:

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting."

Therefore He shall give them up,

Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;

Then the remnant of His brethren

Shall return to the children of Israel.

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;

And they shall abide,

For now He shall be great

To the ends of the earth;

And this One shall be peace. (Micah 5:2-5a)

First we should define some words. Bethlehem was a small village. Though not used in this passage, "little" (2a) would describe a "village." The term "village" (qaphar in Hebrew) refers to a small, obscure, unwalled community outside of a much larger, more prominent, walled town or city (Smith’s Bible Dictionary – Village, 1901). The term is derived from the idea of its offering "cover" or shelter for the people who live there (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Village, 1915).

"Bethlehem" is from the root word bara in Hebrew meaning "to be fruitful." There were fruitful orchards and vineyards here. Specifically, "Bethlehem" means "house of bread." It is made up of two words. Beth meaning "house," as in Bethel, "house of God," and lehem meaning "bread." So the two Hebrew words taken together, Beth lehem, means "house of bread" (DesiringGod.org).

"Ephrathah," the original name of the region, tells us which Bethlehem is in view. There were two villages in Israel at that time known as Bethlehem, one in Judah and the other located in Zebulun. Judah is in the region of Ephrathah, so the birthplace of David, the little obscure village of Bethlehem in Judah is the one in mind in this prophecy. It is located about six miles south/southwest of Jerusalem, the larger walled city. (Ephrathah also means "fruitful" and comes from the same root word in the Hebrew).

So Bethlehem is a little obscure village in the hillside country just southwest of Jerusalem. It is a quiet and lonely place. Nothing great could be expected from this insignificant village. Yet it was here that the Savior was born! According to Micah's prophecy in our text this morning, the birth of Christ would take place in this little village of Bethlehem (v. 2a), and in the gospels this prophecy is fulfilled. So Bethlehem, the "house of bread" was the birthplace of the Bread of Life!

Micah turns to Bethlehem and speaks not only of Christ's birth, but the future peace He brings as well. He says that this Christ child is "the One to be Ruler in Israel" (v. 2b). He also identifies Christ as one "whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (v. 2c). He is eternal. He always was, He is, and He always will be.

"And this One shall be peace" (v. 5a). Oh, the peace He brings to those who love Him. If you trust in Jesus you will experience His awesome peace. You will experience "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Phil. 4:7a). Amen.