Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/420759
December 15 Micah 5:2 & Matthew 2:6 The Hope of Humankind Alemayehu (Alex) Mekonnen, PhD Associate Professor of Missions B ut you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a Ruler who will be the Shepherd of my people Israel" (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6). Were any intelligent political and social observer from the time of Micah or Matthew to see the above verse on the front page of a newspaper, he or she would laugh in mockery at both the prophet and the apostle. e political, social, and economic conditions of Israel at both times were desperate, not hopeful, defined by corrupt leadership and colonial power, not the shepherding of a native son. While Ahaz was the king of Judah, the people of Israel were guilty of the vilest adultery: departing from the Lord (Hos. 1:2). God abhorred the sin of the people so much that He said to them through the prophet Hosea, "You are not my people, and I am not your God" (Hos. 1:8). Israel and Judah became stubborn like untrained heifers and continued in their rebelliousness against their Maker. With a seemingly hopeless voice, the prophet said, "Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire upon their cities that will consume their fortress" (Hos. 8:14). Micah said, "Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go howl like a jackal and moan like an owl. For her wound is incurable; it has come to Judah. It has reached the very gate of my people, even to Jerusalem itself " (Mic. 1:8). Isaiah and Micah were contemporaries, and one can observe their struggle to see the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant in the inevitable destruction of Israel and Judah. How could they expect the Shepherd of Israel to emerge on the political scene when God was consuming their cities with fire? Can anything good come out of the ashes of human history? But both prophets were able to trust the sovereign God who called them to declare His oracle. Ultimately, they believed that God is in control of human destiny, not vice versa. Hence, in the midst of political and religious darkness, we find the promise of Micah 5:2. Even though Micah and Matthew lived hundreds of years apart, the conditions of the Jewish people were more or less the same. Israel was under Roman rule and anxiously anticipated the Messiah. In this dark time, the prophecy was fulfilled—good news for a desperate people. We live in a wonderful and fearful time, struggling to make sense of senseless wars, devastating famines, economic crises, and moral decay. Let us not forget that the Good Shepherd of our lives is born and coming back to rule righteously forever. 10