As Micah the prophet
continued to give details concerning the Messiah of Israel, he wrote
how he would “stand and feed in the strength of the LORD”
and “in the majesty of the name of the LORD his GOD”. When
the Messiah appears for the second time, He will be “great unto
the ends of the earth”. In chapter five and verse five of his
prophesy, Micah tells his readers that the Messiah will “be the
peace” where we read:
And this man
shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and
when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him
seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
The
verse begins, “And this man shall be the
peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land:” The
next characteristic of the Messiah given by Micah is, “and
this man” speaking
specifically “of the Messiah” “shall be the peace”
or “completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, soundness,
health, prosperity, contentment, and tranquility” during a specific
time. This time is “when the Assyrian” which literally
means “a step” and refers to the nation or land of Assyria “shall
come into our land” which means “be brought into, enters or
carried into our territory or country”. When we think about a
dreadful nation who would invade our land, we can see the need for
“this man”, the Messiah,
who “shall be the peace”.
The
verse continues, “and when he shall tread in our palaces,
then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal
men.” Micah went on to write,
“and when he shall tread” or
“bend, lead or march” “into our palaces”
which refers to “citadels and fortresses”, “then
shall we raise” or “arise
and stand” “against him seven” which
is the number of completeness, “shepherds”
or “herdsmen who pasture, tend, graze and feed a flock”.
Micah also added, “and eight” which is the number
indicating a new beginning, “principal men” which refers
to “princes or anointed men”. We are not certain who these “seven
shepherds” and “eight principal men” are, but we may
know they will arise on the scene when the time comes.
While we think upon these
words of Micah, there are a few suggestions as to whom this “Assyria”
is in our scripture. First, it could be a reference to the attack of
the Assyrian army during the reign of King Hezekiah, (see 2 Kings 19)
or it could refer to the armies just north of Israel today such as
Iran along with Russia who are written of in the book of Ezekiel
chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine. Perhaps it is a spiritual
reference to “satan” and his attacks against the church.
Whichever the case, “this man” or Messiah “shall be
the peace” when the attacks come. There is no one greater to
provide “peace” than Jesus Christ Himself, and as Isaiah
the prophet wrote concerning the Messiah in chapter nine and verse
six:
For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace.
Paul the apostle also wrote of Jesus
when he said, “or he is our peace, who has made both one,
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between
us;” in his letter
to the Ephesians in chapter two and verse fourteen. Jesus is our
“peace”, and
whether there be invading armies, satan or attacks from adversarial
enemies, Jesus gives tranquility like no other can give. May we learn
to live in the “peace”
He provides.
Next
time Micah shares concerning the deliverance from Assyria,
so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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