The Promise of Peace“And this One will be our peace”—Micah 5:5a KJV

I see in this text a promise of peace. These words from the prophet Micah are so packed with meaning, it will take 8 points to open its truths.

1. The Promise of Peace is An Historical Promise—“AND this one will be our peace.”

The word “and” tells us that this promise is tied to world history. It connects us back to the beginning of the passage, which takes us to a specific place.

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel (Micah 5:2a).

There were two Bethlehems in Israel. Micah specifies which one he is talking about; the seemingly insignificant hamlet just south of Jerusalem. This was once King David’s ancestral home. He was a shepherd and watched sheep in the hills around Bethlehem.

Joseph, Jesus’ step-father, was in David’s family line. The people of Israel were required by Roman law to travel to their ancestral homes to register for the census in order to tax the people of the land. That means that Joseph and his new bride had to travel to Bethlehem. We have historical evidence of this from the Jewish historian Flavious Josephus.

“Now Cyrenius…was of great dignity, [and] came at this time into Syria, with a few others, being sent by Caesar to be a judge of that nation, and to take an account of their substance…and to dispose of Archelaus's money.”

The Gospel isn’t just a collection of religious ideas. It is rooted in history; an historical reality you can touch, taste and see, supported with names, places and real people.

The word “and” is important in that regard, however, it also ties back to eternal history. Micah mentions that the Messiah will arise out of Bethlehem, but His origins extend back much further.

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity (Micah 5:2-5).

One of the things that tells us, is that Jesus preceded his own birth. “From the days of eternity” is an incredible statement, because it shows the eternal nature of God.We often think of eternal life as everlasting life; that one will live on in perpetual existence. But this verse points backward into the eternal past; indicating to us that God

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has no end, nor beginning. It implies that God lives outside of time. This One who was born in Bethlehem was alive in eternity past. John said as much in his prologue.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-2, 14a).

The Bible is very careful to be consistent on this point. Notice that when Isaiah speaks of Him, he intentionally words his prophecy.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us” (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah doesn’t say a son will be born. Rather a child will be born. The Son, instead, is given. The Son wasn’t born, or came into existence at Bethlehem, because He is eternal and preceded his own physical birth. Instead, the child (the incarnated Christ) was born and the Son was given in crucifixion.

2. The Promise of Peace is An Exclusive Promise—“And THIS one will be our peace.”

The word “this” points to a specific individual. Only one person can fill this role.

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Some feel there are many paths to God. Ravi Zacharias reminds us that it is illogical to say that all other religions are right because each claims exclusivity, therefore they can’t all be right. To say that all paths to God are equally valid violates the law of non-contradiction. This is the most foundational law of logic: If two statements about one particular issue contradict one another (“The earth is flat.” And “The earth is a sphere.”), then they are both false or only one of them is true, but they cannot both be true.

Why is it that we reject such thinking in all other areas of life, but accept it when it comes to the issue of religious truth? If you want to go to North Carolina via I-95—you can’t say head south on I-95 to one person, and to someone else say head north on I-95, if both are beginning from the same location—both statements cannot be true because they contradict each other. You either need to travel north or south to get to get to North Carolina—both cannot be true.

It is the same with religion. All religions have some similarities—they all focus on service to and worship of God. But they all make contradictory claims about truth that are foundational—therefore they cannot all be right. Notice on the chart below how the basic fundamental ideas of each religion are incompatible.

Nature of God Our spiritual What is Salvation The way to

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problem SalvationChristianity Monotheistic Separation from

God because of moral guilt

Conscious, personal fellowship with God for all eternity

Receive the gift of God's forgiveness by faith in Jesus Christ

Judaism Monotheistic Separation from God because of moral guilt

Conscious, personal fellowship with God for all eternity

Turn to God & live a moral life

Islam Monotheistic Separation from God because of moral guilt

Enter Paradise for an eternity of sensual pleasure

Perform the 5 Pillars of Faith

Hinduism Polytheistic Ignorance that all is one

Freedom from conscious, individual existence ("moksha")

Better reincarnation by improving karma

Buddhism Polytheistic Ignorance that all is one

Freedom from conscious, individual existence ("nirvana")

Escape reincarnation by following 4 Noble Truths & 8-Fold Path

God can’t be personal and impersonal at the same time. The way of salvation can’t be a free gift and a wage earned at the same time. Zaehner, a Hindu scholar, says, “To maintain that all religions are paths leading to the same goal, as is so frequently done today, is to maintain something that is not true.”

Notice that in four of the five religions listed above, there is no assurance of salvation. Assurance is only offered in Christianity. That is because those religions teach that salvation is dependent on one’s works. But Christianity is different. It says that salvation depends on Christ's work.

3. The Promise of Peace is A Singular Promise—“And this ONE will be our peace.”

Here we have the individual pointed out—a person who will be born in Bethlehem. This is talking about Jesus for only He meets the criteria for the Messiah. The Messiah had to be human in order to represent humanity and undo what Adam did. The Messiah had to be divine so that His one life is more valuable than all—thus qualifying Him to sacrifice Himself for all of humanity. The Messiah had to be without sin. He could not die for our sins if He had sins of his own to pay for. The Messiah had to fulfill the prophecies of his

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coming. The Messiah had to die to pay for our sins. The Messiah had to rise from his own death so that death is conquered for all. I give you one candidate—His name is Jesus. Unlike any other religious founder and leader—He alone has risen from the dead and is alive today.

4. The Promise of Peace is A Future Promise—“And this one WILL be our peace.”

The word “will” predicts that He would come. There were scores of prophecies predicting the coming of the Messiah.

When Jesus was incarnated, He fulfilled every one of those prophecies and more. There are over 300 prophecies pointing to the Messiah’s first advent. The odds of one man randomly fulfilling even eight of them are astronomical. One mathematician calculated the odds and put it in the form of a word picture so we could comprehend the numbers.

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Prophecies of Christ Old TestamentHe would be a sacrificial Lamb Genesis 22:8He would be from the tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10He would be heir to the throne of David Isaiah 9:7He would be Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2He would be Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14He would be Declared to be the Son of God Psalm 2:7He would be Preceded by a messenger Mal 3:1He would be Called out of Egypt Hosea 11:1He would be Would be a Nazarene Judges 13:5; Amos 2:11;He would bring light to the Gentiles Isaiah 9:1-2He would be Presented with gifts Psalm 72:10He would be Rejected by His own Isaiah 53:3He would Enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey Zechariah 9:9He would be Betrayed by a friend Psalms 41:9He would be Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12He would be Forsaken by His disciples Zechariah 13:7He would be Accused by false witnesses Psalm 35:11He would be Silent to accusations Isaiah 53:7He would Heal blind, deaf and lame Isaiah 29:18, 35:5-6He would Preach to the poor and brokenhearted Isaiah 61:1He would be Spat upon, smitten and scourged Isaiah 50:6, 53:5He would be Crucified with criminals Isaiah 53:12That His body would be pierced with a sword Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 22:16He would be Thirsty during execution Psalm 22:16He would be Given vinegar and gall for thirst Psalm 69:21That the Soldiers would gamble for his garment Psalm 22:18That People would mock Him on the cross Psalm 22:7-8That He would have No broken bones Psalm 34:20; Num 9:12He would be Buried with the rich Isaiah 53:9He would be Resurrected from the dead Psalm 16:10-11,49:15

He said the odds would be equivalent to filling the state of Texas with a blanket of silver dollars one foot deep; and placing one gold dollar somewhere in that enormous pile of silver dollars; then giving a blindfolded man a stick and instructing him to throw the stick and hit the one gold dollar on the first throw. That means statistically it is impossible for Jesus to have fulfilled those prophecies by chance. The odds of gravity giving out in the next ten seconds and you floating off into space are actually greater than if Jesus randomly and coincidently fulfill all the prophecies concerning his first coming.

5. The Promise of Peace is An Embodied Promise—“And this one will BE our peace.”

He doesn’t only give us peace, but this verse is really emphasizing that he is our peace. Man is naturally an enemy of God. But Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for us, and in so doing opened access to God. The Bible says that when Jesus was crucified, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The temple veil was a curtain that separated the inner court of the temple from the Holy of Holies. That innermost chamber contained the ark of the covenant; a golden chest that contained the ten commandments, a jar of manna and the rod of Aaron. Above the ark hovered the literal presence of God, called the Shikinah glory. No one but the High Priest was allowed in that chamber, and he, only once a year with the blood of a goat. If anyone entered that room they would die. The obvious statement was that no one was allowed into the presence of God. Men were unholy and thus be consumed in God’s prefect presence. But when Jesus died, an angel of the Lord ripped the curtain, thus opening the room to all. It was God’s way of saying access into His presence was granted. Was it because man was now suddenly worthy to enter God’s presence? No. It was because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so God’s righteous standard was satisfied. Therefore, through the sacrifice of Jesus was can have peace with God, because He is our peace.

6. The Promise of Peace is A Personal Promise—“And this one will be OUR peace.”

This is for you, Not just the Jews of Micah’s day. The gospel was opened to us. This is a personal gospel, in that God has made salvation available to you, individually. However, that also means that salvation is not automatically universal. You, personally, must be saved.

7. The Promise of Peace is A Universal Promise—“And this one will be OUR peace.”

Though you must personally be saved—salvation is available for everyone.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

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8. The Promise of Peace is An Ultimate Promise—“And this one will be our PEACE.”

In context, the peace that is promised here is Millennial peace. Follow Micah’s prophecy…

The Messiah will come…

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2).

Israel will be left to her enemies until Jesus is born…

“Therefore, He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child” (Micah 5:3a).

At the end of the age, Israel will return to her land…

“Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel” (Micah 5:3b).

Then Christ will reign on the earth…

“And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4).

And the result will be peace among men on earth…

“And this One will be our peace” (Micah 5:5a).

This is talking about Christ ruling on the planet and the cessation of war. But this is only possible because of a greater war that was won—the war against sin. God not only offers us the peace of God, but ultimately He offers something far greater—peace with God. The New Testament clearly states this thought.

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His

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own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

“and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister” (Colossians 1:20-23).

I received a Christmas Card a few years ago that summarizes this perfectly.

The Word of God became fleshThe Son of God became man

The Lord of All became a servantThe Righteous One was made sin

The Eternal One tasted deathThe Risen One now lives in menThe Seated One is coming again!

And this One will be our peace

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