God loves to surprise us.
He is the ultimate artist dropping a new album at midnight, the clever author delivering an unexpected plot twist with thirty pages left. This is the God who blessed Abraham and Sarah with a child in their old age, who shocked Mary, a virgin, with the announcement that she would bear His son, who through Jesus consistently healed the sick and broke bread with those whom culture deemed undeserving.
In much the same way, the prophecy in this passage shows us that God loves to subvert expectation.
In the late eighth and early seventh centuries BC, at the time Micah foretold the Messiah and His kingdom, Israel and Judah were experiencing the turmoil of invasion and cultural upheaval. The promise of a leader who would provide peace—particularly “when the Assyrians invade” (v. 5), not too far from reality at this time—would surely have been welcome, yet might have seemed unbelievable. As would much of what Micah predicted, that the promised one wouldn’t claim a great, influential city as His home, but would instead come from Bethlehem, “small among the clans of Judah” (v. 2); that He would rule as a shepherd “in the strength of the Lord,” not a dictator backed by money or military might.
That is one of the great things about our God: He almost never does what we anticipate. He raises up greatness from the lowly and humble. He shows power through peace and strength through tenderness. He sends His son into the world not as an iron-clad warrior, but instead a tiny, vulnerable baby.
Christmas and Advent often feel like seasons of comfort—the familiar smells of dishes relatives bring to pass, sights of the same decorations neighbors have put up for years, the muscle memory of seasonal hymns and traditions celebrated among family and friends. But ironically, it is really a season commemorating the unexpected.
The circumstances of our day and age may look different than they did in Micah’s time, yet we still live in a broken world, we still hope for peace and security. And the promise in this passage still remains for us—God is faithful. He just might be showing up in ways we never could have predicted.
For Reflection:
- What is the most unexpected aspect of the Christmas story to you? Why do you think God might have chosen to bring it about in the way He did?
by Rachel Shuster
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