for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel's ruler
on the cheek with a rod.
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times."
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,
6 who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march into our borders.
Questions to consider:
- Compare 2:12-13 with this passage.
- What type of leadership is promised Israel?
- What needs of yours could be met by such leadership?
- What will happen when Assyria invades the land? How will this news encourage the people?
Possibilities for prayer:
“And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses”
The idea of God being “our peace” is a pretty incredible one. We’ve likely all asked God to bring or give peace, either for ourselves or those we care about. But this passage describes God as BEING peace, which is pretty cool, especially when we consider that this is in the midst of invasion and plunder. What’s even cooler is that this verse is considered by many to be a prophecy of Jesus!
Perhaps it feels like you are going through a time of invasion or plunder in your own life, in big ways or small ways. Today, let’s ask Jesus to be our peace, even in the midst of hardship and trial, as was prophesied so long ago.
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