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The Scriptorium

He Shall Feed His Flock

In the strength and majesty of the Lord! Micah 5

The Shepherd King: Micah 5 (7)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 23.1, 2
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

Sing Psalm 23.1, 2

(Taladh Chriosda: Song of the Christ Child)
The Lord my Shepherd is, and I shall not want; He makes me lie
in green pastures, leads me by refreshing waters, still.
Refrain
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Read Micah 5; meditate on verses 4, 5

Preparation
1. With what will the Shepherd King feed His flock?

2. What will be the effects of this on them?

Meditation
Micah 4 and 5 are like two sides of the same coin. That is, they tell a similar story, but with different images and from different angles. The story is ­of the coming of Christ, the Mountain of the Lord’s House, the Ruler born in Bethlehem, and the Shepherd of the Lord’s flock. He is coming to assemble His people and feed them with the Law of God, so that they grow in the strength and majesty of the Lord, and abide in His peace.

The He will disperse His flock among the nations (Mic. 5.7-9), to be like the refreshing dew of morning, bringing the grace of God to those who will receive it; and to be as a terrifying lion of the forest to those who continue to resist the grace of God. The strength of the Lord sustains the Shepherd King’s flock, and the majesty of the Lord is refracted through them as they walk in obedience to the Law. And wherever His rule extends, people know peace and prosperity in Him.

And is God strong enough to do this? To gather the nations for judgment and salvation? What God will do with Assyria will soon enough prove His power to judge and to deliver (Mic. 5.5, 6).

But before God’s grace comes to His people, they must come under His discipline because of their sins (Mic. 5.10-15). The remaining chapters of Micah will focus on this, because sin and rebellion were the present realities in Israel and Judah in Micah’s day.

Nevertheless, the great hope of the book of Micah is of deliverance, forgiveness, revival, renewal, and awakening in the Lord. All whom the Lord gathers, and among whom He stands forever, will feed on His strength and majesty so that they fulfill their calling to refresh the people of their world. Thus the righteousness, peace, and joy of God’s Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“…and they shall abide” (Mic. 5.4).

Synonyms for the word abide are: obey, observe, follow, keep to, hold to. All these forms of abiding are what we want to do for our King Jesus. If the “great hope of the book of Micah is of deliverance, forgiveness, revival, renewal, and awakening in the Lord” then we must abide in Him to experience that hope.

“Then Jesus said to those…who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (Jn. 8.31).

He also said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (Jn. 15.4).

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (Jn. 15.9).

We “will feed on His strength and majesty” to fulfill our calling “to refresh the people” of our world. “Thus the righteousness, peace, and joy of God’s Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.”

As we abide in Jesus. “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn. 2.17).

Reflection
1. What are the most important lessons from Micah 4 and 5 for you in your Personal Mission Field?

2. Jesus stands to feed you on the strength and majesty of the Lord. What can you do so that your time in the Word involves more of this kind of feeding?

3. What does it mean to abide in Jesus? How can you abide more consistently in Him throughout the day?

The word, stand, designates perseverance, as though he had said, that it would not be for a short time that God would gather by Christ the remnant of the people; that it would not be, as it often happens, when some rays of joy shine, and then immediately vanish. The Prophet shows here that the kingdom of Christ would be durable and permanent.
John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Micah 5.4

Closing Prayer: Psalm 23.3-6

Let Jesus feed you from His Word today, then go forth to bear much fruit for Him.

Sing Psalm 23.3-6

(Taladh Chriosda: Song of the Christ Child)
Restore my soul, Lord, day by day; lead me in Your righteous way
For Your Name’s sake, Lord, I pray, according to Your will.

And though through death’s dark vale I go, I no fear of evil show,
for Your rod and staff, I know, shall guard and comfort still.
Refrain
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

A table You before me spread in the midst of those I dread,
and with oil anoint my head; my cup You over fill.
Refrain

Thus goodness e’er shall follow me; mercy all my path shall see;
Your house shall my dwelling be, forever after still.
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for Sunday.

Micah in God’s Covenant
Where does the book of Micah fit in God’s covenant with His people? Our workbook, God’s Covenant, can help you to answer that question and to gain a better understanding of how the grace of God reaches and transforms us in Jesus Christ. Order your free copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scripture are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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