Thick juicy lamb chops and warm wool socks. Those things are, in my mind, the purpose of sheep. Sheep are dumber than dirt. They are helpless prey to predators smaller than themselves. Their image makes for cuddly stuffed toys like my oldest daughter used to have, but in other ways they are just not that attractive.
Yet one of the primary and most comforting images of Scripture is that in relationship to God we are sheep, and He is our Shepherd. That image rises to its height in the promise of One who would Shepherd God’s people Israel and the fulfillment of that promise in the person of Jesus Christ. Our text for this week is Micah 5:2-5a, in which we hear the promise of a Shepherd to be born in Bethlehem.
The fact is that already in biblical times “shepherd” had a double meaning. Yes, it referred primarily to one who herded and cared for sheep, but it also was regularly used to refer to kings who led armies. So, perhaps influenced by mid-eastern usage, we find Homer later on referring to heroes like Agamemnon and Hector as “shepherds of the people.”
So the promise of a shepherd is more than the promise of someone who will keep us safe and comfortable, warm and well-fed. It is the prediction of a leader who will order us together in combat against our enemies. That seems to be the true spirit of Micah’s prophecy as he speaks it in the context of verse 1 and the remainder of verse 5, picturing Israel up against its enemies.
Facing the elusive and shapeless enemies of poverty and fear, pointless hate and senseless violence, we may find ourselves most like sheep, unsure where to turn and wandering aimlessly. It is in Jesus Christ that we are promised leadership in directions that actually address such enemies and bring help and healing. It’s in Christ that we may unite and move forward to bring help and healing where people are feeling chaos and despair.
As we remember how the shepherds came to see the newborn Great Shepherd, may we be ready to accept Him as the Shepherd Micah predicted, a kingly leader, calling us to order and battle against the forces of evil in our world.