Micah
Chapter Five
Leon L. Combs, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D.
Micah 5:1-4
"Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek. (2) "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." (3) Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel. (4) 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 tells them to gather themselves in a military sense to be ready to fight against the coming siege. Saying that someone slapped someone on the cheek is a great insult showing the low respect the enemy has for them. Ephrathah is an ancient name for Bethlehem and Micah uses it here to make sure everyone knows he is referring to the town in which David was born as he connects the messianic king with David. The book of Micah is not one of the better known books of the Bible to most Christians but these verses are known as predicting the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a small community but often God does use the weak and small to bring forth His blessings as we have already mentioned regarding His choosing of Israel. Verse two states that One will come from Bethlehem to rule in Israel. This Ruler must be divine as expressed by His existence is from even the days of eternity. We know that Isaiah amplified this promise (Isa 9:6-7). Verse three begins with the word “therefore” that shows the following actions of God based upon what has transpired. Some Protestant writers say that the “she” refers to Mary as the mother of Jesus but that is unlikely since no such person has been introduced previously. Micah earlier used the metaphor of a woman giving birth in reference to Jerusalem (4:9-10) and he likely is just doing that again to refer to the Messiah being brought up from Bethlehem. His brethren refers to those who share His common national heritage and so refers to the remnant of the Israelites gathered by God to return to the homeland.
Verse four refers to this Ruler being a shepherd and we all know that Jesus is the “good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). Verse four also states that His rule will continue forever. Historians tell us that there have been 21 great civilizations and all only remained for a short time and then passed away. Even the United States will pass away but God’s rule is forever with Jesus Christ as the Ruler.
Micah 5:5-7
This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. (6) They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, The land of Nimrod at its entrances; And He will deliver us from the Assyrian When he attacks our land And when he tramples our territory.
Micah continues that this Messiah will be their peace for only He is without sin and can then bring peace between man and God. Probably he uses Assyria as a figure of speech for all the world powers oppressing Israel rather than as the one nation. Zechariah also used “Assyria” and “Egypt” as nations gathered against God’s people (10:10). The seven shepherds and eight leaders are also to be understood as indefinite numbers representing the large number of righteous leaders available at that time to fight against the opposing nations. Verse six continues the emphasis of the successful fighting against all the nations brought against them. There will be much destruction by these other forces but God will deliver them.
Micah 5:7-9
Then the remnant of Jacob Will be among many peoples Like dew from the LORD, Like showers on vegetation Which do not wait for man Or delay for the sons of men. (8) The remnant of Jacob Will be among the nations, Among many peoples Like a lion among the beasts of the forest, Like a young lion among flocks of sheep, Which, if he passes through, Tramples down and tears, And there is none to rescue. (9) Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, And all your enemies will be cut off.
This remnant will then be brought from insignificant into a dominant force against their aggressors. It may be that this remnant will also include the church (Rom 11:17-24) since we also await the appearance of Christ to lead in conquest against all our enemies. Saying that this will be like dew and showers from the Lord are a poetic way of stating that the victory will be totally due to the actions of God for His people. The metaphor of the lion does not necessarily mean a bloodthirsty attack but one that is relentless so that nobody can escape from this force of God. This peace will only come when the world is conquered by the Prince of Peace so that the will of man is totally subjected to that of God (Isa 63:1-6; Rev 19:11-16). Jesus Christ is called both the “Lamb of God (John 1:29) and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5).
Micah 5:10-15
"It will be in that day," declares the LORD, "That I will cut off your horses from among you And destroy your chariots. (11) "I will also cut off the cities of your land And tear down all your fortifications. (12) "I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you will have fortune-tellers no more. (13) "I will cut off your carved images And your sacred pillars from among you, So that you will no longer bow down To the work of your hands. (14) "I will root out your Asherim from among you And destroy your cities. (15) "And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath On the nations which have not obeyed."
“That day” is then the same as previously stated when God will be victorious over all His foes. He will be victorious by His power alone as Micah states in these verses that God will remove all of their weapons such as horses and chariots so that the victory is obviously by Him and not by the powers of the remnant. God will also remove all of their spiritual efforts that are opposed to God so that they will never again look upon themselves as the powers that conquer their enemies. Asherah was a Canaanite goddess associated with all aspects of sexual life and fertility in general and was a goddess of war. The use of prostitutes was an integral part of her worship. God will then destroy all of their evil worship methods. He finishes this portion of his writings by saying that God will bring forth His vengeance in anger and wrath against all the nations which have not obeyed Him. Then the peace promised in 4:1-4 will never again be threatened.
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