Micah 5

Micah 5:1-6

5. And this man shall be the peace when the Affyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall dread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven Shepherds, and eight principal men. 6. And they shall I walle the land of Affyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Affyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

We have here.

1. Troublious times coming upon Zion. New gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops; which seems adderfied to the Chaldeans: he hath laid dogs apptly as, the king of Babylon, with his army: they shall fowle the judge of Israel with a rod upon his cheek, Zedekiah and the princes being most ignominiously and cruelly treated by Nebuchadnezzar, and his sons dain before his eyes.

2. The Messiah is promised, the grand support of his Israel in every time of their distress: the hopes of his appearing may well keep them from sinking into despair, and engage them to wait patiently for him. But thou, Bethlehem Ephorate, though that he little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall be some forth unto me, that is to be near in Israel; while going forth have been of old, from everlasting. St. Matthew has left us no doubt concerning whom these words are spoken: they relate to Christ, and of him the ancient Jewish interpreters understood them. (1.) They fix the place of his nativity at Bethlehem. (2.) They describe the office of the Messiah to be a ruler in Israel; not indeed over Israel after the flesh, but over his spiritual subjects, the children of Abraham by faith. (3.) They after his eternal Godhead: from everlasting are his going forth. Thou, as man, he came forth from the lineage of David, and out of the city of Bethlehem, as God he is from everlasting to everlasting, without beginning of days or end of life.

3. Before his appearing in the flesh the Jews shall go through much tribulation. Therefore, or notwithstanding, will be give them up, for a while, to be harsified by their enemies, until the time that he which trewisheth hath brought forth; which many interpreters refer to the blessed virgin, the mother of Christ, of whom the king expected Saviour, in the fulness of time, should be born for the confidation of Israel. Or these words may relate to Christ’s rejection of the Jewish nation for a while, for their unbelief, until the church, the spiritual Zion, hath brought forth the fulness of the Gentiles: then the remnant of his brethren, the Jewish people, shall return to the children of Israel, and be admitted into the church of the redeemed. Or this may comprehend the Gentiles also, whom Christ is not ashamed to call his brethren, Heb. ii. 11. who with the Jews will become at last one fold under one shepherd.

4. The people of Christ shall then be safe and happy under his blessed government. He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, clothed with divine power, able to protect the sheep of his pafure, and ever watching ever them with kind follicle, providing for their wants, and ministering to them out of his fulness; in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, being himself, in his nature and perfections, very God; and also, as Mediator, invested with a delegated power over all in heaven and earth; and therefore they shall abide for ever the objects of his love, and under his care, none being able to separate them from him; and in their affections and fidelity firmly united to him; or they shall be under his shadow, quiet and safe from fear of evil: for now, shall he be great unto the ends of the earth, when, his gospel being spread abroad, all flesh shall see his glory, and the nations be gathered unto him. And this man shall be the peace: man is not in the original: this shall be the peace; this Messiah, who by the blood of his cross shall make peace with God on the behalf of perishing fences, and by his grace shall preserve his people from all the enemies of their souls; when the Affyrian shall come into our land; as he delivered them from Sennacherib’s invasion, he will be still protect his redeemed from the power of the wicked: and when he shall tread in our palaces, and seems ready to swallow up the people of God, then shall we raise against him seven Shepherds, and eight principal men: the Lord, their protection, hath instruments ready to employ in the service of his people, and for the destruction of their enemies: and they shall waffle the land of Affyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrance thereof: thus shall be deliver us from the Affyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. And this destruction of these invertebrate enemies of the church of old, seems to prefigure the conquests of the gospel, before which Satan and the powers of darkness fell as lightning from bowers; and may be considered as having respect also to the final destruction of Christ’s enemies, when the pagan, papal, and Mahometan powers, which last now possess their countries, shall at last be destroyed. Note, (1.) Christ’s people need not fear, though surrounded with enemies, assaulted by temptations, and before with corruptions; he will be their peace when the Affyrian cometh into the land. (2.) All the church’s foes shall shortly be made her foots, and a little faith and patience will issue in eternal triumphs.

5. And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people, as a dew from the LORD, as the flowers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waireth for the foot of men. 8. ¶ And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teereth in pieces, and none can deliver. 9. Thine hand shall be lit up upon their adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. 10. And it shall come to pass in that day, faith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: 11. And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong-holds: 12. And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand, and thou shalt have no mere foothsayers. 13. Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the words of thine hands. 14. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. 15. And I will execute vengeance in anger, and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

Before Christ

Micah 5:7-15

A glorious remnant of Jacob, according to the election of grace, shall be saved; blessed themselves, and a blessing unto others. And this remnant may be understood, either of those who were the first preachers of the gospel; whose word disliked as the dew, and who vanquished the superstition and idolatry of the Gentile world; or of the redeemed people in general, who are but a remnant, compared with those that perish.

1. They shall be as the dew in the midst of many people, numerous as dew-drops, of heavenly extraction, fruitful in good works, and blessings to all around them; as the flowers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waireth for the sins of men; and so free, bounterous, and unhospite are the gifts of God’s grace, preventing our desires, and above all our desires.

2. They shall be as a lion among the beasts of the forest, so courageous and strong, and before them their enemies shall be as a flock of helpless sheep, unable to make the least resistance, v. 8. and fall an easy prey to their arms. Thus shall it be at the last with all who perish in their enmity against Christ and his church, they shall perish together.

3. They shall cease from all human confidences, not any longer need them, when all their sons are fallen. Their horses and chariots for war shall be destroyed, as useless, and the fortifications of their cities, and their strong holds be demolished: and a mercy it is when these vain confidences are taken from us, which were a temptation to us to trust on them more than God. Their witchcrafts and unlawful arts of divination shall be cut off, and secure more regarded, v. 11. Every monument of idolatry shall be utterly abolished, their images and groves cast down, and the into where idolatry pervaded, or the temples large as cities, dedicated to their idols, destroyed; or as in the margin, thy enemies, both within and without.

4. Vengeance shall then light on every disobedient sinner, such as they have not heard, so terrible; or which have not heard, refused to receive the Lord Christ, and delegated his salvation, for which, judgment shall come upon them to the uttermost.