Micah 5
McGeeCHAPTER 5THEME: Prophecy of the first coming of ChristThis chapter continues the subject begun in chapter 4: prophesying future glory because of past promises. In chapter 4 we saw prophecies regarding the last days; now we shall see prophecies regarding the first coming of Christ.
Micah 5:1
In the Hebrew Scriptures this verse concludes chapter 4. Frankly, I feel that it belongs there, not here, and that it continues the thought of chapter 4 verse Mic_4:9 regarding the Babylonian captivity. You will recall that Micah projects the horrors of the Babylonian invasion right on down to the “last days,” that is, to the Great Tribulation period and the War of Armageddon. Now in the verse before us, he again picks up the thought of the Babylonian invasion. “He hath laid siege against us” refers, I believe, to the siege of the Babylonian army against Jerusalem. “They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.” There are those who take the position that the “judge” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. However, in the Gospel record we read that they smote Him with their hands, not with a rod. Neither was Christ smitten in any siege. He was not smitten by a foreign enemy but by His own people. I do not believe that this can refer to the mistreatment of Christ at His first coming. It seems obvious to me that the “judge of Israel” refers to the last king of the Davidic kingdom, Zedekiah. In 2Ki_25:7 we read, “And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.” I believe that Micah is referring to the shameful treatment which Zedekiah received at that time. It denotes what looks to be the very end of the Davidic line. However, Zedekiah was not in the direct line. You will recall that Jehoiakim rebelled against the king of Babylon. He stood against him at first; then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took Jehoiakim into captivity.
Then Jehoiachin was put on the throne. Later, he too was taken captive. In 2Ki_24:15 we read, “And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.” This was the Davidic line which was carried into captivity, and out of this line came both Joseph and Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus. Then Nebuchadnezzar put Zedekiah (the uncle of Jehoiachin) on the throne at Jerusalem. When he rebelled against Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar became tired of fooling with the line of kings at Jerusalem; so he took Zedekiah, slew all of his sons before his eyes, and carried him into captivity. You might assume from this devastating experience that the Davidic line had come to an end and that the promise God made to David, that one was to come in his line who would reign forever, could never be fulfilled. This brings us to a remarkable verse that is in contrast to all we have been considering.
Micah 5:2
PROPHECY OF THE FIRST COMING OF CHRISTNow this verse is part of the Christmas story; and, if you are not reading this during December, you may feel that you have chosen an inappropriate time. However, we can be almost sure that Jesus was not born on December 25. That day was chosen to try to identify His birth with the winter solstice. But it is more likely that He was born in the spring, because in December the shepherds would not be out on the hillsides with their sheep. The sheep would be sheltered in the caves which are located all along that area. Around B.C. 532 a calendar was set up, which is a reasonable facsimile of the one we use today.
It was set up incorrectly for the number of days in the year, and that is why we have a leap year every now and then. In 1752 the calendar was jumped ahead eleven days. George Washington was not born on February 22; he was actually born on February 11. Therefore, a person could not be sure that Jesus Christ was born on December 25 even if all of the other circumstances fit into it. This raises a question about observing the Sabbath Day, too. Which day is the Sabbath Day?
Actually, it is not important, nor is the exact day of Jesus’ birth important. The time of the year is immaterial. It is the place that is all important. Christ was born in Bethlehem. That is the historical fact. This fact has been authenticated by history. “But” is a little conjunction that presents the other side of the coin. “But thou, Beth-lehem.” In spite of what happened to Zedekiah and the Davidic linewhich went into captivity and finally returned to the land of Israel as peasantsthe one in David’s line is coming. “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah"since there were two Bethlehems, the word ephratah, meaning “fruitful”, is added to distinguish between them. Micah named the place where Christ was to be born seven hundred years before He was born there. After seven hundred years, with so many intervening events, there was little likelihood that one in the line of David could be born in Bethlehem. It was almost entirely out of the question. The odds were against it. No members of the family of David were living in Bethlehem any longer.
They were scattered. The Dispersion had driven them from the land. There was one family in the line of David living in Nazareth; yet Bethlehem must be the place where the Son of God was to be born, according to Micah. This prophecy was the sole basis on which the scribes directed the wise men to Bethlehem. The scribes quoted from the prophecy of Micah because they believed that it was the place where He would be born, although they didn’t believe it would be fulfilled at that time. The circumstances which led up to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem are so familiar to us that we may not realize how remarkable they were. The record in Luke’s Gospel gives us some of the details: Caesar Augustus signed the tax bill which moved Mary out of Nazareth. If that little donkey on which Mary rode had stumbled and Mary had fallen, Jesus would probably have been born somewhere along the route. ButI say this very carefullythat little donkey could not have stumbled, because seven hundred years earlier Micah had written that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The little donkey got her there on schedule; it was timed from eternity. It was more punctual and precise than any jet plane could be in our day. “Out of thee shall he come forth unto me.” The words unto me indicate that this One was coming to do the will of the Father and to accomplish His plan. “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” His birth, the Incarnation, has to do with His humanity. He clothed Himself in humanity when He came to Bethlehem. But His existence was before His birth. Isaiah, a contemporary of Micah, verifies this: “…Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa_7:14). And he has more to say of this coming one: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given …” (Isa_9:6). When Isaiah wrote “unto us,” he was not thinking of the United States; it was Israel that he had in mind. “A child is born” that’s His humanity. “A son is given"not born, because this speaks of His divinity. The “child” was born in Bethlehem, but the “Son” was “from everlasting.” The psalmist mentions this: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psa_90:2). The Hebrew language expresses this very vividly: “from the vanishing point in the past to the vanishing point in the future, thou art God.” Just as far back as you can go in your thinking, He is God. He came out of eternity. He is the eternal Son of God. In Pro_8:23 we find, “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.” “Set up” in this verse means “anointed” and could read, “I was anointed from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.” The next two verses say, “When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth” (Pro_8:24-25). Before there was any creation, He was God; yet into creation He came, at the appointed time, into a little out-of-the-way town, Bethlehem. The Lord Jesus said, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father” (Joh_16:28). His goings forth have been of old. He is the everlasting God. He told the Pharisees, “…Before Abraham was, I am” (Joh_8:58). Christ appeared many times in the Old Testament. Go back to the creation.
In Joh_1:3 we read concerning Christ, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” He was the Creator. In Col_1:16 we read this about our Lord, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” In the Garden of Eden He was the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. He was the articulation of God. He was the Word of God. He was the communication from God to man. We find Him in pursuit of man throughout the Old Testament.
He appeared to Moses in the burning bush. He said, “I have come down to deliver you.” He was the Redeemer. You see, what Micah is saying here is of tremendous significance. Although He was born in Bethlehem almost two thousand years ago, His goings forth have been from old, from everlasting. We have been considering His preincarnation; now let’s look again at His incarnation, His humanity. When God came to Bethlehem, He got something He never had before, and that was the name of Jesus. He received a humanity, and Jesus was His human name. He was Jehovah. That is the name of deity. He is Jesus now, and He is a Savior.
He came out of Bethlehem to save. Remember, the angels said to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luk_2:11). Mat_1:23 says, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” But His name was to be Jesus. He can’t be Jesus unless He is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” He must be a man to take our place, to be our representative, to die a substitutionary death. In the books of the prophets are many predictions about the coming of the Messiah which are totally unrelated and seem even to contradict each other. How could they all come to pass? Although Bethlehem was designated as Christ’s birthplace, connected with His birth we are told that there will be weeping in Ramah, a place north of Bethlehem. Also, He is to be called out of Egypt, and He is to be called a Nazarene. It seems utterly impossible for all of these prophecies to be true. How can they all fit into place? Well, Matthew gives the account and, without any strain on the circumstances, all of these things come together normally and naturallylet me change that to supernaturally. God was overruling. As you can see, Mic_5:2 is a very remarkable verse, and we have only stayed on the surface of it. Now we come to an interval which takes place between the time of Christ’s rejection and the time of His return as the King to rule on this earth.
Micah 5:3
You may think that this verse still has reference to the birth of Christ. Well, it is true that it speaks of the fact that Mary travailed, but you can’t read this passage without realizing that it also refers to the nation of Israel. It speaks not only of their worldwide dispersionthey were scattered by the judgment of Godbut of their travail. The Great Tribulation period is the travail through which the nation must pass. “Then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.” The Jews will be regathered from their worldwide dispersion.
Micah 5:4
Here the Lord Jesus is depicted as the Shepherd who feeds His flock. He is the Shepherd to the church, and He is also the Shepherd to the nation Israel. The One who was born in Bethlehem, the One who was rejected, will feed His flock. I can’t think of anything that sets Him forth more wonderfully than the figure of the shepherd. It speaks of His care, His protection, and His salvation. He is the Good Shepherd who will lay down His life for the sheep (see Ps. 22); He is the Great Shepherd who keeps His sheep even today (see Ps. 23); and He is the Chief Shepherd who is coming in glory (see Ps. 24). His entire ministry is set forth under the office of a shepherd.
Micah 5:5
“The Assyrian,” as we find in the prophecy of Isaiah, sets forth the enemies that shall come up against the nation Israel in the last days. In Micah’s day the Assyrian was brutal, and he did take the northern kingdom into captivity. “Then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.” The two numbers seem to denote the fact of fullness and that God will make adequate provision for them. These two numbers carry that meaning in other instances (see Pro_6:16; Ecc_11:2).
Micah 5:6
“They shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword” continues the prediction of the last days when “the Assyrian” represents the confederacy of nations which will come against Israel at the end of the Tribulation period. Israel, strengthened by their Shepherd, will not only repulse the attack but will carry the battle into enemy territory. It is interesting to see how Micah completely sets forth Christ: first, as the One to be born in Bethlehem. When He was born on earth, He came in humility. We need to note that He humbled Himself (see Php_2:5-8). We don’t humble ourselves; sometimes some other people humble us, but Christ humbled Himself. There was an emptying on the part of Christ. Of what did He empty Himself?
Not His deity. That little baby, reclining so helplessly on His mother’s bosom, could have spoken this universe out of existence. He is God of very God and man of very man, but He limited Himself. Self-limitation was something that He took willingly. We do not limit ourselves willingly. In fact, we expand ourselves.
We are aggressive. We want to win. We want to be on top. Man is self-assertive. He is self-centered. He is selfish.
But Jesus Christ is the Shepherd. He was born not in a royal city or in the capital, but in the insignificant town of Bethlehemand in a stable. That is no place for a king to be born! When Christ came to earth, He emptied Himself of His glory. Second, Micah indicates that He is the eternal one “whose goings forth have been from …everlasting.” Third, Micah depicts Him as the Shepherd who came to die for His sheep and to watch over His own. And finally, when He comes again, He will be the Chief Shepherd, coming in might and power and glory to deliver His people.
Micah 5:7
The dew and rain refer to the blessing the people of Israel will be among the nations.
Micah 5:8
This certainly does not depict the people of Israel in our day. Israel has been in a precarious position for years. But God promises that in the future, when Israel is obeying the Lord and is in fellowship with Him, He will make them the head and not the tail of the nations (see Deu_28:13).
Micah 5:9
In that day God is going to give them victory over their enemies.
Micah 5:10
Now, just in case an amillennialist is applying this to some other time, Micah wants to make sure you realize that this will come to pass “in that day,” which is still future.
Micah 5:11
This is thought to mean that God will remove all the things on which Israel had leaned for supporthorses and chariots and fortified cities. They won’t need them anymore, for their Messiah is bringing peace to earth.
Micah 5:12
He is going to get rid of idolatry and false religion. They will worship only the living and true God.
Micah 5:14
As we have seen, the “groves” were places of idol worship.
Micah 5:15
“The heathen” are the nations who are persecuting His people. The Messiah will bring blessing and peace to the remnant of Israel and to the remnant of the other nations of the world who turn to Him, but He will “execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen"this, I believe, refers to the Great Tribulation period.