Micah 5 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Micah 5

The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem

5:1   ¹ Now muster your troops, O daughter² of troops;
    siege is laid against us;
  with a rod they strike the judge of Israel
    on the cheek.
2   ³ But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
  from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel,
  whose coming forth is from of old,
    from ancient days.
3   Therefore he shall give them up until the time
    when she who is in labor has given birth;
  then the rest of his brothers shall return
    to the people of Israel.
4   And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,
    in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
  And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth.
5   And he shall be their peace.
  When the Assyrian comes into our land
    and treads in our palaces,
  then we will raise against him seven shepherds
    and eight princes of men;
6   they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
    and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;
  and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian
    when he comes into our land
    and treads within our border.

A Remnant Shall Be Delivered

7   Then the remnant of Jacob shall be
    in the midst of many peoples
  like dew from the LORD,
    like showers on the grass,
  which delay not for a man
    nor wait for the children of man.
8   And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
  like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
  which, when it goes through, treads down
    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
9   Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
    and all your enemies shall be cut off.
10   And in that day, declares the LORD,
    I will cut off your horses from among you
    and will destroy your chariots;
11   and I will cut off the cities of your land
    and throw down all your strongholds;
12   and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
    and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
13   and I will cut off your carved images
    and your pillars from among you,
  and you shall bow down no more
    to the work of your hands;
14   and I will root out your Asherah images from among you
    and destroy your cities.
15   And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
    on the nations that did not obey.

Footnotes

[1] 5:1 Ch 4:14 in Hebrew
[2] 5:1 That is, city
[3] 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew

Commentary

v1: Presumably referring to attacks upon the nations during Micah's life; Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked Jerusalem. But these words also point us forward to the time when Christ would be smitten by men.

v2: Christ to be born in a little town. Although He 'came forth,' or 'He was born,' His "origins" are from everlasting, Ps 90.2. Here is humanity through birth; and deity through eternity.

He is our Saviour, but He came to be "ruler over Israel," which has yet to be fulfilled.

v3-4: He will abandon Israel, but later the people will return; this restoration of Israel is linked with Christ's reign. The greatness of Israel's shepherd will be known to the ends of the earth.

v5-6: Attack from Assyria prophesied, and the defeat of Assyria. It seems the use of "seven" and "eight" means 'several,' rather than a specific number of rulers.

v7-9: The remnant of Jacob, scattered among the Gentiles, yet prominent and influential wherever they are. Ultimately those enemies of Jacob, among whom they are scattered, will be defeated, as in Esth 6.13; see also 4.11-12.

v10-15: Judgment upon Israel, bringing purging;

no more horses or chariots; to stop Israel trusting in human methods;
no more witchcraft or spells; to stop Israel trusting in human religion;
no more idols; to stop them worshipping false gods.

These verses illustrate the weights and sins of Heb 12.1-2; God commands that we turn away from such things, setting our eyes upon Jesus.,/p>

There is a distinction with unbelieving nations, who will be judged "in anger and wrath."