Session 12 Micah 4:6-8; 5:1-9
MICAH 4:6-8; 5:1-9
MEMORY VERSE: MICAH 5:2
We know about sports fans who stopped watching a game because there seemed no way for their team to win, only to discover they missed one of the greatest comebacks in that team’s history. There are times when things appear hopeless for God’s people. But no matter how hopeless the situation seems, in the end God will do what seems impossible and turn their sorrow into joy through the Lord Jesus Christ, who will reign for eternity.
(In PSG, p. 109)
This section of the book of Micah reveals that God will establish Himself as the one true King who will eternally reign over His people and all nations from Mount Zion. He will do this by replacing Israel’s wicked kings with His own King, who will shepherd them in the strength of the Lord. Even though Micah prophesied that the temple would be destroyed in the near future (Mic. 3:12), sometime beyond that it would once again be established on Mount Zion, and the nations will stream to it to receive instruction that they may live according to God’s will (4:1-2). The Lord will arbitrate between the nations and establish peace on earth. Those who walk in the name of the Lord will do so for eternity (4:3-5). The Lord will gather to Himself all the injured and lame who had been scattered in exile, and with this remnant build an eternally strong nation (4:6-8).
Before the people of God experienced this amazing restoration, they would experience a time of difficulty as they endured God’s judgment. The Babylonians would invade, wreak mass destruction, and take the people of God into captivity (4:9-10). But this would not be God’s last deed regarding His people. He would redeem them from the grasp of their enemies. Many nations would assemble for battle against them, but the Lord would empower Zion to crush its enemies (4:11-13).
In chapter 5, Micah returned to the message of Judah’s immanent judgment as its enemies lay siege to it. These enemies would prevail, then strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod (5:1). Micah then revealed that God was planning to raise up a new King who would be born in Bethlehem. This King’s origin is from antiquity (5:2). He would shepherd the people of Israel, He would be their peace, and His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth (5:4). For some among the nations, the remnant of Jacob would be a blessing. For others, it would be like a roaring lion bringing death. What’s more, God would eradicate His people’s ungodly practices from among them and take vengeance against the nations that disobeyed Him (5:7-15).
EXPLORE THE TEXT
6 On that day — this is the LORD’s declaration — I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered, those I have injured. 7 I will make the lame into a remnant, those far removed into a strong nation. Then the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time on and forever. 8 And you, watchtower for the flock, forti-fied hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you; sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.
Beginning with on that day, Micah connected what he was about to say with what he had prophesied in verses 1-4 regarding the future— “in the last days” (4:1), when the temple would again be established and the nations would stream to it to receive the Lord’s instruction. The Lord also would establish peace among the nations at that time. Micah revealed that on that day God not only had wonderful plans for the nations but also for Israel. Micah's message was the LORD’s declaration, emphasizing the authority and reliability of what he was about to proclaim.
The Lord used two verbs to indicate what He was going to do: assemble and gather. Both of these verbs are commonly used in the Old Testament in reference to the people of God returning from exile (Isa. 11:12; 43:9; Ezek. 11:17; Mic. 2:12). It is the same language the Lord used in Micah 2:12 in reference to His being a Shepherd who would gather His sheep. Here it is the lame and the scattered whom the Lord had injured that He would assemble and gather. The Lord was the one responsible for causing them to go into exile, and He would be the one responsible for restoring them to their own land. This was in fulfillment of the promise of Moses to Israel as they were about to enter the promised land: “Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there (Deut. 30:4).
Verse 7 is a message of transformation. In Hebrew, the phrase I will make means “I will transform.” The Lord would transform the lame into a remnant. Although the majority of those who went into captivity would be lost, God would preserve a small remnant of them. He would transform that remnant into a strong nation.
This remnant would be evidence of God’s past and future faithfulness. The perseverance of this remnant would not be because of the people’s own abilities. By the sovereign power and grace of God, they would survive because the Lord would make it so. They would thrive because the Lord would make it so (Deut. 30:5,9). Once again the Lord’s manifest presence would radiate from Mount Zion, the location of the temple, as He reigned over them from that time for eternity. The prophet Zechariah revealed that the Lord would reign not only over Israel but “over the whole earth” (Zech. 14:9). Every believer looks forward to this day.
In verse 8, the Lord was more personal as He switched from saying what He would do for “them” to declaring what will happen to you. The recipient of this poetic, direct address was Jerusalem, the watchtower for the flock and the fortified hill of Daughter Zion. Jerusalem represented strength and security. David established it as the capital of Israel, and it became known as the City of David. On Mount Zion, David built his palace and watched over his people. Zion was the place where God made His manifest presence known from His holy temple. Through Micah, the Lord promised that the Davidic kingdom would be restored under the rule of the Messiah (see Luke 1:32-33).
There are two aspects to this promise. First, Micah’s original audience lived at a time when David’s original kingdom had been greatly diminished. The glory days of David and Solomon were long gone. Micah’s prophesy informed them that the day would come when the future glory of Jerusalem would be greater than what it was at its greatest. Second, when the people of Judah found themselves in captivity, they would know that it would be only for a season. God not only would bring them back home, but Jerusalem would once again become a beacon of light for the nations as the Messiah reigned from Zion. God is a remnant-preserving, remnant-gathering, and remnant-restoring God.
(In PSG, p. 112)
1 Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod. 2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. 3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel.
In verse 1, Micah spoke of a distressing time for Jerusalem. The “Daughter Zion” (4:8) would become the daughter under attack. The Hebrew word translated slash yourself also can mean “gather yourself.” The act of cutting oneself was a common practice among the nations surrounding Israel, though the law of Moses forbid the practice (Deut. 14:1). If Micah told the people to slash themselves in grief, then there was an element of sarcasm in his message. On the other hand, the word daughter is literally “daughter of a group or band” in Hebrew. This fits with Micah’s calling the people to gather themselves and grieve as they prepared for the coming siege against them. The message is clear. Micah warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem that they were about to experience a dreadful and agonizing siege.
Another ambiguity of verse 1 is related to identifying when this event happened and the identity of the king of Israel who was to be struck on the cheek with a rod. Rod refers to a scepter and represents a powerful kingdom. This is possibly a reference to King Hezekiah, who lost all of Judah except the city of Jerusalem to Sennacherib in 701 BC. Or it is a reference to Jehoiachin, who capitulated to Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC (2 Kings 24:10-12). Or this could be a reference to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who watched his children be executed before he was blinded, then carried off in chains to Babylon in 587 BC (Jer. 39:5-7). The idea of being struck with a rod on the cheek is best understood as metaphorical in regard to the first two kings but more literal and substantial if it is a reference to Zedekiah.
In the larger context of Scripture, the picture of being struck on the cheek by those in power draws to mind what happened to Jesus just hours before His crucifixion (Matt. 27:30; Mark 15:19; John 19:3). The future reign of the Messiah that Micah was about to proclaim in the following verses came through a path of suffering that included the Shepherd being struck (Matt. 26:31; see Zech. 13:7).
Micah offered a message of hope in spite of the calamity that was about to happen to Jerusalem. Bethlehem was a small town located about six miles south of Jerusalem. Ephrathah was the ancient name of Bethlehem or possibly the name of the district in which the town was located. Bethlehem was so insignificant that it was not even mentioned among the more than one hundred cities allocated to Judah in Joshua 15:21-63. However, David was from Bethlehem (1 Sam. 16:1). Micah anticipated a “new David” who would come from Bethlehem and rule over Israel.
Micah's declaration in verse 2 connects this Ruler to the Davidic covenant that states David’s throne would be established for eternity (2 Sam. 7:16). The statement that his origin is from antiquity, from ancient times deepens the connection to God’s promise to David. Furthermore, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He brought new light to this passage.
Not only was He this promised Ruler but also God incarnate and eternally preexistent (John 1:1-2; 8:58).
Even though there was hope for the future, Israel would have to endure a time of exile. This captivity would end when the one who is in labor has given birth. This phrase has a dual reference. First, it refers to 4:9-10, where Micah compared the anguish of the Babylonian exile to a woman in labor. It was an ordeal they would endure before experiencing the joy of their return home. Second, Micah’s childbirth imagery anticipated the birth of the Messiah referenced in verse 2. In the immediate future, this phrase referred to those who would return from Babylonian exile. In the messianic age, the word brothers takes on more meaning and is most likely a reference to those who are believers (Matt. 12:46-50). Thus, the events of this verse would receive aspects of fulfillment in the immediate future as well as in the Messiah’s first and second advents (see Isa. 11:10-16; Ezek. 16:53-63; Hos. 3:4-5; Zech. 10:9-12).
4 He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. 5 He will be their peace. When Assyria invades our land, when it marches against our fortresses, we will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. 6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade. So he will rescue us from Assyria when it invades our land, when it marches against our territory.
The he of verse 4 refers to the coming ruler in verse 2. Here, Micah declared the Messiah would do two things: stand and shepherd. His standing can either refer to His taking His position as ruler or the enduring nature of His reign. In the ancient Near East, kings were often referred to as the shepherds of their people. Just as a shepherd was responsible for the needs of his flock, so a king was responsible for the needs of his people (see 2 Sam. 5:2).
How would this Shepherd-King rule? First, it would be in the strength of the LORD, meaning the Lord would enable Him to accomplish everything He set out to do. This guarantees provision and security for His kingdom.
Second, this Shepherd-King would rule in the majestic name of the LORD his God. He will rule on the Lord’s behalf and represent Him. As a result, the Messiah’s people will live without danger because the reputation of His greatness will span the globe. The prophet Ezekiel emphasized that this Shepherd-King would be a new David (Ezek. 34:20-31). Jesus is the Messiah who shepherds in the strength and name of the Lord because He is both God and man (see Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 5:4).
Continuing the description of the Messiah, Micah concluded that he will be their peace. This peace means more than the absence of war. It connotes both external and internal satisfaction and sufficiency. Isaiah, Mi-cah’s contemporary, called Him the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). He will eliminate every threat. Micah em-phasized this promise by using Assyria as a symbol of all potential enemies. In modern vernacular it would be something like, “When the Assyrias of this world invade . . . .” When they do, God and His Shepherd-King will raise up capable leaders to repel these threats.
The seven . . . eight statement was a common Hebrew way of communicating that they would have an abundance of leaders to do what was needed. They would be shep-herds who protect their sheep just as David did his actual flock in the field (1 Sam. 17:34-37). Under the rule of the Messiah, these leaders and their people will be able to have peace of mind as they fight, confident of the peace that will be won when their enemies are defeated.
(In PSG, p. 114)
7 Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or linger for mankind.
Verses 7-9 are similar to 4:1-5. Both passages provide a description of Israel in relationship to the nations in the future. Micah began with a statement that is both sad and joyous at the same time. Some exiles would not survive the captivity. However, there would be those who would, and they would have a tremendous impact on the nations. In the Old Testament, dew and showers are signs of God’s blessing. God would use a small remnant to be a refreshing blessing to nations worldwide, like life-giving dew and rain in a dry land. The descendants of Abraham would finally fulfill their purpose in being a blessing to the nations: “all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:3). Furthermore, just as the dew and the rain come independent of human manipulation, so these events would happen by the hand of God and not by human effort.
8 Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue them. 9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies will be destroyed.
The remnant would not only be a source of blessing for the nations but also an instrument of God’s judgment on them. The idea of the people of God being both a blessing and a curse to unbelievers is depicted elsewhere in Scripture. Writing to believers, the apostle Paul wrote: “To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life” (2 Cor. 2:16; see also Zech. 8:13).
Like a hungry lion among defenseless flocks of sheep, the Messiah’s kingdom will easily defeat and destroy its enemies. God one day will save His people, but their enemies will have no one to save them. Therefore, Micah depicted that the Messiah’s coming would be divisive. Jesus taught this truth about Himself (see Matt. 25:31-46; Luke 12:49-53). Some people from the nations will come streaming to Zion to be taught how to walk in the ways of the Lord (4:2). But those from the nations who rebel against God and seek to harm His people will be utterly destroyed. The Lord will enable His people to be victorious over all of their enemies.
(In PSG, p. 116)
Last Things
The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in heaven with the Lord. (See Isaiah 2:4; 2 Timothy 4:8.)
Create a compare/contrast chart to study a passage.
Ezekiel wrote of the shepherd-king who will reign over the people of God. Read Ezekiel 34:17- 31 and compare it to Micah 4:6-8; 5:1-9. Note where Ezekiel and Micah’s messages are similar. Then note what is unique to Micah’s message and what is unique to Ezekiel’s message. How do both passages together anticipate the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ?