Micah 5:1-15. In yesterday’s reading we saw both a promise that one day the promised forever kingdom would come and also a “reality check” that at that time the Israelites were not being very faithful and thus deserved the coming punishment. In today’s reading the focus is on the king of that kingdom and his ability to take care of Israel’s problems.
The flow of today’s reading is kind of interesting. We live in an area surrounded by hills and mountains. On a clear day if I am standing someplace a little high up (like on Signal Hill or the top of the Disneyland Parking Structure) I can see hills that are closer to me and mountains farther away. If I am looking eastward I can see the hills around Anaheim, the Santa Ana Mountains a little farther back, and even San Jacinto farther away yet. Sometimes when a prophet spoke his writings were like that he sees many events spread out over several centuries of even millennia and puts them all together. In Micah we have the more immediate conquest of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) in view, but Micah also refers to the Babylonian invasion of Judah which is still more that a century in the future. Micah also was looking forward to the eternal kingdom. In today’s reading Micah describes a king who will take care of Israel.
In verse one the city is probably Jerusalem so the invasion is not the one of the Northern Kingdom (which may have already happened by the time Micah gave this speech). In verse one a king is struck on the cheek. Many see a reference to Jesus here when he was struck by the Roman soldiers during his middle of the night trials. From verse 2 and other parts of the Bible it is clear that Jesus is the coming forever ruler of the promised kingdom. Micah 5:2 clearly tells us that the king will not be born in Jerusalem but in nearby Bethlehem. Some experts point out that Jerusalem is under siege in verse one and that it was not under siege when Jesus was alive. The Hebrew word though comes from a root that can mean to confine or put in a bag. The Jews of Jesus’ time certainly felt oppressed and confined by the Roman rulers of their land. Although Jerusalem was besieged in 701 BC by the Assyrians it was never captured and the king was not beaten. In 586 BC when Jerusalem was attacked and taken over by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the king of Judah at that time, Zedekiah, was captured and tortured. It is hard to tell exactly whether Micah is talking about Zedekiah or Jesus and he may actually be talking about both. When we read through Isaiah we saw that some times prophecies have more than one fulfillment (“day of the LORD” as an example in Isaiah 14:24-15:9). Zedekiah may have been the closer fulfillment for Micah with Jesus being the ultimate fulfillment. I think God does this here and now to help us keep living for then and there.
Verses 3-4 certainly sound like events talked about in the book of Revelation regarding a seven year period of struggle where Israel and the Jewish people are a central focus and also the following 1000 year reign of Jesus as ruler over Israel and the whole earth (See especially Revelation 12:1-5 compared to Micah 5:3).
In verse 5 we see the new ruler from Bethlehem bringing peace. In Isaiah 9:6 the promised ruler of the coming kingdom is called the “prince of peace” and in yesterday’s reading we saw that there would be no war during Jesus’ 1000 year reign on earth. This verse also talks about the Assyrians invading and trampling the city. Micah is probably using the Assyrians as an example here of all of Israel’s enemies. Remember that the Assyrians were the most immediate enemy in everyone’s mind. In Hebrew thinking seven is a sign of perfection so seven leaders for the people would be a symbol of enough leaders by adding an eighth Micah is telling us that there will be more than enough leadership. This is a way of telling his readers that the new king will be more than capable of caring for his people.
Verses 6-9 tell me that the king will not only care for the Israelite people during his physical reign on earth (the 1000 years of Revelation 20:4) but through out history. Remember that in some respects Micah is looking over all of Jewish history from his time to the end. It would seem that if the Assyrians in verse 5 are representative of Israel’s enemies in general then the following verses are talking about the same sort “overall” picture. In verses 6-9 we see that the Israelites will be “among the nations”, that they will be both a blessing (dew and showers in verse 7) and also a source of trouble (8-9).
The history of the Israelite people is amazing. In 586 BC the last remaining Jewish people were conquered and taken captive to Babylon. Interestingly Nebuchadnezzer did not do wha the Assyrians did earlier, he did not have the Jews intermarry with others people groups. Later in that century the kings of Babylon began moving the Jewish people back to their land but they lived there always under foreign rule. In the time of Jesus the Jewish people were living under the rule of Rome. In 70 AD the Jewish people revolted against the Romans and Jerusalem was destroyed as well as the Temple. The Jewish people were scattered through out the whole world. From 70 AD until 1948 the Jewish people lived “among the people”. In 1948 at the conclusion of World War 2 the Jewish people were given land, their former homeland was restored to them. During their time of “scattering” the Jewish people both prospered and were persecuted. Often their prosperity was the reason they were persecuted. But still they persisted. Since 1948 the persecution has not ended as they Israelites continue to fight to maintain their homeland. Neither has the prosperity ended with the country of Israel being a major produce supplier to Europe. The story of the Israelites is unique in history being the only people group to come back from exile after almost 2000 years. It is the story of a people who are truly bless by God, truly the “apple of his eye” (Deuteronomy 32:9-10). To the world the Jewish people have been both a blessing and a curse for the last 2000 years and a person should be wary of despising them.
IN verses 10-15 we see god’s perfection and holiness as Micah warns that God will deal with pride and unfaithfulness not only among the Jewish people but an all nations who do not obey him. The destruction of horses and chariots is a symbol of the judgment of pride. In the time of Micah and Isaiah the Jewish people of both kingdoms were constantly making alliances with foreign powers in attempts to control their safety. They did this in spite of God warning them that he alone would keep them safe. God had no need of their armies or their forts. The carved images and sacred pillars were symbols of their honoring false gods. God would destroy those too.
So in today’s reading we see a big picture view of God’s care and plan for the Jewish people. One that requires faithfulness to him and trust in his care. We also see that God’s love for the Jewish people is about us too. Just as God judges disobedience in the nations he love all people and Jesus sacrifice make Heaven available to all who will believe (See 1 John 2:2; John 1:12; 3:16).
God thank you for the example of the Jewish people. Thank you for your commitment to them. I know that your commitment to them is a sign to me of how much you love me, how forgiving you are, and how serious you are. Help me be faithful to you. Thank you for forgiving me and help me never ever despise your special people the descendants of Israel.