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The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem
5 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek.
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.
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.
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.
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;
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
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.
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.
Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
and all your enemies shall be cut off.
And in that day, declares the LORD,
I will cut off your horses from among you
and will destroy your chariots;
and I will cut off the cities of your land
and throw down all your strongholds;
and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
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;
and I will root out your Asherah images from among you
and destroy your cities.
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations that did not obey.
(ESV)
Micah 5 Commentary
by Hank Workman
700 years before the birth of Christ, Micah was given one of the clearest prophecies of His coming. In fact, when he was born and the Magi sought his whereabouts from Herod, it would be the priests and teachers who referred to this passage as to where He would be found.
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace.”
Micah 5:3-5
“His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”
Let that sink in a moment, it’s rich with thought. In Revelation Jesus is called “The Alpha and Omega”. He’s the beginning and the end; there never was a time He didn’t exist. He’s always been there within the Second Person of the Trinity. Before His grand entrance in Bethlehem, He was there. From all of eternity past – He was there. To eternity in the future – He is there. He is unchanging, always present.
He was more than a man, He was the glory of God incarnate. His love for creation would have him set aside this glory to walk among us. He’s always been and will always be.
It’s hard at times to wrap our minds around this fact. On the personal level, we can hold to and be encouraged that from all our own comings and goings, all of the things that have taken place within our lives, from even our time in the womb, He was there. He knows us intimately. He loves us deeply. He strengthens us for whatever we may be going through by the strength of His Lordship. The glory of God, the incarnation of Jesus, has been there all along and lives within Believers. What hope we can cling to when things in this life are unhinged. What strength we can gather knowing He is fully aware of all we struggle, the battles of which we wage, has One within that can be our peace.
Micah 5 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Micah 5:1-5 can be confusing because three different contexts are covered in such a short span of verses. They have elements of the current context, the future Messiah’s birth, and the Second Coming.
Verse 2 speaks of the coming Messiah Jesus Christ who would come from Bethlehem (the land of bread) and would call Himself “the bread of life.” He would come from ancient days, meaning, God’s incarnation was the execution of a plan established long ago by the Trinity.
“In every age, from the foundation of the world, there has been some manifestation of the Messiah. He was the hope, as he was the salvation, of the world, from the promise to Adam in paradise, to his manifestation in the flesh four thousand years after.”
Adam Clarke
Verses 3 and 4 jump ahead to the Second Coming and the Millenial reign of Christ.
“Whereas v. Mic 5:2 speaks about the birth of the Savior in His First Coming, vv. Mic 5:3-5 speak about the time of the rule of Jesus in the Second Coming. She who is in labor probably refers to Zion (Mic 4:10). The metaphor refers to the deliverance in the end time of those who will be able to delight in the coming of God’s kingdom.”
Nelson’s Commentary
Verses 5 and 6 then move back to the current context to metaphorically illustrate a point, as the Assyrians were the main enemy of Israel during Micah’s time.
“The principal threat against Israel and Judah at the time of Micah was Assyria. Micah used the nation as a symbol of all of Israel’s enemies and of God’s final victory over each of them.”
Nelson’s Commentary
What is the application? It’s the simple fact that God wins. Look for the keywords in these verses. We find peace, protection, deliverance, majesty, security, and promises fulfilled. The future with God is nothing to be afraid of for those who are in Christ. We will stand with Jesus to watch and marvel at God’s final and perfect work.