Micah 5
THE reference in verse 1 is to the warlike Assyrians (“daughter of troops”) and their king. They attacked and carried off as captives the now lost ten tribes of Israel, and shortly afterward came against Judah and Benjamin under Sennacherib (2 Kings 17 and 18). It is clear, however, from what follows in the chapter that this Scripture looks on to the last days, as does chapter 4. Then the prophetic Assyrian, or king of the north, will invade the land, but he will come to an unlooked for end. The divine reason for this invasion is given in the first verse, —the treatment accorded the Judge of Israel when He came in lowly grace to the Jews, and they had Him crucified, saying,
“We will not have this Man to reign over us.”
Verse 2 is a parenthesis, naming the place where the Messiah was to be born; the chief priests and scribes were familiar with the passage so as to tell Herod their king, but they would not trouble themselves to go there to pay the child Jesus homage (Matthew 2:5, 65And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. (Matthew 2:5‑6)). The reader will note the reference to the deity of the Lord here as elsewhere in Scripture, where His partaking of human nature is spoken of, “Whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity.” (N. T.)
He—the Judge or Ruler of Israel, will give them up until the time when she which travaileth shall have brought forth (See Isaiah 9:0, 7, Revelation 12:1-6,1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:1‑6) and the story of Naomi (whose history presents a picture of that of the children of Israel) in the book of Ruth, culminating in chapter 4:14-17).
The long centuries before the second coming of the Messiah are passed over by Micah to tell of the time yet to come, when the “remnant of His brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.” The Church of God will then be complete, the coming of the Lord for His heavenly saints will have taken place, and the Jews will be in Palestine in large numbers, with a temple at Jerusalem.
The Lord as Israel’s once rejected Messiah now appearing shall stand and feed [His flock] in the strength of Jehovah (verse 4). He shall be Peace. The Assyrian will have come into the land of Israel shortly before this, but the Lord, using the believing remnant of the Jews, and perhaps also of the ten tribes, then returning from their long banishment, will destroy his power.
Two figures are used to characterize the Israel to come: they shall be as “dew” (verse 7), and as a “lion” (verse 8), telling of them as the channels of blessing, as well as the agents of divine governmental dealing in the earth, even to cutting off their enemies—(verse 9). There will, however, be a thorough cleansing of the people and the land of Israel, (verses 10-14), with vengeance executed upon the nations, accomplished by God through His Son.
ML 04/18/1937