Micah Chapters 4-5
4:1 “And it will come about in the last days”: The previous announcement of Jerusalem’s destruction (3:12), is followed by a glorious Messianic promise. The time period is the last days, which can also be rendered, “In the latter days”, “in the issue of the days”, “at the end of the days” and “in the days to come”. Peter in Acts 2:16-17, pointed that the Pentecost was the beginning of the “last days”. The Hebrew writer used the same expression for the period that we would call the New Testament (Hebrews 1:2). It was called the “last days” because it happened at the end of the Jewish age or Old Testament era. Isaiah spoke of the same event in Isaiah 2:2-4. “That the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains”: The temple in the Old Testament period sat on Mount Zion. In the messianic era God’s temple or house (the church-1 Timothy 3:15), would be exalted over all other world powers. Mountains here probably refer to world empires or governments. The church is at the head of all the kingdoms of the world in the sense that the church is the bride of Christ, the people of God, a spiritual nation (1 Peter 2:5-10), and is to set the example in morality, ethics, truth and how to treat others. 4:1 “And the peoples will stream to it”: Including all the Gentile nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). While the powerful kingdoms in the ancient world would collapse (Daniel 2:31-44), God’s kingdom cannot be shaken (Matthew 16:18; Hebrews 12:28). The church has become the new center for spirituality among mankind. 4:2 “Come let us go up”: This indicates that there will be a restless spirit among the Gentiles, who are longing for something better than their idolatry and immorality. When the apostles preached, they found many Gentiles who were hungry for the truth (Acts 10:1ff; 13:48; 18:9-10).
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4:2 “That He may teach us about His ways”: God would teach these people through His messengers, and after that, through His word to mankind (John 6:44-45; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 14:37). Therefore, when I read the Bible and embrace it, I am being taught of God. As Paul noted, the church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). The task of the church is to teach the will of God to hungry and lost souls. “From Zion will go forth the law”: This happened when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles in Jerusalem and began to guide them into all the truth (John 14:26; 16:13; Luke 24:47-49; Acts 1 and 2). Notice that the gospel message is a “law”, it is God’s final law to mankind (James 1:25). 4:3 “He will judge between many peoples”: That is, the people who become Christians will realize that the Word of God is the final authority. Is this our attitude? That we allow God’s word to answer our questions, settle our debates and be the arbiter and judge in all matters? Those converted would make the word of God the standard for settling disputes among themselves. “Render decisions for mighty, distant nations”: The word of God has the answers for the world’s problems, even the problems found in mighty and large nations. The word of God is the standard for every culture, even “distant” nations! We have the truth and we have the answers for what ails mankind, but do we act like it? Are we eager to share the truth with those who are hurting? “They will hammer their swords into plowshares”: This isn’t talking about utopian world peace, for even Jesus said that He didn’t bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34), and that the world would hate and persecute God’s people (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). This verse is talking about what will happen to the people who come to God’s house and are converted. Angry, bitter, vengeful and resentful people will become loving, peaceful, and self-controlled. Those who were filled with hate for others of a different race, will change their thinking and embrace all men. In addition, those who had devoted their lives to destruction will learn to be peacemakers and will find more useful pursuits. 4:3 “Never again will they train for war”: Christians will fight against the devil (Ephesians 6:10-18), but they will not use carnal, worldly methods or tactics in doing so. The church would not be established, defended, or extended, by carnal weapons (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). “Force can have no place in a spiritual kingdom (John 18:36)” (Hailey p. 205). 4:4 Sitting under one’s vine and fig tree is an emblem of peace, security, and happiness (1 Kings 4:24-25). Those converted would be free from the cares of the world (Matthew 6:19ff). Of all people, Christians should be people who can 2
handle hardship, disappointments, stressful situations, and the turmoil in this world. We have a relationship with God, whom shall we fear? (Hebrews 13:5-6). 4:4 “For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken”: These verses are not idle dreams or wistful aspirations rather they are sure and certain.
What about Us? When people look into our congregation do they see the fulfillment of the above passages? Do they see people who hunger after God’s truth? Do they see people with answers for marriage problems, raising children, dealing with stress, handling trials, and overcoming sin? Do they see peaceful people who are happy, content, trusting in God, and grateful for what they have? Or, do they see people trying to mimic the world? 4:5 “As for us, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever”: Not everyone will come to this house. Many would continue to walk in their old ways. Which are we? Do we have the courage to say, “Regardless of what everyone else does, I will serve God?” This verse sounds a lot like Joshua 24:15. 4:6 “In that day”: That is, in the day that all of the above happens which would be the New Testament era. In the church God will gather together the descendants of those He had disciplined, that is, Jews whose ancestors had endured the Captivity. He will gather into a remnant, the lame and other outcasts. When Jesus came to this world, typically the people who really received Him were outcasts like the publicans, harlots, sinners, and many Gentile sinners (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). 4:7 The strong nation would be the church. Do we view ourselves as a strong nation in the world? Over this nation, God would rule through Jesus Christ, Who is the head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:21-23). 4:8 The former dominion probably refers to the reign of David and Solomon. Amos had foretold that the family of David would be restored to prominence among God’s people (9:11-12). When Jesus is raised from the dead, and ascends to God’s right hand, this Davidic rule over God’s people was restored (Luke 1:3133; Acts 2:29-31).
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The tower of the flock, according to Jerome, was about one Roman mile from Bethlehem. This is a reference to a tower in which a shepherd would oversee his flock. Laetsch thinks that this is a reference to the fields of Bethlehem, where came the first public announcement of the birth of the Messiah (Luke 2).
The Pain of Captivity In the midst of this message of future hope, Micah reminds his hearers how that the consequences of their present evil condition must bring about pain and captivity. Before the Messiah comes, the nation would go into captivity in Babylon. 4:9 “The prophet sees the nation weeping aloud and writhing in agony. He asks for the reason: ‘Are kings and counselors perished?’” (Laetsch p. 268). Not only will the nation be deprived of us kings and experts, but also such leaders could not do anything to prevent the coming disaster. The nation is depicted as a woman laboring in childbirth. The expression is a metaphor depicting reaction to bad news. It usually is used for the terror before an irresistible military assault. The people will go the full length of anguish as they see their nation destroyed and Jerusalem captured. 4:10 The inhabitants of Jerusalem will be taken to Babylon, but God also offers hope in tragedy, He will bring a portion back to the land. The statement, you shall dwell in the field, may suggest a long, slow journey to Babylon. “The comforts of city life would give way to the rigors of camp life” (Smith p. 326). 4:11 The nations, which came against Jerusalem, were intending on gloating over their victory. “It is probable that the neighboring nations wished to see Zion destroyed” (Hailey p. 208). 4:12-13 God has a different plan. This prophecy either has reference to the destruction of Sennacherib’s army at the gates of Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:36-38), or to the ultimate destruction of Assyria and the triumph of God’s remnant.
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Chapter 5
5:1 Consider the placement here of the word now. “Judah is told to gather herself in troops, and huddle close together in fear and distress. The imperative indicates the certainty of such times. Judah would be enclosed, restrained, harassed, and deprived of her liberty by powerful cruel enemies. Even her judges, and her rulers, would be smitten on the cheek, insulted, maltreated” (Laetsch pp. 270-271). 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah”: The name Bethlehem means “house of bread”, and the term Ephrathath (EF ray thah) means “fruitful”. This last name was the ancient name for the area occupied by Bethlehem (Genesis 35:16,19), and in so doing Micah distinguishes this Bethlehem from the city of that name in the territory of Zebulum (Joshua 19:15). The Bethlehem mentioned here had always been a small town, in fact it is not even mentioned in the list of more than 100 cities allotted to Judah (Joshua 15:21-63). This city was located 5 miles from Jerusalem. 5:2 “Too little to be among the clans of Judah”: The town was a very insignificant town. From this unlikely town, God would bring forth a ruler. “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity”: This ruler had a prior existence. Jesus did not hesitate to affirm His preexistence (John 8:58). Note, Jesus has been active from eternity, He had been actively involved in the leadership of God’s people long before He came to this earth (1 Corinthians 10:1ff; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 3:18ff). Since Jesus has been active from the days of eternity, this means that He is eternal. “The fact that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and not in Jerusalem, the city of David, presupposes that the family of David would have lost the throne. Such could only be the case if Israel had been overrun by her enemies” (Smith p. 332). Who could have guessed 700 years in advance that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem? How did Micah know this? The only logical answer is that God spoke through him (2 Peter 1:20-21). Remember, the book of Micah was not written after Jesus was born, but centuries before. We know this as a fact of history. The entire Old Testament collection had been translated into the Greek language around 280 B.C., and copies of every Old Testament book except Esther were found in the collection known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, these writings date 100-200 years before the birth of Christ.
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The Reign of the Messiah
5:3 God would give Israel over to the power of her enemies right up until the birth of the Messiah. Remember, when Jesus was born, Israel was under Roman occupation. She who is in labor is probably the same person that Isaiah mentioned as being the virgin who shall be with child (Isaiah 7:14). Yet, though Jesus was born of Mary, the scriptures also speak in a broader sense of the faithful remnant of God’s people as bringing forth a man-child (Isaiah 66:4-8; Revelation 12:1-6). Mary was the woman selected by God out of this remnant to be the literal mother. With the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, many people would come to God, including believing Jews and Gentiles (Romans 11:5). 5:4 The New Testament calls Jesus the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4), He unites believing Jews and Gentiles into one flock, that is the church (John 10:16). “To the ends of the earth”: The church is for all nations (Matthew 28:19), Jesus would rule over a universal kingdom. The Messiah would bring peace to those who accepted Him (Isaiah 9:5,7; 11:6-9; Ephesians 2:14). 5:5 The Assyrian in this verse appears to apply to anyone who would come against God’s people, i.e., any enemy. “Micah uses Assyria, the major power of his day, to symbolize all the hostile forces which might attack the Messiah’s kingdom. At times those enemy powers might even ‘tread on our palaces’, i.e., meet with some measure of success in their attack” (Smith p. 334). Yet God’s people would respond by raising against the enemy seven shepherds (the perfect number to meet the emergency), and eight leaders (more than enough for the task at hand). 5:6 The central thought in these verses seems to be that the Church’s battle against the world is not hopeless. Not only will the Church repulse the attacks of the enemies, it will also attack the enemy, attack his territory, and lay it waste. 2000 years later, the true church still exists and many of those who attacked her in the past, are now gone. The reason for this victory is that God is on our side, we have the truth, the sword of the spirit, we have the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, and we have been given an entire defense system to repel anything that the devil throws at us (Ephesians 6:10-18). While many nations will go up to Zion to learn the ways of the Lord (4:1f), others will persist in hostility to the kingdom of God. Assyria is called the “land of Nimrod” (Genesis 10:8-9; 1 Chron. 1:10), for he is viewed as the original founder. Apparently, Christians will surge even to the gates or centers of power and government. 6
Whether we believe it or not, God feels that the Church has had a tremendous influence upon the world. God doesn’t see us as losing this battle, do we? 5:7 The gospel message is refreshing, like dew from heaven, but this verse seems to be saying that the remnant (the church), scattered among the nations will be like refreshing dew and showers. “As the dew and the showers wait not for man, but are independent of man’s wishes to come or go” (Laetsch p. 276). Christians are to be as dew, offering a refreshing spiritual and moral influence as does the morning dew and the welcome showers in a parched world (Matthew 5:13-16). Do we forget that the world would be a very miserable place without honest, nice, joyful, faithful, and good people? 5:8 The remnant is here pictured as a lion. Do we see the church as vulnerable and weak? God sees the church as a mighty lion! This remnant would be anything but feeble. If anything, the culture that surrounds the church is viewed as the weaker animals in a forest. Believers are more than conquerors (Romans 8:33-39). Strongholds of sin, unbelief and superstition are overthrown by the powerful proclamation of the gospel (2 Corinthians 10:4). 5:9 Those who oppose the church will be condemned (Mark 16:16). 5:10 “In that day”: Apparently we are still talking about what will happen when the Messiah comes and reigns. All the political and religious props upon which ancient Judah leaned for support would be removed. The success of the church would not depend upon military might, like horses and chariots. Those who embrace the Messiah would realize that trust in carnal weapons is vain. And neither would God’s people need the protection of walled cities. 5:12-13 In the religious realm, in the church, there would not be any reliance upon false systems of worship or discovering the will of God. Christians are people who no longer have any desire to be involved with anything which offends their God. In addition, all idolatrous paraphernalia must also be removed “In the Messianic kingdom there would be no place for the relics of paganism” (Hailey p. 212). Clearly, the Christian has no interest in horoscopes, psychics, and other forms of divination. 5:14-15 The victims of God’s vengeance are the nations, which do not listen to God. God is sovereign over every nation, regardless of whether or not a nation accepts this truth. “No nation can, with impunity, reject the Christ and His truth and survive; all who do come under the wrath of the Almighty” (Hailey p. 212). 7
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