Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Micah+005

 

Micah 5 (ESV)

2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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;
6 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

7 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.

 

REFLECTION:

• Verse 2 is the clearest verse in the Old Testament foretelling the place of the birth of Christ, so that when King Herod asked about the place of birth of the new king, the scribes answered without hesitation: Born in Bethlehem (cf. Matt. 2:5). Messiah was not born in the capital, Jerusalem, but was born in a poor village, which means that he deeply realized the poverty and suffering of human life. This prophecy was indeed a great encouragement for the people living in the unfair and disparity between the rich and the poor at that time.
• No matter how the people of Judah suffer, as long as they know that when the Messiah comes, He will rule the whole earth in peace according to His majesty, and the people will enjoy peace, abundance and happiness. This kind of longing for future happiness has always existed in the hearts of the people (4-5); however, when the Lord Jesus came to the world to realize this kingdom, it is ironic that they refused to accept Him as King.
• The seven shepherds and eight princes in Micah’s prophecy are a form of visualization (5). They symbolize the good leaders that the Messiah will raise up when he returns to power. This is in contrast to Micah’s statement in Chapter 3 that the leaders of Judah was corrupt. “Assyrian” here symbolizes all nations that oppose God’s people in every age. These excellent leaders will help Christ defeat all evil in the world.
• “Nimrod” is an alias for Assyria (6), which symbolizes all the evil countries in the world.

 

PRAYER:

Thank you Lord Jesus for being born in the poor village of Bethlehem for me. You are the God whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days, but you came to this sinful world for my sins, and you even shed your precious blood on the cross to pay off my sin debts. I am willing to follow you as your disciple all my life.

 

HYMN:

The Servant King – youtu.be/A0FSZ_iSYO8.