←Micah 5→BSB

In This Chapter 4 people 4 places 3 terms

People

Israel 6 Jacob (Patriarch) 4 Nimrod 2 Jeshurun (Israel)

Places

    Key Terms

    Under Siege (State) 3 Peace 2 Incantations 2

    A Ruler from Bethlehem

    (Matthew 2:1–12)

    ⓘ This section calls Israel to prepare for the...

    This section calls Israel to prepare for the vicious onslaught of Israel’s enemy, Assyria (5:5b-6). This siege of terror, death, and destruction will not annihilate Israel, for God will bring forth a ruler (5:2–5a) to lead his people back from exile. God’s preservation and purification of the remnant (5:7–14) will complete their restoration as God’s victorious people.
    1Now, O daughter of troops,mobilize your troops;for a siege is laid against us!With a rod they will strike the cheekof the judge of Israel.2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,who are small among the clans† of Judah,out of you will come forth for MeOne to be ruler over Israel —†One whose origins are of old,from the days of eternity.3Therefore Israel will be abandoneduntil she who is in labor has given birth;then the rest of His brothers will returnto the children of Israel.
    ⓘ Following the Exile, Prince Zerubbabel, a descendant of...

    Following the Exile, Prince Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, was among the returned exiles and became the focus of Israel’s hopes (see Hag 2:20–23). But a greater ruler than Zerubbabel was needed. The leader from Bethlehem would be a source of peace; Isaiah called him the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). Only Jesus fits this description.
    4He will stand and shepherd His flockin the strength of the LORD,in the majestic name of the LORD His God.And they will dwell securely,for then His greatness will extendto the ends of the earth.5And He will be our peace†when Assyria invades our landand tramples our citadels.We will raise against it seven shepherds,even eight leaders of men.6And they will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,and the land of Nimrod with the blade drawn.So He will deliver uswhen Assyria invades our landand marches into our borders.

    The Remnant of Jacob

    (Micah 2:12–13)

    ⓘ God’s purpose was not to create another nation...

    God’s purpose was not to create another nation like all the other nations (Exod 19:4–6; Num 23:9; Jer 7:23), but to have his own people who would walk in his ways and be holy as he is holy (Lev 11:45). In that day (Mic 5:10), God will rule a redeemed and purified people, healed of violence and the ravages of war.
    7Then the remnant of Jacob will bein the midst of many peopleslike dew from the LORD,like showers on the grass,which do not wait for manor linger for mankind.
    ⓘ God’s people will have a unique place among...
    • God’s people will have a unique place among the nations of the world (Gen 12:3; Exod 19:4–6). They will be the head and not the tail (Deut 28:13), and invincible as a lion (cp. Esth 6:13) as God gives them hegemony over the nations.
    • The Lord will judge their foes (see Mic 5:15) if they continue to rebel against him. The Lord’s desire, however, is ultimately to bless the nations, not to curse or destroy them (Gen 12:3; Jon 4:11; John 3:16).
    8Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,in the midst of many peoples,like a lion among the beasts of the forest,like a young lion among flocks of sheep,which tramples and tears as it passes through,with no one to rescue them.9Your hand will be lifted over your foes,and all your enemies will be cut off.
    ⓘ The Lord’s actions for and against his people...

    The Lord’s actions for and against his people purify them. The Lord removed several abominable things imported from the pagan cultures of Mesopotamia and Canaan.
    10“In that day,”declares the LORD,“I will remove your horses from among youand wreck your chariots.11I will remove the cities of your landand tear down all your strongholds.12I will cut the sorceries from your hand,and you will have no fortune-tellers.
    ⓘ sacred pillars... Asherah poles: Stones were set up...

    sacred pillars . . . Asherah poles: Stones were set up as places or objects of worship; they could represent pagan deities. The Asherah poles were green poles or trees that represented the goddess Asherah and her powers of fertility. Both the stones and the trees may have had sexual implications—one male, the other female. Asherah was seen as the mother of gods and El’s (or Baal’s) consort.
    13I will also cut off the carved imagesand sacred pillars from among you,so that you will no longer bow downto the work of your own hands.14I will root out the Asherah poles from your midstand demolish your cities.15I will take vengeance in anger and wrathupon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”