Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
MICAH 5
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
1 Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek with a rod.
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,
6 who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.
7 The remnant of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which do not wait for anyone
or depend on man.
8 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 mauls and mangles as it goes,
and no one can rescue.
9 Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies,
and all your foes will be destroyed.
10 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will destroy your horses from among you
and demolish your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
and you will no longer cast spells.
13 I will destroy your idols
and your sacred stones from among you;
you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles
when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath
on the nations that have not obeyed me.”
Application Notes
5:1-15 Jerusalem's leaders were obsessed with wealth and position, but Micah prophesied that mighty Jerusalem, with all its wealth and power, would be besieged and destroyed. Its king could not save it. In contrast, Bethlehem, a tiny town that was politically insignificant, would be the birthplace of the only king who could save his people. This deliverer, the Messiah, would be born as a baby in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4-7) but would eventually reign as the eternal king (Revelation 19-22).
5:1 This ruler was probably King Zedekiah, who was reigning in Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar conquered the city (2 Kings 25:1-2). Zedekiah was the last of the kings in David's line to sit on the throne in Jerusalem. Micah said that the next king in David's line would be the Messiah, who would establish a kingdom that would never end.
5:2 Ephrathah was the district in which Bethlehem was located. Bethlehem was where King David had been born and raised and initially anointed as king (1 Samuel 16:1, 12-13). This ruler is Jesus, the Messiah. Micah accurately predicted Jesus' birthplace hundreds of years before he was born. The promised eternal king in David's line, who would come to Live as a man, had been alive forever—his “origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Although eternal, the Messiah entered human history as a man—Jesus of Nazareth.
5:5 This chapter provides one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies of the coming of Jesus Christ to earth. The key descriptive statement is “he will be our peace.” In one of Jesus' final talks, he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27). Because of his first coming, we can experience peace with God with no more fear of judgment and no more conflict and guilt. Jesus' peace gives us assurance even though wars continue. And at his second coming, all wars and weapons will be destroyed (Micah 4:3-5).
5:5 Micah's prophecy of seven shepherds and eight leaders is a figurative way of saying that the Messiah will raise up many good leaders when he returns to reign. This contrasts with Micah's words in Micah 3 about Judah's corrupt leaders. The Assyrians here represent all nations in every age that oppose God's people. The good leaders led by the Messiah (Jesus) will defeat all the evil forces in the world.
5:6 “The land of Nimrod” is another name for Assyria, which, in this case, is a symbol of all the evil nations in the world.
5:10-14 Horses, chariots, and walls indicated military power. Witchcraft and other kinds of magic were practiced by those who claimed to be able to tell the future and control others. Carved images, sacred stones, and Asherah poles were all used for pagan worship that often included sexual rituals. All of these represent the deep need for purpose and security that all people experience. It is tragic that so many people miss the one and only source of real and lasting purpose and security, which is only found in God. Whenever possible, God's people, compelled by his love, should speak out against all forms of false security and misdirected purpose. Neither military superpower nor knowledge of the future nor sexual pleasure will substitute for God's eternal truth.
5:10 When God rules in his eternal kingdom, our strength and deliverance will not be found in military might but in his almighty power. He will destroy all the weapons that people use for security. Armies will not be needed because God will rule in the heart of every person. Instead of being overwhelmed by fears of terrorism, mass shootings, ecological disasters, and nuclear attack, we can live with confidence in God's promise of eternal security.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)