Christ, who existed from eternity as Son of God,
was to be born into the world as the child of woman,
to be the Saviour of the world.
Rejected, except by a remnant, He would await the consummation of the age,
when He will be given a kingdom glorious to Himself; happy for His subjects; disastrous to sinners.
Micah 1
1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4 ¶ And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
8 ¶ And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:
11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
Micah 1 – J. Vernon McGee
Micah 5 – The Deliverer from Bethlehem
This name for Bethlehem recalls Genesis 48:7. Though insignificant in size she would outshine her compeers, because of Messiah’s birth, Matthew 2:6. As man, our Lord comes from David’s city; but as Son of God, His goings forth are from eternity. Though the Jewish flock rejected Him, He is the Shepherd of men. He is great to the ends of the earth, and has made peace by the blood of His Cross. What though the Assyrian, whether ancient or modern, threaten us, shepherds and princes shall be raised up as delivers, Micah 5:5. The ranks of the democracy hold within themselves unbounded stores of leadership. God’s people refresh the world like dew, and are lionlike in strength and courage, Micah 5:8. Horses, chariots, and walled cities, are classed with witchcrafts, etc., because they weaned away the trust of God’s people. “Thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands” (v. 13) —Through the Bible Day by Day
Micah 5:4-5—And this Man shall be the Peace.
He that comes from Bethlehem Ephratah, leaving a trail of light that conducts the eyes of all generations back to the little village, the least “among the thousands of Judah,” is the Everlasting Jehovah, whose goings forth have been from of old.
What majesty is his! He shall stand amid the swirling waves of change, the shifting quicksands of time, and the drifting cloud-wrack of revolution; erect, unchangeable, unmovable. And not He alone, but his flock which has gathered around Him out of the windy storm and tempest. No common majesty mantles that gentle form; it is the majesty of the Name of Jehovah, the glory that He had with the Father before the worlds were.
What tenderness is his! He feeds his flock like a shepherd, and gathers the lambs in his arm. Though He is great to the ends of the earth, He is the Prince of Peace. He makes peace; does his work calmly and tenderly; lays the foundations of peace by yielding his life to the death of the Cross without resistance or complaint.
What strength is his! Strong with the original strength of Deity, with the acquired strength of perfect obedience, with the strength that accrues from the successful prevalence over his foes. His strength is ours, because He loves us perfectly; and it is the boast of the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to seek its own.
And this Man is our Peace.—He came and preached peace to them that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh. He has made peace by the Blood of his Cross. He is the Prince of Peace to loyal and loving hearts. He sheds abroad in our hearts his own peace, which the world cannot take away. —Our Daily Homily