MICAH 5
1 Now gather yourself in troops, you who are accustomed to being in troops; they have laid siege to us. They are striking the judge of Isra'el on the cheek with a stick. 2 But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times. 3 Therefore he will give up [Isra'el] only until she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his kinsmen will return to the people of Isra'el. 4 He will stand and feed his flock in the strength of ADONAI, in the majesty of the name of ADONAI his God; and they will stay put, as he grows great to the very ends of the earth; 5 and this will be peace. If Ashur invades our land, if he overruns our fortresses, we will raise seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of men. 6 They will shepherd the land of Ashur with the sword, the land of Nimrod at its gates; and he will rescue us from Ashur when he invades our land, when he overruns our borders. 7 Then the remnant of Ya'akov, surrounded by many peoples, will be like dew from ADONAI, like showers on the grass, which doesn't wait for a man or expect anything from mortals. 8 The remnant of Ya'akov among the nations, surrounded by many peoples, will be like a lion among forest animals, like a young lion among flocks of sheep - if it passes through, tramples and tears to pieces, there is no one to rescue them. 9 Your hand will be raised over your enemies; all your adversaries will be destroyed. 10 "When that day comes," says ADONAI, "I will cut off your horses from among you and destroy your chariots. 11 I will cut off the cities of your land and lay waste your strongholds. 12 I will cut off sorceries from your land; you will no longer have soothsayers. 13 I will cut off your carved images and standing-stones from among you; no longer will you worship what your own hands have made. 14 I will pull up your sacred poles from among you and destroy your enemies. 15 I will wreak vengeance in anger and fury on the nations, because they would not listen."
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1 Now gather yourself in troops, you who are accustomed to being in troops; they have laid siege to us. They are striking the judge of Isra'el on the cheek with a stick. 2 But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times. 3 Therefore he will give up [Isra'el] only until she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his kinsmen will return to the people of Isra'el. 4 He will stand and feed his flock in the strength of ADONAI, in the majesty of the name of ADONAI his God; and they will stay put, as he grows great to the very ends of the earth; 5 and this will be peace. If Ashur invades our land, if he overruns our fortresses, we will raise seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of men. 6 They will shepherd the land of Ashur with the sword, the land of Nimrod at its gates; and he will rescue us from Ashur when he invades our land, when he overruns our borders. 7 Then the remnant of Ya'akov, surrounded by many peoples, will be like dew from ADONAI, like showers on the grass, which doesn't wait for a man or expect anything from mortals. 8 The remnant of Ya'akov among the nations, surrounded by many peoples, will be like a lion among forest animals, like a young lion among flocks of sheep - if it passes through, tramples and tears to pieces, there is no one to rescue them. 9 Your hand will be raised over your enemies; all your adversaries will be destroyed. 10 "When that day comes," says ADONAI, "I will cut off your horses from among you and destroy your chariots. 11 I will cut off the cities of your land and lay waste your strongholds. 12 I will cut off sorceries from your land; you will no longer have soothsayers. 13 I will cut off your carved images and standing-stones from among you; no longer will you worship what your own hands have made. 14 I will pull up your sacred poles from among you and destroy your enemies. 15 I will wreak vengeance in anger and fury on the nations, because they would not listen."
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Micah, in these prophetic words foretells how Isra'el, though oppressed by many foes with which it was surrounded (as is still the case today) will be delivered by a future ruler, to be born in an insignificant village, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, home of one of the smallest clans of Y'hudah.
We know that this prophecy also points forward to the coming of Jesus, King David's greater son. The wise men were aware of Micah's writings and were simultaneously watching the signs in the heavens. They were led to follow the star to find the new born king. There they were able to present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, representative of His royalty, pleasing sacrifice to God and death and burial.
We know with hindsight that this was not the end of the story, but that He rose again, ascended into Heaven and has been exalted to the highest place, having conquered sin, the world, Satan and all his hosts and the ultimate enemy, death.
In verse 5 in the ESV translation it says "And He shall be their peace." What wonderful news this is to us today, that we can have peace through putting our faith and trust in Him and His perfect sacrifice for sin. We can also know forgiveness from sin and look forward to an eternity spent in His presence. I pray that we may know His peace in our hearts at this time and share this peace and Good News with our families and friends. Also, like the wise men, let us bring our offerings of praise and worship, in a spirit of gratitude and offer our lives in service to Him, who has given us everything.
We know that this prophecy also points forward to the coming of Jesus, King David's greater son. The wise men were aware of Micah's writings and were simultaneously watching the signs in the heavens. They were led to follow the star to find the new born king. There they were able to present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, representative of His royalty, pleasing sacrifice to God and death and burial.
We know with hindsight that this was not the end of the story, but that He rose again, ascended into Heaven and has been exalted to the highest place, having conquered sin, the world, Satan and all his hosts and the ultimate enemy, death.
In verse 5 in the ESV translation it says "And He shall be their peace." What wonderful news this is to us today, that we can have peace through putting our faith and trust in Him and His perfect sacrifice for sin. We can also know forgiveness from sin and look forward to an eternity spent in His presence. I pray that we may know His peace in our hearts at this time and share this peace and Good News with our families and friends. Also, like the wise men, let us bring our offerings of praise and worship, in a spirit of gratitude and offer our lives in service to Him, who has given us everything.
This article was first written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy group on Facebook
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