In The Word
Read: Micah 4:8-5:15
8 “As for you, tower of the flock,
Hill of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come—
Even the former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 “Now, why do you cry out loudly?
Is there no king among you,
Or has your counselor perished,
That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
10 “Writhe and labor to give birth,
Daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will go out of the city,
Dwell in the field,
And go to Babylon.
There you will be rescued;
There the Lord will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.
11 “And now many nations have been assembled against you
Who say, ‘Let her be polluted,
And let our eyes gloat over Zion.’
12 “But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,
And they do not understand His purpose;
For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,
For your horn I will make iron
And your hoofs I will make bronze,
That you may pulverize many peoples,
That you may devote to the Lord their unjust gain
And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Birth of the King in Bethlehem
5 “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
3 Therefore He will give them up until the time
When she who is in labor has borne a child.
Then the remainder of His brethren
Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will remain,
Because at that time He will be great
To the ends of the earth.
5 This One will be our peace.
When the Assyrian invades our land,
When he tramples on our citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.
6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
The land of Nimrod at its entrances;
And He will deliver us from the Assyrian
When he attacks our land
And when he tramples our territory.
7 Then the remnant of Jacob
Will be among many peoples
Like dew from the Lord,
Like showers on vegetation
Which do not wait for man
Or delay for the sons of men.
8 The remnant of Jacob
Will be among the nations,
Among many peoples
Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Which, if he passes through,
Tramples down and tears,
And there is none to rescue.
9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,
And all your enemies will be cut off.
10 “It will be in that day,” declares the Lord,
“That I will cut off your horses from among you
And destroy your chariots.
11 “I will also cut off the cities of your land
And tear down all your fortifications.
12 “I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
And you will have fortune-tellers no more.
13 “I will cut off your carved images
And your sacred pillars from among you,
So that you will no longer bow down
To the work of your hands.
14 “I will root out your Asherim from among you
And destroy your cities.
15 “And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath
On the nations which have not obeyed.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The spiritual state of God’s people was in disrepair. They rejected God for false gods. They rejected His prophets for false prophets. In spite of this, God would not abandon His people. He would send a Savior to rescue them as a child born in the less than notable city of Bethlehem. He would be the Messiah Jesus. He is the eternal God (Micah 5:2) who stepped out of eternity into human history, to die for the sins of the world. A Savior that will return one day to deliver God’s chosen; he will return not as the meek Servant as before, but as the Victorious Deliverer. He will lead the nations and conquer the enemy.
While this is true for all who believe in Jesus Christ, it is especially true for the nation of Israel. Micah was speaking specifically about them. In the last days, a remnant of Israel will believe in Jesus as the Christ, and He will lead them to defeat their enemies. They will reap the spoils of that victory. This will also be a time that God will purge them of all unrighteousness (Micah 5:10-15). God will embrace His people in those days.
Romans 11:26 says, “And so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’” We have become benefactors of this promise. We have been grafted in by faith. It is through Jesus the victorious Deliverer that we too will one day triumph over the enemy! Are you ready for that day?