May 26, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Micah? Here’s today’s reading:
Micah 5 (NIV)
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
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It was apparent to me that God’s restoration is not simply a rescue plan but rather a rescue with a good house cleaning. He wont restore us to continue in our wrongful ways but He will deliver us from them and that may not always happen the way we think it will. We must be broken from our selfishness and idolatry and that will likely be a painful path. We seem to very often follow the lead of the Israelites and take the hard road out of our sins but we are so blessed that God is always there to pick us up, dust us off, and bring us back to Him.
I was thinking this as well, Kelly, that when God restores, He also “cleans house” as you say.
I will cut off the cities of your land
And throw down all your strongholds.
12 I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
And you shall have no soothsayers.
13 Your carved images I will also cut off,
And your sacred pillars from your midst;
You shall no more worship the work of your hands;
14 I will pluck your wooden images from your midst;
Thus I will destroy your cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury
On the nations that have not heard.”
I can’t help but apply this to America, that started off with a covenant with God. I believe that is the source of our blessing – the foundation of our Constitution and laws, but in that blessing, self-sufficiency has taken over and evil has taken advantage of the peace, prosperity, kindness and generosity and has infiltrated our land.
Another time of judgment to be followed by salvation. Even while among the nations, God’s people will eventually triumph. God’s kingdom will be victorious. In the Messianic time, however, success will not depend on weapons but on dependence on him.
Micah 5
Folks, Micah 5 perplexes me. Passing the obvious reference to Bethelehem 5:2, what follows mixes male and female pronouns, to the point, that I have no clue of whom Micah speaks. Is the He-Jesus? She-Israel? 5:3-6? Can’t make the statements fit with what little I know of history or Scripture.
7&8 suggest that wherever Jacob is, those around will be blessed. Yet, if they stray or falter, Jacob will render necessary correction.
Vss 9-15 seems more clear. God will correct the crooked paths that the enemies of Israel have paved, so to speak. Heathen nations will receive the full measure of God’s anger and fury. Again, if I feel like the evil elements, agendas, and programs in America are winning, we can know from Micah, they really are not.
Peace, gordy, & will see some of you Saturday!
Often times prophies speak of different times of history in the same sentence or paragraph. Such is the case here in Micah. In verse 2 the first part is referring to where the Christ would be born.[ Bethlehem Ephratah] In the second part He would be the ruler of Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Both things mentioned here are His first coming and then His second coming. It is so very clear who this is. That would be Jesus who was the agent of creation. [ Colossians 1; 16.] For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,……all things were created by Him, and for Him. Then in verse 3 if I read this right would be referring to his birth again through Mary and then jumping forward to the end times when Israel will return to their homeland. It`s at this time that Jesus will shepherd His flock [ true believers]. He will lead them in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God with strength and peace. Isaiah 26;3,4 [ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusted in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.] God bless to all at Living Hope.
Micah 5
Steve and I read Micah 3-5 this morning.
I get your confusion Gordon as it is difficult to say which each circumstance and time frame points to in this chapter. The focus is the Assyrians coming as a tool of God’s judgment on Israel. But in spite of that present reality, God will bring a true ruler and He will be born in Bethlehem and yet He will also harken from eternity past. It also makes sense that the she in verse 3 is Mary as opposed to vague reference to the time frame any women would be in labor. It is true that there was not a prophetic witness in Israel (Israel abandoned) for hundreds of years until Jesus came. Verses 4 and 5 could speak generally of the character of Jesus’ rule and ability but makes more sense to refer to His millennial reign. I do believe Micah then returns to Israel’s current circumstances, set out in verse 1, talking about the invasion of Assyria, but tough to know who the seven shepherds are. Stylistically the He in verse 6 would be the same as in verse 4, but circumstantially it doesn’t. I wonder if this is a reference to Babylon. It makes sense circumstantially but comes out of the blue in the context of the passage. Now the remnant of Jacob did live amongst the Assyrians, Babylonians and the Persians. And all those foes were destroyed. I think verses 11-15 is also in Israel’s near future and speaks of God bringing judgement on the Assyrians for their treatment of the Jews. I will have to look into this more though to confirm or deny these thoughts….
Micah prophesies about Jesus. He will come from Bethlehem, in the clan of Judah, his origin is from ancient times (Ancient of Days). A time will pass before he is born, but when he comes, he will shepherd his people in the Lord’s strength. His greatness will reach the ends of the earth and he will be our peace (Prince of Peace). I find it amazing how accurate the prophets were in their description of Jesus when they lived so many years before he walked this earth. It’s one of the good reasons to justify that the Bible is true!