THE MESSIAH WILL COME FROM BETHLEHEM MICAH 5:1-15

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Commentary by Charles Box Questions by John C. Sewell THE MESSIAH WILL COME FROM BETHLEHEM MICAH 5:1-15

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Introduction: The Messiah Will Come From Bethlehem Commentary By Charles Box 1. But now slash yourself, daughter surrounded by soldiers! We are besieged! With a scepter they strike Israel s ruler on the side of his face. 2. As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past. 3. So the Lord will hand the people of Israel over to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of the king s countrymen will return to be reunited with the people of Israel. 4. He will assume his post and shepherd the people by the Lord s strength, by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth. 5. He will give us peace. Should the Assyrians try to invade our land and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, we will send against them seven shepherd-rulers, make that eight commanders. 6. They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn sword.our king will rescue us from the Assyrians should they attempt to invade our land and try to set foot in our territory. 7. Those survivors from Jacob will live in the midst of many nations. They will be like the dew the Lord sends, like the rain on the grass,

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 that does not hope for men to come or wait around for humans to arrive. 8. Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations, in the midst of many peoples. They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which attacks when it passes through; it rips its prey and there is no one to stop it. 9. Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; may all your enemies be destroyed! 10. In that day, says the Lord, I will destroy your horses from your midst, and smash your chariots. 11. I will destroy the cities of your land, and tear down all your fortresses. 12. I will remove the sorcery that you practice, and you will no longer have omen readers living among you. 13. I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst; you will no longer worship what your own hands made. 14. I will uproot your images of Asherah from your midst, and destroy your idols. 15. I will angrily seek vengeance on the nations that do not obey me. (NET) Introduction: I. The sin of Israel (Judah) had caused the nation to fall into disgrace. A. Judah s enemies would now come and it would do not good for Israel (Judah) to gather their troops because God had departed from them. 1. The enemies would prevail and smite Israel (Judah). 2. When they were taken into captivity, the leaders of Israel (Judah) would be treated shamefully.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 3. Their idolatry, dishonesty, acceptance of bribes and disregard for the poor would be punished severely. B. Lest the people should feel total despair for the nation, the Lord promised the coming of the Messiah. 1. God promised, But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth are from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2) II. Jesus existed in eternity as a member of the Godhead. A. He came to this earth as the only begotten Son of God. 1. John 3:16, For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (NET) B. The psalmist wrote of Jesus, Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psalm 90:2) 1. Jesus existed even before Abraham. a. John 8:58, Jesus said to them, I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am! (NET) 2. He came to the earth as Savior of the world. a. Matthew 1:21, She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 3. He is head of His church, the spiritual kingdom or spiritual Israel. a. Ephesians 1:22, 23, And God put all things under Christ s feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things. Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (NET) III. Bethlehem signifies or means the house of bread. A. No place could be more fitting for the birth of the bread of life than this place. 1. John 6:48, I am the bread of life. (NET) B. At the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus was born of a woman at Bethlehem. 1. God provided spiritual restoration through the Messiah. 2. The Messiah would bring peace, but more than that, He is peace! a. Ephesians 2:14, For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, (NET) IV. Micah also pictured a time when Israel would go into captivity in Babylon. A. This captivity by thebabylonians would come shortly. B. At the end of seventy years, a remnant of Israel (Judah) would be restored to their homeland with God s blessings.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 Commentary: 1. At the end of the captivity, God would raise up strong leaders to bring His people home. 2. When God decided to bring the remnant home, it would be a wide spread deliverance, like dew upon the ground or like rain upon the grass. 3. His deliverance would not only be wide spread, but it would also be strong, like a lion. 4. When He delivered His people, God would execute vengeance upon the nations that refused to hear His message. 5. As the Jews were restored to their homeland, God would cut off things that had separated his people from Him in the beginning. 6. The Jews would not bring back idolatry with them as they returned from captivity. Promised Concerning the Messiah Micah 5:1-4, But now slash yourself, daughter surrounded by soldiers! We are besieged! With a scepter they strike Israel s ruler on the side of his face. As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past. So the LORD will hand the people of Israel over to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of the king s countrymen will return to be reunited with the people of Israel. He will assume his post and shepherd the

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 people by the LORD s strength, by the sovereign authority of the LORD his God. They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth. (NET) I. Zedekiah was the last king of the separate kingdom of Judah. A. He had been placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 1. Nebuchadnezzar had even changed his name from Mattaniah to Zedekiah. 2. Zedekiah constantly rebelled against Babylonian power. B. Jeremiah, speaking on behalf of the Lord, rebuked him because God had brought the Babylonian invasion because of the sins of the Israelites, people of Judah. 1. Jeremiah 32:2, Now at that time, the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem. The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse attached to the royal palace of Judah. (NET) C. Nebuchadnezzar personally led his army against Jerusalem. 1. Jeremiah repeatedly communicated the Lord s message that resistance would result in disaster. a. Jeremiah was right. b. The city, its walls, the Temple and the great buildings were all destroyed. c. Everything of value and the best of the people were taken to Babylon.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 d. Zedekiah s sons and best friends were killed, right before his eye and then his eyes were put out. e. He was taken to Babylon to die of old age in prison. f. There he fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel 12:13 that said that he would go to Babylon and die there, but never see it. i. Ezekiel 12:13, But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans (but he will not see it), and there he will die. (NET) D. Seventy years later the people would return as God preserved the nation through which the Messiah would be born. II. In a time when things seemed hopeful, God gave the people renewed expectation by again promising the coming of the Messiah. A. What would happen to physical Israel was horrible. 1. Destruction would come. B. However, what would happen for spiritual Israel was beautiful; the Savior would come. 1. He would be born at Bethlehem Ephrathah. a. Micah 5:2, As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past. (NET) b. Micah 5:2 is a prediction of the birth of Jesus.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 i. Matthew 2:6, And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. (NET) C. Just as deliverance would come for spiritual Israel when the time was right for the Savior to be born, likewise deliverance would come to Israel (Judah)from Babylonian captivity when the time was right. 1. The number that returned was forty and two thousand three hundred and three score. (Ezra 2:64) 2. The Messiah would lead His people to salvation. 3. Likewise God would raise up leaders to bring the remnant back from captivity. 4. They were to do this in the name of the Lord or by His power. Protection for God s People Micah 5:5-7, He will give us peace. Should the Assyrians try to invade our land and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, we will send against them seven shepherd-rulers, make that eight commanders. They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn sword. Our king will rescue us from the Assyrians should they attempt to invade our land and try to set foot in our territory. Those survivors from Jacob will live in the midst of many nations. They will be like the dew the LORD sends, like the rain on the grass, that does not hope for men to come or wait around for humans to arrive. (NET) I. The children of Israel would spend seventy years in captivity as promised by the Almighty.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 A. God promised that He would raise up, seven shepherds and eight princes among men. 1. This is a prediction that the Lord would not allow His people to e retained forever in exile by their enemies. (Note: Coffman suggested Assyria may represent all of Israel s Judah s enemies. JS) 2. He would raise up men to lead Israel back home. a. Among those leaders were Ezra and Nehemiah. b. The name Nimrod appears in connection with Assyria because the nations can be traced back to him. i. Genesis 10:9-11, He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. (That is why it is said, Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD. ) The primary regions of his kingdom were Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, (NET) c. God s people would be taken into this horrible captivity, but when the time was right, He would deliver them and preserve the nation through which the Messiah would be born. II. A few of Jacob s descendants would survive being carried into captivity. A. They would be scattered among the nations. 1. God said that they would cover the earth like dew and rain.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 2. Sunshine, dew and rain all come through the bounty of God. a. The dew is a small thing and the gentle rain is a small thing, but the influence of both is great. b. The remnant that would be brought back would also be small, but because of the Messiah s descending through them, their influence would be great. Power Belongs to God s People Micah 5:8-10, Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations, in the midst of many peoples. They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which attacks when it passes through; it rips its prey and there is no one to stop it. Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; may all your enemies be destroyed! In that day, says the LORD, I will destroy your horses from your midst, and smash your chariots. (NET) I. Micah used a very vivid illustration to show the power of God among the nations. A. His people were not to be violent like a wild and strong lion among the nations. 1. However, the remnant was likened to a lion in a flock of sheep to show the power of God among His people and among the nations. a. The enemies of God s people would be destroyed. b. He said, your hand will be lifted up above your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. (Micah 5:9)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 c. Israel s worse enemies were those that led them into idolatry. d. The seventy terrible years in captivity cured the problem of idolatry among God s people. B. Before their captivity, the Jews had reached a point at which they felt no need for God. 1. They depended on their cavalry instead of on God. a. God said I will cut off your horses on which you depend from among you and will destroy your chariots. b. In days of old, God has warned, But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. (Deuteronomy 17:16) 2. They would have no need of a cavalry or army because God would fight for them. Purposing to Remove Iniquity Micah 5:11-15, I will destroy the cities of your land, and tear down all your fortresses. I will remove the sorcery that you practice, and you will no longer have omen readers living among you. I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst; you will no longer worship what your own hands made. I will uproot your images of Ashram from your midst, and destroy your idols. I will angrily seek vengeance on the nations that do not obey me. (NET) I. God told them that they would not have nor need their fortified cities.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 A. It was not that cities were wrong, but that those cities had been places where they had devoted themselves to the service of idolatry. 1. It was also in those cities that the people decided that they did not need God to control their lives. 2. Instead they felt that they were doing quite well on their own. B. God, not some fortified city, would be their protection. 1. He would be their single focus for worship and service. 2. God s desire was that the people seek help only from His hand. 3. So we have the promise that He would cut off witchcrafts and sorceries and that there would be no more soothsayers. II. God also told the people that idolatry would be cut off. A. The idea of serving a thing as a god that was made by human hands is the height of nonsense. B. The people had not been content to worship the true and living God. 1. He was invisible. 2. They wanted gods that they could see, so they made gods of wood, stone and metal. 3. Isaiah wrote, I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all they tin. (Isaiah 1:25)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 4. Obviously a grove of trees is not wrong, but they even took certain groves and turned them into places of idolatrous worship. a. Their groves were symbols of false gods. b. Both the cities and the groves that had been used for idolatrous worship would be destroyed. C. God promised furious revenge to be poured out upon the nations that refused to obey Him and that led His people into idolatry. Conclusion: I. Let us arise with hearts filled with appreciation for God s sending the Savior. A. The most important thing in your life is to become a child of God and stand strong in the faith.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 Questions By John C. Sewell Micah 5:1-15 (Questions based on NIV text) 1. What were the penalties, results of Israel s sins? 2. Israel s sins included,, of and for the. 3. What kept the people from experiencing total despair? 4. Identify Zedekiah: Nebuchadnezzar:

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 Jeremiah: 5. How are Assyria, Babylon and Israel s / Judah s sins related? 6. What message did Jeremiah deliver to Judah? How did Judah react to Jeremiah s message? 7. How long did the Babylonian captivity last?. Contrast Judah s beliefs / conduct before and after the Babylonian captivity.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 8. What happened to Zedekiah? Why did this happen to him? How was this a fulfillment of prophecy? 9. Who was Nimrod? How was he connected with Assyria and Israel? _ 10. What illustration did Micah use to show the power of God among the nations? Explain this illustration and show how it is applicable to Israel. 11. Today who feels no need for God? Who looks to military power instead of to God for deliverance? 12. Why did Israel worship idols? What idols are worshipped today? What is the appeal of these idols?

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 13. What cured Israel s involvement with idolatry? 14. God promised furious revenge to be poured out upon the nations that refused to obey Him and that led His people astray. What application can be made of this principle to today s world? Be specific. 15. In view of what is said in Micah 5, what changes need to be made in your lifestyle?