"The Whole Book": #1157 Micah 5 Part 1 O Little Town

Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;

siege is laid against us;

with a rod they strike the judge of Israel

on the cheek.

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days.

3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

5 And he shall be their peace.

When the Assyrian comes into our land

and treads in our palaces,

then we will raise against him seven shepherds

and eight princes of men;

6 they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,

and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;

and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian

when he comes into our land

and treads within our border.

A Remnant Shall Be Delivered

7 Then the remnant of Jacob shall be

in the midst of many peoples

like dew from the Lord,

like showers on the grass,

which delay not for a man

nor wait for the children of man.

8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples,

like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

which, when it goes through, treads down

and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.

9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,

and all your enemies shall be cut off.

10 And in that day, declares the Lord,

I will cut off your horses from among you

and will destroy your chariots;

11 and I will cut off the cities of your land

and throw down all your strongholds;

12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,

and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;

13 and I will cut off your carved images

and your pillars from among you,

and you shall bow down no more

to the work of your hands;

14 and I will root out your Asherah images from among you

and destroy your cities.

15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance

on the nations that did not obey. Micah 5 ESV

Micah 5: 1-2 O Little Town

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Matthew 2: 1-6

Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops - So many commentators argue over the meaning here since the word "gadad" is interpreted most often as "slash or gash" yourself, rather than "muster". Gashing yourself was forbidden under God's law as a pagan practice, and probably one of the more memorable accounts of this was in the contest between the prophet Elijah's God and the gods of Ahab and Jezebel. Some think that Micah is being sarcastic, but there is also the possibility of a play on words. I think it can best be understood in light of what is coming, whether you muster troops, as in getting an army together, or cut yourself, it will have the same effect. In fact, the false prophets kept saying that judgment at the hands of Babylon was not coming, yet Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and others said this judgment was certain, so forming an army would be like harming yourself, this sort of resistance to Babylon would make Nebuchadnezzar even more enraged.

…27You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. 28You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. 29You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.… Leviticus 19: 27-29

Davis - We can’t be sure exactly what it is that Micah calls Jerusalem to do in face of the siege. His command uses a word- or sound-play; he wants the ‘daughter of gĕdûd’ to gādad in some way! There may be two distinct verbs that ‘use’ that gādad root. One means to ‘gash’; hence NJPS, ‘Now you gash yourself in grief’ (cf. 1Ki 18:28). The other means ‘to throng’ or ‘band together’. This latter fits nicely with gĕdûd’, a band of raiders. - Precept Austin

With a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek - To strike someone on the cheek was a way to insult and show how much contempt you have for them. Many attribute this particular insult to that which King Zedekiah received by the hands of the king of Babylon after a siege where Zedekiah resisted the tidal king. Jeremiah had warned the king, but he listened to some false prophets and nationalist instead. Babylon put Jerusalem under siege, the people starved, and eventually the walls were breached, and Zedekiah fled with his mustered troops. There is something else interesting here, in that Judah is left without a king, and then later Christ will come, receive this same disdain, but from His own and leave them without an earthly king once again, until the time of the gentiles is complete.

…4Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, 5but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him. 6The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.…

7And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. 2 Kings 25: 4-7

…11All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You. 12You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth.… Daniel 9: 11-13

…67Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him 68and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?” Matthew 26: 67-68

…29And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly. 31After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.… Matthew 27: 29-31

…5The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back. 6I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. 7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame.… Isaiah 50: 5-7

…18And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him. 20After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.… Mark 15: 18-20

IVP Background Commentary - To be struck on the cheek is generally considered a gesture of contempt (see 1 Kings 22:24; Job 16:10). Hammurabi’s Code provides for a variety of punishments for the person who strike others on the cheek—from flogging and mutilation to stiff fines. Striking Judah’s “judge” implies both the contempt of the nations as well as the impotence of Judah’s ruler to respond. In the New Year festival (akitu) that was practiced in both Assyria and Babylon, the priest slapped the king on the cheek in a ritual that led to the king claiming he was innocent of injustice. - Precept Austin

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah - Bethlehem means House of Bread and Ephrathah means fruitful. This is a rather upbeat transition, from the humiliation of the nation to the hope that comes with the birth of Messiah. It is the small and lowly town from where God chose David to be king of Israel. This is a rural place, as David was a shepherd, and the youngest and least of his brothers.

1Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.” 1 Samuel 16:1

18Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD?… 2 Samuel 7: 18-19

From you shall come forth for Me One Who is to be ruler in Israel - David is long dead, but God promised to raise a branch from his line, the Chosen Seed first mentioned in Genesis 3, at the fall of man. The Messiah was also predicted by the prophet Isaiah to be born of a virgin, some 700 years before He was born. His earthly parents were from Nazareth in Galilee, but end up in Bethlehem due to a census, and Mary goes into labor here.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2: 1-6

14So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life. 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3: 14-15

…13Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well? 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. 15By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.… Isaiah 7: 13-15

Isaiah 7 God With Us

Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise:

Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies;

Thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.

9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;

From the prey, my son, thou art gone up:

He stooped down, he couched as a lion,

And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

Until Shiloh come;

And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

11 Binding his foal unto the vine,

And his ass’s colt unto the choice vine;

He hath washed his garments in wine,

And his vesture in the blood of grapes:

12 His eyes shall be red with wine,

And his teeth white with milk. Genesis 49: 8-12

Whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days - Like I said before, Jesus was predicted at the fall, but He is also the eternally begotten of God, the ancient of days, who as forever existed as the second member of the Trinity.

Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth;

Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth.

Micah 5:2

Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall --

Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall.

Isaiah 7:14

Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God;

Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod.

John 6:38

Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree

The rejected Son of God, He died to set men free.

1 Peter 1:18