Showing posts with label Micah 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Micah 5. Show all posts

Thursday, December 9, 2021

#1159 Micah 5 Part 3 Dew Drops of Blessing

 



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: 7-15

Micah 5: 7-15 The Dew

This is what Bonar wrote in 1847: “The prophecies concerning Israel are the key to all the rest. True principles of interpretation in regard to them will aid us in disentangling and illustrating all prophecy. False principles as to them” – that is Israel – “will most thoroughly perplex and overcloud the whole Word of God.” End quote. And that’s right back to what I said; and when I said it, I hadn’t yet found Bonar’s comment. He says you can’t get eschatology right if you don’t get Israel right.

He further wrote of his conviction as to biblical clarity on this matter, and his language is so magnificent that it needs to be thoughtfully repeated. So let me read to you what Bonar wrote in 1847: “I am one of those who believe in Israel’s restoration and conversion, who receive it as a future certainty, that all Israel shall be gathered, and that all Israel shall be saved. As I believe in Israel’s present degradation, so do I believe in Israel’s coming glory and preeminence. I believe that God’s purpose regarding our world can only be understood by understanding God’s purpose as to Israel.” Now remember, this is a time long before they had ever been gathered back into their land.

He went on to say, “I believe that all human calculations as to the earth’s future, whether political or scientific, or philosophical, or religious, must be failures, if not taking for their data or basis, God’s great purpose regarding the latter-day standing of Israel. I believe that it is not possible to enter God’s mind regarding the destiny of man without taking as our key or our guide His mind regarding that ancient nation, that nation, whose history so far from being ended or nearly ended, is only about to begin.”

He went on to say this: “He only, to whom the future belongs, can reveal it. He only can announce the principles on which that future is to be developed. And if He set Israel as the great nation of the future and Jerusalem as the great metropolis of earth, who are we, that without philosophy of science we should set aside the divine arrangements and substitute for them a theory of man? Human guesses concerning the future are the most uncertain of all uncertainties; and human hopes built upon these guesses are sure to turn out the most disappointing, if not the most disastrous, of all failures.

“I believe that the sons of Abraham are to re-inherit Palestine, and that the forfeited fertility will yet return to that land, that the wilderness and the solitary places shall be glad for them, and the desert will rejoice and blossom as the rose. I believe that, meanwhile, Israel shall not only be wanderers, but that everywhere only a remnant, a small remnant, shall be saved; and that it is for the gathering in of this remnant that our missionaries go forth. I believe that these times of ours are the times of the Gentiles, and that Jerusalem and Israel shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. I believe that the completion of what the apostle calls the fullness of the Gentiles will be the signal for the judgments, which are to usher in the crisis of earth’s history, and the salvation of Israel and the long-expected kingdom.” Why did he believe that? Because that’s exactly what the Bible says. - J Mac quoting Horatius Bonar

Then the remnant of Jacob - Those of Jacob, who is Israel, his progeny that have come to believe. Everywhere that we see this, it is speaking of those who have been called by God, who He has given the faith to believe, granted them repentance unto salvation. In every era it was by faith. This is a people that God has preserved unto Himself.

…2If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? “ Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.… Romans 4: 2-4

…17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.… Hebrews 11: 17-19

…12But I will leave within you a meek and humble people, and they will trust in the name of the LORD. 13The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. But they will feed and lie down, with no one to make them tremble.” Zephaniah 3: 12-13


Like dew from the Lord - The remnant of Israel that survives the Great Tribulation will be a blessing to those in the Millennium. Their heritage, the writings of the prophets, even their turmoil with God, has blessed ages of those who believe, who now see God is just and the justifier of the ungodly. One day we will see His promises to Abraham and David fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom under Christ's reign.

…2It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron’s beard over the collar of his robes. 3It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore. Psalm 133: 2-3

1Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants. 3For I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God!… Deuteronomy 32: 1-3

…22And many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead before the LORD.” 23This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” Zechariah 8: 22-23

Like a lion among the beast - As we have studied the OT we have seen Israel become the slave of Assyria and then Judah the slave of Babylon, but with this new heart He gives them, He also makes them strong, and the tables are turned so that they are no longer the prey. The Lamb will be with them, but now as the Lion of Judah.

8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,

And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,

You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ ”

10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;

Take warning, O judges of the earth.

11 Worship the Lord with reverence

And rejoice with trembling.

12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,

For His wrath may soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! Psalm 2: 8-12

Horses and chariots - This had long become a sign of wealth and security to them, but now Christ will be their safety, there will be no reason to spend on machines of war. He will bring true peace. Their faith needs to rest where it should always have rested, in God.


…6Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. 7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. 8They collapse and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.… Psalm 20: 6-8

Throw down your strong holds - They will not need to huddle together like fish in a school, fighting each other to be in the middle, "the safest" place. It will all be safe under Messiah's rule, no need for walls. Satan actually understands this, so his antichrist will try to mimic, duplicate this peace, but only Jesus can bring the reality.

…10This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. 11You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates— 12in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’… Ezekiel 38: 10-12

Sorceries...tellers of fortunes - God's word is all that mattered, but they didn't like it so they sought out those who would tickle their ears. The Pentecostal churches of today try to blend this in with Christianity just as the Israelites with Judaism, but God is opposed. People want to know the future, but that belongs to God, and yet they do not like to properly handle His word. He will remove all these superstitions and occult influences from them.

…6For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners. 7Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots. 8Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.… Isaiah 2: 6-8

19When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.… Isaiah 8: 19-21

Root out your Asherah images - Asherah was a goddess of fertility, said to be the mother of many Canaanite gods. The Jews always liked the pagan gods of their neighbors, especially their worship practices which included Asherah poles, the high places, sexual sacrifices with both male and female temple prostitutes, all these things forbidden by God. We are no different today, nor when Christ returns to judge. We have such high places as Planned Parenthood, strip clubs, porn, and God is still opposed, yet more and more the people push to make all this common practice. It has even entered the church.


…19I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first. 20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.… Revelation 2: 19-21





















































Monday, December 6, 2021

#1158 Micah 5 Part 2 Until The Time

 



 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. Micah 5: 1-6 ESV

Micah 5: 1-6

…23How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.… Luke 21: 23-25

Therefore he shall give them up - The time of the gentiles, when Israel no longer had a king or national sovereignty over the promised land. For the northern kingdom this happened with the Assyrian captivity, and for Judah, especially Jerusalem, this did not occur until the Babylonian captivity. They imitated the nations, worshiped their pagan gods, apostatized Judaism and often times it was their own kings and "prophets" who led the way in these departures from the covenant.  

1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. 2But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”… Revelation 11: 1-3

…15For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. 16So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.” 1 Kings 14: 15-16

When she who is in labor has given birth - In verse 2 we already saw that Messiah would come from Bethlehem, but the prophets Isaiah and Zechariah, along with the Psalmist in Psalm 22 have predicted how He would be received at His first advent:


…10He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—… John 1: 10-12

Who is she? She is Israel, now many say she is Mary, and yes, Mary gives birth to the Messiah aforementioned in verse 2, the "One Who is to be ruler in Israel", yet this rule did not occur at His first coming, it couldn't, and even when they wanted to make Him king, yet He was the Lamb of God, there to take away the sins of the world. He came like the ram caught in the thicket, that took the place of Isaac, and after the time of the gentiles is complete, and the time of Jacob's trouble is finished, then Messiah will reign. Here is an eternal shot of this, and the economy of words that only God could use, but read these passages. Note the woman in Revelation is wearing a crown of twelve stars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. Revelation 12: 1-6


5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. - Genesis 37: 5-11

Now some have also said that "she" is the church, but the church is seen in scripture as the bride to be, yet Israel is referred to as a wife, and the figure in Revelation 12 is not only pregnant and in travail, but had been before Christ was born and would know much travail all the way till the worst of her labor pains in the Great Tribulation. Satan followed the woman (Israel) from the first knowledge of the Seed of the woman. He knew that Messiah would come and he went after Him, from the murder of Abel to Pharaoh's edict to kill the male children, to Athaliah's attempted termination of the Davidic line, to Herod's order to massacre all the little boys in Bethlehem. Satan is more enraged and incensed over God's chose people and their Messiah than Joseph's brothers were of him. 

…5For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. 6For the LORD has called you back, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, like the rejected wife of one’s youth,” says your God. 7“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back.… Isaiah 54: 5-7

…15There I will give back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. 16 In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’ 17For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked.… Hosea 2: 15-17

1I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.… 2 Corinthians 11: 1-3

7“Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before she was in pain, she delivered a boy. 8Who has heard of such as this? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children. 9Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?” says the LORD. “Or will I who deliver close the womb?” says your God.… Isaiah 66: 7-9

Then the rest of His brothers shall return to the people of Israel - The regathering of His brothers happens at the second advent.

20On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 21A remnant will return— a remnant of Jacob— to the Mighty God. 22Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.… Isaiah 10: 20-22

…11On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.…
…14They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east. They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them. 15The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals. 16There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.… Isaiah 11: 11-16

Therefore (term of conclusion) He will give them up until (expression of time) the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. - Why the "therefore?" What is Micah concluding? Barker explains that "because God has designed to punish his people before delivering them and because the Deliverer is to arise from the little town of Bethlehem, not the great city of Jerusalem—God will abandon Israel (Judah) by handing them over to their enemies. That condition will last until the promised Ruler is born and begins His rule." (Editorial Note: The Ruler has been born but He has not yet begun His rule over ALL His enemies as prophesied by the Apostle John in Rev 11:15-17-explanatory note) (Logos Link) - Precept Austin

McGee - You may think that this verse still has reference to the birth of Christ. Well, it is true that it speaks of the fact that Mary travailed, but you can’t read this passage without realizing that it also refers to the nation of Israel. It speaks not only of their worldwide dispersion—they were scattered by the judgment of God—but of their travail. The Great Tribulation Period is the travail through which the nation must pass. “Then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.” The Jews will be regathered from their worldwide dispersion. (Thru the Bible) - Precept Austin

He shall stand and shepherd His flock - Christ will come to rule from Zion in the Millennial reign, and He will be their protector, their peace. 

…5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’” 7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.… Matthew 2: 5-7

31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.… Matthew 25: 31-32

And He shall be their peace - Christ has brought peace between God and man through His atoning sacrifice and sinless life, and when He returns He will bring peace between Israel and her neighbors, between men.

…6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 6-7

Seven shepherds and eight princes of men - Seven is the number of completion, of perfection, eight symbolizes more than enough, they will be well protected from every enemy.

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. - This is a difficult verse in my opinion. To whom does Assyria refer? While one might consider the Assyrian at the time of Micah's prophecy, the next verse says they (7 shepherds and 8 leaders ~ idiomatic way of saying that Israel had an adequate numbers for the task) will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, something that did not happen in Micah's day. This fact supports the interpretation of a future, yet unfulfilled prophecy. Most conservative commentators agree with MacArthur who says "Assyria, God’s instrument against Israel (722 B.C.) and Judah (Sennacherib’s siege in 701 B.C.) is here used as a representative of enemy nations in opposition to the Lord." - Precept Austin

And the land of Nimrod - Nimrod founded Babel which became Babylon and Nineveh which was a capital of Assyria. 


…9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,… Genesis 10: 9-11




















































Friday, December 3, 2021

#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.…

…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. 


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


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.

Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall --
Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall.

Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God;
Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod.

Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree
The rejected Son of God, He died to set men free.

Mary had the little Lamb -- men placed Him in the grave,
Thinking they were done with Him; to death He was no slave!

Mary had the little Lamb, ascended now is He;
All work on Earth is ended, our Advocate to be.

Mary had the little Lame -- mystery to behold!
From the Lamb of Calvary, a Lion will unfold.

When the Day Star comes again, of this be very sure:
It won't be Lamb-like silence, but with the Lion's roar.