MICAH

Micah Chapter 5

1. Micah 5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 

This may be the foretelling of the sufferings and crucifixion of Jesus the future judge of Israel.  Since much prophesy has double meanings it could also refer to immediate prophecy of the king of Judah being taken captive, having his eyes put out and led away in chains. However the verse in Zechariah below indicates the smiting of the shepherd which we know to be the Messiah, Christ that is to come.  

• Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

This literally happened when Christ was taken captive in the garden just before His crucifixion. The disciples forsook Him and fled out of fear.

• Mark 14:27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 

The New Testament actually fulfills the old one. Jesus uses scripture to verify what happens during His lifetime.

• Matthew 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

We see also in Matthew it is recorded the same thing by another writer. 

• Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 

Here is the prophesy foretelling the coming of the Messiah, the one we now know as Jesus who was born in Bethlehem. The first coming was to pay for sins as prophesied in Isaiah 53. The second coming will be when He becomes a ruler in Israel which as of October 8, 2025, 5.56 Eastern savings time, has not yet been fulfilled. The fulfillment of His first coming is also recorded in Matthew chapter 2. 

• Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 
• 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 
• 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 
• 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 
• 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 
• 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 

We see from Matthew's account of the gospel that the wise men traveling to see Christ were actually coming because of the prophecy given in Micah.

• Micah 5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 

Because of their rejection of the Messiah, Israel is temporarily given up until the time of the tribulation period when they shall find out the Jesus who their ancestors rejected is the same Messiah who will come to deliver them from the armies of all nations surrounding them. However the whole gospel and what we now call the church, called out assembly or body of believers was started by the remnant of the brethren of the Lord. The Jews in other words that believed in Jesus the Messiah.

• Micah 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 

Verse 4 is another description of the rule and reign of Jesus Christ the Messiah. 

• Micah 5:5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. 

It is not known who these seven shepherds or men are. 

Just before the 2nd coming of Christ during the last part of the tribulation period the Assyrian or antichrist will attempt to defeat and and to destroy all of Israel. The true man of peace, Jesus Christ will return to destroy the works of the antichrist. 

• Micah 5:6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. 

Nimrod was the leader of the rebellion against God after the flood. The Assyrians have been enemies of Israel ever since. The future antichrist is like Nimrod of old. He is a mighty one who hunts for the souls of men. To be deceived by the antichrist is to lose one's soul for eternity if one becomes a follower and receives the mark of the beast. 

Jesus Christ will defeat the armies of the antichrist at His second coming. The only safety will be faith in Jesus, otherwise a spirit of deception will prevail in the whole earth and they will believe in this antichrist.  

• Micah 5:7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. 
• 8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. 
• 9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. 

This remnant of Jacob shall be powerful people. They will be redeemed from Israel and pure because they will have received Jesus Christ as Lord and have been washed in the blood of Jesus for sins; the same as believers today who believe in Jesus are saved by faith in Him. 

Here is mention of them in Revelation:

• Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. 
• 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 
• 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 
• 4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 

Wherever the gospel is preached it is usually only a remnant who believe. That is sad but true. Most people want to keep trusting in their own religion or no religion, stay bound in their sins and desire to live how they want apart from Christ.

• Micah 5:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: 
• 11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds: 
• 12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: 
• 13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. 
• 14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. 

We now see the wrath of God against things that grieve Him. Idolatry being among those things. The devil uses substitutes to represent God in order to keep many from finding the true path to salvation. That path only comes through God's plan and provision through Jesus who is the Christ. Some of these substitutes are: 

1. People that think they are mighty and use their threats, armies, and influence to show forth to the world that they have power to bully and control. Following those type of leaders even if it is opposite of the teachings of our Lord, is hero worship.
2. People who use their soothsaying to lead people away from God and into false worship which destroys the soul. God shows His displeasure at witchcraft and sorcery. False prophets and fortune tellers suffer His wrath.
3. Idol worship. Worshipping idols is the same as worshipping devils. It destroys the soul. God has a reason for His commandments always. He brings vengeance upon those who continue to practice idolatry even though God has brought warning through many prophets. There is a renewing of idol worship in the latter days. We should avoid all image worship even if it represents Christ, God or Mary. 

There are probably many more substitutes but those three above give us the idea what grieves the heart of God because it destroys the souls of

• Micah 5:15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. 

The heathen mentioned here are they which came against His people Israel or those that come against the people who have been adopted into Israel by faith in Jesus Christ from among the Gentiles. All judgment will be severe against people who persecute either group. The tribulation period mainly deals with Israel first but the latter part is judgment against the nations that come against Israel.  DC