Day 665: Micah 5- Surprising Power From A Surprising Place

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.
 
Meditation
God brings surprising power from a surprising place. The powers of this world tremble when they read this ancient prophecy. King Herod, after hearing of the birth of Jesus, discovered this promise when he inquired as to where the king of kings would be born (Matthew 2:6-7).
 
When Micah prophesied, Assyria was the global superpower and the Assyrian military surrounded Jerusalem, taunting their citizens (2 Kings 18:23). Assyria would fall. God’s promise would be fulfilled.
 
The ancient promise of God was to bring a ruler from Judah (Genesis 49:10), through king David (2 Samuel 7:12), who would rule forever (2 Samuel 7:13-14). The lowly place to birth the promise was Bethlehem, “too little to be among the clans of Judah” (2). God’s ruler will shepherd in the strength of the Lord (4) with peace (5). True power is found in God’s promises.
 
The temptation is to trust in military or political might (10-11) or idolatry (12-14). Salvation comes only from the Lord (1-4, 5-6, 7, 8, 9-14). Today is marked with the struggle of labor pains (3) but God’s promise is birthed through His sovereign grace, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.
 
Jesus is the fullness of God’s promises. Jesus is the Shepherd who serves in the strength of the Lord (John 10; 1 Peter 5:4). Jesus is the King who brings peace with God (Romans 5:1-2) and peace within humanity (Ephesians 2:14-22). Assyria could not endure the power of God’s sovereign promise. Neither would king Herod.  And neither will the gates of hell (Matthew 16:17-19).
 
Richly Dwelling
-Where do you look for power? If you heard Micah’s original prophecy, would you have looked to Assyria, the military, idols of the culture, or God’s future promise?
 
-Why is it easy to ignore the unlikely power of God’s promises and trust the perceived powers of this world? Why do rulers tremble when they hear the fulfillment of God’s promises?
 
-How can you trust the promises of God more faithfully, responding to God’s grace with more faith in His word, rule, and love? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
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.