Micah

Chapter 5:3-6 (ESV) - 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.
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.
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;
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.

Question to consider: Who from the land of Nimrod would deliver Israel from the Assyrians?

After declaring that a ruler of Israel would come from ancient days and from Bethlehem Ephrathah, Micah explained that the scattered brethren would not return to the land until she who is in labor has given birth. As I mentioned yesterday, the prophetic word about the ruler being born in Bethlehem was quoted by the apostle Matthew as being fulfilled at the birth of Jesus. Given this, it would be logical to think that the one in labor giving birth was His mother, Mary.

Christ referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd, and as He went through the countryside of Judea, His sheep emptied out the synagogues and were gathered to Him for His words of life, healing, and peace. Jesus is the Tsar Shalom (Ruler of Peace). This is a title of exclusivity. No one can be reconciled to the Father but by Him.

In Micah’s example of rising up against Assyria (their enemy of the day), it appears that a ruler who shall be great enough to bring peace to the ends of the earth would do so by way of the sword like king David. However, Micah’s reference to those who would shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword were from the “land of Nimrod” (Babylon). Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would conquer the Assyrians even as he tread within the border of Judah.

The LORD gave to Nebuchadnezzar a dream in which Babylon would be the first of several kingdoms to conquer the world until the time in which the ruler was born in Bethlehem. Even when Israelites came back into the land to rebuild Jerusalem, it required the permission of the Medes and Persians who were then conquered by the Greeks and finally the Romans. Israel remained a vassal state until the coming of Christ, and Christ’s kingdom of peace did not fill the earth by the sword but by the preaching of the Gospel.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, despite our expectations of one who would bring peace to the earth by way of the sword, help us to see Christ as our Ruler of Peace who waged war on sin and death so that we could be made whole and reconciled to You. Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! Amen.