'Dew & Davidsons'

Micah 5

1 Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
    for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
    on the cheek with a rod.

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

5 And he will be our peace
    when the Assyrians invade our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,
6 who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.

7 The remnant of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,
which do not wait for anyone
    or depend on man.
8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.
9 Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies,
    and all your foes will be destroyed.

10 “In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will destroy your horses from among you
    and demolish your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.
13 I will destroy your idols
    and your sacred stones from among you;
you will no longer bow down
    to the work of your hands.
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles
    when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath
    on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

‘Dew & Davidsons’

Study Notes:

Back in the book of Deuteronomy parents are told that it is their job to remind their kids about how God rescued them from Egypt, saving them from oppressive empire. Remembering that ‘you were once slaves in Egypt’ is a phrase that litters the Bible and serves as the reason why Israel should not oppress each other or strangers in their midst. God is saying ‘Don’t become another kind of Egypt! I won’t be able to support that sort of thing as I’m the God defined by rescue, not slavery.’ This is all in Deuteronomy 6, a famous passage called the Shema. Later in Deuteronomy 17 Moses sets his aim on what the king should be about. This is the section of Deuteronomy where authority figures are talked about (they are to be the parents of the people). The king is not to ‘go back to Egypt’ and Moses lists a number of not-to-dos and only one thing the king should actively do. They are to study the Bible under the authority of a teacher. To be a good parent of the people they must know the story, remember God’s saving acts and guide the life of the people in response to what God wants for them and the world. The kings of Israel fail at the task and the people start down a road that leads back to slavery, into exile. 

In Micah’s time this issue was clear. Micah believes the rulers of Israel need a realignment. The one to realign their hopes and set them back on God’s mission to bless all nations will be an intervention of God’s self. God seems to say through the prophets that somehow, one day God will return as the one true king of Israel and the world. As you read and study notice God’s action in these passages and ask the question, how does God rule?
—————

Genesis 1-3
Deuteronomy 6, 16-18
Leviticus 19
1 Kings 1-11
Psalms 72, 113-118
Isaiah 2, 7, 9, 63
Micah 4, 5
Matthew 23-2