With the Messiah, Micah, like other prophets (especially the pre-exilic ones), connects the gathering of God's people, who in the days of the Messiah will again gather in the land of their fathers, united around Jerusalem...
With the Messiah, Micah, like other prophets (especially the pre-exilic ones), connects the gathering of God's people, who in the days of the Messiah will again gather in the land of their fathers, united around Jerusalem. By those "abandoned for a time," the prophet evidently means that part of the people which, after the defeat of the Northern (Israelite) kingdom, found itself scattered throughout the vast Assyrian Empire: this scattering was perceived, and not without reason, as evidence of being abandoned by God, as God's punishment for that part of the people that had betrayed the God of their fathers.
It should be noted that in the south, in Judah, the rulers of the Northern Kingdom were regarded as apostates. There were grounds for this: in their country they pursued a policy of religious double allegiance, and in fact of paganism, officially recognizing a whole series of pagan cults as state cults alongside the cult of YHWH. Many in Judah looked at the defeat of the Northern Kingdom as the natural result of this policy. But it appears that it had been revealed to the prophet that in the history of God's people a day would come when the Messiah would arrive and the fullness of the people would be restored.
Of course, Micah sees this restoration as a process more political than spiritual. But prophetic perception of spiritual reality is always multilayered, and behind historical, social, or political reality there always stands spiritual reality. So here too: Micah sees a spiritual process as a political and national process. He sees renewed Israel as it would be if, by some sudden miracle, the brilliant era of Solomon were to return.
And the era of the Messiah truly was brilliant, though not in the sense in which the prophet speaks of it, even if even the apostles on the day of the Ascension were still expecting an outward triumph, expecting "the restoration of the kingdom to Israel." The Kingdom turned out not to be what the pre-exilic prophets had seen. And the King, too, turned out not to be what many expected to see, not only in Micah's time but also in the Gospel era.
But the fullness of God's people truly was revealed. To be sure, it came without outward greatness, without a strong state led by heroic rulers. It came in the Kingdom which, according to the King's word, is "not of this world." And that does not make it any less majestic.
4 The prosperity of the church, Mic 4:1-10.
Her enemies shall be destroyed, Mic 4:11-13.
4:1 In the last days - Or, in the latter days, at the expiring of the seventy years captivity, near two hundred years from Micah's time, a type of the days of the Messiah's kingdom. The mountain - The mountain on which the temple stood, the type of the church of Christ.Established - Literally fulfilled when the second temple was built by the Jews. Spiritually, when Christ established his church by the preaching of the gospel.
4:2 Many nations - This was in part fulfilled when so many proselyted servants of several nations, in love to their Jewish masters, and more to the God of the Jews, came up with them from Jerusalem.Come - So the Jews, released from captivity, encouraged each other; which was a fulfilling of this prophecy in part; the conversion of the multitude of the Gentiles to Christ, was a more eminent fulfilling of it. To the mountain - To the temple at Jerusalem, a type of Christ and the gospel church. From Jerusalem - In Jerusalem is declared the only way of worshipping God, and from thence the only law of right worship shall go forth, when the Messiah is come.
4:3 He - The Messiah shall act as a judge and king.Rebuke - So Christ commissioned his apostles, to teach all nations.
4:4 They - The redeemed of the Lord, redeemed from Babylonish captivity, the type of a greater redemption by Christ.Shall sit - That is, they shall enjoy peace, security and plenty.This was more fully made good in the gospel - days.
4:5 All people will walk - It is the practice of all nations, to serve their gods. Will walk - Seek the Lord, embrace his law and worship.
4:6 That halteth - The Jews weakened with the hard usage of oppressing conquerors. Her - Captive Judah; driven out, of their own land. And Christ will much more gather to his fold those who were captives to Satan.
4:7 A remnant - Which as they are preserved for a seed, so they take root and increase, and continue to the coming of the Messiah.
4:8 O tower - One tower put for the whole city Jerusalem.The strong - hold - Ophel, a strong fort, is likewise put for the whole city. The first dominion - The former dominion; the government (after seventy years captivity) shall return to the former royal family, and continue in it 'till Shiloh come. This, in the type was fulfilled, under Zerubbabel and his successors; but the whole antitype concerns the Messiah's kingdom.
4:9 Now - Now I have promised such great things to you.No king - Thou hast lost thy king Zedekiah, but thy God, thy king is with thee. Thy counsellor - Hast thou none among thy wise counsellors left? Yet the Wonderful Counsellor is with thee. Messiah, the wisdom of his father, hath the conduct of thy sufferings, deliverance and re - establishment.
4:10 In pain - Thou shalt have troubles, sorrows, and dangers in the wars against the Babylonians, and in the captivity under them.Now - Shortly. In the field - In their journey to Babylon they were forced to lodge in the fields. Delivered - By Cyrus, by Darius, and by Artaxerxes; and this was a type of a greater deliverance.Redeem - The Hebrew word points out a redemption by the next kinsman, and so minds us of the Messiah, the great redeemer of the church.
4:11 Now - The time is at hand. Defiled - Let her be polluted with blood, and let us enter, sack and destroy her temple and palaces.Look - With delight on her destruction.
4:12 The thoughts - The design of the holy, just and faithful God.As the sheaves - The husbandman gathers the sheaves into the floor to thresh them; so God in due time will bring his enemies together, that they may be bruised, broken and destroyed.
4:13 And thresh - The future strength of the church employed in subduing her enemies, is here foretold. Iron - This expresses the strength of the church firm as iron, to beat down her enemies.Brass - By this figurative speech, is the strength of Zion expressed, treading underfoot, and breaking the power of her enemies in pieces.And I - I, the church. Their gain - The spoils of my conquered enemies.
5 The troubles of Israel, Mic 5:1.
The birth and advancement of the Messiah, Mic 5:2-4.
His protection of his people, and victory over their enemies, Mic 5:5-6.
The increase of the church and destruction of her enemies, Mic 5:7-15.
5:1 Now gather thyself - Since this must be done, do it quickly.O daughter of troops - Nineveh or Babylon. He - Sennacherib, or Nebuchadnezzar. They - The proud, oppressive enemy.The judge - The king. Of Israel - Not the ten tribes, though they are actually called by this name, but the two tribes that adhered to David's family. A rod - This is a proverbial speech, expressing the most contemptuous usage.
5:2 Bethlehem - Bethlehem of Judah was called Ephratah, from the fruitfulness of the land where it stood: the word whence it is derived importing fruitfulness. Art thou little - If thou art the least in other respects in this thou art honoured above them all.Ruler - King and sovereign. In Israel - Amidst the Israel of God.Going forth - Whose generation, as he is the Son of God, equal with his father, is eternal.
5:3 He - God. Give them up - To the Chaldeans. She - The daughter of Zion, compared here to a woman in travail, shall be delivered out of captivity. His brethren - The brethren of the Messiah.Those of Judah and Benjamin who were carried captive.
5:4 He - The ruler, the Messiah shall stand. This posture speaks the readiness, chearfulness, and stability of Christ, his government, and kingdom. Feed - As a shepherd that diligently guides, preserves, and feeds his sheep. By the strength - By his own almighty strength.Of the name - By commission from the Father in whose name Christ came, preached, wrought miracles, and instituted his gospel church.They - His church made up of converted Jews and Gentiles, shall continue; the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.For - The church is so redeemed, and established, that Christ the Messiah might be glorified, throughout the world.
5:5 This man - The Messiah. The peace - Which is promised to the people of God; all their deliverances are not only for his sake, but effected by his power. Shall tread in our palaces - Which Sennacherib did in all the cities of Judah, except Jerusalem.We - Hezekiah, and with him the prophets and people, shall prevail with God to send deliverance. Seven shepherds - A certain number put for an uncertain.
5:6 They - The seven shepherds, and eight principal men, those great instruments of God's revenge, and his church's deliverance.Waste the land - So did Merodach Baladan, king of Babylon.The land of Nimrod - The same with the land of Assyria.The entrance - The fortified frontiers. In this manner shall he, the Messiah, deliver the Jews, his people. The Assyrian - The type of all other enemies, to the people of God.
5:7 As a dew - This remnant wherever they are, shall multiply as the dew that refreshes the grass, so where this remnant is, it shall be a blessing to those about them, that use them friendly.As the showers - God shall bless them by his immediate hand, as he alone, without the help of man, gives dew and showers. As this was fulfilled in the type, before the gospel was preached to all nations, so it hath been, now is, and ever shall be fulfilled in ages to come. God's remnant shall be a blessing to the places they live in.
5:8 As a lion - For strength and courage, which the beasts of the forest dare not oppose, and cannot resist.
5:9 Thine hand - Thou people of God.
5:10 I will cut off - Not in judgment, but in mercy, for there shall be no need of them, nor shall the church of God any more rely on them.Thy chariots - Chariots prepared for war.
5:11 The cities - Cut off the occasion of fortifying their cities, thou shalt need no other defence than what I am to thee.
5:12 I will cut off - God will in mercy to his people take away these occasions of sin.
5:13 Graven images - This was verified among the Jews, who to this day hate images for divine uses, and learnt this in their captivity.
5:14 Thy groves - The groves which they abused by idolatrous worship.
5:15 Have not heard - In an unprecedented manner. Christ will give his Son either the hearts or necks of his enemies, and make them either his friends or his footstool.