Micah pt 5

Deliverance. That is what God promises. A way out from slavery and fear and oppression and destruction.

For 3 chapters God tells the nations- you are going to be attacked and conquered and decimated- as a result of your sins.

And then in Chapter 4- God tells them He is going to deliver them from all of this.

And then He tells them how.

Chapter 5 has a lot- one of the prophecies about Jesus. Promises of redemption. And what it takes for God to renew a nation.

For all of us, we get a picture of what Jesus wants to do and can do in our lives as well.

Because God is still in the deliverance business. He is still in the redemption business. He is still in the business of saving people.

Verses 1-6.

At just the right time, God brings Jesus to us.

God is never late. He arrives just when He planned to arrive.

I imagine for many of the people of Israel in the days of Jesus, that was one of the things that was so hard to believe. That they were finally being delivered after so much time and so much hardship and so many promises.

The time in verse 1 is desperate- the enemy is literally at the gates. Would that not get your attention?

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (5) From Helpless Ruler to Ideal King (5:1–4; Mt 4:14–5:3)

The “siege” against the citizens of Jerusalem could refer to that of King Sennacherib’s Assyrian army in 701 B.C. But it more likely refers prophetically to that of King Nebuchadnezzar’s Neo-Babylonian army 588–586 (cf. 4:9–10). If so, the ultimate reference of Israel’s (i.e., Judah’s) “ruler” probably would be to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar blinded by having his soldiers quite literally “strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod

God will allow us to feel the full weight of our sin, but He will not let it destroy us utterly

Why? Because some of us are stubborn. And we need to “kick against the goads” until we are bloody before we will admit we are at our end.

Stop trying to save yourself.

But when Jesus comes- you will not miss it and you will not be able to resist Him!

Look at verse 3-4

Birth- He will arrive and not be able to be returned from whence He came

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (5) From Helpless Ruler to Ideal King (5:1–4; Mt 4:14–5:3)

“She who is with child” must be the virgin who would conceive and bear a son called Immanuel (

Strength/Stand- He will be powerful FOR us

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (5) From Helpless Ruler to Ideal King (5:1–4; Mt 4:14–5:3)

First, he will begin his rule over them (“will stand” probably meaning something like “will be installed as King”; cf.

Majesty- He will be worthy of worship

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (5) From Helpless Ruler to Ideal King (5:1–4; Mt 4:14–5:3)

Ruler will carry out his ministry in the “majesty” (=regal authority and power) of the “name” (=the Lord himself or his manifested character) of the Lord “his God” (speaking of the special, intimate relationship between the two). The language here may echo that of the Shepherd-King’s ancestor David, who also was a shepherd-king: “I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied”

And the result of that arrival will be security and peace

So many people in our day want security. We will give away just about anything to feel secure.

Jesus is our security. Nothing we can do will secure us more than Jesus will.

He knows all the hairs on our heads

Our inmost thoughts

Our future

The day of our birth and death

And most of all…what He created us for!

Look at verses 5b-6

He defends what He possesses

God does not leave us alone when He has us. He is our defender.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (6) The Ideal King Will Deliver His People (5:5–6; Mt 5:4–5)

he is called “Prince of Peace.” In addition to denoting peace in the sense of the absence of war and hostility, šālôm also connotes security, prosperity, general well-being, and at times even internal, spiritual peace (

We will NOT be overcome!

And when we have the Enemy come against us- He won’t stand a chance not because of what WE do but because of who JESUS IS!

Now why does He do all this and how is it all accomplished?

Look a verses 7-15

The why is in verses 7-9

He saves us for the refreshing and redemption of the nations

“in the midst of many peoples”- we will be all over the world

Dew/Showers- living water to bring people and nations to life

“When it goes through”- we will advance like a lion- the Lord will defeat the Enemy and bring salvation to the nations and use us to do it

“enemies cut off”- no one will be able to stand against the advancement of the Kingdom

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (7) The Remnant among the Nations (5:7–9; Mt 5:6–8)

The theme of Israel’s (Judah’s) faithful remnant triumphing over their enemies is continued in this pericope. It is an oracle of salvation or deliverance. Positively, God’s people will be a blessing, bringing life and renewal to the nations. Negatively, the remnant will be a source of death and divine judgment to their oppressors, as the tables are turned and the victims become the victors (cf.

And the how is in verses 10-15

God will make us wholly dependent on Him- v10-11

God will remove all idols from our hearts- v12-14

God purifies what He saves. He does not leave us the same.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (8) Obliteration of Military Power and Pagan Worship (5:10–15; Mt 5:9–14)

The form or genre is another oracle of deliverance—perhaps an eschatological salvation oracle (note “In that day”). God performs radical surgery to rid his people of the things that once caused them to stumble—ultimately a spiritual deliverance. In the second-advent stage of the Messianic era, God’s people will not depend on weapons of war or pagan idols. The successes of his people are always achieved by dependence on him, not on military power and religious objects of faith

That is the modern myth- Jesus loves you AND you don’t have to change.

The truth- Jesus loves you AND YOU WILL BE CHANGED.

If God did not need to save us from something, there is no reason for Jesus to die. Jesus died because we needed to be saved from what we had done- our sins.

And when He comes into our lives, He is making us into new people- who are leaving things that are unaligned with His holiness behind and embracing a new way of life that is holy.

And God is not going to take our sins lightly- look at verse 15

Why? Because when the called out ones embrace sin over the Savior, we lead people away from Jesus.

That is why God is so hard on Israel and will correct His church as well.

He will defend what is His even when it is defending it from His own people.