Micah: God Reigns

Introduction

Why Bethlehem?

Tonight I want to take us back a few thousand years to the Old Testament to a small book in the Minor Prophets. And I want to start tonight by asking a question, why Bethlehem? Bethlehem? Really? Little insignificant Bethlehem? Where the shepherds live? Why was the Messiah to be born here? Shouldn’t the Seed of Genesis 3:15, the Preeminent Son of David, the Prince of Peace, have been born in a more prominent city? Why not Jerusalem, where all the other sons of David were born. It wasn’t as if every pregnant wife of the king was placed on a donkey to make the trip down the highway once they went into labor. No the royal baby was usually born in the capital. That’s how it was from the very first kingly son of David on down for generation after generation. 

So why Bethlehem? We are going to find out exactly why by looking at the book of Micah where we find the very prophecy that foretells the birthplace of the Messiah King.

An Overview of the Downward Spiral

The first thing we must understand is the context of this book of Micah. It was written during the reign of King Ahaz, who was probably the most terrible of all the Davidic Kings. And really when David gave in to sexual temptation and committed adultery together with Bathsheba, and then murdered to cover up his sin the Davidic dynasty just went into downward tailspin towards disaster. Sure there were great kings, with righteous hearts who served the Lord like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah. Each of these men had hearts that served God, and yet, each of them fell in one way or another. Then there were terrible kings like Ahaziah, Jehoram, Manasseh, Amon and Ahaz who committed sin upon sin and had no desire whatsoever to worship God. This king of the time of Micah was so devoted to idol worship that he burned his infant son as a sacrifice. Ahaz isn’t just the crazy guy driving the car off the cliff, he is like a bulldozer that just picks the car up and dumps it off the cliff. 

So why does this all matter. They are just kings from an ancient land from long ago. Why do the books of 1&2 Kings matter? Well, what makes their fall tragic is what was at stake if they were to rule in righteousness and truth and uphold the Covenant of David by perfectly adhering to God’s Law. You see, the Davidic Covenant, or the promise made to David by God was so powerful, that if one man was able to fulfill it, he would cause a complete realization of God’s blessing and promises to all of Israel and in turn all of the world. He would be able to provide true rest by reversing the curse that Adam’s sin brought on the entire world. That is what was at stake for the Davidic Dynasty. But, instead of bringing blessing and peace to all of Israel and to the whole world, the failure of each of these Davidic kings brought destruction to the city of God and exile from the promised land. 

Structure and Main Point

Given the sad state of the Davidic Dynasty it’s no surprise that the Prophecy of Micah is that of judgement on the rulers of the nation. Tonight I wish to look at two messages from Micah. In Part 1 we will take an overview look at the first two judgements that Micah gives. There we will see The Funeral Song for the Fallen shepherd. In part two we will take a look at the Micah’s promise of hope. There we will see the Future Hope of the Sovereign Shepherd. My goal tonight is to help see how the Birth of Christ in Bethlehem connects to the greater tapestry of God’s Redemptive plan. And that ultimately this would increase your awe and love and joy and faith and devotion to Him.

I. The Funeral Song for the Fallen shepherd - Chapter 1:10; 3:1-3; 3:9-12

Let’s start by looking at chapter 1. It’s in verse 10 that we find something very interesting, “Tell it not in Gath; weep not at all; in Beth-le-aphrah roll yourselves in the dust.” This is an allusion to a funeral dirge, and this isn’t just any funeral song that Micah is alluding to; it was a song written by David after the death of Israel’s first king, Saul. We find this connection in 2 Samuel 1:19-20, ”He said: 19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!  How the mighty have fallen! 20 Tell it not in Gath,  publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.” You see, Gath was the arch enemy of Israel and for the people of Gath to hear about the death of Israel’s king would be joy for them, joy for the enemies of God’s people. David was mourning the death of the line of the king and his song began with these words and Micah’s point in quoting David is that Judah should mourn the death of the Davidic line as well.

Why should they mourn. The king was supposed to shepherd the flock of God, the people of the nation. But instead, as I alluded to earlier, these kings failed. They were evil shepherds. This is the indictment Micah gives in Chapter 3:1“Hear, you heads of Jacob  and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice? 2  you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones, 3 who eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot like flesh in a cauldron.” Instead of being like a shepherd to God’s people, the descendants of David acted as if they took God’s flock of sheep and skinned them, and made lamb stew. This was highly grotesque and figurative language to describe their sin, which we see more specifically detailed in chapter 3:9, “Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight, 10 who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money;” You see, instead of upholding and teaching justice, the kings of Judah hated it. They took the good Law of God and replaced it with the wicked laws of their idols.  The rulers of God’s people ultimately served the god of their own fleshly desires. The kings used their power to get rich. The priests and prophets would give a word from God, but only if you pay the right price. Micah continues in verse 11, “yet they lean on the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us. 12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.”

These false prophets and failed kings thought that because there had been peace in Jerusalem, that they werre on God’s side.  But as we saw with Pastor Jeff’s sermons on Lamentations, it was because of their sin, that Jerusalem would be seized and destroyed. The people of God would be attacked, be assaulted, starve and eventually be executed or exiled because they were lead into sin by their wicked kings. So therefore, tell it not in gath. Mourn for the city of David will be destroyed. The Davidic Dynasty has failed, their line will cease. There will be no throne in Jerusalem and there will be no king to rule over the City of David. Which brings us to our second section - the Future Hope of the Sovereign Shepherd.

II. Future Hope of the Sovereign Shepherd - 2:12-13; 4:1-8; 5:1-6

What About the Covenant?

Now, as we move into this section, I want you to think with me how the people Micah was preaching to would have reacted to this message. They would have said wait a minute Micah, what about the Davidic Covenant? God promised not to let the Dynasty of David die off like the line of Saul. Why then the funeral song? God promised to David in 2 Samuel 7, “14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”  But when we listen to Micah’s funeral song, when we look at the devastation and the destruction of Jerusalem, it doesn’t sound like the throne of David shall be permanently established. It doesn’t sound like the house of David will be made sure forever. The king at the time, Ahaz, is buddies with the greatest world power, Assyria. Even if Assyria turns on King Ahaz and decides to attack, there’s a buffer zone. There’s nothing to worry about Micah. But if we fast forward a few years, there’s no more Northern Kingdom. There’s no more buffer zone. And there’s also no more peace treaty with the Assyrians. Instead they are surrounding the city in a siege. They are screaming obscenities at the new king, Hezekiah and at YHWH and are starving the people within their own walls. Now Micah’s funeral dirge is a lot more real. So where’s the hope? How is God going to be the God of lovingkindness and faithfulness to His people, how is He going to uphold the Davidic Covenant?

The Sovereign Shepherd

Let us hear the hope of Micah starting back in chapter 2, “12 I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob;  I will gather the remnant of Israel;” Who is talking? Who is this I? It is YHWH Himself speaking. The Davidic king has failed, his dynasty is over, Jerusalem will be destroyed, the people will be scattered? So who will save the day? YHWH Himself, verse 12 continues, “I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men. 13 He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the Lord at their head.” All of Israel’s shepherds, all of their kings, have failed. So YHWH steps in to be their shepherd, He will gather His people, like sheep, He will lead them, He will guide them, He will be their ruler and their King. He will be their Good Shepherd. 

The Shepherd’s Kingdom

In chapter 4 we find even more hope for Micah’s audience. Remember that it was in chapter 3 that Micah prophesied that the kingdom will be destroyed, the blessings will be suspended, Jerusalem will be ransacked. But in chapter 4:1, we find promised redemption, “It shall come to pass in the latter days  that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, 2  and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” When the God Shepherd gathers His scattered sheep, when He restores the city o David, when He establishes His throne Israel will be blessed. But it doesn’t stop with them, wee just heart Micah say that the peoples will flow to Jerusalem, peoples from all the nations will come. When YHWH reigns in Jerusalem, His city won’t just be the capital of Israel. It will be the capital of the world. Micah continues in verse 3, “3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,  and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; 4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. 5 For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.” YHWH’s Kingdom will be one of justice and one of peace. He will conquer His enemies and place them under His footstool. He will put an end to his people’s idolatry, an they will love and worship Him alone for all eternity. This, this will be a glorious kingdom! This is the hope of future grace. Yes, there will be judgement for sin, yes the people of Israel will be exiled and scattered, yes the Davidic line has failed, but there is hope of the kingdom of the last days, when YHWH reigns. A kingdom that will be worldwide, a kingdom filled with justice and peace and rest. 

One day take the necessary weeks to unpack this chapter for you. But for the purpose of our message tonight I want you to just know that this promise of a future Kingdom with YHWH on the throne is here in this book and I want you to see how this promise plays into the overall message of Micah. In chapter 1, we have the funeral song of the Davidic king. The Davidic Dynasty has failed and it seems as if it has died which means that all the covenant promises of blessing are out of reach. But yet, In chapter 2, we find hope for we saw that YHWH would save the day and shepherd His people by becoming their King. In chapter 3 we saw how the Davidic line failed and fell, and how God is just in His judgement and in His punishment of destroying the entire city of David. And then in Chapter 4, we saw the hope of a future day when YHWH will reign over His people and His kingdom will be filled with peace, justice, righteousness, holiness, and rest. The question now for Micah is this: how do we get from the funeral of the Davidic line to YHWH becoming the shepherd? How do we get from Jerusalem destroyed to it becoming the capital city of YHWH’s kingdom? How will God work such a dramatic and glorious reversal? How will He show Himself to be faithful?

The Insignificant Town

Turn to Micah 5:2 “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.” From you, Bethlehem, too small to even be on the map. From you Bethlehem, to small to even be a town. This may not be unusual to you and me because it has become so familiar. But it is an unusual and unremarkable thing to be born in Bethlehem. It was so tiny that the author has to distinguish it from the other, more known Bethlehem’s in Benjamin and in the North. This king was born in a dirty stable, his birth was announced to lowly shepherds, he was dedicated by parents too pour to offer as sacrifice any more than two pigeons. But Bethlehem was known for one significant thing. When the Prophet Samuel sought a king after God’s own heart, God directed Him to a little insignificant town - God said to Samuel, “I am sending you to Jesse of… Bethlehem. For I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And who does he find but a lowly shepherd boy named David who would become the king after God’s own heart, the one who would covenant with God, whose Son was to rule forever over God’s people. 

What’s Micah’s message? The Dynasty of David had fallen so far into idolatry that it was to be destroyed. The house of David had failed, and it appeared as if God had abandoned it. But here, in Micah 5, we see God remain faithful to His covenant with David. From you Bethlehem, the town of lowly significance. From you shall come forth the ruler of Israel! God goes back once again to the same unpromising quarry to hew out another King. He goes to the most insignificant place, once more, to bring forth the most prominent Person. Why Bethlehem? It’s God’s way of demonstrating His covenant faithfulness to raise up an heir, a descendent, a son, a seed who would bring about a comprehensive salvation for His people and reign forever as their King. He is not just any ordinary son of David, He is the ultimate Son, the New David. Micah continues on in chapter 5, “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.” He will restore God’s people. He will shepherd them in the strength of YHWH, because He is YHWH. He will provide security, the Glory of His name will not just be encompassed in a region, not just in a nation, but it will be world wide. In Him there will be ultimate peace. Peace from war, peace with God, peace as a result of the reversal of the curse on creation.

The Ultimate David

You see God made David to be one of the great hero kings of old. But this Ruler will be the King over all kings.

David restarted the conquest of Israel. This Ruler will finish the conquest and then rule the entire world. David brought Israel peace from their enemies. This Ruler will destroy the enemies once and for all and bring a peace that is far greater than political.

David united the nation and established Jerusalem as his Capital. This Ruler will unite the world and rule from Jerusalem as His Capital forever. 

David was the greatest musician in the Kingdom and led the nation in worship of God. This Ruler will sing with a voice that far exceeds a thousand Davids as He glories in the restoration of His people.

David wandered the wilderness where he was tested, This Ruler entered the wilderness and defeated the Tester. David was a lowly shepherd boy over a flock of sheep - This Ruler is the Good Shepherd over men and women from every tribe, tongue and nation.

David was anointed as king with oil by Israel’s last judge, a nazarite named Samuel, the son of once barren Hannah. This Ruler was anointed as King by the last of Israel’s prophets, a nazarite named John, the son of once barren Elizabeth. His anointing however was graced by the presence of the voice of God the Father and of the Holy Spirit.

David was born in a small, insignificant, shepherd town; barely big enough to be noted on a map. This Ruler was born in a small, insignificant, shepherd town; barely big enough to be noted on a map.

David lived to be an old man and died in his sick bed, buried in a tomb. This Ruler was murdered on a cross and buried in tomb, just like David. But unlike David, He defeated death and rose to life. 

Who is this Ruler

Who is this Ruler? 7 books after Micah we final hear His name, “2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,  are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” This Ruler’s name is Jesus and He is the ultimate David. The one who was promised from the very beginning, the Seed of the Woman, the Seed of Abraham, The Son of David, the Son of God, He will come from Bethlehem. His name is Jesus. He will Shepherd God’s people. He will restore them from their exile. He will be the Good Shepherd who rules and reigns in the omnipotence of God. He will have all God’s power for He will be God. Which will therefore make Him the most powerful King that has ever ruled, He will be the King of Kings. Furthermore He will rule in the majesty of the name of YHWH, His Kingdom will be filled with a glory that is indescribable, why because He is the Majestic Son of God. 

Prince of Peace

Why Bethlehem? Because that will be the birthplace that Son of God, who is fully man, a descendent of David, and yet Mighty God. And His birth in that humble, tiny little town of Bethlehem is the assurance that the Davidic Covenant, with all its promises will be fulfilled. It is the assurance that the Devil’s head will be crushed, that sin will be defeated, that the curse will end and that God Himself, the Ultimate David will reign over the world as King forever and ever, days without end. That, that is the significance of the little town of Bethlehem.

Conclusion

Christmas is a celebration of God’s grace and His love. It commemorates an astonishing and amazing moment where the Son of God left the throne room of Heaven and humbled Himself to be born as a babe. But it is also celebration of the Son of God coming to be born as a King, as the KING. It is a celebration of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promise. The promise to rule His people, Jews and Gentiles, you and me as our King and fulfill all by coming to this earth as a baby boy born in a little town of Bethlehem. May we Celebrate our King this Christmas. Grow in your faith in Him - He is faithful. In a time when the kingdoms of men seem so volatile and insecure, be comforted that your citizenship is in this glorious future Kingdom which Christ will bring about when He comes again. May we marvel at the majesty of our King and may we grow in faith in our ever faithful God.

Prayer

Oh Lord our God we praise You for You alone are God. Christ Jesus our King we worship and honor you. You are our Lord and our Master and we celebrate your first advent, your first coming to the little town of Bethlehem. We long for and look to that day of your second coming when you will appear not as a little child in lowly Bethlehem but as our conquering King who will split the sky in two. Holy Spirit we ask you tonight to cause our hearts to grow in faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. God may we taste and see that you are good and be filled with an all satisfying joy in you. Amen.