Micah 5 Bethlehem

It was considerate of Mich, and some of the other prophets, to specify the time that he spoke. That helps to place them into a time frame and understand their message. Micah 1:1
The word of the Lord which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah....
Coupling the kings with the prophets gives us an idea of why the messages were specially given. Micah, for instance preached from 740 BC and about 700 BC. This encompassed the demise of the northern kingdom, (722 BC) so most of his prophesy was directed specifically to Judah.

I used to just skip over the names, until I realized that they added a big part to the story. For Micah, the trauma of watching Israel being deported to Assyria could have been a driving force to warn Judah to avoid the same fate. The first four chapters begin with a warning to both countries, and specifically predicted that Israel would be deported. He specifically targets the leaders and prophets for “malpractice” in serving the Lord and the people.

Chapter 3 verse 12 is specifically harsh, noting that Jerusalem will be “plowed like a field:" on account of the false prophets. The Lord exacts a harsher judgment on those who “know better” in failing to follow Him.

Then chapter 4 completely switches the focus to the future and specifically spotlights the reign of the Messiah. Micah 4:7
And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever.
Notice the promise and prediction that the Lord will rule in Jerusalem “forever.” That certainly does not sound like God will replace His people with another group. To paraphrase a country song, “What part of forever do you not understand?” But this is only the introduction.

Chapter 5 verse 2 is the famous verse that pinpoints the birthplace of the Messiah, Jesus. The Lord is speaking:
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
This points back to the Lord and His forever reign.

That is not all. The chapter has a tremendous amount of information about , the future. Micah jumps far into the future, to the prophesies of Revelation 12:2. V. 3-4
Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel.4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth.

Now Micah’s focus turns to the immediate threat of Assyria, who did invade Judah but did not succeed in overthrowing it. V. 5-6
5 This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. 6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, The land of Nimrod at its entrances; And He will deliver us from the Assyrian When he attacks our land And when  he tramples our territory. 

Micah, like most of the other prophets switches between “now” or the near future, to “then,” the far distant prophesy. V. 7-9
7 Then the remnant of Jacob Will be among many peoples Like dew from the Lord, Like showers on vegetation Which do not wait for man Or delay for the sons of men. 8 The remnant of Jacob Will be among the nations, Among many peoples Like a lion among the beasts of the forest, Like a young lion among flocks of sheep, Which, if he passes through, Tramples down and tears, And there is none to rescue. 9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, And all your enemies will be cut off. 

Verse 10-15 reverts back to the “now,” but not the Assyrian invasion. Micah, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, now looks to the future Babylonian invasion which occurred about 100 years later. (605 BC) This one had the singular purpose of excising the desire to worship idols from the nation. Once they were released by Cyrus to return to their land, the nation no longer tolerated idol worship. There is not evidence of idols in the ruins that have been excavated, from the Babylonian captivity forward. This is specific and detailed. No more idols.

10 “It will be in that day,” declares the Lord, “That I will cut off your horses from among  you And destroy your chariots. 11 “I will also cut off the cities of your land And tear down all your fortifications. 12 “I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you will have fortune-tellers no more. 13 “I will cut off your carved images And your sacred pillars from among you, So that you will no longer bow down To the work of your hands. 14 “I will root out your Asherim from among you And destroy your cities. 15 “And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath On the nations which have not obeyed.”

As we meditate on 5:2 and the birth of the Messiah, we can look backward and forward to Micah’s other prophesies and marvel at their accuracy as well. Bethlehem was the name of two towns. The one in Judah was pinpointed, and the Jewish leaders understood the meaning and significance of it. When the wise men, from Babylon, I believe, asked about the King of the Jews, the leaders identified the Bethlehem that was about 5 or 6 miles from Jerusalem: Bethlehem Judah. (Matthew 2) And the Babylonian believers found Him there.

And, as Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story,” And the rest of the prophesy.

http://www.biblechronologytimeline.com/biblechronologytimeline7.html