08. The Promise of the Servant Ruler

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, 

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me 

The One to be Ruler in Israel, 

Whose goings forth are from of old, 

From everlasting. (Mic 5:2 NKJV)

Disaster and a new beginning

The prophet Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, and the introduction to his prophecy places him in the same era of the later kings of Judah. The pattern of the book is a number of ‘oracles’ or words from God, which are gathered into three sections. It comes complete with a well-ordered label. The two ‘good’ kings of Jothan and Hezekiah stand either side of an ‘evil’ king, Ahaz.

  The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.  (Mic 1:1–2 NKJV

The dominant doom here is the prediction of the disaster that is to befall the northern kingdom of Israel. Like the prophecies of Isaiah, Micah sees beyond the imminent disaster to the restoration of a believing remnant who will be the carriers of the destiny of the people of God, and the contrast is seen starkly in the first verses of chapter 5.

O the love that drew salvation’s plan…

Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah…  (Mic 5:1–2 NKJV)

The word ‘but’ introduces an interruption in the general flow of direction of a sentence. The interruption here introduces the small town/city of Bethlehem Ephrathah in the tribal allotment of Judah. The dots are being joined together and the accumulation of information is now impressive. The seed is promised to Eve, then to Abraham, then to the tribe of Judah, then to David and now, to David’s own town of Bethlehem.

More than a nation’s resurgence

At a general level we might be tempted to think this is just a prophecy indicating that deliverance would come through the Davidic dynasty but there are implications here which combine with other prophecies to indicate that the label of Israel, which at this time might simply have indicated the northern kingdom, is now being relaunched as the label of a united kingdom under a descendant of David. This theme would become more clear through the revelations of other prophets.

 …And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God. (Ezek 37:22–23 NKJV)

 David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.  (Ezek 37:24–26 NKJV)

Micah introduces the theme. One nation, one ruler, one flock.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, 
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me 
The One to be Ruler in Israel, (Mic 5:2 NKJV)

The origins of the deliverer

Therefore He shall give them up, 
Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;
Then the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock
In the strength of the Lord… (Mic 5:3–4 NKJV)

The picture is of one emerging who stands before Jehovah to receive his commission. He comes to be Jehovah’s man, he comes forth to Me. He will bear no partiality but will come as the Servant of Jehovah/Yahweh. It brings to mind the Sinai Covenant and God’s offer that they would ‘be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ He would be the Servant of Jehovah in a way that Israel had failed to be. And his origins are beyond the reach of human knowledge or sight. His origins are older than David, older than Abraham.

I sometimes imagine these ancient prophets arrested by their own words. Peter tells us that they did not fully comprehend their own utterances. Surely this must have been one such. When Micah had the chance to pause and consider the words of his own mouth, just what did he think about such statements as these?

Prophetic scripture puts me in mind of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Cascades of colour and truth pouring out. Shimmering with revelation and impossible to pin down. Some aspects are precise and easy of interpretation; others flow in endless combinations of life and truth. Peering through the wonder of these revelations we touch thrilling concepts of a nation brought forth in one day, a believing remnant restored to God’s great plan. We see one who stands and feeds his one flock. King, shepherd, deliverer. One shepherd and one flock.

Therefore He shall give them up, 
Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;
Then the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock
In the strength of the Lord… (Mic 5:3–4 NKJV)

The Christmas carols try to capture the wonder of it all.

What child is this?

Who is he in yonder stall?

We have this all-encompassing promise.

The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. (Isa 53:10–11 NKJV)

This blog brings the first section to its close. We have paused to look more carefully into the wonder of a Promise of a Saviour. We will move now to a group of blogs that will examine the ‘hopes and fears of all our years’ as recorded in The Anticipation of a Saviour. 

Here’s our road map for the next few days…

• The Promise of the Saviour – Dec 11-18th
• The Anticipation of the Saviour – Dec 19-23rd
• The Birth of the Saviour – Dec 24-28th
• Reflecting on the Saviour – Dec 29th – Jan 3rd.  (DV)