Peter, Are You Serious? Micah? (3)

In this series of posts, we’re verifying Peter’s words—all the prophets foretold his generation (Acts 3:24). We have confirmed that Moses, Samuel, Obadiah, Joel, Amos, Jonah, and Hosea did so and that their prophecies fit well in our inmillennial model of prophecy.¹

In our last two posts (here and here), we saw that Micah (ca. 735–700 BC) foretold God’s judgments against Israel and Judah. A darkness over Israel would come (Mic 3:6–7). When God finished judging Israel, the temple would lie in ruins (Mic 3:12), yet Micah said the Lord would establish His house during Israel’s “latter days” (Mic 4:1–5).

In this post, I will examine Micah’s prophecy about the birth of Israel’s Ruler that would happen in Bethlehem. Through him, God said, “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).²

We know this birth occurred in Peter’s generation because the chief priests and scribes quoted Micah 5:2 when Herod asked where Christ would be born (Matt 2:3–6).

What else did Micah say about the coming of this Ruler?³

The Goings of the Ruler

Micah described the goings of the Ruler (Mic 5:2). First, this One had been with God from eternity; His “goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

The New Testament emphasizes this point. The Apostle John starts his gospel by saying,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1–3)

He opens his first epistle similarly: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).

In John’s last book, he records Jesus speaking to the churches, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last” (Rev 1:11).

The Apostle Paul agrees when he tells the Colossians, “He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col 1:17).

The apostles amplified Micah’s message. The One destined to govern Israel and the nations (cf. Psa 72:11; Dan 7:14; etc.) did not begin to exist in Bethlehem. His goings were from everlasting.

Second, the Ruler would come from Israel. This may seem self-evident, but there are vital reasons we should remember it. Jesus stressed it while talking to the Samaritan woman at the well: “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).

Paul also emphasized this, describing Israel after the flesh as those “of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God” (Rom 9:5).

This helps us understand parts of Revelation. John says,

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.… She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. (Rev 12:1–5)

The woman is an idealized symbol of Israel, from whom the Ruler came.

Third, the Ruler would go to God. The Lord said to Bethlehem, “Out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel” (Mic 5:2).

Other Scriptures provide details of Christ’s approach to God after His incarnation. He would come to the Father to offer the one sacrifice that takes away sin. Paul says Christ, “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God” (Heb 9:14).

He would come to God to receive the kingdom and give it to the saints:

I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.… But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’” (Dan 7:13–14, 18)

The gospel of the kingdom proclaims Christ has fulfilled this prophecy. It commands all men everywhere to repent and submit to the Ruler as He reigns in His kingdom.

The Gathering of the Ruler

Micah foretold the gathering of the Ruler (Mic 5:3–4). Before this gathering would occur, Israel would pass through a period in which God would “give them up” (Mic 5:3). Micah had already described this time as one of darkness:

Therefore you shall have night without vision, and you shall have darkness without divination; the sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them. So the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners abashed; indeed they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God. (Mic 3:6–7)

We now know this period as the 400-year interval between Malachi and Matthew.

At the end of that period, a woman would give birth to the Ruler (Mic 5:3). Then, the faithful remnant would “return to the children of Israel,” and the Ruler would “feed His flock in the strength of the Lord” (Mic 5:4a).

This gathering is a significant theme in the Old Testament (e.g., Gen 49:10; Isa 5:26; 27:12; Jer 3:14; etc.). It culminates in the New Testament as the promised Ruler (Christ) sends His messengers into the world to gather the elect in the messianic age (e.g., Matt 24:31).

Micah’s prophecy touches our lives because this gathering of the elect includes our participation in a local church. Paul says, “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb 10:24–25). Our historical situation differs from Paul’s, but the command to gather in the Lord’s assembly remains.

The Ruler has come and is gathering us into churches where He feeds us and where we worship and minister.

The Glory of the Ruler

Micah described the glory of the Ruler (Mic 5:5–7): He would become “great to the ends of the earth.”

This glory provides another dominant theme in Scripture. The prophets and apostles always speak of the kingdom age in favorable terms: it will destroy all other kingdoms (Dan 2:44), cause the knowledge of God to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isa 11:9; Hab 2:14), etc.

Micah said these incredible outcomes would occur through three means: 1.) the Ruler would “feed His flock,” 2.) they would “abide,” and 3.) He would “be peace” for them.

The New Testament explains these. The Ruler (Christ) feeds His flock through the elders of His churches (e.g., Acts 20:28; cp. John 21:15–17). The flock abides in Him and produces much fruit (John 15:1–11). And Paul says, “He Himself is our peace” (Eph 2:14).

The glory of the Ruler would include Israel waging successful warfare against their enemies (Mic 5:6). The New Testament again provides the interpretive grid for this statement. The Ruler has provided the correct definition of “Israel”: “He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit” (Rom 2:29). And, the warfare is against spiritual enemies (Eph 6:12) waged with spiritual weapons (2 Cor 10:4–6).

Conclusion

God fulfilled this prophecy in Peter’s generation. The Ruler (Christ), whose goings forth had been from eternity, came to Bethlehem, born to a Jewish virgin. He was from Israel and, after his resurrection, ascended back to God.

The Ruler declared the temple would fall and that He would gather his elect in the messianic age. As He sits at the right hand of the throne of God, He is becoming great unto the ends of the earth. His army of churches is waging the war that will make all His enemies a footstool for His feet.

This messianic-age war started in Peter’s generation and will culminate in the bodily resurrection and final judgment.

Let us praise the Ruler who is King of kings and Lord of lords!

1. Please consider becoming familiar with the inmillennial view of prophecy. You can read a summary version here or tackle the full book-length version here. The title of the book—Inmillennialism: Redefining the Last Days—hints at the reason for my suggestion. This model says the “last days” are identical to Peter’s “these days”; both terms refer to the “last days” of the Mosaic age. This perspective will shed light on the prophets as we work through them.
2. Also, consider watching the sermon I preached about this material at Hopewell Primitive Baptist Church in Opelika, AL, on September 17, 2023. You can watch it here, starting at the 12:00 minute mark.
3. The image in this post is Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst (1592–1656). It is in the public domain.