THE BOOK OF MICAH
LESSON 3: CHAPTERS 4-5
II. THE PREDICTION OF RESTORATION (4:1-5:14)
It will happen in the final days
that the mountain of Yahweh's house will rise higher than the mountains and
tower above the heights. Then all the nations will stream to it, many peoples
will come to it and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the
house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in
his paths. For the Law will issue from Zion and the word of Yahweh from
Jerusalem. Then he will judge between the nations and arbitrate between many
peoples. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into
sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, no longer will they learn
how to make war.
Isaiah 2:2-4
Chapters 4 and 5 form the core of the entire Book of Micah. The central theme is consolation and hope for a future restoration in the Messianic Age. Some scholars link the optimistic flavor of these oracles to the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah's significant reforms (761-686 BC). The oracles tell that the Gentile nations will come to Mount Zion (4:1-5), where Yahweh will assemble His scattered flock of Israel (4:6-8). Judah will also be put to the test of faithfulness and covenant obedience but will be redeemed (4:9-14). The Messianic heir of David will be born in Bethlehem of Judea (5:1-3). The enemy will be repulsed, and peace will prevail (5:4-5). In the Messianic Age, the faithful remnant of Jacob-Israel, surrounded by Gentile nations, will be a strong people (5:6-7), victorious over their foes, and Yahweh "will wreak vengeance on the nations who have disobeyed me!" (5:8-14).
Please note that in some other translations, the verses vary slightly. The answers to the questions are at the end of the lesson.
The Promise of the Coming Kingdom (4:1-5)
Micah 4:1-5 ~ The Future Reign of Yahweh in Zion
1 But in days to come Yahweh's Temple Mountain will tower above the mountains,
rise higher than the hills. 2 Then the peoples will stream to it, then many
nations will come and say, "Come, we will go up to Yahweh's mountain, to the
Temple of the God of Jacob, so that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in
his paths; for the Law issues from Zion and Yahweh's word from Jerusalem." 3 He
will judge between many peoples and arbitrate between mighty nations. They will
hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into bill-hooks. Nation
will not lift sword against nations or ever again be trained to make war. 4 But
each man will sit under his vine and fig tree with no one to trouble him. The
mouth of Yahweh Sabaoth has spoken. 5 For all peoples go forward, each in the
name of its god, while we go forward in the name of Yahweh our God forever and
ever.
Most of the oracles in this section open with references to time: 4:1, "in days to come; 4:6 and 5:9, "When that day comes," projecting the oracles into an eschatological future, but they also speak of Micah's present: "now" in 4:9, 10, and 14, describing a future salvation as something already present. Notice that the verses in 4:1-5 are almost the same as Isaiah 2:2-4, quoted at the beginning of the lesson, and also like Zechariah 8:20-22, Yahweh Sabaoth says this, "In the future, peoples and citizens of many cities will come; and citizens of one city will go to the next and say: We must certainly go to entreat Yahweh's favor and seek out Yahweh Sabaoth; I am going myself. Yes, many peoples and great nations will seek out Yahweh Sabaoth in Jerusalem and entreat Yahweh's favor."
"Zion" (i.e., 1:3; 3:10, 12; 4:2, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 13) is used in Scripture as a synonym for Jerusalem and Israel as Yahweh's holy covenant people. Micah's prophecy of restoration and peace also appears in Isaiah 2:2-4, and Isaiah 60 describes converted Gentile nations coming to Jerusalem. This universalism that sees a future gathering of nations around Jerusalem to offer worship to the God of Israel also appears in the books of Jeremiah and Zephaniah (Jer 12:15-16; 16:19-21; Zep 3:9-10) and is one of the critical themes in Isaiah's Book of Consolation (Is 42:1-4, 6; 45:14-16, 20-25; 49:6; 55:3-5). It is also a theme that appears after the return from the Babylonian exile in the book of the prophet Zechariah (Zec 2:15; 8:20-23; 14:9, 16).
The Church Fathers saw Christ as the "mountain" about whom Micah prophesied. He will judge the nations with righteousness and justice (Augustine). God's Law will be revealed by Christ, replacing the old Mosaic Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai/Horeb (Lactantius). That which Micah prophesied was fulfilled in the worldwide witness to Christ, given by the Apostles and their successors (Justin Martyr). Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament XIV, The Twelve Prophets: Micah, pages 160-163.
3 He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate between mighty nations. They will
hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into bill-hooks.
Since there is no longer any need for wars, weapons will be repurposed into
productive tools like ploughshares/plowshares and bill-hooks. A bill-hook is a
tool with a sickle-shaped blade with a
sharp inner edge, used for pruning or lopping branches or other vegetation, and
a ploughshare/plowshare is part of a plow. It is the cutting or leading edge of a moldboard,
which closely follows the coulter (one or more
ground-breaking spikes) when plowing. The plowshare itself is often a
hardened blade dressed into an integral moldboard, making a unified combination
of plowshare and moldboard, the whole being responsible for entering the cleft
in the earth (made by the coulter) and turning over the ground.
The components of a simple drawn plow:
1) beam;
2) three-point hitch;
3) height regulator;
4) coulter (or knife) coulter
or knife;
5) chisel
6) plowshare
7) moldboard.
Bill-hook
The references to ploughshares and bill-hooks in Micah 4:3 and Isaiah 2:4 appear in reverse in Joel 4:10: Hammer your ploughshares into swords, your bill-hooks into spears.
4 But each man will sit under his vine and fig tree with no one to trouble him.
The vine and fig tree are symbolic images of the prophets. See the book "Jesus and
the Symbolic Images of the Prophets." The vine/vineyard and fig tree represent
the covenant people and are used in prophecies of divine judgment
(cf. Is 5:1-7; Jer 8:13; Ezek 19:10-11) and restoration
(cf. Jer 24:5-7; Ezek 28:5-6;
Joel 2:21-22; Zech 3:8-10).
5 For all peoples go forward, each in the name of its god, while we go forward in
the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.
The oracle depicts the scene at the end of time, "in the days to come," when God
will renew everything if the people walk in the commandments of Yahweh when
Jerusalem and the Temple Mount become the center to which the entire world
flocks (verse 1). All the nations will go to Israel to be taught the Law and
the word of the Lord God (verse 2). When the time comes for that oracle to be
fulfilled, all nations will acknowledge that the Messianic peace has begun, centered
at the sacred Mount Zion. Micah shares the message of this poetic prophecy with
the Book of Isaiah (2:2-4) and its themes of universal justice, peace, and
security.
Question #1: What will be the result when that day comes? See verses 3-5.
check your answer
The description of the Messianic Age is in other Old Testament books and the New Testament. Jesus uses some of the same ideas in His conversation with the Samaritan woman when He tells her that she and her people worshiped what they didn't understand and that "salvation comes from the Jews" (Jn 4:20-24). Micha's oracle speaks of the central role of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount when the Temple stood, and Jesus called Himself the "new Temple (cf. Jn 2:18-22). The Church Fathers saw this oracle's promises fulfilled in Jesus and His New Covenant Church.
Early Church Father Bishop Melito of Sardis wrote: "The Law has become the Word, and the old is made new; both come forth from Zion and Jerusalem. The commandments are turned into grace, and what was a figure is made real" (De Pascha, 45, Navarre Bible, Micah, page 194). St. Jerome also wrote: "What was once hidden, what Moses and the prophets spoke of in the mountains and at the very summits of mountains about Him [Christ], is now revealed. Though what they wrote was holy, they communicated in signs and images and prophesied the coming of the Lord, a message before which all were made humble and could not climb to the peaks of the mountains ... one must ascend the heights to Christ, to the house of the God of Jacob, to the Church which is the house of God, pillar and foundation of the truth" (Commentarii in Michaeam, 4, 1-5, Navarre Bible, Micah, page 194).
Prediction of the Captivity (4:6-14)
Micah 4:6-8 ~ The Scattered Flock Gathered to Zion
6 That day, declares Yahweh, I shall gather in the lame and bring together the
strays and those whom I have treated harshly. 7 From the footsore I shall make
a remnant, and from the far-flung a mighty nation. And Yahweh will reign over
them on Mount Zion thenceforth and forever. 8 And to you, Tower of the Flock, Ophel
of the daughter of Zion, to you your former sovereignty will return, the royal
power of the daughter of Jerusalem.
This oracle is still in the context of the Messianic Era, which the opening words, "That day (or "In that day") imply. It begins with the prophecy of the coming of the Kingdom of God and the gathering of Judah's exiles (verses 1-5). Micah appears to have the Babylonian exiles in mind, which he predicts in verses 9-14. The rest of the chapter is made up of brief and enigmatic poems on aspects of a glorious future beginning with the kingdom of the gathered exiles (verses 6-7), to Zion's rule restored (verse 8), deliverance from Babylon (verses 9-10), threshing the enemies (verses 11-13), and the humiliation of the king (verse 14).
Question #2: How does Micah depict the people in verses 6-7?
check your answer
Despite the people's poor condition, the Lord, like a good shepherd, will rescue a faithful remnant of His people and, from them, create a strong nation that will regain its former glory with a king when God restores the future Messianic honor to Jerusalem. Verse 7 recalls Yahweh's promise in Ezekiel 34:11-12, "For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it. As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered on the day of clouds and darkness."
"Tower of the flock" (Migdal-Eder in Hebrew) in verse 8 is an ancient place name used by the prophet for Mount Zion (see Gen 35:21), while "Ophel of the daughter of Zion" refers to the palace quarter of Jerusalem. Ophel is a Biblical term given to a specific part of a settlement or city that is elevated from its surroundings and probably refers to a fortified hill. In the Old Testament, the term is used for two cities: Jerusalem (cf. 2 Chron 27:3; 33:14; Nehemiah 3:26; 11:21; and Mic 4:8) and Samaria (cf. 2 Kng 5:24). The Mesha Stele, written in Moabite, is the only source for the term outside the Bible, and it also refers to a fortified place.
... to you, your former sovereignty will return, the royal power of the daughter of
Jerusalem.
Micah prophesies God restoring Davidic sovereignty to Jerusalem, perhaps recalling
the promises of the Davidic eternal covenant
(2 Sam 7:16, 29; 23:5;
2 Chron 13:5;
Ps 89:2-5; 132:11-12;
Sir 45:25; 47:11/13).
Micah 4:9-10 ~ The Siege, Exile, and Liberation of Zion
9 Why are you crying out now? Have you no king? Has your counsellor perished, for
pangs to grip you like those of a woman in labor? 10 Writhe in pain and cry
aloud, daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city
and camp in the open country; to Babylon you must go, and there you will be
rescued; there Yahweh will ransom you from the clutches
of your enemies.
After conquering Galilee in 732 BC, the Assyrians completed the conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They exiled its citizens into Assyrian-controlled lands in 722/21 BC (2 Kng 17:16). God spared the Southern Kingdom of Judah because of the national repentance and reforms initiated by King Hezekiah (2 Kng 19:32-37). However, Judah and her kings fell into sin and idol worship again after the death of Hezekiah (2 Kng 25:1-21). Therefore, the oracle in verses 9-10 refers to the judgment of the Babylonian conquest, the execution of her leaders, and the exile of the citizens of Judah (587 BC).
... to
Babylon you must go, and there you will be rescued; there Yahweh will ransom
you from the clutches of your enemies.
However, God promised a future liberation when Yahweh will ransom you from the
clutches of your enemies. Cyrus II, the Great, began a campaign against
Babylonia in 546 BC, which ended with the surrender of Babyone in 539 BC. Cyrus
appears as the hope of the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem in the Book of
Isaiah, where he is called the "shepherd" of Yahweh and the "anointed" of
Yahweh, who will fulfill God's will (Is 44:28; 45:1). This hope was fulfilled
in 538 BC when Cyrus permitted the Jews residing in Babylon to return to
Jerusalem to rebuild the city and its Temple (2 Chron 36:22;
Ezra 1:1-4, 7; 6:3-5).
Micah 4:11-14 ~ Her Enemies to be Crushed on the Threshing-Floor
11 Now many nations have mustered against you. They say, "Let us desecrate her,
let us gloat over Zion!" 12 But they do not know Yahweh's thoughts; they do not
understand his design: he has collected them like sheaves on the
threshing-floor. 13 Start your threshing, daughter of Zion, for I shall make
your horn like iron, I shall make your hooves like bronze so that you can crush
many peoples. And you will devote what they have stolen to Yahweh, their wealth
to the Lord of the whole earth. 14 Now look to your fortifications, Fortress!
They have laid siege to us; the ruler of Israel will be struck on the cheek
with a rod.
The oracle in verses 9-14 distinguishes between the suffering of the present "now": "Why are you crying out now" (verse 9), "Now many nations have mustered against you" (verse 11), "Now look to your fortifications" (verse 14) and the future time of salvation and restoration of the faithful remnant (verses 12-13). This prophecy, unlike the previous one, describes the liberation of Zion, surrounded by enemy Gentile nations. The prophet Isaiah made similar prophecies (Is 10:24-27, 32-34; 14:24-27; 29:1-8; 30:27-33; 31:4-9). The prophecies probably concern Assyrian King Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in 701 BC and its failure (2 Kng 19:32-37).
Question #3: What three
aspects of the collapse and conquest of the Kingdom of Judah and the exile that
followed does Micah refer to in verses 9-11?
check your answer
In the past and the present, Israel's enemies have consistently failed to consider that Yahweh is in control of their destiny (verse 12). The threshing-floor in verse 12 was a place, usually set upon a high point near a village, where the prevailing wind could assist in willowing the grain by blowing away the chaff separated from the grain by trampling the stalks. Thus, the useless chaff was blown away or consumed by fire. It is a common metaphor for the sudden destruction of the wicked (i.e., Ex 15:7; Pss 1:4; 35:5; Job 13:25; 21:18; Is 5:24; 17:13; 29:5; 33:11; 40:24; 41:2; Hos 13:3; Zep 2:21) while the "threshing-floor" is often used as a metaphor for judgment (i.e., Is 25:10; Dan 2:35; Hab 3:12) or for the treatment of a defeated enemy in war (2 Kng 13:7; Is 41:15; Jer 51:33; Hos 13:3; Amos 1:3; Mic 4:13). The Jerusalem Temple, the "House of God," was built on a threshing-floor (2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Chron 21:18-22:1; 2 Chron 1:4-6; 3:1), where it was the one place of worship, atonement for sins, and judgment.
Verse 13 calls for God's holy people to strike back against their enemies. Using symbolic language, Micah promises that Yahweh will assist them by making them strong enough to crush those who attack and threaten them. Verse 14 warns that the enemy will strike Judah, but it will not be a fatal blow.
The identification of the New Covenant Church of Jesus Christ as the new, restored Israel allowed Church Fathers like St. Jerome to read this passage in a spiritual sense. Jerome wrote: "Many wicked peoples, possessed by demons, unite to inveigh against the daughter of Zion, the Church [...]; they mock her and rejoice at the death of her children because they are ignorant of God's reasons, nor do they understand his providential plans [...]. He will gather them together again, like sheaves to the threshing floor, to toss with his horn and trample with his hooves everything in them that is thorny or sour, hollow or chaff, and will make an offering of the good, pure grain to the Lord" (St. Jerome, Commentarii in Micaeam, 4, 11-13; Navarre Bible, Micah, page 196).
Promise of the Coming King (5:1-14)
Micah 5:1-4a ~ The Glory of the Davidic Dynasty
1 But you (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, from you will
come for me a future ruler of Israel whose origins go back to the distant past,
to the days of old. 2 Hence Yahweh will abandon them only until she who is in
labor gives birth, and then those who survive of his race will be reunited to
the Israelites. 3 He will take his stand, and he will shepherd them with the
power of Yahweh, with the majesty of the name of his God, and they will be
secure, for his greatness will extend henceforth to the most distant parts of
the country. 4a He himself will be peace!
Micah 5:1-4a contains some of the most powerful words of prophecy predicting the coming of the Redeemer-Messiah in the Old Testament. He will be born in Bethlehem, the city of the great King David with whom Yahweh made an eternal covenant in which He promised, Your dynasty and your sovereignty will ever stand firm before me and your throne be forever secure (2 Sam 7:16; also see 23:5; 1 Kng 2:45; 2 Chron 13:5; Ps 89:2-5, 26-37; Sir 45:25; 47:11/13).
Micah apparently attaches the etymological meaning of "fruitful" to Ephrathah (verse 1) and connects it with the birth of the Messiah. Ephrathah originally indicated a clan connected to Caleb who married Ephrath and settled in the district of Bethlehem, a small town about 5 miles south of Jerusalem (1 Chron 2:19, 24, 51-55; Ruth 1:2; 1 Sam 17:12). 1 Samuel 17:12 records that David was the son of an Ephrahite from Bethlehem of Judah. The name was later used for the town itself (Gen 35:19; 48:7; Josh 15:59; Ruth 4:11). Micah is connecting the birth of this mysterious figure to the dynasty of King David (Ruth 4:11, 17, 18-22; 1 Sam 17:12).
2 Hence Yahweh will abandon them only until she who is in labor gives birth, and
then those who survive of his race will be reunited to the Israelites.
Early Church Fathers like Isho'dad of Merv interpreted this verse to mean that the
covenant people would endure their afflictions until the Virgin gave birth to
the Redeemer-Messiah (Commentary on Micah, Ancient Christian Commentary on
Scripture: Micah, page 166).
Typical of salvation oracles, the passage contains many contrasts.
Question #4: Can you list five descriptions of the future king?
check your answer
There wasn't a king contemporary to Micah who could match this description. Micah was referring to the future Messiah-king described by Isaiah (Is 7:14; 9:5-6; 11:1-4) and to passages about the future heir of David (2 Sam 7:12-16; Ps 89:3).
Jewish tradition reads this passage as a Messianic prophecy according to the Talmud (Pesahim, 51, 1 and Nedarium, 39,2). The New Testament connects this passage to Jesus, where the opinion of Jesus's contemporaries points to the belief that the Messiah, descended from David, comes from Bethlehem (Jn 7:40-42). Matthew 2:4-6 is the main text that applies the prophecy to Jesus, quoting from Micah. The Church Fathers saw this prophecy as referring to Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem (Mt 2:1; Lk 2:1-7), the shepherd from David's lineage promised by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 34:23), who is the divinely chosen "Prince of Peace:" "I shall raise up one shepherd, my servant David, and put him in charge of them to pasture them; he will pasture them and be their shepherd." David ruled centuries before Ezekiel's mission in the 6th century BC, so God's "servant David" was understood by the Jews to be a future king from David's lineage and by Christians to be the King of kings, Jesus the Messiah.
Using the passage, many Church Fathers developed arguments to convince Jews that Jesus was the expected Messiah-Redeemer. Tertullian wrote: "Since the children of Israel accuse us of grave error because we believe in Christ, who has come, let us show them from the Scriptures that the Christ was foretold has come [...]. He was born in Bethlehem in Judah, as the prophet foretold: But you, O Bethlehem, are by no means least ... (v. 2)" (Adversus Iudaeos, 13). And St. Irenaeus wrote: "In his day, the prophet Micah told us of the place where the Christ would be born: Bethlehem, in Judah [...]. Bethlehem is also in the homeland of David, and Christ comes from the line of David, not only because he was born of the Virgin, but because he was born in Bethlehem" (Demonstratio praedicantionis apostolicae, 63).
Micah 5:4b-5 ~ The Future Conqueror of Assyria
4b Should the Assyrian invade our country, should he set foot in our land, we shall raise
seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of men; 5 they will shepherd Assyria
with the sword, the country of Nimrod with naked blade. He will save us from
the Assyrian, should he invade our country, should he set foot inside our frontiers.
Now, Assyria has become synonymous with bondage and the oppressor, in the same way as Egypt in Exodus. This oracle foretells a time before the appearance of the Babylonians as a threat to the covenant people when the Lord would raise good men to oppose their Assyrian enemies. The land of Nimrod in verse 5 is listed in the "table of nations" in Genesis 10:8-10 (also see 1 Chron 1:10). Nimrod was a great-grandson of Noah and a king of Shinar, which is also identified as the site of the tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9) and became the nation of Babylon (Gen 10:10; Is 11:11-12; Dan 1:1-2). Verse 5b refers to God fulfilling this promise when He protected Jerusalem from the Assyrians (2 Kng 19:32-37; Is 37:36-38; 2 Chron 32:21-22; Sir 48:21).
Question #5: How did God save Jerusalem from the Assyrians?
See 2 Kings 19:35-37.
check your answer
Church Fathers saw this oracle as describing any crisis experienced by any Christian who looks to his Lord for peace. St. Paul echoed Micah 5:4a when he wrote: But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh ... (Eph 2:13-14 NABRE).
Micah 5:6-7 ~ The Future Role of Israel's Faithful Remnant
6 Then, what is left of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples, will be like a dew from
Yahweh, like showers on the grass, which do not depend on human agency and are
beyond human control. 7 Then what is left of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples,
will be like a lion among the forest beasts, like a fierce lion among flocks of
sheep trampling as he goes, mangling his prey, which no one takes from him. 8
You will be victorious over your foes and all your enemies will be torn to
pieces.
This is another oracle about the "remnant of Jacob." The opening of the poetic lines in verses 6 and 7 are two symmetrical strobes announcing the remnant of Jacob-Israel in God's divine plan for their salvation (cf. verses 1-4; 7:12) and in the following oracle, their punishment (4:13; 5:8-14). The people of the "remnant" will be strong and invincible because they are blessed like the dew and rain (divine gifts) and will be like lions among their prey (8). The power of God controls their destiny.
Micah 5:9-14/15 ~ Yahweh Will Destroy Idols and Temptations for Pagan Worship
9 When that day comes, declares Yahweh, I shall tear your horses away from you, I
shall destroy your chariots; 10 I shall tear the cities from your country, I
shall overthrow all your fortresses; 11 I shall tear the spells out of your
hands and you will have no more soothsayers; 12 I shall tear away your images [pesilim]
and your sacred pillars [masseboth] from among you, and no longer will you
worship things which your own hands have made! 13 I shall uproot your sacred
poles [Asherim] and shall destroy your cities! 14 In furious anger, I shall
wreak vengeance on the nations who have disobeyed me!
Question #6: How will "that day" in Micah 5:9-14 mark the End of Days?
check your answer
Pesilim is the Hebrew word for images of false gods, and Masseboth is the word for posts or pillars associated with pagan worship. The Canaanites used to set up Masseboth in open fields, and Asherim were glades used for fertility rites to honor the goddess Astarte. The remarkable promise is that the restoration of Israel will extend to the whole world (verse 14/15).
In Chapters 6-7, the third and last part of the book, the covenant people are again judged and condemned for their immoral and unjust behavior. Then, the prophet again assures us that if we, like him, trust in God, we can be confident that He will hear our prayers and respond to our needs.
The Catechism reference for Micah 4:1-4 is CCC 762. The reference to Micah 5:13 in Matthew 2:4-6 is CCC 525-28.
Answers to the questions:
Answer #1:
1. Yahweh will be the one Divine Judge acknowledged by everyone.
2. There will be no more wars, and therefore no need for weapons of war.
3. Everyone will enjoy peace in the name of Yahweh.
return to question 1
Answer #2: He depicts the
people as ill-treated, lame sheep, a flock gone astray and scattered.
return to question 2
Answer #3: The three
aspects of the collapse and conquest of the Kingdom of Judah and the exile that
Micah refers to in verses 9-11 are:
1. The fall of the Davidic king (verse 9).
2. The exile into Babylonian lands (verse 10).
3. The assembly of nations that rejoice in Judah's misery (verse 11).
return to question 3
Answer #4:
1. The future king will come from humble origins.
2. He will be born in the town of Bethlehem, from the least of the clans of Judah (verse 2).
3. He comes from David's ancient lineage, but to perceive him, one must wait until
"she who is in labor gives birth," and then "those who survive of his
race will be reunited to the Israelites" (verse 2).
4. He will "shepherd" his people with the power of Yahweh (verse 3).
5. He will not only tend the "flock" of his own people, but the benefits of his rule of
peace will extend to the ends of the earth (verse 4).
return to question 4
Answer #5: The angel of
Yahweh struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp
surrounding Jerusalem, probably with a plague causing King Sennacherib to
withdraw and return to Assyria.
Note: Assyrian records confirm that the king and his army withdrew from the siege of
Jerusalem but without any explanation.
return to question 5
Answer #6:
1. Resources and weapons of war will be destroyed (verses 10-11; cf. 4:3; 5:4).
2. All signs of idolatry and sorcery will be removed (verse 12).
3. Pagan sites of worship will be destroyed (verse 13).
4. Those nations that have stood against the God of Israel, will receive His
vengeful wrath (verse 14).
return to question 6
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