As seen in the last section, the life of Israel as a political entity became extinct, Jerusalem lay in heaps and wreckage, and the temple mount became as the high place of a forest. The prediction does not tell us how long this situation would exist, but, when we read 4:1, which refers to the condition obtaining in the latter days, we see that there is an indefinite period of desolation passed over by this prophecy. That it is a long one is to be inferred from the expression, "in the latter days." Moses in his outline of Israel's checkered history described this period very graphically (Leviticus 26:33-39). According to this prediction, the Holy Land is left desolate and barren while the people of Israel are scattered throughout the nations. The prophets and the psalmists in vision saw this long period of exile and repeatedly asked the question, How long? To their anxious inquiries God did not give definite information, but, on certain occasions, told us the conditions upon which this time of Israel's dispersion would terminate.

In chapter 4:1-8 the prophet was transported into the distant future (from his own day) and described the conditions that shall exist in the world, especially in Palestine, in the latter days.

"But in the latter days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it. And many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem; and he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off: 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 any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it. For all the peoples walk every one in the name of his god; and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God for ever and ever."

"In that day, saith Jehovah, will I assemble that which is lame, and I will gather that which is driven away, and that which I have afflicted; and I will make that which was lame a remnant, and that which was cast off a strong nation: and Jehovah will reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth even for ever. And thou, 0 tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem" (4:1-8).

From this forecast we see that in the latter days there will be a great transformation in the topography of Palestine. At the present time Jerusalem embracing within its walls the four hills of the ancient city, which is located upon the high mountain range constituting the backbone of Palestine, is surrounded by hills. But when this vision is fulfilled Palestine will not be the same rough, rugged country as it is now, but will be as valleys spread abroad, according to the vision foreseen by Balaam in Numbers 24:3ff. The mountains will be thrown down and the valleys filled. At that time Jerusalem shall be built upon a hill which will be lifted above the surrounding country, and the nations of the earth will go there from year to year to worship the Lord of hosts. At that time the great temple together with the city and land described by Ezekiel (chapters 40-48) will be the center of attraction for all the inhabitants of the earth. Then the Lord will be present in person and will teach the pilgrims from all quarters of the earth who go there from year to year.

At that time the Lord will have put down all wars, the curse will have been lifted, and the glory of God will encircle the earth as the waters cover the sea. Every one will dwell in peace and security, and the earth shall bring forth its full strength to the vast population that will then inhabit it.

According to Micah 4:6 the Lord will regather Israel that has been scattered among the nations, and that has suffered untold misery at the hands of the anti-Semitic Gentile nations. The Lord Himself will reign over them in Mount Zion. Let me pause to emphasize the fact that the prediction is to be taken literally. Mount Zion is one of the poetical names for Jerusalem. Since the prediction says that He will reign in Mount Zion, we must take it at its face value unless there is some indication in the context pointing otherwise. In view of the fact that there is none, we must take the language literally, at what it says. This teaching is in perfect accord with the oracles appearing throughout the writings of all the prophets of Israel. For instance, Zephaniah saw that golden era. In the third chapter of his prediction, verses 14, 15, he foretold that the Lord God of hosts would reign personally in Zion.

Micah, in an apostrophe, addressed the reigning sovereign in Jerusalem, saying,

"And thou, 0 tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem" (4:8).

The expression, "tower of the flock," was probably suggested by the fact that there was a tower on the regal palace which had been built by David. Since it stood out prominently above the rest of the edifice, the prophet spoke to it. Of course, this method of speech is known as metonymy; the king who reigned in the tower was addressed in terms of the tower to which he doubtless often resorted. Thus the prophet spoke to the reigning monarch of his time and told him that the former dominion should return to the daughter of Zion. This statement implies that it will pass from the Davidic house, but in the distant future it will be restored. This message, of course, was one of great comfort to the people.

"9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? Is there no king in thee, is thy counsellor perished, that pangs have taken hold of thee as of a woman in travail? 10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, 0 daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and shalt dwell in the field, and shalt come even unto Babylon: there shalt thou be rescued; there will Jehovah redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 11 And now many nations are assembled against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye see our desire upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor. 13 Arise and thresh, 0 daughter of Zion; for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass; and thou shalt beat in pieces many peoples: and I will devote their gain unto Jehovah, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth" (Micah 4:9-13).

Verses 9 and 10, referring to Zion's being in travail, foretold the Chaldean siege of Jerusalem and the consequent exile in Babylon, which occurred in the years 605-536 B.C.E., for it is definitely stated that the captives would be taken to Babylon; the prophet promised, however, that they would be redeemed from that exile. Verses 11-13 describe a siege of Jerusalem which is on a far greater scale than the one by the Chaldeans. The investment here described occurs when Israel is again in her own land, because the last statement of verse 10 tells of the captives' being redeemed from Babylonian captivity and being brought back to their own land. Thus between verses 10 and 11 there is, as we learn by comparing this passage with others and by glancing at history, a long interval of time. The siege described in the latter verse is one in which many nations participate. The statement, "Let her be defiled, and let our eyes see our desire upon Zion," indicates that those nations investing Jerusalem and the Jewish groups in Palestine at this future time will be driven on by an intense spirit of anti-Semitism in order to blot Israel's name from the face of the globe. ¹

They are animated by their own carnal, fleshly desires and impulses; nevertheless they do not realize that the overruling providential hand of God is directing their movements and actions. This thought is brought out in verses 12 and 13, which compare Palestine to the summer threshing-floor and the nations gathered there to battle against the Jews as the sheaves. In this passage, according to verse 13, Israel is the ox that pulls the threshing instrument for beating out the grain. The promise that the Lord makes to Israel is that her horn shall be iron and her hoofs brass. Of course, these words are the carrying out of the figure comparing the nation to an ox. In Isaiah 41:14-16 the same figure of a threshing-floor is used; but in this latter instance Israel is not the ox drawing the threshing implement but the instrument itself. When we study the context of each passage we see that the same thought is presented. In these promises is contained the prediction that Israel in the final combat with the nations will be victorious. Of course, she cannot do it in her own strength; but being energized by the Almighty she will be triumphant, and by the miraculous intervention of her Messiah she will thresh the peoples.

That verses 11-13 foretell the final distress of Israel when all the nations will be gathered against her to battle in the day of Jehovah (cf. Zechariah 14:1ff) is evident from the fact that, when the nations are threshed, their substance will be devoted to the Lord of all the earth. All their possessions will become the spoil of King Messiah, who will reestablish the throne of David, mount it, and reign over the world. At that time all the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of the Almighty (Ps. 22:27,28). These facts show that this siege of the Jews in Palestine by the nations is the final one preceding the glorious era of Messiah's reign.

Thus in Micah 4:9-13 the picture of the Babylonian siege of Palestine blends with that of the final investment of the Jewish remnant restored to the land of the fathers in the last days. The fading of one of these pictures into the other may, as has already been stated, well be illustrated by the use of the stereopticon which throws one picture upon the screen and which presently fades it into another. At the same time the dim outlines of a second picture appear. By the time the first one has vanished, the second one is in full view. Thus a description of the overthrow of Judah by Babylon blends imperceptibly with that of the final overthrow of the nations at the end of this age. In this representation time is annihilated. The reader will permit me to use another illustration which will bring out another aspect of the truth presented in these verses. Frequently an observer looks out toward a great mountain range. In the foreground are the low-lying foothills, but towering above them in the distance are the mightier and more majestic peaks. Between these ranges lies a vast valley which, from the observer's point of view, is not visible. To him all of the mountains appear as one range. Should he, however, climb the nearer mountain in the foreground, upon reaching the summit he would see this vast valley separating him from the more distant peaks. The Babylonian catastrophe would be represented by the nearer foothills or lower mountains, whereas the final siege of Jerusalem and her deliverance is represented by the more distant and mightier range. This method of representation was common to the Hebrew prophets. Speaking in modern phraseology, I would say that they did not have the modern perspective, with which we of the present day are acquainted; therefore the immediate prospect constantly blended with the events of the more distant future.

"1 Now shalt thou gather thyself in troops, 0 daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. "2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel" (Micah 5:1-3).

In 5:1 we observe a siege of Jerusalem and her fall under the mighty blows of a conqueror. The question immediately arises, What siege is here foretold? Is it either the Babylonian occupation under Nebuchadnezzar or does it refer to one future to that time, the final conflict at Jerusalem? My reply is that it is neither. One reason for this statement is that at the time of the Babylonian siege Israel had a king who was dwelling in her midst, whereas in this one, mentioned in 5:1, there is no king but rather a judge. This fact implies that the Davidic dynasty is not functioning at the time of this siege. Neither can it be the final catastrophe referred to in 4:11-13, because the Lord foretells that, when Zion falls and her judge is smitten by the enemy. He will give her up until the time that "she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return with the children of Israel." But in the final investment of Zion by the nations, the Jews by the power of the Almighty become the strong ox that treads them down as sheaves of the threshing-floor. Then all of their spoils will be devoted to Jehovah, for He then becomes King over the entire earth. Hence the conflict of 5:1 is neither the Babylonian, nor the final siege of Jerusalem.

The figure of a travailing woman was constantly used by the prophets to refer to a time of siege and of distress, carnage and bloodshed, especially as it involved Israel. As noted above, the Babylonian siege is represented under that figure in 4:10. Since in this verse Micah employed this metaphor in referring to the suffering of the Babylonian siege, it is only reasonable to suppose that he used the same figure in 5:3 with a like significance. Does this verse also refer to the Babylonian catastrophe mentioned in 4:10? My answer is No; for at the end of the Babylonian captivity the Lord did not give them up, but instead of doing that He brought them back into favor with Himself and restored them to their own land; therefore the travail of which Micah spoke in 5:3 is different from that mentioned in 4:10.

Isaiah 66:7-9 compared the final distress of Israel to a travailing woman. Jeremiah, in speaking of the last siege and deliverance of Jerusalem, used the same figure, as is seen by a close study of Jeremiah 4:23-31. As the reader studies this latter passage, let him notice especially the conjunction, "for," introducing verse 27. Thus the oracle, beginning with this verse and ending with 31, is explanatory of the message in verses 23-26. The wreckage, therefore, of this vision and the judgment coming upon the people of the earth are compared to childbirth (see verse 31). Hosea the prophet used this same figure in speaking of Israel's final distress and deliverance (13:13,14).

Since we see that Micah 5:3 refers to a period of travail, at the conclusion of which the twelve tribes of Israel return to God, we can be certain that this passage refers to the time of Jacob's trouble at the end of this age.

The siege of Jerusalem depicted in 5:1 is one at the conclusion of which Israel is delivered into the hands of her enemies and is abandoned by the Lord until the final siege set forth in verse 3. In view of all these facts we cannot identify the siege of 5:1 either as the Babylonian catastrophe or the one at the end of this age, but one which comes between them. Under Section E, I compared the two crises to mountains separated by a great valley. Using this figure I would say that the siege mentioned in 5:1 is located somewhere in the valley separating these two mountains, the two major catastrophes befalling Israel. Speaking without a figure, I would say that the investment of 5:1 occurs in the interval of time separating the Babylonian siege from the final conquest of Israel in the end of the age.

The next problem for us to solve is to identify some major calamity coming upon Israel that brought about the collapse of the nation and her being abandoned by the Lord, which giving up will continue until the end of the age. The answer which comes to everyone immediately is that this prediction evidently refers to the Roman siege and occupation of Palestine, which occurred in the year 70 C.E. At that time Jerusalem fell, as is described by Josephus, and the inhabitants suffered untold sorrow and distress. When the city finally capitulated, the Jewish people were scattered among the nations. Since then they have been the people of the wandering foot. By the leaders of Israel, as is seen in their writings, both ancient and modern, Israel is represented as being in exile and being abandoned of the Lord. This interpretation of her status is correct. From the signs of the times we can see that the season is very close at hand for her to be regathered to her land and to be, after her great sorrow, reinstated into fellowship with her God. In the light of all the facts we may be confident that the siege depicted in 5:1 was a graphic portrayal of the catastrophe which overtook the nation in 70 C.E. Thus speaking in terms of the imagery just used I would say that in this great valley lying between the two mountain sieges of Israel is another one, which symbolized the Roman occupation of Palestine.

In the preceding section we arrived at the conclusion that the calamity mentioned in 5:1 was none other than the Roman occupation of Palestine. In the imagery of the passage we also saw that this event was symbolized by a mountain in the great plain separating the two towering ranges. A close study of 5:1-3 shows that these three verses point to this one major catastrophe with its antecedents and its consequences. The fall of Jerusalem is set forth in verse 1. But in the next one the prophet looks southward from Jerusalem to the city of Bethlehem and addressing it foretells the coming forth from it of the future Ruler in Israel. He then makes the significant statement, "Therefore will he (God) give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth." The word Therefore introducing this sentence shows that the giving up of Judah is the result of what is just stated in the preceding verses. Stating the case differently, I would say that these verses give the reason for the Lord's giving up Judah for a definite time. I might illustrate the force of the argument by calling attention to the regular usage of language. We today frequently state several facts and then introduce our reaction to what has been said by therefore. Certain things, we say, exist; therefore we shall have to pursue a definite course of action. Such is the reasoning of the prophet. Because of the fact, with its antecedents and consequences, foretold in 5:2, the Lord is forced to give Israel up until the time of the end.

What, if any, is the connection between verses 1 and 2? As seen above, the former foretells the destruction of the national life of Israel, which occurred in the year 70 C.E.; the latter is an apostrophe to Bethlehem concerning the birth of the great future Ruler of Israel. The ancient synagogue interpreted it as a prediction of the birth of King Messiah. This fact is seen in the Chaldean paraphrase of this verse. מנך קדמי יפק משיחא "from thee messiah shall go out before me." Without doubt this verse is a prediction of the birth of King Messiah in Bethlehem of Judah. (For a full discussion of this point see my book Messiah: His Nature and Person, pp.194-200;). [Ed. scroll to bottom of linked page to section entitled "II. The Ruler From Bethlehem."] It is difficult to see any connection between these two verses. They briefly state two facts: one, the collapse of the Jewish nation; the other, the birth of King Messiah in Bethlehem of Judah. Verse 3 simply declares that as a consequence of Messiah's birth God gives up the children of Judah until the end time. The connection must be sought from some other passage. It is evident that Micah assumes a knowledge on the part of his hearers, of that which is told by other prophets. Can we ascertain the connecting link?

Let us keep clearly in mind that the birth of Messiah, as we have already seen in different predictions, occurred before the age-long dispersion of Israel, which will eventually terminate in the time of Jacob's trouble. Since Isaiah was a contemporary of Micah, we will turn to his pages to glean the facts which are presupposed by Micah. In 7:14 of his writings he foretells that the Messiah will be born of a virgin:

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

For the proof that this verse foretells the miraculous conception and the virgin birth of King Messiah, see pp. 121-169 of my book, Messiah: His Nature and Person. In Isaiah 9:6,7 we are informed that this child, born of the virgin, shall be recognized as "Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah in his famous "servant" passage (52:13-53:12) spoke of Him as "the arm of Jehovah." That this arm of Jehovah is none other than the Lord Himself is evident from a casual study of Isaiah 51:9-11. Here this "arm of Jehovah" is the one who pierced the monster, Rahab. This is an evident reference to the conflict with Satan whose downfall is referred to in Ezekiel 28. Thus the name, "the arm of Jehovah," is used personally and refers to King Messiah. Isaiah 53:1-9 is the confession which the last generation of Israel scattered among the nations will make. According to it King Messiah, like a plant out of dry ground, grows up in the midst of Israel. This forecast shows that the spiritual condition of Israel at the time of His birth and during His life is indeed at a very low ebb. Furthermore, the prediction shows that Israel does not recognize Him, but, on the contrary, rejects Him. Moreover it reveals the facts that the stroke due Israel falls upon Him, and that by His stripes healing is brought to the nation. That Isaiah 53 refers to the suffering of King Messiah in behalf of Israel and the world is evident from a thorough study of this passage. (See chapter XVIII ofThe Eternal God Revealing Himself to Suffering Israel and to Lost Humanity.)



Footnotes:

* There are those today who claim that they are of the priestly tribe, especially many of those who have the name Cohen. It is true that many Jewish families have genealogical records that extend back through several centuries, but it is extremely doubtful whether these records can be relied upon and whether they have preserved the genealogy accurately from the days of old.

¹ Just such an effort to exterminate Israel was made by the surrounding nations in the days of Asaph, who was one of the chief musicians appointed by David for the temple services. This is seen in one of his psalms, 83. In the first section of it, verses 1-8, we see the plot of Satanic hatred against Israel as the Chosen People of God. In the second division, verses 9-18, is an earnest prayer that God will deal with these enemies, who are in reality opposed to Him; but the spirit of the entire petition is that the Almighty might deal with them in such a way as to show them that He alone is God and must be recognized and worshiped as such.

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