Redemption in Micah

Redemption in the book of Micah focuses on the promise of a coming Messiah in chapter 5. There is a shift from fear to hope for the future. Verse 1 tells of the imminent threat of an Assyrian siege. However, hope is found in the following verses in the future Messiah. “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth. Then the remainder of His kinsmen will return to the sons of Israel. 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. This One will be our peace” (Mic. 5:2-5a).

According to Micah, the future Shepherd-King (Messiah) will feed His flock and will come from lowly Bethlehem Ephrathah. However, despite His humble birth, He is “from eternity.” This is fulfilled in God's Messiah. Many years later, when the magi asked where the King of the Jews was to be born, the Jewish chief priests and scribes cited Micah 5:2 pointing to Bethlehem as the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah (Matt. 2:1-6).

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