Praise The Coming Messiah from Eternity

Micah 5:1-5

1 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.

2 "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."

3 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.

4 And He shall stand and feed His flock
In the strength of the LORD,
In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God;
And they shall abide,
For now He shall be great
To the ends of the earth;

5 And this One shall be peace.

When the Assyrian comes into our land,
And when he treads in our palaces,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princely men.

Israel was under siege and would be taken into captivity because of her unrepentant sins.  The nations would gather around to attack and seemingly destroy her, but God had planned from before time began His Deliverer and Savior to lead them as no earthly king could, who would later be revealed to be His own Son, the Messiah or Anointed of the LORD Himself.  The Jews at that time only saw the Messiah as an earthly ruler to free them from their enemies of the nations which they themselves enabled to attack them because they allowed them to live among them instead of destroying or driving them out of the promised land.  They also enabled their enemies by worshipping their idols and participating in their immortality instead of adhering to God’s clear commands to the contrary (Deuteronomy 28:45, 47, 64, 29:17-18).  Their Ruler would come to be worshiped as well because He was God Himself, the One from the “days of eternity,” from no beginning and without an end (Psalm 90:2, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-17).  He would be revealed on earth (1 Peter 1:20-21, Galatians 4:4-5) at the predetermined time in history according to the word of God as our Messiah (Christ) to deliver us from the enemy of eternal death caused by our inherited sin in the death of Christ to inherit mercy in eternal life.  This is the hidden mystery (Colossians 1:26-27) which is the long anticipated Christ come to live in us, in our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26-27), as our hope of eternal glory in Him!  Israel had been handed over to the nations to learn obedience until the Messiah came to unite all who are called and chosen out of those nations as well in Christ to Himself.  The remnant of the original chosen on earth are then joined to the rest of us who are grafted in (Romans 11:24-25) to His people.  The prophet Micah told this message which offered hope in the midst of judgment.  The Messiah was portrayed as the Shepherd who would stand in power and authority to tend His flock in His strength and majesty.  His people would stand firm in Him under His good and absolute sovereign rule as His greatness is made known to all.  He would be our peace as well as that of Israel.  That is the gospel we heard and preach to all of His flock who have ears to hear and turn in repentance by faith to follow Him.  Praise Him who has always been, who delivers us (1 Corinthians 15:22, 26, 54-55, 56-57, 2 Corinthians 1:9-10), all you people of God!  Praise the coming Messiah who is from eternity!