Rise of the King

Then comes the large gap in time. His second coming has yet to occur. But when He comes, He will keep all of the promises communicated by Micah and the other prophets. Then, and only then, will everything on this planet be under the control and leadership of King Jesus. Isaiah had more to say about this:

For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this. (Isa 9:6-7)

In these verses we see both “mountain peaks” mentioned at the same time. The first peak, the incarnation of Jesus in Bethlehem, is mentioned in verse 6, “A child will be born for us, a son will be given to us.” It won’t be just any child. The son given will be none other than the Son of God. This is the initiation of the ministry of the Suffering Servant. But we see the second, more distant peak referenced as well. “He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.” Here, Isaiah references the second coming of Jesus, when He will take His rightful place on the throne of David as conquering King and reign forever.

In the early verses of Micah 5, then, we have this very clear picture of the first advent of the Messiah. God’s own Son, God the Word, the second member of the Trinity, will put on human flesh and be born in Bethlehem. We see also a very clear picture about the second advent of the Messiah. Jesus will return to unite and reign over Israel as her forever, conquering King. The key verse that splits these two advents is verse 3, “Therefore, He will abandon them until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the people of Israel.” Verse 2 tells us that Messiah will be born in Bethlehem during His first advent. Verse 4 reveals that He will return in the future to be Israel’s conquering King. In between, as verse 3 reveals, there will be a season of abandoning that will be a precursor to a large revival within the nation. This will prepare the way for the return of King Jesus.

Micah 5:10-15

As we continue to read in chapter 5, we notice a second truth about the work of the Messiah at the Second Coming: Israel will be cured when the King appears at the end of the age. Micah began with the words “In that day.” What day is that? It’s the day when King Jesus is reigning on earth—when all of God’s promises to Israel are being fulfilled (5:7-9). He was talking about the second coming of Jesus and His subsequent reign on earth. When that event occurs, Israel and the church will be united together as the bride of Christ. The perfection of this union will cure forever Israel’s rebellion against God’s covenant. In verses 10-15 Micah identified four ways that this will happen.

For years Israel and Judah had been trusting in their kings, armies, fortified cities, and political alliances. Sadly, they trusted in their own military might rather than in God, who had promised through covenant to protect them. At Armageddon, Israel will be completely defenseless. Only the return of King Jesus will spare the Jewish remnant from annihilation. When Jesus reigns as King on earth, His people will no longer need armies to defend them. In fact, they will convert their weapons into farming implements (4:3). King Jesus will destroy all of the things that tempted Israel to trust in herself.

God said, “I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.” Israel and Judah had long since given up trusting in the counsel of God’s Word. They were prepared to seek advice from the most unlikely of places, including the oracles of false gods and the counsel of demons. How ironic that the people who were in covenant relationship with the one true God would abandon Him for lies. Can you imagine how that made God feel? When King Jesus reigns, all such false counsel will be destroyed from the earth.

Micah told the people that a day was coming when God would destroy every form of false worship from the earth. Israel and Judah had struggled with idolatry since the final days of King Solomon’s reign. They will not face that threat during the reign of King Jesus. Israel will never again be tempted to worship anyone but the one true God; all false gods will be destroyed from the earth.

God said, “I will take vengeance in anger and wrath against the nations that have not obeyed Me.” God is serious about what He will do for Israel at the end of the age. Today Israel continues to battle its enemies, despite its desire for peaceful coexistence with surrounding nations. But when King Jesus returns to earth, every nation on earth will bow to His rule, and the people of God will finally enjoy the peace of God.

The people of Israel and Judah had placed their hope in numerous things besides God: their government, culture, religion, and national identity. Despite the fact that Micah talked in terms of national consequences, in reality, those national consequences were a byproduct of individual choices. When we read Micah 5, we’re reminded that the majority of individual Jews in Israel and Judah had found their personal identity in a lifestyle that rejected God’s covenant, commands, and counsel. As a result, they did not find their identity in their position as God-fearers; they found their identity in their participation with secular culture.

Similarly, many of the people found their identity in a lifestyle of idolatry. They embraced foreign gods and the fleshly worship rituals that accompanied them. Others sold their souls in the pursuit of financial gain. They defrauded and stole property from numerous victims who did not have the resources to fight them. Still others found their significance in their position, whether political or religious. They were quick to use those positions of influence to improve their own affluence. They took bribes and were quick to bend the truth for their own advantage. In short, they found their identities in groups and activities that were anti-God. These individual choices led to both personal and national judgment.

When we consider the influences on their culture and the significance of their choices related to culture, it becomes apparent that we can choose to act in the same way in our own lives. Like Israel and Judah, we are tempted to worship idols at the expense of the one true God. Of course, we wouldn’t call ourselves idolaters, nor would we believe that our activities rise to that level. However, we are just as likely to worship idols as they were. When we let people, activities, possessions, hobbies, or money compete with our allegiance to God, we are creating an idol in our hearts. If we love anything more than God, it’s an idol. And unless we tear down that idol ourselves, God will tear it down for us, just like He did for Israel and Judah (Exod 20:5).

We’re also prone to letting greed capture our hearts. The business people and the political and religious leaders spent much of their time scheming about ways to make more money. They were willing to resort to outright theft in order to multiply their financial resources. We, too, can let greed capture our hearts. We may be tempted to steal from an employer. We may be tempted to cheat on our taxes. We may be tempted to take advantage of someone financially, just because we’re in a position to do so. We may rob God of His tithe because we want to spend the money on ourselves. Then not only does the kingdom of God suffer from a lack of resources, but also we lose the promise of God’s financial favor in our own lives. In all of these ways, greed may become a besetting sin. When that happens, pain is sure to follow (1 Tim 6:6-10).

Finally, we may be tempted to seek a position for personal gain rather than the well-being of others. Many people want to be politicians because of the perks that may accompany the position. They are more interested in self-preservation and self-service than loving their neighbors. Every decision ultimately hinges on the perceived benefit it may afford them. This isn’t limited to politics, however. It can be true in the business world too, where promotion leads to perks. Similarly, it can happen in the church, when pastors lead in order to benefit from the labors of others. This is why elders are to meet the criteria and ethics established by the apostles (1 Tim 3:1-7; 1 Pet 5:1-7).

Every one of us must make a decision about where we will find our identity—in Christ or culture. We cannot find our identity in both; we must choose. Culture says, “Indulge yourself, serve yourself, and save yourself.” Jesus says, “Deny [yourself], take up [your] cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). We must choose between these two identities. The majority of the people of Israel and Judah made the wrong choice, and they experienced God’s discipline in their lives. We can avoid that fate, however, when we live in the reality of the truth that hope is found in our identity in Christ—not through an identity informed by culture.