Micah 5:2

 

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2 KJV)

 

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2 NASB)

 

Introduction

 

One of the most widely accepted, and yet still debated by few, doctrines in Christianity is the eternal nature of Christ. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the doctrine of the eternality of Christ. In this article specifically the verse that will be evaluated is Micah 5:2. 

 

Overview of Micah

 

Micah is largely believed to have been written between 735 and 700 B.C. He was a pre-exilic prophet that ministered to the southern kingdom of Israel also known as Judah. Micah’s message from God that he spoke to Judah was a mixture of judgement but also hope. Micah condemns the leaders in Israel who have led the people astray and their actions were the reason Jerusalem would be destroyed. However, he further proclaims that Jerusalem would be restored and that Jerusalem should seek to destroy nations who have been hostile to them.

 

Analysis of Text

 

In chapter 5 of Micah, he repeated and expanded the major themes in chapter 4:6-10. However, it’s in reverse order and this creates a chiastic structure. Micah 5:2 describes a greater Ruler of Israel who contrasts king Zedekiah in Micah 4:7. This King is the Messiah Jesus Christ and thus Micah 5:2 is a messianic prophecy. Below is what Micah 5:2 predicts and also states concerning Jesus the Messiah:

 

1. Firstly, this Ruler will come from “Bethlem Ephrathah.” Ephrathah was also called Ephrath and was an older name for Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a small town as shown by this verse which calls it little compared to the thousands of people in Judah. 

King David was also born in Bethlehem, as was his descendant Jesus Christ, who fulfills this prophecy. 

 

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,”

(Matthew 2:1 KJV)

 

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,”

(Matthew 2:1 NASB)

 

Matthew 2 further confirms the relationship between Micah 5:2 and Jesus when the chief priests and scribes tell Herod that the King of the Jews will be born in Bethlehem and quote Micah 5:2 to provide evidence for their answer (Matthew 2:1-6). 

 

2. Secondly, this ruler is described as is everlasting (KJV) or eternal (NASB). This word for everlasting and eternal is the Hebrew plan and it means forever and always. Therefore, the second part of Micah 5:2 establishes that Jesus the Messiah is eternal and has always existed. Furthermore, while off topic this verse also proves Jesus’ divinity, for how could this ruler who is eternal not be God. 

 

Conclusion

 

Micah 5:2 is a very important passage theologically and proves many points. Firstly, it proves that Jesus is the Messiah and fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies. Secondly, it proves the divinity of Jesus, as how could He be eternal and not be God. Thirdly, and the most relevant point to this, is that Jesus is eternal, and has existed always.