Faith Formation: Justice, Kindness, humility

If the Assyrians come into our land and tread on our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight rulers. They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; they shall rescue us from the Assyrians if they come into our land or tread within our border. Micah 5:5-6

I am suspicious of this brief saying. It does not sound like Micah. Indeed in sounds like the bravado of false prophets who could not admit that Jerusalem was in trouble both from the enemies outside their gates and from the enemies within who denied justice to the poor. Perhaps the editor of Micah's sayings included this as part of the back and forth between Micah and those who opposed his word. Daniel Simonson seems to suspect something is up with this text as well. He writes, "This text causes some confusion in the continuity ... The best guess is that it was an independent war song expressing confidence that leaders ... will emerge to ensure victory... The sense of boastfulness in the old war song seems at variance with what has just been said about the new king. ... it is very unlikely that Micah would introduce a war song boasting of Israel's ability to fend off an invasion." Nations under threat often pull out patriotic war songs to drum up pride and recruit for defense. The counterpart, which Micah seemed to voice, are protest songs that question the justice of war and overconfidence in military strength. There are other things about the saying that sound like, seem to point to the voice of those who denied or resisted the warnings, protests that Micah announced.

While some kind of confidence in the LORD may underlie the saying the overt confidence was in themselves. "we will raise up against them seven shepherds and eight rulers. They shall rule ... with the sword ... with the drawn sword." Whereas Micah announced the origin of a saving shepherd/ruler who would come from God and rule in the strength and majesty of God, they seem to think that they will be the source of their own saving leader. Whereas Micah put confidence in one shepherd/ruler, they exaggerate and boast that they have seven or eight in their midst. Whereas they rely on swords for their strength, Micah has envisioned peace and the beating of swords into plowshares based in trust and faith in the LORD for their security and place in the city and the land. "They," the shepherds "we will raise up," "shall rule .. shall rescue." Not, the LORD shall rule, or the LORD shall rescue.

When Assyria besieged the city, the story goes that God rescued the people, rather than the king who shepherded the people. Assyria in this poem may have been simply a generic term applying to Israel's enemies whoever they were. "...the land of Nimrod" euphemistically pointed to Babylon. The only other reference to "Nimrod" comes from Genesis 10:8-11, "a mighty warrior. ... The beginning of his kingdom was Babel." He also according to the text "went into Assyria and built Nineveh." During and after the time of Micah Assyria and Babylon were the empires that threatened Israel. No shepherd, other than God, rescued them when, (not if), they came into the land. They were rescued from Babylon only after a generation of exile.

The next oracle also brims with confidence in victory. It refers to "the remnant of Jacob." It presents in slightly more faithful language the restoration of Israel in the face of her enemies.

Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk humbly with God.

Pastor Tim Bauer