THE DAUGHTER OF ZION Micah 4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
God’s plans for Israel continue unabated. In verses 1-7 we have been noticing how the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it … in the last days (v.1). Through Micah God is giving a literal promise to a literal people … and God has it recorded that the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (v.2). In this period, - commonly referred to as the millennial (one thousand year) reign of Christ the King, see also Rev. 20:1-4), - Christ will judge the nations from Jerusalem (v.3), there will be an unprecedented time of peace throughout the world (v.3), the Gospel shall go forth in all its saving power and the ways of the Lord will be upheld (v.4,5). The Jews will have been returned to the land of Israel, and as God promised Abram in Gen. 15:18, they will be occupying from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates. This ancient Abrahamic covenant was reiterated by Peter in the temple of Jerusalem during the season of Pentecost, Acts 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
And so the first seven verses relate to the coming glory, in the last days. Then, in verse eight the twelve tribes are taught concerning …
THE TOWER OF THE FLOCK v.8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. What is the tower of the flock? Let’s go back to the first time it was mentioned … and to what the tower of the flock would have meant to Micah’s people.
2 In the Tanakh, the tower of the flock was an actual site near Bethlehem, and known as the Migdal (‘tower’)-eder (‘flock’). … The Tanakh is the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures belonging to the Jews [an acronym of the first Hebrew letter of each of the Masoretic Text’s three traditional subdivisions: Torah (“Teaching”), also known as the Five Books of Moses, Nevi’im (“Prophets”) and Ketuvim (“Writings”) … hence TaNaKh]. For example, Jesus used the Tanakh when He met with His disciples after His resurrection, Lk. 24:44 He said to them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms [i.e. Writings], concerning me.
Now, the tower of the flock [Migdal-Eder] was one of many towers used by shepherds to watch over their sheep. This, of course, continues the symbolism of Micah 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold and 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep.
This specific tower is first mentioned in Gen. 35:21, (… 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel …) … And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni [‘son of my sorrow’]: but his father called him Benjamin [‘son of the right hand’]. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. 20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. 21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.
So, this same tower of the flock seems to have a particular application for the future of Israel (cf. Gen. 35:11,12 … a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.) … God is promising the Kingdom will be established in Zion … and perhaps we are even seeing a hint here of the place of Bethlehem in God’s prophetic plan?! … 3 You see, that is the first part of the plan, cf. Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah [i.e. near to the tower of the flock (Migdal-Eder)], though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee … Now, here is the second part of the plan … shall he [the Messiah] come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel [from Zion]; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. … He will enter Zion and establish the city as the capital of His Kingdom, i.e. Jerusalem as even the first [primary, chief] dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
… And who is the daughter of Zion … the daughter of Jerusalem? They are one and the same, - the literal city of God … This is God speaking through Micah to give his people the promise of their future hope when the Messiah will reign on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem. In that day, He will fulfil the psalmist’s aspiration, Ps. 61:3 … a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. The Tower of the Flock.
Something has to happen first though. God’s plan for His people includes times of sorrow as well as times of joy. In particular …
THE TRAVAIL OF THE WOMAN v.9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. Sin can never go unpunished. It has to be dealt with. The people in Micah’s day had committed a whole host of transgressions against the Lord (e.g. 1:5,7; 2:1,2) … and He held them accountable. Whereas v.1-8 speak of wonderful times ahead, the travail of the woman highlights the sorrow that will fall upon the rebellious nation of Israel. Yes, in their own eyes the twelve tribes are two kingdoms, - the northern kingdom who followed Jeroboam and the southern kingdom who remained with Rehoboam. Yet, in God’s eyes, He saw them as one kingdom. They were both going to pass through His indignation.
Back in the days of Samuel … as the people of Israel looked round them, they saw how the other nations had kings … and they wanted to be like those nations, and have their own king.
Samuel’s sons were not following in the footsteps of their father, - they were not men of God, I Sam. 8:3 [they] turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and 4 came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. Samuel wasn’t pleased, and he brought the matter to the Lord, Who told him, v.7 they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. … God took it personally! He had done everything for them. He had brought them out of Egypt, provided for them during their time in the wilderness ... He had brought them into their own land and settled them there … but it wasn’t enough for them … they wanted to have a king like everyone else!
So, Samuel explained to them, v.11 This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. … That was about to happen in Micah’s day … and the Lord was not going to listen to His people! … is there no king in thee? Where’s your king?! Where are all your wise men now?! is thy counsellor perished?
Remember what their kings and counsellors were doing, 2:2 they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage … just as Samuel said they would!
Once again, it reminds us how dangerous and how foolish it is to stray from the ways of the Lord. Many professing believers, - and even many churches, - strain themselves to keep up with society that they soon become like them … “We’ll adopt some of their ways! Let’s bring the ways of the world into the church” … and in so doing they exchange the things of God for the things of the world. In next-to-no time they have lost their love for the Lord, and they become as sounding brass, and as a tinkling symbol (I Cor. 13:1). They are no use to God for they have abandoned His ways. But, you see, it makes no sense … God’s people cannot go forward without the Lord!
5 And so, the twelve tribes were about to discover the terrible pains of a woman in travail. This is the same daughter of Zion as in v.8 … and in 1:13 and 4:13. God’s judgment upon her was about to take her away from her beloved city, where she felt so safe and secure in all her self-indulgent luxuries, for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon. …
As far back as Dt. 28 the Lord had warned Israel about this kind of disobedience. If they would not remain faithful, He would punish them, Dt. 28:36 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. 37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. … God does not forget sin that is not repented over …
His people would become captives to the cruellest regime in the ancient world because they had turned away from God. When this prophecy was fulfilled, the psalmist tells us of their dilemma, Ps. 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land? God was telling Micah He was sending them away from their beloved City of David!
Yes, but God also swore He would bring them home again … and he did in accordance with the promise he made also to Jeremiah, 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years … 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. This was the same promise to Micah, 4:10 there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. … And that was exactly what He did, - He brought them back again … The walls were rebuilt under the supervision of Nehemiah … The Law was restored under Ezra … The temple was rebuilt under Zerubbabel.
However, there was one institution that was not restored, - the monarchy. Jerusalem has not again had its own king. Since 586 BC, there has not been a King of Israel! Yet, God promised David, II Sam. 7:16 thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. … God’s plans aren’t finished yet! He is still working them out, and every last one of them will fall into place. We have His word on that! … 11 6 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.
The “Now” in v. 11 takes us away into the future when Jerusalem will again be established as the capital. This has not yet happened yet. Israel, as we all know, was restored as a nation in 1948. However, officially, Jerusalem is not considered its capital … Tel Aviv is! The United Nations and most countries (including the UK and the US) do not recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel … and that is why they have their embassies in Tel Aviv. However, in God’s plan, Jerusalem will again be restored as the capital city of Israel, v.8 the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem … and the nations will come to exact their hatred on the city for it is their dream that Israel, Jerusalem and the Jews must be wiped from off the face of the earth!
And John records the day when it will all ‘kick off’, Rev. 16:14 the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty ... 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon … They will gather there and then make their way down to Jerusalem,
Zechariah prophesies how they will enter the city and besiege Mount Zion, 14:2 I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. … This is a prophecy yet to be fulfilled. … And so, God’s word through His servant Micah to the people of the twelve tribes of Israel is this …
THE TRIUMPH OF ZION v.13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. The nations who are in opposition to Israel are being gathered in like sheaves, to be harvested (v.12). This is the ‘many nations’ (v.11) against the one nation, the one nation that will again become a kingdom, … and for a nation to become a Kingdom it has to have their King on the throne! That will happen!
He’s commanding them, in that day, to arise and thresh … because that’s how He will have prepared it for them. I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass, - the weapons they will use will be from the Lord’s armoury! … 7 They will be ‘signed out’ by the Commander-in-Chief, the One Who is Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11) … and from even before the commencement the battle is already the Lord’s! … thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
This was the message of victory Micah was bringing to His people … the Triumph of Zion.
CONCLUSION What are we to take from our study of God’s Word?
We see here, - in the first eight verses, - the wonderful promises God has for His people. They are yet to be fulfilled … and we shall be partakers of those promises because, as Paul writes, we who are the ‘wild olive tree’ have been ‘grafted in’ (Rom. 11) to the ‘olive tree’.
In Micah’s day, this prophecy also related to the difficult and terrible times when the Jewish people would be held captive for seventy years in Babylon. It actually took place the way prophecy described it … And God did restore them to their own land literally, albeit without a king. He brought them back and into some degree of normality, even though from then on they were under the authority and domination of oppressive Gentile nations.
But, in this passage also, we see God speaking about a time yet to come when He will establish His Kingdom on earth from Mount Zion. It will be after terrible times in that land, - Jeremiah describes it, 30:7 the time of Jacob’s trouble, - when the nations have surrounded the city and it seems as if the ancient people of God are about to be finally defeated and annihilated … But that is when the King steps in. There is no Israeli Defence Force to defend them … It is God alone, - in all His glory, - Who wins the victory for His people … and they will recognise Him as their Messiah.
Then the promise is fulfilled … Micah 4:1 the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Great days lie ahead for God’s people … His promises are being fulfilled and will be completed … And so, we say expectantly with John … Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Rev 22:20).