John Calvin Commentary Micah 5:6

"And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our border." — Micah 5:6 (ASV)

In this verse, the Prophet says that the shepherds, chosen by the Church after it had been miserably oppressed by the tyranny of its enemies, would have a twofold office. They will first feed—that is, nourish the Church of God—and secondly, they will feed—that is, destroy the land of Asshur, so that nothing may remain there whole and entire.

God will then arm these shepherds with warlike courage, for they must fight boldly and courageously against their enemies. He says, They shall feed on the land of Nimrod with their swords.

Nimrod, we know, reigned in Chaldea. We also know that the ten tribes were led away by Shalmaneser, and that the kingdom of Israel was thus demolished. When the Chaldeans obtained the empire, the kingdom of Judah was also laid waste by them.

Now the import of the words is that these shepherds would be sufficiently strong to oppose all the enemies of the Church, whether they were the Babylonians or the Assyrians.

And he names the Assyrians and Babylonians because they then had a contest with the people of God, and this continued to the coming of Christ. Though it is certain that they suffered more troubles from Antiochus than from others, yet as he was one of the successors of Alexander, the Prophet here, taking a part for the whole, means by the Assyrians and Chaldeans all the enemies of the Church, whoever they might be. Waste, he says, shall these shepherds the land of Asshur by the sword, and the land of Nimrod, and that by their swords.

But this will not be until the Chaldeans and the Assyrians shall penetrate into our land, and tread in our borders. The Prophet again reminds the faithful that they stood in need of patience and that they were to know that God had not made a vain promise. The import of the whole is that no deliverance was to be expected from God’s hand until the faithful yielded their necks to His yoke and patiently sustained the evils which were then approaching.

The Prophet then mentions the intervening time between that state in which the Jews gloried and their deliverance. Why so? Because they were soon after to be smitten heavily by God’s hand; but this, as we have seen, they did not think would take place. Hence he says—“Since you cannot yet be made to believe that merited punishment is near you, experience will be your teacher.”

In the meantime, let the faithful provide themselves with courage and, with a meek heart, patiently submit to God, the righteous Judge. But, at the same time, let them expect a sure deliverance when they have gone through all their evils; for when the ripe time comes, the Lord will look on his Church, but she must first be afflicted.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as you have from the beginning so defended your Church that you have never wholly forsaken her, and though it had nearly rejected you by its defections, yet it has been your pleasure to stand firm to your covenant and to show it your favor through all ages, until at last the everlasting Redeemer of the whole world appeared—O grant that we may experience the same favor today, and though we have in various ways provoked your wrath against us, yet do humble us so that you may sustain us by your hand. May we so rely on those promises that we find in Scripture, that we may at last by our patience overcome our enemies, and in patience possess our souls, until you raise up your hand and show that invincible power which you have given to your only-begotten Son, that he might repress the devil and all the wicked, and preserve us safe and secure from all injuries. Amen.