John Calvin Commentary Micah 5:7-8

"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from Jehovah, as showers upon the grass, that tarry not for man, nor wait for the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he go through, treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and there is none to deliver." — Micah 5:7-8 (ASV)

Micah promises here two things concerning the future state of the Church: first, that God will defend it without the help and aid of men, and second, that He will supply it with strength, so that it will become superior to all enemies. In the first place, to show that the preservation of the Church depends on the pure favor of God, and that there is no need of any earthly aids, he uses a most suitable analogy; he says that the people of God are like a dewy meadow.

What the Prophet says is not strictly correct, for what he says about the rain and dew is to be applied to the grass or the meadow. The residue of Jacob, he says, shall be as dew from Jehovah, and drops of rain on the grass. This cannot be applied according to the Prophet's design, unless you take the dew, as I have already said, to mean the dewy meadows or the grass, which draws moisture and vigor from the rains.

Indeed, the meaning is by no means obscure: God will make His people grow like the grass, which is fed only by heavenly dew, without any cultivation or human labor. This is also what the Prophet expressly mentions, for he says that the grass of which he speaks does not wait for men, nor grow through human care, but grows through the dew of heaven.

But so that we may better understand the Prophet’s intention, I will briefly examine the words. There shall be, he says, the residue of Jacob. He shows here that the whole people would not be preserved, for he had spoken of their destruction before. Therefore, we see that this promise is to be confined to the seed, which God had wonderfully preserved in the calamitous state of the Church, indeed, even in its almost total destruction. This promise, then, does not belong to the whole body of the people, but to a small number; and for this reason, he uses, as before, the word שארית, sharit, a remnant or residue. There shall then be the residue of Jacob; that is, though nearly all the people will perish, yet some residue will remain.

He then adds, Among great or many nations. There is a contrast here between the remnant and great nations, and the Prophet has not unnecessarily added the expression בקרב, bekoreb, meaning "in the midst." There are, then, three things to be observed here:

1. God does not promise deliverance to the whole people, but only to a residue.

2. He promises this deliverance among powerful or many nations, as though he said, “Though the Church of God will not excel in number, indeed, the number of its enemies may be so great as to be sufficient to overwhelm it, yet God will cause it to grow and to propagate. In a word, its enemies, though many in number and strong in force and power, will not hinder the Lord from increasing His Church more and more.”

3. The third particular is what the expression in the midst intimates: that the people of God will be besieged on every side.

When enemies come upon us from only one direction, it is not so very distressing. But when they surround us—in front, behind, and on both sides—then our condition seems miserable indeed, for when they press us in this way on all sides, they hardly allow us time to draw our breath. But the Prophet declares that even though surrounded on all sides by enemies, the Church would still be safe.

He now adds, כטל מאת יהוה, cathel meat Ieve, As a dew from Jehovah; that is, it will be, as I have said, like the grass, which is nourished and grows by means of dew from heaven, and like grass, which flourishes not through human cultivation or labor, but which God Himself makes to grow.

He might have merely said, "as the dew," but he adds, "from Jehovah," to make a distinction between God and man, and to show that the power of God alone is sufficient to support and sustain the Church, even if men brought no assistance.

This is expressed more clearly in the next clause, when he says, As drops of rain on the grass, which waits not for man, nor tarries for the sons of men.

So now we see that the faithful have their attention called to God alone, so that they may understand that they are to be safe through His favor. If all earthly help failed, they should not fear, since they can be effectually sustained by the power of God alone. For God makes grass grow on mountains and in meadows without human help and labor; and thus He can defend His Church without any external aid, but by His own hidden and, so to speak, intrinsic power.

Then follows this promise: that God will arm His people with invincible and irresistible power, so that they may be superior to all their enemies. Hence he says that the residue of Israel shall be like a lion among the beasts of the forests and like a young lion among a flock of sheep.

As a strong lion then is superior to other beasts, and as a young lion dares ferociously to attack a flock of sheep, so, he says, the people of Israel will be; they will be like lions, filling their enemies with terror, indeed, plundering and scattering them, so that no one will dare to resist them.

The Prophet, by speaking thus, does not mean that the people of God would be cruel and sanguinary, for we know that when the Prophets use analogies of this kind, they express something not strictly suitable. Who would be so foolish as to select everything that belongs to a lion and apply it to the Church of God? The reason for this analogy must therefore be observed: it was to show that the faithful will be endowed with a power so superior to that of their enemies that they will be a terror to them. It does not therefore follow that they will be cruel.

But we must, at the same time, see what the Lord promises to His Church. Though God then recommends to His children the spirit of meekness, yet the faithful may still be a threat to their enemies. However, they ought to observe what is just towards them and keep themselves within proper bounds.

And yet Micah says that they will be endowed with such power that they will drive their enemies far away; indeed, that they will plunder and tear them in pieces, while no one will be able to resist them.

But these two things are necessary for the preservation of the Church: first, that God may make it grow (for unless it is miraculously increased, it can never grow), and second, it needs a strong and powerful defense against its enemies. We know that there are always wicked men who oppose the Church, indeed, who apply all their powers to destroy it. Therefore, it must be supplied by the Lord with invincible strength, as our Prophet declares here.

Let us proceed.