“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord , in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders, who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders. The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord , like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue.
Micah 5:2‭-‬8

Well this is a “reflection of Him” for sure, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”. Out of Bethlehem will come a ruler. Not just any ruler, but one from old, from ancient times…in the beginning was the Word (John 1:1). The prophecy even says that the people of Israel will “be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.” It seems to be describing the invitation that Jesus will make to gentiles and all those willing to follow God and join His Kingdom.

This coming “child” will “stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord , in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God”. This certainly sounds like Jesus and His posture as both the Lion and Lamb. This is truly a new thing that Micah is sharing here. This coming Messiah will rule with majesty and “his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth”. This prophecy seems to have been fulfilled in the person of Jesus.

At this point the prophecy takes a much more specific and confusing turn. It seems to be referring to events that may have already happened. It predicts that “Assyrians invade our land” and “seven shepherds, even eight commanders” will rise up, while at the same time referring to the same figure described above. The abrupt change in the tone of the prophecy almost makes me wonder if there are two or more stories grafted together. I do not know. The passage returns to a similar tone as the beginning toward the end of the passage.

“The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord , like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man.” I am not sure what this means but it seems to be describing either a people in exile or a people that are displaced from their natural surroundings, but who retain some imprint or “dew” from God. They stand out like “dew from the Lord” or “showers on grass”. They are different from their surroundings. This could certainly be referring to the people of Israel at this time and place, but I think it also applies to modern-day God followers like me.

As I understand it Christians are supposed to be a foreigner in the cultures in which they live, regardless of their race or nationality. Followers of the way of Christ are supposed to be like dew from Lord and showers on Grass. So what does this look like for a modern-day God follower? I think it means that our spirit, God’s Holy Spirit through us, and God’s peace permeates those around us like dew. We gently cover those we encounter with a Godly presence that permeates our souls and the souls of the ones around us. I have never heard of anyone drowning in dew and I suspect that if we are to share God’s love “like dew” it should never feel like drowning to the person receiving it.

We are also to stand out as something fundamentally different than our surroundings – like rain drops on grass. Just like rain on grass we are supposed to make things and people around us grow and thrive. Our presence in the lives of others should make them grow. If that is not the case perhaps we are sharing something other than God’s love. I fear I have a long way to go in learning how to be dew and showers on grass as a Christian. I know I sometimes come across to those around me like Limburger cheese rather than divine dew. It is a good thing that God is willing to accept all of us flawed followers trying to desperately to be dew.

Prayer: God thank You for accepting our attempts to be dew and showers on grass for those around us. Send Your Holy Spirit to help us.