Micah 5:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I have frequently expressed that the remnant of Israel was saved, and that the tribe of Jacob ultimately did not face destruction; for a significant number came to believe in Christ and received redemption through faith before the Gentiles. This remnant included the holy apostles and their companions who spread the good news of Christ. These individuals were saved like dew that descends upon the fields, quenching the heat of the enemy’s malice. Just as the scorching sun can cause lilies to wither and lose their splendor, the author of sin can sometimes inflame and dry out the human soul through indulgence in worldly pleasures, stripping it of its beauty. However, the Word of God rejuvenates the soul, similar to how dew revitalizes flowers and grass.

Jacob's rest shall be known among various peoples, akin to the dew from the Lord’s presence and like drops upon the harvest. Just as dew and rain do not rely on human effort, so too will Jacob's rest be liberated from those who oppress him. He will depart from the camp of the Assyrians without waiting for their consent, acting as soon as he perceives that his persecutors are either being decimated or fleeing. In a similarly profound manner, the prophet uses the imagery of dew and rain to depict the gentle arrival of Immanuel. This imagery has been expressed previously by Isaiah and David. Neither does it depend on man, nor on the son of man, as neither husband nor “son of man" was needed for the miraculous conception of Immanuel.

When we are rescued from Asur, as he advances against our land and enters our borders, we are saved by the Lord, who has raised up seven shepherds and eight plagues against him. The remnant of Jacob, referring to the Apostles and the early Jewish church, will be scattered among many nations like dew provided by the Lord. The hearts of the nations burned with the fiery arrows of the adversary, and those nations that acted wickedly before the Lord possessed hearts that burned like a furnace (Hos. 7:6, 7). Thus, the dew falling from above became a source of salvation for the vulnerable.

God calls a remnant of those who are saved from all corners of the earth. Scripture also states, "And if the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved" (Rom. 9:27). Thus, the Prophet speaks: believers bearing the Gospel to the Gentiles will spread like dew from heaven, nourishing the world, and just as hungry lambs graze upon the grass, they will consume the wickedness that arises in hardened hearts, preventing the formation of a similar assembly. As the demons remain unhealed and unhealthy, the Holy Spirit foresaw this limitation, indicating that there will be no gathering of such individuals among the children of men. The Prophet asserts that no assembly of the wicked will exist. By likening believers to dew and lambs, he emphasizes their divine empowerment, further enriching these comparisons with additional elements.