Micah 4 (3)
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Micah 4
Micah 4
Welcome
Prayer
Small look at what God has been doing among the people, but not we find a prophetic look at the future state of Zion and the Temple of the Lord.
1 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
After just speaking of the fall of Jerusalem in the previous chapter, we find hope in the future.
Zion would be restored, and eventually exalted from the deepest low to the highest glory.
So as verse one tells us, in the latter days, looking out into the future, Micah speaks to the happiness of those who come to worship, the worshipped we will come to the mountain of the Lord
The temple is first exalted when David brought the tabernacle from shechem to Jerusalem and then finally as Solomon construsted the permanent Temple in Jerusalem.
But Micah is saying there will be a time when it will be even more exalted than it has been in the past.
And the picture here is this elevated center, the Temple of God, His dwelling place the people from many nations rushing like a rive toward Jerusalem.
Verse 2 Micah 4:2
2 and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
So the thought of verse one continues here. People from many nations will encourage one another to join in the pilgrimage to the Temple.
Why are they going there, to know or be taught the ways of the Lord God.
And their purposes are notable, they want to obey the ways of the Lord so they can walk in His pathways.
The Lord’s ways or plans is how the moral government will work. Men and women are called to walk in a way they pleases the Lord. You see God wants man to walk in a way that honors him in every area of life.
For out of Zion the Lord sends his law out… Some might say this was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when the Disciples spoke the words of the Lord to those who were present tha day. But others will say this is day beyond that when the Lord established his Kingdom here
Verse 3 Micah 4:3
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;
Peace is the outcome of the Lord’s law, instead of the nations going out to war agasint one another, the Lord will judge between then and settle their differences.
And the result of the Lord interaction with his people is that they change their weapons of warefare, swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks..
The plowshare is probably the iron tip that was mounted on a wooden beam with gave strength and duralbility to this farming impliment.
This is why we would say this seems to be in the Messanic times, that the nations will not raise hands against nations, and they will live in peace with all people.
War and hatred will not be considered anymore. The Lord’s peace and presence will dominiant the scene in those days.
This is contrary to how the world has acted in the past. Remember the Lord told us in Matthew 24:6-7
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
See the great difference, in this time we are free of that.
verse 4 Micah 4:4
4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
To sit under the vine and fig tree is a time of peace and secutiy.
George Washington wanted man to be free that we could sit freeily under our grape vines and withint he boundaries of their homes.
Fear will be a thing of the past
Fig trees were valued for thier fruit and their shade. Like the vine, they were symbols of security and prosperity.
this will happen becasue the Lord has spoken of it.
If the Lord almighty declares it, so it shall be.
Verse 5 Micah 4:5
5 For all the peoples walk
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.
here Micah brings those listening to him back to a present reality. Those nations that will one day seek to the learn the ways of the Lord are currently wander in the name of their false gods.
They trusted in, obeyed these false gods, but the day is coming when they will wallk in the name of the Lord God forever and forever.
Now this is how God’s people should currently live. but we don’t always do that...
1 Thessalonians 5:6 “6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”
Now in verses 6-8, we will consdier the restoration of a remnant of Zion.
Verse 6 Micah 4:6
6 In that day, declares the Lord,
I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away
and those whom I have afflicted;
In that day, looking forward ot a future time, probably the last days, Jerusalem and or Zion, the reference to “declares the Lord” tell us that this is God’s message
God’s people who are portrayed as weak, wounded and scattreed sheep in exile among the nations without a shepherd
Those exiles are those in captivity, Assyria and Babylon.
Yet a day is coming when the Lord will gather his scattered sheep and bless those again whom he has inflicted with captivity because of sin.
verse 7 Micah 4:7
7 and the lame I will make the remnant,
and those who were cast off, a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
from this time forth and forevermore.
And these who were lame and broken, he will make a remnant, a surviving protion, and those who were cast off as a strong nation
And the Lord will reign as a over them, from now and forever.
Zechariah 14:9 “9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.”
This reign will never end.
Verse 8 Micah 4:8
8 And you, O tower of the flock,
hill of the daughter of Zion,
to you shall it come,
the former dominion shall come,
kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.
The Lord address Jerusalem, the watchtower of God’s flock is the city Jerusalem. Thsi was David’s capital city and he was the first who portrayed the idea of a shepherd king.
In the days to come the davidiic kingdom will be restored and it iwll be even more glorious under the rule of the Messiah.
Luke 1:32–33 “32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.””
Now we move to verses 9-10 Micah 4:9-10
9 Now why do you cry aloud?
Is there no king in you?
Has your counselor perished,
that pain seized you like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you shall go out from the city
and dwell in the open country;
you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued;
there the Lord will redeem you
from the hand of your enemies.
Micah is telling of their, the people of Judah of their lament, their sorrow in what has been propheysied concerning them. They are getting ready to lose their land, their home and their king that they once cried over...
The King was like a visible representative of the grace of God and his removal, and the loss of a king was a terrile thing becsaue they saw the king as having assceess to the promises of God.
King Jehoiachin would be taken prisoner to babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. He owuld also have King Zedekiah eyes put out after he watched his family put to death for trying ot rebel against Babylon
So after telling of the peoples mourning at what Babylon will do to them, Micah commands them to writhe in agony like a woman in labor.
The reason for thier distress, they must leave thier city, in the near future you will no longer inhabitant this place or nation.
The phrase of dwelling in open camps is likened to departation camps as they were separated into groups that would make thier way to Babylon.
They have no lived in open country like this since the days of their jounrey out of the land of Egypt, so the nation has risen and fell harshly and it was all because of their sin
But from babylon he would resuce them. he would one day deliver them and bring them home. He will be like a kinsmen redemmer to them.
Now verse 11 Micah 4:11
11 Now many nations
are assembled against you,
saying, “Let her be defiled,
and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”
Hostile nations will defile those who belong to God, His holy city will be broken down and the people will morn in sorrow.
Verse 12-13 Micah 4:12-13
12 But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh,
O daughter of Zion,
for I will make your horn iron,
and I will make your hoofs bronze;
you shall beat in pieces many peoples;
and shall devote their gain to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.
Sadly they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, the nations who are enemies of both God and his people do not understand that He is in control of everything that is happening, carrying out his soverign purpose, His plan and yes His will
They also do not realize what is in store for them, for he will gather them like sheaves to the threashing floor
There is always a promise that the Lord will return and rescue his people. He will return them to their place. He iwll make them strong and with endurance they will defeat many people in the days to come
They will bring their wealth, their gain to the Lord, which has come from the whole earth.
