Read Micah 4
The Mountain of the Lord
4 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever.
The Lord’s Plan
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will gather the lame;
I will assemble the exiles
and those I have brought to grief.
7 I will make the lame my remnant,
those driven away a strong nation.
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion
from that day and forever.
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.”
9 Why do you now cry aloud—
have you no king?
Has your ruler perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?
10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem you
out of the hand of your enemies.
11 But now many nations
are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
let our eyes gloat over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
and you will break to pieces many nations.”
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Go Deeper
Like the previous chapters of Micah, this chapter shares prophecy and requires us to consider the full context of Scripture. In this book, we have seen God’s judgment on Israel, accusations against leaders and prophets, and the injustices committed openly called out. Now, we see glimpses of hope and the promise of restoration for the people of God.
The opening verses of chapter four describe the Mountain of the Lord and speak of restoration for Jerusalem. This is to happen during the latter days, known as the Millennial Kingdom, when Jesus reigns for a thousand years on the earth, and we will see the fulfillment of covenants made throughout scripture. During this time, the temple will be established, and Jerusalem will be a meeting place of heaven and earth for all the nations. It will be a time when the people will turn their weapons into garden tools and sit under the shade of a fig tree–a symbol of peace and prosperity. Even still, not everyone will choose to pursue the way of the Lord. The latter verses speak of the Assyrian attack and Babylonian exile, but also of restoration and promise of a Shepherd-King. Once again, He will gather the flock and bring them back to their land. True to his nature, the Lord will redeem his people from their enemies and his sovereignty will be fully on display.
God demonstrates his covenant faithfulness to his people throughout these events. After a period of judgment and exile, there is a time of restoration. This reflects the work of salvation. Without Christ, we are like exiles and subject to judgment. Because of Christ and the power of the gospel, we have the promise of redemption. It is by the Holy Spirit drawing us that that gospel is revealed, and we can be saved. As people who follow Christ, faithfulness to Him should mark our days. When God is our King, our lives should reflect his heart. We are a people who have been redeemed from sin and can go to the mountain of God. As we draw near to him, “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths” (verse 2). This is what we are called to now while we await the greater restoration of the things to come.
Questions
- Are you in spiritual exile, or have you trusted in the work of Christ to redeem you?
- If you are someone who claims God as your King, does faithfulness mark your days? If not, what needs to change?
- Thinking forward about the things to come, what excites you? What things are unclear?
By the Way
Micah 4:1-5 reflects Isaiah 2:1-5. These prophets prophesied at a similar time and were unified in the message they received from God and conveyed to the people.
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4 thoughts on “Micah 4”
Micah depicts what it will be like in days to come when the Lord reigns over his kingdom. War will end, peace will prevail. What do we do in the meantime? We take God’s commands seriously, changing our present behavior to reflect what we know about the future. Our motivation becomes wholeheartedly serving God, regardless of what the rest of the world does. As covenant people, our lives should reflect God’s standards. Right now I’m praying “not my will, but Thy will be done” in all the moments of this day, that this one life would “bless the Lord, and forget not all his benefits.”
I dug a bit on Micah 4:12. “When God reveals the future, his purpose goes beyond satisfying our curiosity. He wants us to change our present behavior because we know about the future. Forever begins NOW! And a glimpse of God’s plan for his followers should motivate us to serve Him, no matter what the rest of the world may do.” (Footnotes)
Holy Spirit that You would guide our present so that it honors our promised, forever future in You. Amen
Our God is an awesome God!!! We are to endeavor to do good and treat others with respect through Christ. Every day even with our fellow “believers ” we should ask the question of how sure are you that you are going to heaven? We should be an 11 without a doubt every time. Blessed assurance Jesus is mine!!!! No doubt even when we stumble God wants YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!!! He made it available and we just kinda believe it. God did bridge the way with a wobbly bridge!! Heck to the NO!!! Jesus paved it with His blood every inch!!! Ok I will quit ranting because I am also guilty of not asking my fellow “believers ” about their faith.
God thank you for your Son!! God I am soooooooo grateful, thankful and blessed to be a firm 10++++. I know that I know even when that You LOVE me and made a completely complete bridge. God help me ask my fellow believers hard questions so that I and they can be sure of where they stand with You. In Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!
v 9 Why do you now cry aloud—
have you no king?
What a comforting question! This verse stood out to me the most because these past few days the evil forces have been right on my heels trying to slow me down and kill my joy and contentment. It’s so comforting this morning to read the promises of our King and His coming! It’s comforting to know that we have so many written promises to erase the evilness of the world, the hurt from a loved one, the discontentment of our present situation because of the living word of God!
Today, is a new day. Trust upon His promises–abide in His presence–know that He is always fighting on your behalf!
We have our first lunar eclipse and blood moon of the year this weekend. ‘The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day’. Acts 2:20 I’ll be praying and hoping this repeated prophesy comes real May 15-16th! Are you ready?