Picture of abundant grace
Ultimate glory for God's true people
|
|
|
| And thus it was during the reign of Ahaz. Invitation upon invitation was sent to erring Israel to return to their allegiance to Jehovah. Tender were the pleadings of the prophets; and as they stood before the people, earnestly exhorting to repentance and reformation, their words bore fruit to the glory of God. Through Micah came the wonderful appeal, "Hear ye now what the Lord saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel. (Prophets and Kings, p. 325). | |
| .1 ¶ Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. | Woe
is me The Lord was speaking at the beginning of the previous
chapter but there is a change at verse 6 mi0606.
Some argue that the repentant part of Israel is speaking. I suggest that
it is Micah himself. At the beginning of his book, the Lord presents His
court case against the people of Israel.
Here the picture of futility of the preceding chapter continues. The "Woe" statements reminds us of Isaiah is0605. Maybe the two were friends. See the time of Micah mi0101. |
| .2
The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among
men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with
a net.
.3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. Their hands are upon what is evil, to do it diligently; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. (RSV) 4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. .5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. 6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house. |
2 -
Good
man The good or ideal man had been described in mi0608.
Compare his being perished or death with je0501.
2 - None upright A sad testimony. There must have been a remnant. 1ki1918. 3 - With both hands The original is obscure. The KJV seems as good as any other translation. 3 - Reward This evil practice happens today when big companies give money to politicians and get big contracts or who excuse evil. 4 - Brier Translated "thorns" in pr1519. 5 - Trust ye not The situation is really bad because the "good man" of verse 1 is dead. Has the world become this way today (2007)? Maybe not quite but it is fast becoming this hopeless ro0310. Then we remember that in the great crisis of the beast's mark a remnant will stand re1412. 6 - Dishonoureth Jesus described the conditions of the end times quoting from this verse mt1021, mt1035-6. |
| 7 ¶ Therefore I will
look unto the LORD; I will wait [hope/trust] for the God of my salvation:
my God will hear me.
.8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. |
7 -
Look
... my God will hear me We can have this confidence. How often
have we experienced the picture in the first part of this chapter. The
prophet's hope is for us, too re2105,
2co0517.
8 - Rejoice not ... enemy Compare ps02502, ps03725. 8 - Fall ... I shall arise ps03724, pr2416, 8 - Darkness ... light unto me In Christ's (Messiah's) hour of darkness lu2253 after pleading with the Father in Gethsemane He opened the way for us to live in the eternal light of His glory! |
| 9 I will bear the indignation
of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause,
and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I
shall behold his righteousness.
10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. 11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed. 12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. 13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. |
9 -
Bear
the indignation ... I have sinned Micah, as a faithful servant,
repents and looks forward to ultimate deliverance. Judah and Israel did
not, as a whole, repent and the kingdom was lost mt2143.
10 - Where is the Lord? His enemy was likely Jezebel who liked him about as much as she did Elijah. Compare is3710-13, jl0217. 10 - As the mire See is1006, zc1005. 11 - The day Rather "a day." 11 - Walls ... built Assurance that the city would be restores. The people who had been chosen rejected their Messiah. The temple and the city were later to be destroyed mt2402. 11 - Decree From choq which, in this context means "boundary" or "limit." This could then describe the final triumph of the kingdom of heaven when Christ takes charge of the whole world re1115. |
| .14
¶ Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which
dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in
Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things. 15 - As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt I will show them marvelous things. (RSV) 16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. .17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee. |
14
- Feed thy people This prayer is also a promise. Messiah
was their divine shepherd ps02301,
with rod and staff ps02301-4.
The sheep are His inheritance ps02809,
ps09507
and are in his pasture ez3411-15.
14 - Dwell solitarily See nu2309 14 - Carmel Literally "garden land." 14 - Bashan - Known for its cattle ps02212, am0401. For pastures nu3201-42, de0312-17. Compare je5019. Also Bashan and Gilead were then occupied by Assyria. The charge implies restoration 1ch0526. 15 - Coming out of Egypt God promised great deliverance as He had provided for the Exodus ex3211. 16 - Nations shall see The people of Canaan had heard about the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites jos0210. 17 - Lick the dust Great humiliation ps07209, is4923. Imagery drawn from ge0314. |
| .18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. | 18 - Iniquity ... transgression Transgression is worse than iniquity. The third type of sin is rebellion and is seen as, or included in, "sins" in v19. All sin is completely removed. |
| 19 He will turn again,
he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou
wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
.20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. |
19
- Sins into ... sea What a magnificent promise! This is sanctification.
Our Lord will not only cast our forgiven sins to the bottom of the sea,
but He will also make us clean – lift us into His holy presence 1jo0109.
Some point to this text as excusing their sinful behavior. The text doesn't
say God will stop us from scuba diving to bring the pet sins back.
19 - Compassion He helps where we cannot help ourselves is6613. 19 - Subdue Or "tread down." Like putting out a dangerous fire. 19 - Cast all ... depths This action may be compared to the destruction of the pursuing armies of Pharaoh ex1505. Thus all sin is removed. Compare re2013ff. Leaving Egypt for Canaan symbolizes leaving sin for salvation and heaven. 20 - Will perform Evidence that many prophecies like this one have a fulfillment for spiritual Israel ga0329. |
|
From a paper by Keith Mattingly, April, 2002 Chiastic structure.
The
central line is its focal point.
Praise God for His eternal work for our happiness! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The end of the book of Micah