relationships (Micah 4:1-13) Present and More Than Able

(Micah 4:1-13) 

And it will come about in the last days 

     That the mountain of the house of the Lord 
     Will be established as the chief of the mountains.
     It will be raised above the hills,
     And the peoples will stream to it.
2   Many nations will come and say,
     “Come and let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord 
     And to the house of the God of Jacob,
     So that He may teach us about His ways,
     And that we may walk in His paths.”
     For from Zion will go forth the law,
     And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3   And He will judge between many peoples 
     And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
     Then they will beat their swords into plowshares,
     And their spears into pruning hooks;
     Nation will not lift a sword against nation,
     And never again will they train for war.
4   Instead, each of them will sit under his vine 
     And under his fig tree,
     With no one to make them afraid,
     Because the mouth of the Lord of armies has spoken.
5   Though all the peoples walk,
     Each in the name of his god,
     As for us, we will walk 
     In the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

6   “On that day,” declares the Lord,
     “I will assemble those who limp 
     And gather the scattered,
     Those whom I have afflicted.
7   I will make those who limp a remnant,
     And those who have strayed a mighty nation,
     And the Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion 
     From now on and forever.
8   As for you, tower of the flock,
     Hill of the daughter of Zion,
     To you it will come—
     Yes, the former dominion will come,
     The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

9   “Now, why do you cry out loudly?
     Is there no king among you,
     Or has your counselor perished,
     That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
10 Writhe and scream,
     Daughter of Zion,
     Like a woman in childbirth;
     For now you will go out of the city,
     Live in the field,
     And go to Babylon.
     There you will be rescued,
     There the Lord will redeem you 
     From the hand of your enemies.
11 And now many nations have been assembled against you 
     Who say, ‘Let her be defiled,
     And let our eyes gloat over Zion!’
12 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,
     And they do not understand His plan;
     For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,
     For I will make your horn iron,
     And I will make your hoofs bronze,
     So that you may pulverize many peoples,
     And dedicate to the Lord their unjust profit,
     And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God is sovereign and has a plan.  The Israelites went into exile back then because of their disobedience, and they will again be under "Babylon" during the Tribulation.  But during those seven years, the Israelites will see the signs of Jesus' second coming, and then they as a nation will believe that He was and is their Messiah and rightful King.  Jesus will return to earth at the end of the Jewish Age, to have victory at the battle of Armageddon, and then take all believers into the Millennial kingdom to fulfill all of their covenants.  

Verses 9-13 briefly discuss the Tribulation, while verses 1-8 describe the Millennial kingdom that follows it.  For now, as a nation, without believing in the Lord, the Israelites will be without a king.  And as sinful people, we tend to forget about God, because we are too busy relying on ourselves, on our heroes, or our manmade devices.  And only when we think there isn't any solution, or hope, or "king" around to help, we cry out in despair . 

All one needs to do is open their eyes, ears and hearts to see that the Lord Jesus is everywhere-present, and right here, wanting to be our personal Savior, Lord and King.  Not only is He able to save, restore, heal, comfort and help, but He wants to.  As verse 5 says, those who believe in the Lord have eternal security.  

As we make the Lord Jesus our sovereign Lord and King, we can be confident in His certain hope, and in His righteous solutions for every single circumstance there could ever be.  In this personal relationship of unconditional love, grace and peace, we will desire to walk closely with Him in His will, relying on Him in all our needs and decisions, to guide us in all things, because He is faithful, and His way works!