Micah
4
vs. 1-5 - The prophet suddenly announces
the future glory of the temple
mountain
and the ideal happiness of the people
1 “But in
the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the
house of the LORD shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and it
shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.” This verse is
connected with the previous verse in the last chapter – what is implied is that
it was impossible that the ruins of the temple, to which God’s high promises
were attached, should lie waste
for ever. But. There is no adversative particle
here; the verse is merely connected
with what precedes without any expressed
contrast. The passage, vers. 1-3,
occurs in Isaiah 2:2-4, The question as to
which prophecy is the earlier cannot be settled. Possibly
both prophets borrowed
the language of some earlier work, as Isaiah is thought to
have done on other
occasions, e.g. Isaiah 15. and 16. the community of ideas leading them to the
same source of testimony. In the last days; literally, at the end of the days;
Cheyne, “in the days to come.” It is the usual phrase
to designate the time
of Messiah, unto which
the prophet’s thoughts are directed, and FOR WHICH
ALL PRECEDING EVENTS AND PERIODS ARE A PREPARATION!
(Jeremiah 23:20; Hosea 3:5; the question is: ARE WE PREPARED? -
CY -
2022) Compare 1
Corinthians 10:11; 1 Timothy 4:1). Septuagint, ἐπ ἐσχάτων
τῶν ἡμερῶν
- ep eschaton ton haemeron - at the
last days. The phrase may
often suitably be rendered, “in latter days,” as
spoken not absolutely, but
relatively to preceding times. The mountain of the house of the Lord.
to include
1 Kings 2:45), no longer subject to ruin and
devastation. “In the top of the
mountains; better, on the
head of the mountains. The idea is that the
temple mountain shall
be raised above, and stand forth prominently
from the lower hills that surround it and
form its basis (comp. Ezekiel 40:2;
Zechariah
14:4,10; Revelation 21:10). The prophet speaks as if he
contemplated a
physical change, expressing
thereby with singular force the
notion that the
worship of the true God (of which the temple was the
symbol) shall
be promulgated among all nations of the world; that from the
old Jewish
center of religion a new order of things shall arise, not
transitory, nor
local, but extending to all time and pervading the utmost
parts of the
earth – and people (peoples) shall
flow unto it. The prophet
beholds the nations of the world coming up in formal
procession to join in
the service of the temple. Isaiah says “all nations” in the parallel passage
(Isaiah 2:2-4, comp. Zephaniah 2:11 and Zechariah 8:22).
2 “And
many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to
the mountain of the LORD, and to the house
of the God of Jacob;
and he will teach us of his ways, and we
will walk in his paths: for
the law shall go forth of
shall be so conspicuous and so attractive that all men
shall hear, and desire to
become partakers of it
– many nations - in contrast
to the one nation from
whom the Law emanated. They shall exhort one another to resort to
the great
religious
metropolis, i.e. to the true religion – “of His ways” - His plans
in the
moral government
of the world, and the way in which He would have men walk
in order to
please Him. For the law - (torah); teaching, direction; not
the Mosaic
Law, but a rule of life (Proverbs
6:23). This is the reason given by the prophet for the
eagerness of the nations to resort to
revelation of
Jehovah, the gospel – from
defined sense the gospel sprang from
His ministry, died,
rose, ascended; and where the apostles received their
commission and
the gift of the Holy Ghost (Luke 24:47;
Acts 1:8); the gospel
being not set up in opposition
to the Law, but being its fulfillment and
development.
A New
The threat of Micah 3:12 has been fulfilled. Mount
the nation on account of its situation, its buildings, its
history, and its
religious associations (Psalm 48.; 122., etc.), has become
as a forest, or as
desolate heaps of ruins. But while the prophet gazes
through the tears
which patriotism and piety bring to his eyes, as in some
dissolving view a
new vision unfolds itself before him. Instead of a ploughed
field and a
ruinous mound, he sees an exceeding high mountain, a glorious city,
and
countless
multitudes flocking towards it. It is the new
·
ITS ELEVATION. There
were other hills or mountains that already
were or soon would be of note
among men, such as the “high places” of a
corrupt worship in Judaea and
sacred to Belus,
the acropolis of
and towered above them all. Thus
the mountain is seen to be spiritual and
the elevation figurative. It is a vision
of “the latter days,” of the days of the
Messiah, when the new
mountain of the house of the Lord,” it is thus exalted. Illustrate from
Ezekiel’s vision of the “very
high mountain” (Ezekiel 40:2), and the
sublime conclusion of it, “Jehovah-Shammah” (Ezekiel 48:35; and
compare 1 Timothy 3:15). ( I recommend
283. Ezekiel 48 – Names of God –
Jehovah Shammah by Nathan Stone - this
website: CY-
2022) “This mountain of the
schools, doctrines, religions,
synagogues, and philosophies, which
seemed to rise among men like
mountain tops” (Corn. a Lapide, in Pusey).
It is “a city set on a hill.” (Matthew 5:14)
·
ITS CONGREGATION. The
prophet sees a stream of worshippers
ascending that hill; not an
unfamiliar sight in the old days of the literal
a miracle of grace that not only
the chosen people of God, but “the
peoples” of the world lying in wickedness, should be attracted by a
Church
so lofty and so pure. For, as
the prophet watches, he sees strange
companies gathering, of varied
colors, costumes, and languages —
Africans from
strangers from the western isles
of
kindreds and peoples and tongues (Isaiah 55:8-9). The prophet hears
their language as they encourage
one another, “Come ye,” etc. They thus
confess:
1. Their ignorance. “He shall teach us
of His ways” — a comprehensive
term (Psalm 25:4, 8-9).
2. Their dissatisfaction. Their old paths had
been “broad;”
“destruction
and misery” had been in them. Henceforth they desire to walk in other
“paths,” in God’s way of holiness.
3. Their confidence; that the God of
Jacob alone was both able and willing
to supply their need. The prophet
foresaw what Christ still more clearly
predicted (Matthew 8:11-12), and what we are seeing in these days of
missionary enterprise.
·
ITS EMANATIONS. As
light and heat stream from the sun, and
fragrance from the flowers, so from this new Mount
there stream forth
the very blessings which the nations need — truth, light,
life. It is a Divine power that first draws this congregation
towards the
receive are summed up in two
terms.
1. “The Law.”
They receive it as a rule of life, as an ideal of daily conduct.
It goes forth as a stream of
blessing which can turn the wastes of heathen
life into a
paradise. But more than law is needed:
2. “The Word of the Lord.” This is a more comprehensive term. It includes
the revelation of His will, His mercy and grace, “the word of the truth of the
gospel.” This goes forth with all the attractiveness of A MESSAGE OF
MERCY! (Luke 24:47,
etc.), but also with all the authority of a law (Acts
17:30; 1 John 3:23). The preaching of
the cross proves itself the power
of God. This word of
the Lord has free course and is glorified. No wonder
that such blessings
follow as are described in the following verses.
Enthusiasm in Religion (v. 2)
·
THE SPIRIT OF ENTHUSIASM IN RELATION TO RELIGION IS
EMINENTLY DESIRABLE.
It is so:
1. As indicating the possession of loving devotion to
God.
2. As prompting to endeavor with a view to the spiritual
well being of
others. (v. 2, “Come, and let us go up,” etc.; John
1:41-42, 45-46;
4:28, 29.)
3. As being contagious.
For, all aglow themselves, they will be
the means
of inspiring others with the
same fervor.
·
THIS SPIRIT, UNLESS UNDER WISE CONTROL, MAY PROVE
INJURIOUS. It may seem
a very simple matter to invite others to God, to
say to them, “Come,
let us go up,” etc.; but it is possible, by undue
familiarity of approach, or by
extravagance of language, to alienate those it
is desired to win.
·
THIS SPIRIT IS IN SAFE KEEPING IF ITS POSSESSOR
CULTIVATES THE DISPOSITIONS HERE EXPRESSED (v. 2), viz.:
1. Of seeking to understand God’s truth more dearly. “And He will teach
us of his ways.” The
consciousness of his imperfect attainments will keep
him humble, and preserve him
from mere dogmatism and self-conceit.
2. Of endeavoring to be obedient in heart and life to God’s will. “And we
will walk in His
paths.” His realization of the
importance of ethical practical
life will preserve him from
either thinking or advocating the false notion
that piety consists in profuse
verbal declarations and mere outward
professions.
ü
Higher Spiritual Life (v. 2)
“Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.” We are too prone to be
content with living at a very low level of spiritual
attainment. We need to
hear and heed the voice of God’s own Spirit addressing us
through our
own consciences, and through all the holy influences
encompassing us, and
bidding us leave the ordinary plain on which we have been
content to
dwell, and to ascend the mount of the Lord, and thus to
rise to the nobler
heights of spiritual privilege and goodness. “Let
us go up,” etc.
·
WHAT IS THIS HIGHER SPIRITUAL LIFE? It is a life of
obedience
to God and of faith in Him. It
is a life of holy and hallowed fellowship with
the invisible. It is a life
sustained and strengthened by hidden Divine
springs. It is not perfect life, but life characterized by constant endeavor
after the perfect. It is a life characterized by:
Ø
the patient endurance of
trial,
Ø
the successful
resistance of temptation, and
Ø
the cheerful
performance of duty.
It is a life animated by hopes
entering “within the veil,” and in which
is increasingly realized union with the
spiritual world.
·
HOW MAY IT BE REACHED?
1. The ministration of the truth is designed to this end.
The advancement
of the good in Divine knowledge
and in the varied graces of the Christian
character is one aim of the
Christian ministry (Ephesians 5:11-13).
2. The commonest duties of our daily life may be so
discharged as to be
made to contribute to our
spiritual elevation. The aim should be to make
every duty subservient to the great end of our spiritual
advancement.
3. The sorrowful experiences of our life are all
designed to secure to us
“more life and fuller.” These
constitute the threshings of the spiritual man
by means of which God would
separate His servants from evil, and enable
them to enter into the higher
joys of His kingdom.
4. And this soul elevation is to be secured not only by
receiving, but also
by imparting, holy
influences. We rise ourselves as we invite others to rise;
as we speak to them the
encouraging word, and hold out to them the
helping hand. Ruskin reminds us
that the name which of all others is most
expressive of the being of God is
that of “the Helpful One,” or, in our
softer Saxon, “THE HOLY ONE!” And we may each know what one has
beautifully called the
holiness of helpfulness (Dr. Robert Collyer’s
‘The
Life that now is,’ pp. 63, 64).
·
WHAT ADVANTAGES WILL ACCRUE FROM ITS ATTAINMENT?
1. There will be greater enjoyment in connection with
religious privileges
than can otherwise be
experienced.
2. Tranquillity will possess the
heart amidst the disappointments, changes,
and bereavements of life.
3. A clearer apprehension of the truth of God will be gained. (v. 2.)
4. More effective service to God in the world will be
rendered. Certain
saints of God belonging to the
past are sometimes set forth as having been
specially eminent, and as though
the same altitude could not be reached
nowadays; whereas we are to be “followers” of
such (Hebrews 6:12),
and the “helps” they used are as
available to us. Use them, and say
“Go up, go
up, my heart!
Be not a
trifler here;
Ascend
above these clouds,
Dwell in a
higher sphere.
Let not thy
love go out
To things
so soiled and dim:
Go up to
heaven, and God
Take up
thy love to Him.”
God
our Teacher (v. 2)
“And He will teach us of His ways.” How?
·
BY WORKING IN OUR HEARTS THE SPIRIT OF TRUE
HUMILITY. There must
be humility in order that we may apprehend
spiritual things. We must become
“as
little children” would we enter the
kingdom of truth. And this
disposition is fitting; for what, after all, are we
but children in relation to such
knowledge? “Embryos we are all.” Too
many, forgetting this,
and cherishing the opposite spirit, misapprehend or
pervert the meaning of
God’s truth. Pride
of intellect is cherished, and,
strong and
dogmatic in their adherence to false intellectual conceptions,
they miss THE HIGHEST
TRUTH! “The meek will He guide in
judgment,
and the meek will
He teach his way.” (Psalm 25:9) As low trees and shrubs
are free from many violent
gusts and blasts of wind which shake and rend the
taller trees, so humble
souls are free from those gusts and blasts of error
that rend and tear
proud lofty souls.” “The high tide quickly ebbs.” “The
valleys laugh with
fatness when the hills are bare.” “I thank thee,
O Father Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these
things from the wised
and prudent, and has revealed them unto babes.”
(Matthew 11:25-26).
·
BY CONSTRAINING US TO CHERISH THE SPIRIT OF HEARTY
OBEDIENCE. By the
gentle constraints of Divine love the will is brought
into harmony with the higher and
perfect will of God; and to the man thus
obedient there
is unfolded the glorious treasures of Divine wisdom and
knowledge. “The secret of the Lord is with them that
fear Him, and He will
show them His
covenant” (Psalm 25:14); “Then
shall we know, if we
follow on to know
the Lord:” (Hosea 6:3).
·
BY IMPARTING UNTO US SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT. The
heart being rendered humble and
obedient, light springs up
within; a
spiritual insight is imparted; the
unction of the Holy One rests upon the
man; higher perceptions are his; he apprehends and understands truths
which formerly
were unperceived or distorted by him. “Pure in heart,” he
“sees God;” spiritually minded, he discovers spiritual things. God’s ways
stand revealed to him, and God’s Word is no longer a dead
letter, but is
instinct with life and power to his soul. Then, with an earnest desire to
enter into the full significance
of spiritual realities, and with a deep
consciousness of our own
weakness and need of guidance, we do well to
cry, “Lead us in thy truth and teach
us” (John 16:13) and to rejoice in the
encouraging assurance, “And
he will teach us of His ways.”
Obedience to
the Divine Will (v. 2)
“And we will walk in His paths.” The idea is — living obediently to the will
of God. Observe:
·
GOD HAS REVEALED HIS WILL UNTO MAN. “The Law has gone
forth,” etc. (v. 8). The revelation of what God requires of His
creatures
has been given
(1) in the commandments unfolded to Moses on Sinai;
(2) in the full and perfect exposition of those commandments
given in the
teaching of Christ;
(3) in the complete transcript of them presented in the Divine
Teacher’s
spotless character and
life. (Hebrews 1:1-3)
·
TO OBEY THAT WILL INDICATES THE POSSESSION OF TRUE
PIETY. Sincere piety
does not consist in outward observances, although
these have so high a value that
we are not to “forsake the assembling of
ourselves
together” (ibid. ch. 10:25) for Christian fellowship
and teaching;
nor does it consist in Church
association, although there are many
advantages
resulting from
Christians banding themselves together that thus they may
be helpful to each
other in the spiritual life, and by combined, action the
more effectually
do God’s work; nor does it consist in the
repetition of a
Creed, however admirably
conceived and expressed, and however desirable
it may be for us to be well
grounded in the foundation doctrines of our holy
religion; but it consists
in obedience to the will of God, and in seeking, like
the great Exemplar, to act in harmony with God’s holy
Law.
“Nor name,
nor form, nor ritual,
But simply
following thee.”
·
IN THIS OBEDIENCE LIES THE TRUEST WELL BEING BOTH
OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND OF THE RACE. Walking in these paths, it
is found that they are “right
paths,” that they yield “peace” and
“pleasantness;”
“mercy and truth” also abound to the obedient,
whilst the
wide adoption of this course by
the children of men is pointed to as the
token of the coming of “the latter day glory.” “A world wide Christ-likeness
is the great necessity.
If, in imitation of Him, there were:
Ø
truth on every tongue,
Ø
kindness in every
heart,
Ø
gentleness in every
spirit,
Ø
obedience to God in
every will,
Ø
purity in every life
and
Ø
blamelessness inevery character, (basically, the fruits of
the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
the bloom and blessedness of
Too many, alas! still resolve
that “they
will walk every one in
the name of his
god” (v. 5); but our hope for humanity
lies in the
growing number whose feet are
being turned into “the ways of
righteousness,” and who are impelled to say, “And we will walk in his
paths.” “We will walk in the Name of the
Lord our God forever and ever”
(v. 5).
3 “And He
shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations
afar off; and they shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their
spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up a sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any
more.” v. 3 - The effect of this
reception of true religion shall be universal peace. He shall judge among
many people - or better, between many peoples. The Lord shall be the
Arbiter
to whom all disputes shall be referred, as in the next clause. When His reign
is
acknowledged and His Law obeyed, all war and all causes of war shall cease.
(Do you ever expect to witness
this? Why or why not? CY - 2022) The gospel
is a gospel of peace
and love (and is just as available now as
it ever was!!!???
CY - 2022), and when “the kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms
of our Lord and His Christ” (Revelation 11:15), peace and love shall everywhere
abound. (For the phrase in the text, compare Judges 11:27; 1 Samuel 24:12,15.) –
rebuke strong nations afar off - the word
rendered “rebuke” means here
“decide
concerning,” “act as umpire for.” (Something mankind has always
needed, especially now - CY -
2022) The
arbitration of the sword shall no
more be resorted to. The words “afar off” are omitted in the similar passage
of Isaiah – beat their swords into ploughshares - i.e. they shall practice the
arts of peace
instead
of war. Literally, the short broad sword of the Israelites
might readily be converted into a share, and the spear
forged into a pruning
hook (compare Hosea 2:18; Zechariah 9:10).
The reverse process
is seen in Joel 3:10, where ploughshares are beaten
into swords.
4 “But they
shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree;
and none shall make them afraid: for the
mouth of the LORD of
hosts hath spoken it.” This verse is
omitted in Isaiah. They shall sit
every
man under his vine - This image of
plenty and security is derived from
the account of
the material prosperity of
(1 Kings 4:25), in
accordance with the Mosaic promise (Leviticus 26:4, etc.).
It passed into
a proverb expressive of peace and happiness (compare
Zechariah 3:10; 1 Maccabees
14:12). The mouth of the Lord of
hosts.
The great promise is thus confirmed (Isaiah 58:14). The Septuagint usually
renders this
expression in Jeremiah and the minor prophets Κύριος παντοκράτωρ -
Kurios pantokrator - Lord
Almighty; this title for God translates the Hebrew 7372,
[LORD] of Hosts (the heavenly armies), and
Hebrew 8724, Shaddai, (probably)
God the Mountain, powerful and immovable elsewhere by Κύριος σαβαώθ
-
Kurios sabaoth - Lord of Sabaoth and Κύριος δυνάμεων
- Kurios dunameon -
Lord of forces. It means, “the Lord
of the powers of heaven and earth,” the idea
being originally that God was the Leader of the armies of
Tseva’ot is used of various activities than require
dedication and regimentation
of life. For instance, service in the
tabernacle (Exodus 38:8; Numbers 4:23, 35, 39, 43;
8:24) and service in war (ibid. 31:14). It is used of God’s celestial host
(Genesis 2:1;
Psalms 33:6; 103:21; Isaiah 40:26).
(Exodus 12:41). LORD of hosts is the way
the NASB translates the name. Other
versions have LORD Almighty (NIV) and
God-of-the-Angel-Armies (The Message Bible).
The reason why the NIV prefers LORD
Almighty is that in some places in the Greek
Old Testament, the word pantokratōr was used to translate Yahweh tseva’ot. Pantokratōr
means “all-powerful,” so “Almighty”
is a good translation of pantokratōr.
While the
Hebrew word places the emphasis on the
resources available to God (His hosts), the Greek
emphasizes His might. https://namesforgod.net/lord-of-hosts/?cn-reloaded=1
The Gospel
Age (vs. 1-4)
“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the
mountain of the house
of the Lord shall be established in the top of the
mountains,” etc. “The last
days” is an expression frequently used in the Old Testament. It
points to
the future, beginning with the Christian dispensation and
running on to its
close. It means the times of the Messiah. The patriarchal times had passed
away, the Mosaic epoch was on the wane, and would soon
vanish. The
times of the Messiah, or “the last days,” would succeed,
and run on to the
end of time. This prophecy, with scarcely any variation, is
found in Isaiah 2.
Whether Isaiah borrowed it from Micah, or Micah from
Isaiah, or both
from some older prophecy, does not appear. One thing seems
certain, that
the prophecy has never yet been fulfilled in the history of
the world, and
that its accomplishment must be in some distant period —
“the last days.”
It enables us to make certain remarks concerning the true
religion of the
gospel age.
·
THE TRUE RELIGION OF THE GOSPEL AGE WILL BECOME A
GREAT POWER, “The
mountain of the house of the Lord.” Referring
particularly to the temple that
was built on
mountain of the Lord’s house.
The temple was the greatest thing in the
religion of the Jews; it was the
“mountain” in their scenery. The true
religion is to become a
mountain. The little stone will become a mountain,
and fill the whole earth. In
truth, the true religion, where it exists, is the
biggest thing. In the individual
soul it is the largest thing. It is the dominant
power, it is the mountain in the
scenery of a good man’s experience. Let all
men possess it, and then it will
be to the whole world what it is to the
individual. In sooth, true
religion is either everything or nothing;
supremacy is its essence the
supreme thought, the supreme love, the
supreme aim. Two things are here
stated about this mountain.
1. It is to become
established. How is it to be established? By civil
authority, legislative
enactments? Our foolish forefathers have thought so,
and many of the dolts of this
generation think so too. But this to the last
point is unphilosophic
and absurd. The weakness of religion in
Christendom today may be
ascribed to the futile attempts of unwise and
ambitious men to establish it by
law. You may as well endeavor to govern
the planetary universe by the
ten commandments as to establish religion by
civil laws.
2. It is to become conspicuous. “In the top of the
mountains.” It will be
seen from afar — the most
elevated power of the world. It will be the chief
thing in the markets, professions,
and governments of the world, high up
on the top of all.
·
THE TRUE RELIGION OF THE GOSPEL AGE WILL BECOME
UNIVERSALLY ATTRACTIVE.
“And
people shall flow unto it.” “This is
a figurative expression,
denoting that they shall be converted to the true
religion. It indicates that they
shall come in multitudes, like the flowing of a
mighty river. The idea of the
flowing of the nation is of the movement of
many people towards an object
like a broad stream on the tides of the
ocean, and is one that is very
grand and sublime” (Barnes). In this period
the social element will be
brought into full play in connection with true
religion. Men will encourage each other to inquire after truth. “Come, and
let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord.”
1. They will study its laws in order to obey them. “He will teach us
of His
ways, and we will
walk in His paths.” In those good
times that are coming,
men will study God’s ways, and not man’s theories, and study these
ways,
not as a matter
of intellectual speculation, BUT IN ORDER TO
THEM, TO WALK IN HIS WAYS. Religion
in those days will be practical;
it will be the law of every
one’s life, the
great regulative force of society.
2. They will study its laws at the fountainhead. “For the Law shall
go forth
of
fountainhead of Christianity.
Christ commanded His disciples to tarry at
He commanded that the first sermon
should be preached, a sermon
concerning repentance and remission of sins; and there Peter opened his
commission in his wonderful
Pentecostal discourse. In those days men will
go for religious instruction,
not to patristic, puritanic,
Anglican, or any
other theological school, but to the
fountainhead, to
fresh and pure, most potent in spiritual stimulation and
suggestion. Men in
these days have gone far away
from the theology of
theology there are none of those
miserable dogmas that are now preached,
but facts concerning a Person, and that Person none
other than the Son of
man and the Son
of God.
·
THE TRUE RELIGION OF THE GOSPEL AGE WILL BECOME
POWERFUL TO TERMINATE ALL WARS.
1. Here is the destruction of war. “Beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears
into pruning hooks.” The arts of war
destroyed, in their
stead will flourish the arts of
peace. The sword and spear, what ills of
immeasurable enormity they have
inflicted upon the race! Implements of
hell, instruments by which all
the infernal passions of the human heart have
been excited and gratified. War
is antichrist.
2. Here is the establishment of peace. “Shall sit every man under his vine
and under his fig
tree.” The words, “sit under his vine,” are taken from
1 Kings 4:25, etc. Most
incredible must this prediction have been to the
men of Micah’s time; but it will be accomplished, for the mouth of the
Lord of hosts hath
spoken it.
The Peaceable Fruit of
Righteousness (vs. 3-4)
The wonders of Micah’s vision (vs. 1-2) are not yet at an
end. He
sees a succession of the most improbable and incredible
events, as the
nations return from their pilgrimage to the new
capitals and homesteads. With those distant and “strong”
heathen nations
there are associations of horror and dread in the minds of
the Hebrews,
especially of the godly among them. Illustrate this from
what we know
through Hebrew prophets and historians of the Gentile
nations near and
afar off; e.g. border wars and frequent invasions
of:
Ø
the Philistines (II
Chronicles 21:16-17),
Ø
Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and others (Psalm 83;
and compare the impressive messages of
judgment in Amos 1-2).
Ø
later on their untrustworthy ally, always the
home of degrading
idolatries (Isaiah 19.; 30:1-7).
Ø
northern
brethren, casting its war cloud over Hezekiah’s kingdom
(Nahum 3.).
Beyond these were:
Ø
the mountaineers of
Media,
Ø
the barbarous tribes
of the far north, “Meshech and Tubal,”
and
Ø
the sons of
The gloomy vision of Ezekiel (32) graphically describes how
the
sword and bloodshed are bound up with the histories of
these and other
nations. All these are seen welcoming a new King,
who “shall reign in
righteousness,” new legislation and new customs. The strangest of all these
new customs is that “the peoples that delight in war” are seen
changing
their weapons
into instruments of peace, and enjoying a tranquillity
equal
to that of the palmy days of Solomon.
The mystery is explained by the fact
that the word of the Lord had gone forth from
·
THE GOSPEL OF GOD
PREPARES FOR THE REIGN OF GOD.
1. It
reveals God’s
love. It thus comes as a revelation, startling, almost
incredible to heathens, in whose minds lust not love, hatred not mercy, are
bound up with their thoughts of
God. That central verse of the New
Testament (John 3:16), a “miniature
Bible,” as Martin Luther called it,
applied by the
Spirit of God, has broken many a rocky
heathen heart, and
opened the way for the blessings
that God’s love has prepared for sinful
souls (1 John 4:19).
2. It inspires men’s hope. Those who were once
living “having no hope,
and without God in
the world” (Ephesians 2:14), find that all things are
become new. (II Corinthians
5:17) All the most bright and buoyant
emotions, love, hope, joy, are called forth
by the gospel of God. The
brightest visions of a golden
age in the future which heathen poets have
sung about are seen to be
possible under the reign of a righteous and
merciful God. They are “saved
by hope.”
3. It awakens men’s consciences. An educational process ensues. The
dormant conscience is awakened;
the blind conscience sees the light of
truth; the blunt conscience is
made sensitive and tender. Thus gradually
things which were tolerated in
the individual or the community are branded
as unchristian, or even
infamous. Illustrate from 1 Corinthians 5. and 6. In
those whose spiritual education
is most advanced, every thought is brought
“into captivity to
the obedience of Christ.” Thus gradually
the average
standard of morality is raised first in the Church and
then in the nation,
and the gospel of
God is seen to have prepared the way for the reign of God.
(It is a national tragedy but the American Civil Liberties Union’s
lawyers’ involvement in American courts, and especially many of the
decisions of the majority of the thirty (30) justices who have been on the
United States Supreme Court since 1960 has had the opposite effects
of the gospel, undermining the moral climate in this country, to where
it is almost unrecognizable. Their responsibility was to represent
“....the God of all the earth who only doeth right.” Genesis 18:25 -
There will be a judgment not only
on them but also on our
national leaders and those of us
in the general populace who
loved to have it so! Jeremiah 5:31 - CY - 2022)
·
THE REIGN OF GOD WILL BE
A REIGN OF PEACE. War is a
terrible defiance of God and of
His authority, and yet it is one of the most
popular forms of
wickedness. The press, the clubs, “the
forces,” often
make it hard even for a government
calling itself Christian to resist the
gusts of popular passion which
sweep nations into war. Even as late as
1882 we were told that on board
the ironclads off
countenances of the officers
fell as the sight of a flag of truce made it
possible that after all their
new guns might not be tested by a
bombardment. Yet even this
unclean spirit will be exorcised by the power
of the gospel of Christ, which
has already been at work in many ways; e.g.
“the truce of God” in the Middle
Ages, providing for the suspension of
hostilities during Advent, Lent,
and other seasons; the sparing of the lives
of prisoners; the care and
kindness shown towards the wounded; the power
of the public
opinion, even of a minority, to restrain governments from
hastily rushing into
war; the
introduction of arbitration, in which the British
Government set so honorable an
example at
cases it may be said that God,
through the judgments of upright men, is
called to “judge between many peoples,”
and “reprove” even strong
nations (v. 3) when they wronged
their neighbors. Thus gradually war will be
banished, even as dueling and
other abominations have been. “Fraternity”
will be one of the watchwords of
the future, and war will be regarded as
fratricide. Lucian says of
Christians, “Their first Lawgiver persuaded them
that they are all brethren.”
Christianity is working towards the restoration
of that ideal. Then Solomon’s
days shall be reproduced in more than their
ancient glory. New princes of
of the Prince of Peace, whose
subjects shall “dwell safely, and be quiet
from fear of evil.” The glorious
visions of Psalm 72.; Isaiah 60., etc., shall
be fulfilled, “for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.”
·
LEARN:
1. That the only hope of true national righteousness is in
the reign of
Christ.
2. That the Christian who witnesses for unpopular truths is
the noblest
among
patriots.
3. That the sanctification of individual souls through the
power of the
gospel is the
surest method of securing the ultimate and universal
reign of Christ on earth.
5 “For all
people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we
will walk in the name of the LORD our God
for ever and ever.”
This verse gives the reason why
the parallel passage in Isaiah (Isaiah 2:5) it is converted
into an
injunction to the house of Jacob. All people will walk; rather, all nations
walk – everyone in the name of his god - “To walk” is generally used of
moral and religious habits
(II Chronicles 17:4; Psalm 89:30-31;
Ezekiel 5:6);
so here the meaning is that all
other nations adhere to their false gods, and
frame their life and conduct relying on the power and
protection of these
inanities, and, by implication, shall find their hope deceived. And we will
walk in the name
of the Lord our God - This is the secret of
strength. The heathen can never prevail against the true believers
who put
their whole trust in the Lord, and live in union with Him. For ever and ever-
The Church shall
never fail. Heathen powers last for a time; the kingdom of
Messiah is
everlasting.
(See Isaiah 2 – this web site as vs. 2-4 are essentially
verbatim of this
section in Micah
4)
Man’s
Religious Nature (v. 5)
“For all people will walk every one in the name of his god,
and we will
walk in the Name of the Lord our God forever and ever.” It is trite to say,
what has been said a thousand times, that man has a
religious nature. Albeit
the practical recognition of the fact is of immense
importance; without it,
more than half the history of the world would be
inexplicable, all methods
for its true improvement would be futile, and man would pass through this
world to another without a God or any hope for a future. This verse
suggests the wrong and the right development of this
nature.
·
THE WRONG DEVELOPMENT.
What is that? Idolatry. “All people
will walk every
one in the name of his god.”
Polytheism proper is, and
generally has been, the most
popular religion in the world. Men have gods
which they have made, palpable
objects which they fashioned after an ideal,
and the ideal
not unfrequently of the most base and loathsome kind. And
they walk after these gods. The
mariners in Jonah’s vessel, when the storm
came on, cried every man unto
his god. Whence the cause of polytheism?
The one great cause, which
comprehends all others, is DEPRAVITY!
Depravity:
1. Involves moral corruption. What are heathen
gods, as a rule, but the
deification of the lower
passions and vices of mankind?
2. Involves carnality. Depraved men are so carnal that they have no idea of
real things which have not size and form and tangible
properties. Hence
they want a god they can see and
handle and touch.
3. Involves thoughtlessnss. Polytheism cannot
stand reasoning. It is
supported by the thoughtless
millions through the craft and sophistry of the
priests. Every true thought will
shatter a heathen deity.
·
THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENT.
What is that? Practical monotheism.
“We will walk in
the Name of the Lord our God forever and ever.”
1. This is rational. The one God is the sum
total of all moral properties,
the Proprietor of all
resources, and the Bestower of all the existences and
all the blessings
therewith. (“For of Him, and through Him, and to Him
are all things, to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” Romans 11:36)
What can be more rational than to walk in His way? In truth,
it is the only
true rational way in life.
2. This is
obligatory. No man is bound to walk in the name of an idol; nay,
he is commanded not to do so.
But every man is bound to walk in the
Name of the Lord — bound on the ground
of His supreme excellence, His
relations to man, and the
obligation springing therefrom.
3. This is blessed. To walk in His Name is to walk through sunny fields
abounding with all beauty and
fruitfulness.
vs. 6-7 - In this promised restoration all
accept, the
offer.
6 “In that
day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I
will gather her that is driven out, and her
that I have afflicted;”
In that day. The Messianic age of v.
1. Her
that halteth;
Septuagint, τὴν συντετριμμένην
- taen suntetrimmenaen - her
that is bruised;
Vulgate, claudicantem.
Under the image of a flock footsore and dispersed, the
prophet signifies the depressed condition of the exciled Hebrews (compare
ch.
2:12; Zephaniah 3:19). It is the sick and afflicted here who are to be
gathered together, the remnant, that is (v. 7), wherever
found, which turns
to the Lord in repentance and humility. (Do you want to be a part of this?
Who would not> - CY - 2022)
7 “And I
will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far
off a strong nation: and the LORD shall
reign over them in
from henceforth, even for ever.” I will make her that halted a
remnant.
The” remnant” is “the election,” that portion of
offered redemption (Romans
9:27; 11:5); and God declares that He will treat
this section,
now miserable and depressed, as sharers in the
Messianic promises
(see note on Zephaniah 3:19). As commonly, the restoration from
captivity
and the privileges of Messiah’s kingdom are combined in one
foreshortened view. But this “remnant” shall be made into a strong nation,
which no power shall overthrow (Isaiah 11:14; 55:22). The Lord shall
reign over them. Not through an earthly representative, but by Himself
(compare Isaiah 24:23; 52:7; Obadiah 1:21; Zechariah
14:9). In
This prophecy does not necessarily point to any literal earthly
fulfillment, but
rather to the establishment of Christ’s spiritual kingdom,
and the revelation of
that new Jerusalem
which
(Revelation 21:10).
The
Restoration of
It is the Gentile nations for whom the blessings of “the
last days” have just
been predicted (vs. 2-4). The new
have a magnetic
power on “the East and the West” (Matthew 8:11;
John 12:32). But
nations, shall not be excluded from a share in them. Yet
the form of the
prediction reminds us of the abject condition of God’s
ancient people and
of the gradual
extension of the glories of Messiah’s reign over them.
·
THEIR ABJECT CONDITION.
They are described as:
1. Halting.
This was the result of internal infirmity or of injury from
without, or of both. The Jewish people at the advent were suffering both
from ecclesiastical and moral
corruptions, which made them figuratively
like the folk at
2. “Driven out.”
Multitudes had been driven out of their heritage in
tyrants. Centuries before,
Jeremiah had declared, “
sheep; the lions
have driven him away: first the King of
devoured him; and
last this Nebuchadrezzar King of
his bones” (Jeremiah 50:17). In subsequent centuries similar
captivities
or oppressions were endured at
the hands of the Ptolemies, the Seleucidae,
the Idumeans,
and the Romans. Those who remained were as strangers in
their own fatherland. And soon a
far more fearful catastrophe scattered
them from one end of the heavens
to the other, after the destruction of
their city by the Romans.
“But we
must wander witheringly
In other
lands to die;
And where
our fathers’ ashes be
Our own
must never lie:
Our temple
hath not left a stone,
And
Mockery sits on
(Byron)
3. “Stricken of God,
and afflicted.” Unfaithful “shepherds” among
their
own rulers (Ezekiel 34:1-6) or
heathen conquerors were the scourges;
but “shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath
not done it?” Devout
men recognized this, and uttered
such penitential wails as we find in Psalm
44., 74.; Lamentations 1 and 2.
·
THEIR RESTORATION. The
establishment of the new kingdom of
God — Christ’s kingdom — on
restoration of the Jews and of
their participation in its blessings. For it
could not be that Christ should
reign over the Gentile nations and leave
“His own people” (John
1:11) to perish finally in unbelief. This would
be opposed both to the ancient
promises of God (Isaiah 45:17; 59:20-21, etc.)
as well as to the predictions
and the heart of Christ (Matthew 23:37-39).
Yet there are stages in this
process of restoration.
1. The halting
ones are restored, but they are only a remnant. (Compare
ch. 5:3, 7-8.) The immediate effect of the establishment of
Christ’s
kingdom was seen in a great
religious revival among the Jews from
Pentecost onwards. But all the
converts were but a remnant of the nation
which, because of
its unbelief, was “broken off” (Romans
11:1-5, 17-20).
Yet in the fact of the salvation
of the few the Apostle Paul sees the
pledge of the final salvation of
the many. “....all
(ibid. v. 26)
2. The banished ones shall be made a strong nation. Trace
inspired argument in Romans 11.
till he arrives at the sublime conclusion in
vs. 32-36. The nation’s
restoration to God will be accompanied by a
restoration to their own land
(Zechariah 12:10-14; 14:8-11, etc.).
3. “The Lord shall
reign over them in
restoration of
marvelous evidences of the truth of the prophetic word which God is
reserving for the skepticism of these latter days. We need not anticipate a
literal and local throne of
Christ at
enthroned in the hearts of His
long faithless yet much beloved people, will
as truly “reign over them in
humanity always manifested in
their midst. And then His reign shall be
“from henceforth,
even forever.” (Psalm 125:2; Isaiah
9:7) “I the Lord
will hasten it in
his time.” (Isaiah 60:22)
“O come, O
come, Emmanuel,
And ransom
captive
That
mourns in lonely exile here
Until the
Son of God appear.
Rejoice,
rejoice: Emmanuel
Shall
come to thee, O
vs. 8-10 - After a certain period of
calamity and captivity the
8 “And
thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of
Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the
first dominion; the kingdom
shall come to the daughter of
(migdal-edar). There
was a village with a tower so called near
(Genesis 35:21), and it is thought that Micah refers to it
as the home of David
and as destined to be the birthplace of Messiah. But the
context compels us to
consider the expression as a periphrasis for
addressee, declaring that the royal power shall be restored to her. It is
evidently the same place as the stronghold (ophel,
“the hill”) of the
daughter of
Moriah, opposite to the
Manasseh (ibid. ch. 33:14), and on it were the king’s house, i.e.
the old
(see <Nehemiah 3:26-27). This is probably the “flock tower”
mentioned
in the text (compare Isaiah 32:14, where Ophel and the watch tower are
named together); and it is so called as having been
originally a place of
refuge for flocks, or of observation for shepherds. Micah
uses the two
expressions to represent the power and dominion of
propriety of the use of the term “flock tower” is seen when
we remember
that David was a shepherd before he was king, and that the
Israelites are
the sheep of the Lord’s pasture. The reference to a flock
in the preceding
verses may also have influenced the prophet’s thought.
Owing to a slight
variation in the reading, the Septuagint renders Ophel by αἰχμώδης -
aichmodaes - dark; so Jerome, “nebulosa;”
skotodaes - Symmachus,
ἀπόκρυφος
- apokruphos - .
These
translators would refer the term to the ruinous condition
of the tower. The
first dominion shall come, i.e. the former, original
empire, such as it was in
the days of David and Solomon, and which had been lost in
later times.
The Septuagint adds, ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος - ek Babulonos - out of
and hence the Greek
expositors explain the passage as referring to the siege
of
and this clause in apposition to the former, “the kingdom
of” or “the reign
over the daughter of
take it, that appertains to
In Messiah the glory and power are restored to the throne of David
(Luke 1:32-33).
The Messiah’s
These verses call us away from the contemplation of sin and
its effects as
set forth in the previous chapters, and hid us turn our
thoughts to the
golden age that rose before the prophet’s vision, and
animated and cheered
his heart in the dark days in which his lot was cast. We
live in happier
times. Much that was to him only distant expectation has become fully
realized by us. “Blessed are our eyes,” etc.
(Matthew 13:16-17). Still,
favored as we are, the
attained unto the highest perfection. The noontide splendor
of His rule has
not yet been reached. The cross has brought the crown, and
the Lord
Christ now reigneth as King in
under Him.” There are still many difficulties and
discouragements, and there
is much to sicken and sadden the hearts of all to whom His
Name is
precious, and His truth and kingdom dear. And amidst all
this we do well,
like this seer, to look on to the ultimate complete triumph which the Christ
shall assuredly
win, and by this bright vision to gain the renewal of heart
and hope. We have indicated here:
·
CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MESSIAH’S KINGDOM.
1. Its spirituality. We shall assuredly lose sight of the beauty of these
prophetic descriptions if we
give to them a literal and material significance.
This, indeed, is what the Jews
themselves did, and hence the true Messiah
was by them “despised and rejected.”
“As upon the figure of David the
prophetic figure of the Messiah
is developed, so upon the figure of
(Lange). Connecting v. 1 with
the last verse of the previous chapter, we
are reminded that whilst the
material kingdom was marked to fall, and
should, in due course and as the
result of national guilt, decay and pass
away, yet this mournful apostasy
of the chosen race should be rendered in
the Divine wisdom “the
riches of the world” (Romans 11:11-12). The
old economy should eventually
disappear, but the new dispensation should
follow. The long promised Messiah should appear and establish a
spiritual
kingdom, the subjects
of which should be renewed and sanctified men; to
which kingdom higher
privileges and honors should be attached
than
Judaism had ever presented, and
the influence of which should extend to
the wide world.
2. Its pure and righteous principles of government. “For the Law shall
go
forth of
the interests of all the
subjects; they are not only designed to regulate the
outward conduct and actions of
men, but they go deeper and effect the
heart and the
secret springs of action. The great
law of the kingdom is love
— love to God and to man. “Love
is the fulfilling of the Law” (Romans 13:10).
3. Its comprehensiveness. “Peoples shall
flow unto it” (v. 1); “And
many
nations shall
come” (v. 2). Judaism was marked by
its exclusiveness. Its
privileges were confined to a
particular nationality. But lo! it is here
declared that the kingdom of the Messiah should be world embracing. It
shall become indeed “a
great nation,” for “unto it” all peoples and tribes
“shall flow.” The King whom Jehovah has “set upon his holy hill of Zion,”
and who shall “reign
in righteousness,” shall sway His scepter at length over
a ransomed,
regenerated, happy world.
4. Its perpetuity. “It shall be abidingly established” (v. 1). “The Lord shall
reign over them in
The kingdoms of this world are unenduring. “They all shall perish.” They
rise, progress, attain unto
their zenith, and then decline and pass away.
dominated the world, their glory is laid in the dust, their pomp has
passed
away like a
dream, their
works survive only in chambers of antiquity, and
their deeds have only a record
in historical lore. So perishes the glory of
this world! But this spiritual
kingdom of the Lord Christ lives and shall
never fail. Its throne
shall never be shaken, its riches shall never be
impoverished, its glory shall
never be dimmed. “Thy kingdom is an
everlasting
kingdom,” etc. (Psalm 145:13).
5. And hence, its pre-eminence. “It shall be exalted above the hills”
(v.1).
It shall attain unto heights
such as no worldly power has ever reached,
and its King shall enjoy
distinction and honor such as earthly monarchs
have never known. “He
shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high”
(Isaiah 52:13); “And
he shall bear the glory” (Zechariah 6:13).
·
THE INFLUENCE OF THE MESSIAH’S RULE. It is here predicted
that this should be of the most healthy
and beneficent nature. Under His
sway:
1. Enthusiasm should be enkindled. “Come, and let us go up,” etc. (v. 2).
Men drawn to Him in the spirit
of whole souled devotion should seek to
lead others to participate with
them in
the enjoyment of the blessings He
imparts. “The
love of Christ” has “constrained” men to the
consecration of
all their energies to His
service. So Paul (Acts 20:23-24). Xavier said,
“You say they will kill me by
poison. It is an honor unto which such a
poor sinner as I dare not
aspire; but I am ready to die ten thousand deaths
for the salvation of a single
soul.” In our own day we have seen men thus
impelled to go forth to distant
and uncivilized tribes; and when they have
been stricken down by fever
ending in death, lo! others have been found
ready to be “baptized for the
dead.”
2. Knowledge should be diffused. “And He will teach
us,” etc. (v. 2). The
true Messiah is also “the true Light,” “the Light of
men,” “the Light of the
world.” He came to rule, but His rule should be an enlightened one.
Where
His influence touches there is
light. He dissipates the darkness of error,
superstition, idolatry; and His
enlightening power shall extend until the
knowledge of the
Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.”
(Isaiah 11:9).
3. Obedience should be rendered. “And
we will walk in His paths” (v. 2).
The connection between this and
the preceding sentence is very intimate.
All true knowledge is designed to affect the conduct and
life. Knowing and
doing are closely related (John
13:17). How purifying and elevating
Christ’s moral influence upon
the world has proved! Wherever the
influence of His truth is felt,
there, as sure as day succeeds night, a higher
morality becomes developed.
4. Peace should be established. (v. 3.) The Messiah is “the Prince of
Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). “Glory to God in the highest,” etc.
(Luke 2:14),
was the song of angels as they
welcomed His advent. Strange, then,
that men should ascribe to his
religion the prevalence in the world of war
and conflict. His religion has
often been made the pretext for entering into
deadly strife; but underlying
this there has been some ambitious design
which has been the real though
concealed cause. The growing disposition
amongst the nations to seek
peaceful solutions of existing difficulties, and
not to draw the sword until
these have been exhausted, is an effect of the
influence of the principles of Christ upon society at
large. The universal
dissemination of His truth shall
be followed by the complete fulfillment of
this glowing prediction (v. 3).
5. Security should be realized. (v. 4.) In the
Assyrian monuments
representations are given of men
in a reclining posture, with the vines in
rich profusion over their heads,
suggestive of quiet and rest and freedom
from everything calculated to
disturb and alarm. And this is the idea
expressed here. Fear had taken
possession of the hearts of those whom the
prophet was addressing. They thought with
sadness and dismay of the
awaiting judgments to follow national sin. The enemy had come well nigh
to the gates; but lo! the seer
cheers them by the prospect of happier days
which should at length dawn upon
them. As it had been with the nation in
the peaceful days of Solomon, so
he declared it should be in a spiritual
sense under the rule of the
Messiah. “Such is that most quiet fearlessness
which the law of Christ bringeth as being the law of charity, peace, and
concord.”
6. Restoration should be effected. (vs. 6-7.) Into the
enjoyment of these
high blessings even they should
be brought who had erred from God’s
ways, who had “halted”
in His service, and had divided their allegiance
between Him and Baal. They must,
in consequence of their sin, be “driven
out” and “afflicted” and “cast off;” yet in their
exile He would watch over
them, seeking them in His deep
compassion, “devising means that His
banished be not
expelled from Him” (II Samuel 14:14),
and in His own
time and way these should be
brought in with “the fulness of the Gentiles,”
to form “a strong nation” over whom He would
reign forever and ever
(vs. 6-7).
·
THE CERTAINTY OF THE REALIZATION OF ALL THUS
EXPRESSED. The seer
throughout uses the language of holy confidence.
And he was warranted in this;
for:
1. Such is the Divine purpose. The issue is divinely guaranteed. God has
promised the kingdom to his Son.
2. This Divine purpose has been repeatedly expressed. “For the mouth of
the Lord hath
spoken it” (v. 4). “The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform
this.” (Isaiah
9:7)
3. That which God has purposed and declared, His power can and will
fulfil.
Despite the humble circumstances and conditions through which the
chosen of Heaven would have to
pass,
“the kingdom should come to the
daughter of
spiritual honor which had been
promised to David’s line should be
bestowed (v. 8), for such was the
Divine will and which the Divine
power would assuredly accomplish. Our hope for a bright
future rests upon
the same
foundation. And as God requires us to
put Him in remembrance of
His Word, we will say, “For
cry in the words of our own
O Prince of all the kings of the
earth! Put on the visible robes of thy
imperial majesty; take up that
unlimited scepter which thy Almighty Father
hath bequeathed thee; for now
the voice of thy bride calls thee, and all
creatures sigh to be renewed.”
The Moral
Monarchy of Christ in the World (vs. 6-8)
“In that day, saith the Lord,
will I assemble her that halteth, and I will
gather her that is driven out, and her that I have
afflicted; and I will make
her that halted a remnant, and bet that was cast far off a
strong nation: and
the Lord shall reign over them in
forever. And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of
the daughter of
Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the
kingdom shall
come to the daughter of
the restoration of the Jews after the Babylonish
captivity or the gathering
of men by Christ into a grand spiritual community, is a
question on which
there has been considerable discussion among biblical
scholars, and
therefore should preclude anything like dogmatism on either
side. I am
disposed, however, to entertain the latter idea, because it
seems most in
accordance with the previous verses, in which there is an
undoubted
reference to the gospel age, and because it gives the
passage a wide
practical application. Delitzsch
says, “‘In that day’ points back to the end
of the days. At the time when many nations shall go on
pilgrimage to the
highly exalted mountain of the Lord, and therefore
Zion-Jerusalem will not
only be restored but greatly glorified, the Lord will
assemble that which
limps and is scattered abroad.” We shall take the words,
then, as
illustrating certain facts connected with the moral
monarchy of Christ in
the world.
·
IT EMBRACES AMONGST ITS SUBJECTS THE MOST
WRETCHED AND SCATTERED OF MEN. “In that day, saith
the Lord,
will I assemble [gather] her that halteth
[that which limpeth], and I will
gather her that is
driven out [that which was thrust out]
and
her that
[which] I have afflicted; and I will make
her that [that which] halted [limps]
a remnant, and her
that [that which] was cast far off a strong nation:
and
the Lord shall
reign over them in
forever.” Christ was sent
to the lost sheep of the house of
(Matthew 10:6), and His
invitation was to all that are “weary” and
“heavy laden.” The
those who were the most
afflicted, the most scattered, and the most
distressed of mankind. It has
been and is the grand asylum for the tried and
the sorrowful and those who are counted “the offscouring
of all things”
(1 Corinthians 4:13).
1. Christ’s moral monarchy knows nothing of favoritism. It
does not treat
men according to their physical
condition, social status, or temporal
circumstances. It has respect
to souls. It is as much interested in the soul of
the pauper as in that of the
prince, the soul of the slave as in that of the
sovereign. Human monarchies have ever been taken up with man in his
material relations. The more
wealthy and influential a man is, the more
favors will worldly kings
bestow; the indigent and the homeless are only
regarded as beasts of burden. Not so with
Christ as the Monarch. Every
soul to Him is a matter of profound practical interest.
2. Christ’s moral
monarchy is remedial in its design.
It brings all the
miserable together in order to
rid them of their sorrows. By working into
human souls right principles of
action and expelling wrong ones, it
indirectly, though most
efficiently, heals all the temporary woes of
mankind. “Seek first the things from above, and all
others shall be added
unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) “Godliness
is profitable unto all things, having
the promise of the
life which now is, as well as of that which is to come.”
(I Timothy 4:8)
·
IT ESTABLISHES ITSELF AS THE GUARDIAN OF MEN
FOREVER. “And
thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the
daughter of
as the most wretched and
scattered of men will be brought into a great
community, so shall the reign of
the daughter of
Jews be converted and brought in
with the Gentiles. The watch tower
spoken of by Isaiah (Isaiah
32:14) is most likely the tower here referred
to by Micah. “Flock tower” is a
good expression, inasmuch as it indicates
the watchfulness of
Christ as a moral Shepherd, the great Shepherd of
souls. It is said here that “the kingdom shall come to the daughter of
and His own
received Him not.” (John 1:11)
Although on His last visit to
Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9) What
a Guardian, what a “Bishop of
souls,”
is Christ!
1. He knows all His sheep. Each of the millions
is known to Him — his
idiosyncrasies, imperfections,
necessities, etc.
2. He has ample provision for all His sheep. His provisions are adapted to
all, and are inexhaustible.
3. He has power to protect all His sheep.
·
CONCLUSION. Thank God this moral monarchy of Christ is established
on our earth! The
grades and classes have entered
into it, and they have found it to be
“righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Would that it were
universal! IT WILL BE SO ONE DAY! It is not
so yet, because, being
moral, men have the power of
resisting it.
9 “Now why
dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy
counselor perished? for pangs have taken
thee as a woman in
travail.”
Before this glorious revival the prophet
foresees calamity and
exile in the nearer future; yet he bids the people not to
despair. Why dost
thou cry out
aloud? The prophet hears the cry of
cause. Septuagint, Ἱνα τί ἔγνως
κακά - Hina ti egnos kaka - Why knowest
thou evils? - from a variation
in reading. Is there no king in thee?
Hast thou
lost thy king? Is this the reason of thy sorrow? The
allusion is to the captivity
of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah (II
Kings 24., 25.). The loss of the king, the
representative of the help and favor of God, was a token of
the withdrawal of
the Divine protection (compare Lamentations 4:20; Hosea
13:10). Thy
counselor. A synonym for “king.”
Cheyne notes that the root of melech
(“king”) in Aramaic means “to counsel.” In Isaiah 9:6 Messiah is called
“Counselor.” The
Septuagint, treating the word as a collective, renders,
ἡ βουλή
σου - hae boulae sou - thy counsel. For pangs have taken thee
as a woman in travail. - The
comparison of sorrow of heart to the anguish
of labor pains is very common (comp. Isaiah 13:8; Jeremiah
6:24; 50:43;
Hosea 13:13).
10 “Be in
pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of
woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and
thou shalt dwell
in the field, and thou shalt go even to
there shalt thou
be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee
from the hand of thine
enemies.” Be in pain. The anguish is not to be
resisted, but shall end, like birth pains, in deliverance.
Septuagint, Ωδινε
καὶ ἀνδρίζου
καὶ ἔγγιζε
- Odine kai andrizou
kai eggize - Be in pain, and
do bravely, and
draw near - which is like Aeneas’s
encouragement to his
friends (Virgil, ‘AEneid,’ 1:207)
—
“Durate, et vosmet rebus servate secundis.”
For now shalt thou go forth. The prophet leaves his metaphor, and
announces that the people shall “go forth” into
captivity. He says “now,”as
having the scene before his eyes. They must leave their
city, live shelterless
in the open country, be carried to a distant land, even to
dwell in the field; i.e. while they are making their way to the place of their
captivity. Thou
shall go even to Babylon. This is simple prophecy, and
could have been known to Micah only by inspiration. In his
day
was the enemy whom
being at this time in the position of a conquered country,
and not becoming
again powerful and independent for another century, So
Isaiah prophesied
of the captivity to
shaken our faith in the genuineness of that chapter. Micah
does not define
the time of the Captivity, or the agents; he notes merely
the place whither
the Jews were at last to be deported. Even in this case “
its typical import, and be taken to represent the great
world power arrayed
against the chosen race; and the prophecy may look forward
to other
fulfillments in succeeding ages. Some commentators think
that
here mentioned as the most distant country known, or as a
portion of the
Assyrian empire. Others suppose that Sargon transported
some Israelite
captives to
to
33:11), and that thus Micah was naturally led to represent
the Judaeans as
following their brethren. Whichever explanation we take,
there
is no reason to consider that the reference to
of a late editor of the prophetic writings. There shall thou be delivered.
In
in
the return from captivity under Cyrus; it is further fulfilled, under Christ,
in the rescue of
the true Israelites from the bondage of sin and the world.
The anguish is not to be resisted, but shall end, like birth pains, in deliverance.
“thou shalt go even unto
Lord shall redeem
thee from the hand of thine enemies”
Discipline
and Deliverance (vs. 9-10)
A glorious future has been held up to the view of the
Jewish nation (vs. 6-8).
It is like the ideals of
peace and blessedness presented to all
in the
Word of God; like the visions of the
heavenly glory set before even the
most ungodly. Such promises are attractive; even the
godless Jews in
Micah’s time would exult in the thought of “the
former dominion,” the
days of David and Solomon returning to
changes. Cries of pain and distress are heard. There passes
before the
prophet’s mind a view of the discipline and chastisement which must fall on
the disobedient
nation before the promised blessings can
be enjoyed.
·
THE SALUTARY DISCIPLINE.
In brief, vivid words a succession of
calamities is sketched.
1. Their monarchy is overthrown. “Is there no king
in thee?” Jehoahaz,
Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah in
succession were dethroned by
foreign conquerors, and carried into
exile. Many national premises and
blessings were bound up with the
name and family of David (II Samuel 7),
so that the loss of their king
was no ordinary loss. He was their chief stay
and “counselor” (compare
Isaiah 9:6), “the breath of their
nostrils”
(Lamentations 4:20). No wonder
their consternation and distress:
“pangs,” etc..(compare Psalm 89:38-51). Thus one step in Divine
discipline
then and now may be the striking
down to the ground of the chief objects
of our confidence, the earthly
props which we seek to substitute for God.
2. They are humiliated before
their foes. They “go forth out of the city;”
some in a vain attempt to
escape, like Zedekiah and his troops (II Kings
25:4-6); others as prisoners of
war from a city which has capitulated and is
being sacked by its conquerors.
Illustrate from Lamentations 5:1-16.
They are driven forth into “the
field;” without shelter even from the
elements unless in tents
(contrast their former “ease in
6:1-7, etc.); without the
protection of the old towers and bulwarks in
which they had prided themselves
(Psalm 48:12-13); without weapons
or leaders, and thus exposed to
any indignities that these conquerors
choose to inflict upon them.
Thus may it be with those whose way God
“turneth upside down,” stripping them of all their old sources
of security
— money, position, friends;
turning them out of the “nest” in which they
expected peacefully to spend the
remainder of their days. Illustrate from
contrasts in Job 29. and 30.
3. They are carried captive “even to
been a symbol of a godless world
power. It does not rise again on the
Hebrew horizon till the days of
Isaiah and Micah. Making friendly
overtures to Hezekiah, it is
presented to his view, by his faithful seer, as a
distant, mysterious, but
formidable foe of the future — ignotum pro
mirifico - everything unknown seems magnificent (Isaiah 39.). As the ten
tribes had been carried captive
to Halah and Habor and
adjacent districts,
so should
with His prodigals now. They may
find themselves in “a far country,” brought
down to the lowest depth of
humiliation, shut out from all earthly help, shut up
to God. And even now, in the
midst of the pleasures of sin, prophetic voices
within may warn them: “Thou
shalt go forth… thou shalt
go even to — .”
The dreadful possibilities of
judgment, whether in this world or another,
may at times mar their peace. For, unlike the
servants of God, they dare
not say, “Things to come… are
ours.”
4. In the house of bondage pangs
of sorrow must be borne. “Seventy
years!” — a long lifetime of captivity. “Tribulation ten days!”
(Revelation 2:10) a time of
discipline indefinite to us, though fixed by
the counsel of God. Those pangs
will be “resistless, remediless, doubling
the whole frame, redoubled till
the end for which God sends them is
accomplished, and then ceasing
in joy” (Pusey). For the very term “daughter
of
(Hebrews 12:9), which reminds us
of the essential relations between us and
our God, and gives us a pledge
that in wrath he will remember mercy
(compare Isaiah 57:16).
·
“THE END OF THE LORD.”
Then and there the end for which the
trials are sent will be reached,
and deliverance will come. As with their king
Manasseh, so shall it be with
the nation. In their affliction they will seek the
Lord (Jeremiah 29:10-13).
1. They shall be delivered. Set free from the burden
of their sins, a burden
too grievous to be borne; purged
from idolatry; blessed with a revival of
religion, as shown by a renewed
regard to God’s Law through the gracious
work of His own “free
Spirit” (Ezekiel 36:16-27).
2. They shall be redeemed from the hand of their enemies. God will visit
them as their Goel, their Kinsman-Redeemer, who has not
forgotten or
forsaken them (Jeremiah
30:8-11). By the manifestation of His
righteous grace and irresistible
power they shall be “redeemed without
money” (Isaiah 52:3), restored to their land and to the enjoyment
of
ancient privileges. Such is “the
end of the Lord” (James 5:11) in the
discipline of life. The
revelation of the Fatherhood of God in the Person
of Christ and in His sacrificial
death for the redemption of sinners assures
us that He chastens “for
our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.”
But it is only by sitting at His
feet and learning of Him, and thus being
“exercised” by our trials, that we can hope to win from them “the peaceable
fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:9-11).
vs. 11-13 Rescued from
of God.
11 “Now
also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her
be defiled, and let our eye look upon
scene is presented in contrast to the view in vs, 1-4. Many
nations are gathered
against thee. Primarily the
Assyrians are meant (Isaiah 33:3), whose armies were
composed of various nationalities (ibid. ch. 22:6; see below, here ch. 5:5). Pusey
thinks that the reference is rather to the attacks of petty
enemies, e.g. in
Maccabean times, and in the Samaritans’ opposition to the rebuilding
of
the temple. Cheyne would place
vs. 5-10 in a parenthesis, and connect
the present with the ideal description in vs. 1-4. Let her be defiled; i.e..
profaned, despoiled of her boasted holiness and
inviolability. Septuagint
ἐπιχαρούμεθα
- epicharoumetha - we will rejoice. The Vulgate, lapidetur,
points to her punishment as an adulteress, which does not
suit the context.
Let our eye look upon
sight of the humiliation of
12 But
they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand
they His counsel: for He shall gather them
as the sheaves into the floor.”
God’s people are not to be destroyed but their adversaries are! The heathen’s
blindness is proved by their not
perceiving till too late that God has brought them
together before
order to be broken up and destroyed. (Isaiah 21:10,
Jeremiah 51:23)
The metaphor is carried on in the next verse. Various are
the explanations
of the prophet’s reference in this prophecy. Many
commentators see in it a
reference to the destruction of the army of Sennacherib (II
Kings 19:35); others
discern a defeat of the Scythians
after the return from captivity; others, again,
place it in the times of the Maccabees;
and others interpret it of the defeat of
the mystical adversaries of God’s Church adumbrated in
Ezekiel 38.;
Zechariah 12.; and Revelation 20. But the prophet has not
one definite event
in view, but looks forward to the general conflict between
the powers of the
world and the Church, of which the historical events and
material enemies
were the types. Certain historical circumstances may
exactly suit the
prediction, but they do not exhaust it. And indeed we do
wrong to seek
for minute and definite fulfillment of particular
predictions. Such utterances
are often conditional and are modified by subsequent
circumstances. The
prophets are concerned with great moral truths and the
righteous government
of the world, and are not always to be interpreted with literal
exactness.
13 “Arise
and thresh, O daughter of
iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and
thou shalt beat in pieces
many people: and I will consecrate their
gain unto the LORD, and
their substance unto
the Lord of the whole earth.” Arise. Shake off thy
sorrow and fear and despair. And thresh. Tread thine enemies underfoot,
now that they are gathered in the
floor, as the oxen tread out the corn
(Isaiah 41:15, etc.; Jeremiah
51:33.) Thine horn. The horn is an emblem of
power and victory, as appertaining to the wild ox, the most powerful animal
in
is dropped for the moment, but resumed in the next clause. Hoofs. In allusion
to the mode of threshing mentioned above (Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Corinthians
9:9).
People; peoples.
I (God) will
consecrate. So the Masoretic text; but
the second person,
which the ancient versions give, is preferable. Septuagint,
ἀναθήσεις -
anathaeseis - thou shalt dedicate; Vulgate, interficies. Thou,
their gain unto the Lord. This consecration, or
devotion, to the Lord in the
case of living things involved death, the restitution to the
Lord of the life
which he had given (see Leviticus 27:21, 28-29; Zechariah
14:21).
Thus the spiritual
consecrate to the
Lord the power of the world; and all the wealth and
might of earth shall be subservient to the glory of the
The Moral Regeneration of the World
(vs. 9-13)
“Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee?
is thy
counselor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in
travail. Be in
pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of
without doubt, refers to the carrying away of the Jews to
refers to the consternation in which the Jews would be
placed on the
approach of the Chaldean army,
The questions relative to a “king”
and a
“counselor” (v. 9) are, it is thought, put forth in bitter irony, in
order to
provoke an answer. “Is there no king in thee? is thy
counselor perished?”
The answer, perhaps, would be, “Yes, we have a king, and we have
counselors, but they are utterly worthless; they have power neither to
protect us from the terrible calamities nor to invent means
for our escape.”
The metaphor of the parturient woman seems intended to
shadow forth the
agony of their consternation at the idea of going forth
from the city of
shall
redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.” Their restoration is
metaphorically represented by a travailing woman. Whilst it
is unfair to
attach to Scripture a wrong interpretation, it is perfectly
fair to use its
passages as symbols of truths applicable to man in all ages
and all lands.
These words may serve to illustrate, therefore, some points
in relation to
the moral
regeneration of the world.
·
THE STATE OF
is thy counselor
perished?” It was more serious for the
Jewish people to be
deprived of a king than for any
other people, for their king was theocratic;
he was supposed to be the voice
and vicegerent of God. The prophet
means to say that when the Chaldeans would come and carry them away,
they would have no king and no
counselors. Now, men in an unregenerate
state:
1. Have no king. A political ruler is to man, as a spiritual energy, only a
king in name. He does not
command the moral affections, rule the
conscience, or legislate for the
inner and primal springs of all activity. Such
a king is the deep want of man; he wants some one to be
enthroned on his
heart, to whom his conscience can render homage. No man in an
unregenerate state
has such a king; he has gods many and lords
many, of a
sort, but none to rule him, and to bring all the powers of
his soul into one
harmonious channel of obedience.
2. Have no counselor. Society abounds with
counselors who proffer their
advice; but some of them are
wicked, most of them worthless, few, if any,
satisfactory, that is, to
conscience. What the soul wants is not the mere
book counselor — though it be
the Bible itself — but the spirit of that
book, the spirit of reverence, love, Christ-like trust. Such a Spirit, when it
comes to us, will guide us into all truth; it is the “unction from the
Holy
One.”
3. “Have no
ease. Pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.” The
unregenerate soul is always
liable to consternation, remorse; it often
writhes in agony. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”
(Isaiah 57:21) Now, moral regeneration brings the man a true
King,
a true Counsellor, a true Peace — a peace “that passeth all understanding.”
(Philippians 4:7)
·
IT IS OPPOSED BY FORMIDABLE ANTAGONISTS. “Many
nations are
gathered against thee.” The nations
here referred to are those
that composed the army of Nebuchadnezzar, or those that joined it in the
attack against the Jews. What
formidable opponents there are to the
conversion of man!
1. The depraved elements of the soul. Unbelief,
selfishness, carnality, etc.
These are Canaanites that battle
mightily against the moral Joshua.
2. The corrupt influence of society. How much, in this
country and this age
especially, is there struggling
against man’s regeneration custom, fashion,
amusements, pleasures! And then,
too, acting through all these forces
within and without, there are THE PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS
OF DARKNESS; so that
it comes to pass that it is no very easy thing to effect
the regenerationof
men; there are nations of moral forces battling against it.
·
IT IS GUARANTEED BY THE
WORD OF ALMIGHTY GOD.
“They know not the
thoughts of the Lord,” etc. The
enemies of the Jews
were utterly ignorant of God’s
purpose to deliver His people from
Babylonish captivity. “They had not the most distant idea that the
object of
Jehovah, in permitting His
people to be so treated, was to recover them
from idolatry, and thus prepare
them for a triumphant restoration. The
metaphor taken from the process
of threshing out grain is frequently used
by the prophets to denote the
complete destruction of a people.”
1. Man in ignorance fights against
God’s
purpose. The Chaldeans and all
the enemies of the Jews did so
now. Men are always doing this. “Had they
known it, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (I Corinthians
2:8)
2. Man, in fighting against God’s purpose, brings ruin on himself. It is
here predicted that the enemies
of the Jews should be as “sheaves,” and
that the Jews themselves should
be strengthened. “I will make thine horn
iron, and I will
make thy hoofs brass.” “When God,”
says an old writer,
“has conquering work for His
people to do, He will furnish them with
strength and ability for it — will make the horn iron and the hoofs brass;
and when He does so, they must
exert the power He gives them, and
execute the commission: even the
daughter of
The nations thought to ruin
Christianity in its infancy, but it was victorious
over them. Those who persisted
in their enmity were broken to pieces
(Matthew 21:44), particularly
the Jewish nation; but multitudes by
Divine grace were joined to the
Church, and they and their substance were
consecrated to THE LORD JESUS, THE LORD OF THE WHOLE EARTH!
Through Trial to Triumph
(vs. 9-13; ch. 5:1)
There is a very natural connection between these and the
previous verses.
The seer has presented a glowing picture of the ultimate
triumphs of the
Messiah’s kingdom. In choicest language he has unfolded the nature of the
Messiah’s rule, and the beneficent effects to be secured
thereby. And now
he reminds us that this
victory should be won by suffering —
that God’s
order is through trial to triumph. Notice:
·
THE EXPERIENCE OF SORROW AS PREPARATORY TO JOY; OF
CONFLICT AS PREPARATORY TO VICTORY. (vs. 9-13; ch. 5:1.)
Whatever view may be taken as to
the true application of these
verses, it is very clear that they refer to
deep sorrow, through which the
nation must pass before the manifestation of the true
spiritual King whose
coming is so clearly indicated in the chapter following. Captivity must be
experienced; conflict must be
engaged in with “many nations;” loss of
rulers and leaders must be
sustained; war and siege must be felt. Yet all
these should prove but
preparatory to the experience of joy and victory;
they should be but as the pangs
preceding birth; out of and following these
throes there should come
the establishment of a kingdom which SHOULD
NEVER BE MOVED, and which their material
kingdom, now being so shaken,
even in its most prosperous and
peaceful days only faintly symbolized. And
this is ever the Divine order of
procedure. It is the all-wise appointment of
God that His servants should pass through trial and be
made perfect
through suffering. He
takes the seed and plants it in rough soil, and as the
result He causes to arise
beauteous flowers. The tear often precedes the
smile. The thick cloud gathers
over our heads, and lo! afterwards the
triumphant arch spans the sky,
telling of the Divine faithfulness and love.
We must suffer would we
ultimately reign; we must bear the cross would
we wear the crown. God’s
servants are soldiers, and the soldier must
“endure hardness” (II Timothy 2:3), and engage in sharp conflict ere he
reaps the warrior’s reward. His
followers are trees of righteousness, and
God prunes His trees that they
may bring forth much fruit” (John 15:2).
·
STIMULATING THOUGHTS AMIDST THESE DARKER
EXPERIENCES OF LIFE. Several
such thoughts are suggested here.
1. There’s “a
needs be” for these sorrows.
(v. 10.) It is here declared
that there was a necessity for
the sorrows here predicted. The trials are
referred to as experiences that must
be, and that could not be avoided. The
travail must be endured, the
captivity must be experienced, the discipline
must be passed through. The nation had woefully transgressed, and only
thus could it be purged and purified. As the crushing of the seed results in a
more abundant increase, so the
oppression of God’s servants should result
in the upspringing
of “the peaceable fruits of righteousness.” (Hebrews
12:11) “Of sorrow, sanctity is
born.” Here is one solution of “the mystery of
suffering.” It is designed
to work purification; it is a healthful discipline.
It is not that our Father-God is
wanting in sympathy that we have to pass
through adverse scenes, but
because His
sympathy is so large and so perfect
that it extends to THE
WHOLE OF OUR BEING! When He says,
“Be in pain,” etc. (v. 10), it is not that He does not feel with us, but
rather
because His sympathy is so large
that He deigns to lift us up to a higher
level, and to lead us to attain
unto a purer and more perfect character
and life; and hence, whilst “He will
not break the bruised reed, nor quench
the smoking flax,” He will also “send forth judgment unto truth.”
(Isaiah 42:2-3).
2. There is an overruling
heathen nations are represented
as encouraging each other to make a
decisive onslaught, upon the
favored people, and as speaking as though,
their plans, could very easily
be executed, the overthrow of
effected, and they gaze with
satisfaction upon the downfall and desolation
(v. 11). But there was a higher
than any mere human power swaying the
destinies of the peoples
of the earth. The Lord God omnipotent was
reigning. He had His
purposes and plans of which, the nations
took no
account, but which nevertheless
were to be developed. And in the
unfolding of these all the dark
designs of the evil would be overruled, and
whilst the nation of His choice
should. thus be tried as by fire, and so have
its dross consumes, they who,
prompted by their own mercenary and
ambitious ends, assaulted it,
should be brought to utter confusion and
shame (v. 13). The world still
abounds in evil doers who am pursuing
their own ends, and that they may
gain these are ever planning and
contriving harm; but it
may well comfort and strengthen our hearts, amidst
the anxiety and distress such
occasion, that there is still an overruling
loving direction good only shall eventually come to the
good, whilst the
counsel of the wicked shall perish, and the arm of their power
be broken.
3. There is the Divine abiding presence. This is implied in v.
9. The
prophet, abounding in deepest
sympathy with his people in their calamities,
would, nevertheless, have them
feel that they were not left utterly destitute;
that, though earthly rulers had
failed them, there was One who ever abides,
and who, if they but trusted Him, would bear them safely
through all. He
who had been the King and Guide
of their nation before earthly monarch
had ever been appointed over it
(1 Samuel 12:12) would not forsake
them now that human supports had given way, but would make their
present sorrows to end in higher
joy than they had formerly experienced
(Hosea 13:9, 14). Nor need we
fear in the time of trouble, so long as it
remaineth that “the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of
Jacob is our
refuge.” (Psalm 46:7).
4. There is ultimate deliverance. (v. 10.) The Lord
would assuredly
“turn again the
captivity of
through water they should be
brought out into a wealthy place (Psalm
116:12). Weeping might endure
for a night, but joy should come in the
morning (Psalm 30:5). And so
with His servants in every age. The way
He would have us take, despite all its difficulties and
discouragements,
shall bring us at length to the palace and to our crown.
This consecration, or devotion, to the Lord in the case of
living things involved
death, the restitution to the Lord of the life which He had
given (see Leviticus
27:21, 28, 29; Zechariah 14:21).
Thus the spiritual
consecrate to the Lord the power of the world; and all the
wealth and
might of earth
shall be subservient to the glory of the
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