Micah 5:7

Micah 5:7 says, And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.  The church today, those who believe in Christ as their Redeemer, will be scattered, but the gospel will go forth to refresh those who accept it.  Like the dew the gospel will not go forth with great might, but will simply come without a great display of power.  As the dew quietly refreshes the land, so does the gospel of Christ quietly refresh those who believe.  Verse eight adds, And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.  This was not a promise of a great military victory, but of the fact that followers of Christ are to carry the gospel with the boldness of a lion.  When we present the truth of the gospel then all false teachings will be torn to pieces.  Verse nine continues, Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.  Once more, this is a promise of what God will ultimately do to all the enemies of Christ.  We may encounter a lot of suffering at the hands of the rulers of the world today, but we are everlastingly secure by the power of God.  Verse ten states, And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:  God's people had been looking for safety in military power, but God said He would destroy their horses and chariots.  When we as God's people begin to look for safety in anything in this world outside the will of God, then we may face the same fate.  This is not to say that this is always the case, but it is the ultimate outcome.  Verse eleven adds, And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds.  We may not have strong holds as such today, but wherever we look for safety will be cut off from us when we disobey the will of God.  Verse twelve continues, And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:  Micah begins to list some of the sins of the people that God said He would cut off.  They were guilty of witchcraft and soothsaying, or fortunate telling.  When we look to the stars to foretell our future, for example, we are guilty of the same thing, and our actions will not please God.  Verse thirteen says, Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.  God said their idols would be destroyed and they would no longer worhip the work of their hands.  When we allow our job and the things that it gets for us to become more important than our relationship to God, we need to realize that one day all these things will be cut off.  Verse fourteen adds, And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.  Micah was speaking for God to God's chosen people, and God said that their groves, or farms we might say, and their cities would be destroyed.  There would be no safe place that they could hide from God.  Verse fifteen continues, And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.  If God would destroy all that His people relied on, imagine how much worse it would be for those who did not acknowledge Him.  When Christ returns to deliver His church, all that has been done outside the will of God will be destroyed.

Micah 5:1

Micah 5:1 says, Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.  This likely refers to the fall of Israel before the coming of Christ.  God's people were already divided, and it should be no surprise that they would fall when they attempted to live by their own strength.  If we, as God's people are divided today instead of being united through the Holy Spirit, then we should not be surprised when our plans fail.  Verse two adds, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.  This is a direct reference to the coming Messiah, Who had been the only way to salvation from the beginning of time.  Instead of coming from one of the cities of power, the Messiah was to come from lowly Bethlehem.  God does work in His own way, which we often fail to understand, yet we must always put our faith in His plan.  Verse three continues, Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.  Micah did not promise an immediate restoration of God's people, but he promised a certain one for the remnant to return to Jerusalem.  I believe the remnant were those who remained true to God no matter what.  Even though there is little evidence of it in the world today, God's kingdom is coming when He determines the time is right. We simply need to remain true to our commitment to Him.  Verse four states, And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Those who are followers of Christ can rest assured in His strength and live for the majesty of God.  Christ has assured those that follow Him that He will be with them forever.  Verse five adds, And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.  This verse promises that God will be with us when we are under attack in the world.  The Assyrians were powerful in Micah's day, but they were no threat to God.  Satan has some powerful people at work for him in the world today, but they are no threat to the everlasting peace that we have if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse six continues, And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.  Micah did not promise that God's restored people would become a great military power, but that God Himself would deliver them.  We today cannot look for peace anywhere but in following God's will for our lives.  Even if we are persecuted, we must continue to proclaim the gospel of Christ.

Micah 4:6

Micah 4:6 says, 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;  We know that the nation of Israel in Micah's day had become weak, because they did not follow God's will for them. When this says that God had afflicted them, I believe that the affliction was a result of losing God's protection as a nation.  When we refuse to obey God, we should not be surprised that we suffer afflictions from our lack of obedience.  We also know that God calls all people to be assembled by faith in Him.  Verse seven adds, 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 mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.  God promises to maintain a remnant and heal them and make them strong.  Some would apply this to the nation of Israel today, but since they still refuse to acknowledge Christ as their Savior and Lord, I believe that it would apply more to the church, those who are followers of Christ.  Verse eight continues, 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 Jerusalem.  I believe that this refers to the coming of Christ, Who did indeed come first to the people of Israel.  Verse nine states, Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counseller perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.  God through Micah asked since the people of Israel, or Judah, had started to live by their own will instead of following the will God, why were they crying out to God when things were not going well for them.  He asked if they did not still have a king and if their counsellor had perished.  When we as followers of Christ are outside the will of God, even if everything in life seems the same, we will find no true peace and purpose in life.  Verse ten adds, Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a 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 Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.  Instead of promising a deliverance from God at that time, Micah said the people were going to be taken away captive until God delivered them.  God was not leaving them without hope, even when they rebelled against Him.  If we begin to follow our own will and rely on our own strength today, we should not be surprised if we are taken captive by sin.  Still, if we are truly God's by faith in Christ, we can be certain of our ultimate deliverance.  Verse eleven continues, Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.  Just as in Micah's day, there are many nations aligned against God's people.  There are even many within the nation that calls itself a Christian nation that are aligned against God.  Verse twelve says, 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.  Micah proclaimed that those who thought they could defeat God's plan did not understand His council.  God said He would gather His people together again.  Verse thirteen adds, Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn 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.  Just as God's people were told in Micah's day, we should arise under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.  When we follow God's will, nothing can defeat us.

Micah 4:1

Micah 4:1 says, 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.  After predicting the destruction of what were thought of as holy places of God, due to their corruption by the religious leaders, Micah proclaims a coming restoration of God's people.  The old order of the law had failed due to the continued rebellion of God's people, but that was not the end of hope.  God was again going to establish His church, built by faith in Christ alone.  God's house, those who accepted salvation through Christ, would be exalted in the high places.  I believe that this means that we as followers of Christ are to be a beacon to the lost.  We are never to hide in fear, but are to boldly proclaim Christ to the world.  Verse two adds, 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 Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  When God's people are following Him, then people will be drawn to Him.  Before, under the Mosaic law, the Jewish people were viewed as being God's people, and others were viewed as being not God's, or Gentiles.  Now Micah said many nations would come to worship God.  The Jewish people had been charged with bringing others to God, but they had failed.  We as followers of Christ today are charged with carrying the gospel to all people, and we cannot be selfish in doing so.  The gospel is for all people, not just a select few.  Verse three continues, 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.  Micah said there was a coming time of peace.  There was coming a time when people would make farming implements instead of war implements.  We also know that this time of peace, if it comes, will never last in this world, but will be the nature of life in the world to come.  Still, I wonder how much we should invest in the implements of war versus the implements of peace.  Verse four declares, 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.  Micah said that when this time of peace came that people could live content and without fear, not because of their strength, but because of God.  Only God can bring true and lasting peace to people, and His peace will last forever.  As followers of Christ, we should already have that peace in life.  Even if the world is filled with war and hatred, we are secure in our relationship with God forever.  Verse five adds, 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.  I believe that this cannot just totally apply to heaven, because there no one will follow after any false god, but will only follow the One true and living God.  The main point is that even if people follow other gods, we as followers of Christ are to walk in the name of our God forever and ever.  This does not mean someday, but from the day that we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Micah 3:6

Micah 3:6 says, Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.  Having warned the false prophets to prepare for war, God began to tell them some of the things that were going to happen to them.  God said that these false prophets were to no longer have any visions, nor would they divine the future.  It is not that before they had visions from God about the future, but now they would not even have the false visions and prophecies that they claimed to have before.  Those who claim to speak for God when they are really only attempting to prove their own value need to be aware that God will ultimately judge them, and their works will be shown to be the works of darkness.  Verse seven adds, Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.  Micah said in the coming judgment of Israel that those who had prophesied peace would be ashamed and confounded.  He said they would cover their lips, because there would be no answer from God.  I believe this warning still applies.  When we make false prophecies in the name of God, we will ultimately be held accountable for them, and at that time we can only be ashamed and without anything to say in our defense.  Verse eight continues, But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sins.  Micah proclaimed himself to be full of power by the spirit of God.  Just saying that did not make it true, but the truth of Micah's power under God's strength and guidance came from his prophecies being fulfilled.  Micah didn't come promising peace, but instead came prophesying destruction.  We today must be true to God's word and follow His will, even if all that is promised in this world is war and destruction.  Until Christ returns, there can be no real peace in the world, no matter what is promised in the name of God.  Still, we as followers of Christ can live in peace because we are secure in God's everlasting protection.  Verse nine states, Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. Micah was speaking to those who were called God's people, and he said the hated judgment and perverted all equity.  I believe Micah was saying that there was no real justice to be found with them.  Verse ten adds, They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.  Their chief cities were made prosperous by the blood of their oppressed citizens and by dealing in sinful ways.  Verse eleven continues, The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.  All those who were supposed to represent God for the good of all His people were serving material rewards instead.  Micah said that even when they did this that they would claim God was with them so no evil could come to them.  When we begin to think that just because we claim to be God's people and live only for what is most profitable for us that God has to protect us, we are sadly mistaken.  Verse twelve concludes, Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.  Micah warned them of the coming total destruction of Zion and Jerusalem.  We can be just as certain of the coming destruction of anything that we build that is not built under God's leadership.

Micah 3:1

Micah 3:1 says, And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?  Micah asked the heads of Israel to hear what he was saying.  He then questioned if they were not the ones who should know judgment.  I believe this means God's judgment.  The next two verses refer to some of the evil ways the leaders were treating those under them.  Verse two adds, Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;  Verse three continues, Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.  Instead of treating those under them fairly, the prophets and rulers abused them for their own profit.  I don't believe that the rulers had any concern for those that they ruled over.  They felt free to abuse them any way they chose.  We need to remember that these were God's chosen people that Micah was speaking to, and their rulers had become this corrupt.  If those chosen to rule over God's people were this corrupt, then what hope was there for the rest of the world?  Verse four states, Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.  This was still addressed to the religious leaders and false prophets.  God said that when adversity came upon them then they would hypocritically call out to Him.  We cannot expect to live our lives guided by our own selfishness and expect God to bail us out when things go wrong.  Verse five adds, Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.  God warned the false prophets who promised peace in the name of God that God Himself had not promised should prepare for war instead.  When people begin to make promises in the name of God that do not truly come from God, then destruction will certainly await them.  We, as followers of Christ cannot allow ourselves to become guilty of doing this.

Micah 2:5

Micah 2:5 says, Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.  I believe this verse and the next few relate to hypocritical worship.  Casting lots was used to determine God's will, and at times to determine an inheritance.  I believe that God was telling the people of Israel that there was no need to go through the motions of worship when they did not submit to the leadership of God.  If we are not following God in our lives today, then there is no use in pretending that we are worshipping Him by going through religious gestures.  Verse six adds, Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.  Micah said that God had called for those who prophesied to guit.  The prophets had ceased to proclaim God's word but were instead proclaiming what the people wanted to hear.  We can never change the word of God just because it is unpopular.  If we do, then we can not expect God to bless our words nor our work.  Verse seven continues, O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?  God asked if those who were called the house of Jacob, or God's people in other words, believed that the way they were living was directed by God.  As followers of Christ today, we must always live our lives for God's glory.  When we are following God's leadership then we can walk uprightly in the world.  Verse eight states, Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.  God said that lately those who were called His people had risen up as enemies against Him.  Instead of treating strangers with courtesy, they had started taking everything they had from them.  Verse nine adds, The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.  God said that women and children, like the strangers, were mistreated.  Instead of caring for them and showing the love of God to them, God's people had taken away His glory.  The way we treat others as followers of Christ should always bring glory to Him.  Verse ten continues, Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.  Those who were called God's people were told to arise and depart because they had polluted their covenant with Him.  They could not rely on their physical birth and their empty worship to bring the blessings of God to them, and neither can we today.  Verse eleven says, If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.  I believe this is a warning against claiming to walk by the leadership of God when we are lying about that relationship.  We might as well be drunk on wine, since we are not filled with the Holy Spirit.  Verse twelve adds, I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.  God said He would gather the remnant of Israel.  God has never been totally devoid of those who follow Him.  When Christ came, He died to redeem all who put their faith in God.  Verse thirteen continues, The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.  Matthew Henry says that some believe the breaker refers to John the Baptist, but we can be certain that God is referring to the restoration of those who believe in Him.  Through Christ, God is our King forever.