Day 40: Peace on earth - Micah 4 vs 1-5

1 - 2  In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all - the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.  People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.

3 - 4 The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.  Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise! 5 Though the nations around us follow their idols, we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever. Micah 4:1-5 New Living Translation

Chapters 1 to 3 of Micah told how the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were going to be desolated by foreign invaders. Even Jerusalem would be laid waste! It was because the people had turned away from God and their leaders, priests and prophets had become totally corrupt. But this didn’t mean God had changed His plan about using Israel to be a blessing of peace to the rest of the world. Today's verses remind us of that.

What do verses 1-2 prophesy would happen in days that were still future from when Micah spoke them?

What do verses 3-4 tell us would be the effect on people from all over the world wanting to learn about God's ways?

The question arises: “When will these things, and the amazing peace Micah prophesied, take place?” Have they ever begun to happen - or are they something even we are still waiting for? My answer would be that Micah was using Old Testament pictures to describe what would be the result of Jesus Christ coming into the world. The things he spoke of will always be the result of God's righteousness coming to people's lives. The prophet Isaiah spoke of God’s righteous King and said: “This righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest.” (Isaiah 32:17-18)

But doesn't Micah say it will only happen 'in the last days'? Yes, but the apostle Peter said the 'last days' arrived with Christ! When the Holy Spirit came upon the Church in Jerusalem Peter said: “God says, 'In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people'”. (Acts 2:17) And in 1 Peter 1:20 he wrote: “God chose Christ to be your ransom long before the world began - but now in these last days He has been revealed for your sake.” 1 Peter 1:20.

That's why when Micah speaks of the mountain of the house of the Lord being the highest of all – we must remember what Jesus said to a Samaritan woman who asked him where the proper place was to worship. Jesus said: “The time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. The time is coming - indeed it’s here now - when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24

Peace from God is what Christians from all over the world celebrate every Christmas. We remember how angels praised and said: “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” A question we can ponder is whether God's message has brought peace to our heart in such a way that we've made peace with people we may have been at loggerheads with, even family, friends, neighbours and others. This is part of what’s involved in following the Lord our God forever and ever. (vs 5)