Day 46: Disciplined, but loved - Micah 4 vs 6 - 13

6-8 “In that coming day,” says the Lord, “I will gather together those who are lame, those who have been exiles, and those whom I have filled with grief. Those who are weak will survive as a remnant; those who were exiles will become a strong nation. Then I, the Lord, will rule in Jerusalem (Mount Zion) as their king forever.” As for you, O Jerusalem (O tower of the flock), the citadel of God’s people - your royal might and power will come back to you again. The kingship will be restored to my precious Jerusalem.

9-10 But why are you now screaming in terror?  Have you no king to lead you? Have your wise people all died? Pain has gripped you like a woman in childbirth. Writhe and groan like a woman in labour, you people of Jerusalem (O daughter of Zion), for now you must leave this city to live in the open country. You will soon be sent in exile to distant Babylon. But the Lord will rescue you there; he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies.

11 Now many nations have gathered against you. “Let her be desecrated,” they say. “Let us see the destruction of Jerusalem (Zion)” 12-13 But they do not know the Lord’s thoughts or understand his plan. These nations don’t know that he is gathering them together to be beaten and trampled like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor. “Rise up and crush the nations, O Jerusalem (O daughter of Zion) says the Lord. “For I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves, so you can trample many nations to pieces. You will present their stolen riches to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.” Micah 4:6-13 New Living Translation.

In the middle of warning about nations God was sending to destroy Jerusalem, Micah spoke also of a time afterwards when God would once again do a good thing there! (vs 6-8). Notice how he describes what God would do in the opening sentence.

Is it just coincidence that when Jesus came to Israel Matthew 15:30-31 says that “vast crowds brought people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and He healed them all. The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.”? Micah also said that the Lord would 'reign in Jerusalem forever'. Is it coincidence that Jesus spoke of eternal life and an eternal kingdom?

So, while Micah spoke of how God would restore Jerusalem's fortunes after their time of exile, the ultimate fulfilment would have looked to when their Messiah arrived. That was the joy that awaited them - but for their immediate future there was something dreadful they had to go through. (vs 9-10)

But there was another side to what was going on. What do verses 12-13 teach about the nations in vs 11 who were gathering against Jerusalem to destroy her?

The lesson surely is that - while Jerusalem was being disciplined (but not disowned) by God – the hostile nations were adding to their sins so as to be judged and punished by Him. The New Testament teaches something similar in 1 Peter 4:16-18. Peter says: “It's no shame to suffer for being a Christian - praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! For the time has come for judgement, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgement begins with us - what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News! If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners!”

Some tough things we may have to go through in this world can be seen as God's loving discipline. He disciplines those He loves and we should thank Him. But what a fearful time lays in store for those who have loved wickedness and who have never turned from evil. Praise God that He loves us enough to discipline us for our good so that we will be saved on that awesome day.