©Michael Player
Chapter 5:7-15 (ESV) - Then the remnant of Jacob shall be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which delay not for a man
nor wait for the children of man.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it goes through, treads down
and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
and all your enemies shall be cut off.
And in that day, declares the Lord,
I will cut off your horses from among you
and will destroy your chariots;
and I will cut off the cities of your land
and throw down all your strongholds;
and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
and I will cut off your carved images
and your pillars from among you,
and you shall bow down no more
to the work of your hands;
and I will root out your Asherah images from among you
and destroy your cities.
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations that did not obey.
Question to consider: How did the church bring about the destruction of strongholds and cutting off of sorceries and fortune tellers?
After the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel and towns throughout the countryside of Judah, the LORD would rise up Babylon against the Assyrians after about three generations. The Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem in 587 BC. While a remnant from Jerusalem would be carted off to Babylon, the remnant of Jacob who had been captured by the Assyrians were now scattered among the nations.
While the nations believed that their own gods delivered Israel to them and that the scattered nation rendered them weak and useless, the LORD gave the assurance through Micah that they were still His remnant, and that their scattering was more like a pride of lions being released into a forest or a flock of sheep. They did not need city walls or legions of troops to carry out the plans of the LORD.
Once again, the language of cutting off the enemies and their instruments of war and idolatry appears violent because our first thought in destroying chariots, throwing down strongholds, and rooting out Asherah poles is that it required the use of the sword. People generally don’t give these things up without a fight.
However, the remnant of Jacob gathered around the scriptures and established congregations (synagogues) throughout the world. Not only did this connect Israel with God, but it was a call for the nations to repent and worship Him. The LORD used the world empires to make all of this possible. The Medes and Persians allowed the conquered nations to continue in worship of their gods which the LORD used for the remnant of Israel to return to the land and rebuild the holy city and temple. The Greeks established Hellenistic education which united the world in a common language and culture. The Romans built highways that allowed for the scattered remnant to return to the city and temple for the feast days.
After Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of the Father, the remnant gathered to celebrate Pentecost. The Holy Spirit descended, the gospel was preached, and the church was born. After the stoning of Stephen, the LORD once again sent His remnant back to the nations to preach the gospel even to the Gentiles.
As the Gentiles came to faith, they sought peace, destroyed their idols, and set aside their pagan ways. In this way, the LORD brought peace to the nations and accomplished all that was promised in today’s passage. The LORD still uses various nations to carry out vengeance. However, this is not the job of the church. We have beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks. We are not the sword of God but sowers of His word and harvesters of righteousness.
Dear heavenly Father, please give us eyes to see Your mercy and peace in the promises of Micah. May we joyfully bring the good news of Christ to those around us so they can turn from the things of this world and be reconciled to You. Amen.