A Vision of the Future
Micah cannot dwell in the judgment for too long. That’s the funny thing about prophets. So often prophets cannot help but look to the
world and see all the problems contained within it. Often it is depressing to be a prophet because
we understand just where the world is and where the world is headed if they
don’t change. Having that vision of the
short-term future with respect to the world can really take a toll on a person!
So Micah now turns to the extended future. It may be a future that is beyond his
lifetime. It may be a future that the
people to whom he is speaking will not know in a physical sense. But Micah has to turn to that time because
for a prophet, the future of God’s reign is where the hope and promise truly
rests. So many prophets turn to the
ultimate future of God’s direct reign because they know that so long as human
beings are in control that “most great men will be bad men.” Only when God reigns will a truly good leader
reside.
I actually believe that this is why the end of the world is a
topic that is often spoken about among evangelicals. I believe that there are a fairly large
number of people among evangelicals who are either gifted with a prophet’s
vision or who can easily tap that area even if it isn’t their primary gift in
ministry. When you have people who can
so easily look at the world around them and know confidently where the world is
headed unless it turns to God, you also have a people who must frequently turn
to a future vision of hope in God’s reign.
The Mountain of God
So when Micah looks ahead to the future kingdom of God, what does
he see? Micah sees a place of
justice. Micah sees a place where people
willingly say, “Let us come to the mountain of God, for there we can be taught
by God and walk in His ways.” For Micah,
one of the key principles in the reign of God is that people will recognize
that His ways are better and they will act upon that realization.
I think that understanding Micah’s focus is important for two
reasons. As with all prophetic voices,
it gives us a glimpse into the current reality as well as points to the
ideal. The current reality is that for
Micah he doesn’t see people valuing the precepts of God. He doesn’t see people turning to God and
saying, “He can show us a better way.” Even
among God’s own people this cannot be seen!
I don’t think that we genuinely have this practice across the
modern world, either. Certainly there
are flares of it here and there – as there were in Micah’s day. But certainly there is no worldwide movement
to understand that God’s desires are better than our desires.
Second, Micah’s vision helps point us to the ideal. The ideal is that God’s people will be a part
of God’s demonstration as to why His ways are better. God’s people help make it known and
understandable why God’s ways are better.
After all, who would ever follow the diet of a person who is grossly
obese? Who would ever listen to a
marriage counselor who has been divorced five times in their life? Who would ever follow a pastor who can’t
demonstrate a relationship with God’s Word?
When God is truly in charge, God’s people will live according to God’s
statutes and be the demonstration of why God’s ways are worthwhile.
Promise of the Future
In the last third of this chapter we can see who it is that God
picks up as the remnant: the lame, the cast off, and the afflicted. Notice who are left off the list: those who
oppress others and who should rightfully be leading. I think the point of God is clear. You don’t get to become a part of the remnant
by your status and by your ability to follow your own desires. If you find yourself backing away from what
God is calling you to do, you might want to rethink that decision. If you find yourself using what God has given
to you as a means of increasing your worldly pleasure, you might want to take
notice.
It is the lame, the cast off, and the afflicted that are the
remnant. It is these that God will make
into a strong nation. The tough ones who
come through persecution with their eyes still focused on God are the ones that
God turns into His strength.
In fact, Micah makes a really awesome point as he slowly
transitions back to the coming persecution under Assyria and Babylon. He says that it is actually through this
persecution that the Lord will make them strong. The Lord isn’t just going to rescue them but
He will make them strong in the persecution!
That’s an incredible promise; yet it is also a very high bar.
It will be easy for the Hebrew people to succumb to the pressures
of the persecution. Historically, we
know this to be true. Most of Israel
becomes absorbed into the Asssyrian culture and loses their heritage. Many in Judah do the same. Most of the Hebrew people go into captivity
and simply become like the rest of the world just to survive. As they become malleable to the world they
lose their God.
It is a remnant – a word that means what’s left after most is gone
or been destroyed – that will remain. It
is a small portion that will maintain their faith towards God. It is a small portion that will not just
persevere through the persecution but be made strong by it! It is a small portion that will see God’s
hand at work in the midst of the trials of the world and rather than assimilate
the world they will cling to God!
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