Image: "Promised Refreshment", 2020, Daniel's Dam, Patapsco State Park, Daniels Area
Micah 7:2 The faithful man has perished from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net.
Micah 7:6–7 For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household. 7 Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.
Micah 7:18–19 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
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Jesus spoke to the very confused disciples and told them that they needed to be prepared for what was coming: "...brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death." (Mark. 13:12) They had asked what appeared to be a simple question. Jesus had told them that the beautiful temple before which they were standing would be torn down such that not one stone would be left on another. They asked, quite humanly, "when will this happen?" Jesus did not answer precisely but rather descriptively. "Tough times have to happen first. The pressure of evil men will be felt far and wide such that the structures of civil life will be threatened. Families will turn on themselves, shredding the most fundamental unit of cultural stability. It will be so bad that people will look for a scapegoat and sure enough, (Mark. 13:13) they will find one in you. You will be hated by all for My name's sake."
That terrifying description of what was coming would sober any sane person. If that was all that was said then Christianity would have no message of hope. But Jesus did not leave them in despair. Starting in Mark 13:24 He goes on to describe how He will come again as the crowning victory over sin and death. The message is this: the misery and terror of sin will, at last, be vanquished, but as the day of victory approaches, sin will break out in even greater vehemence. There will be a dark night before the brilliant morning.
Micah 7 so closely follows this pattern that I wonder if the Lord was consciously applying it to His teaching.
God starts with the accentuated depravity that was coming. Reflecting back on the days of Noah, God declares again that "the faithful man has perished from the earth... " There is none righteous, no not one. This horrible verdict is backed up by many examples. People are so depraved that they are like cannibals hunting "his brother with a net." (vs. 2) Verses 3 & 4 detail how corruption, greed, and ruthlessness permeate the entire social structure. And then, as did Jesus, God brings it home in vs. 5 & 6. Trust will be completely broken at every level. The family itself will dissolve as each individual places his or her own best interest above even their most intimate companions or family members.
This is a horrifying picture but we must not shy away from it. The whole purpose of revealing what was coming was to generate a prevailing conviction that only God can bring good out of the situation... only God can bring salvation in the face of hopelessness. Micah cries out: "Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me." Jesus said somewhat the same thing: Mark 13:13 (NKJV) ... But he who endures to the end shall be saved."
God affirms the same message in Micah as Jesus did in this teaching. God says in Micah 7:15-17 that, for all intents and purposes, it will be the same as it was in the redemption from Egypt. He will move with signs and wonders that will shake the earth. All of those evil men and women will be terrified at the judgment that comes on them. They "shall be afraid of the LORD our God and shall fear because of You." Such in essence is the conclusion to which Jesus points and it is absolutely the message of the Revelation given to John. God will not allow the horror of sin and the whirlpool of depravity to completely consume His people or destroy His beautiful Creation. God will act, at just the right time, and when He does He will "give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham!" (vs. 20) God's mercy and grace will trump His righteous anger as far as His people go. He will pardon their iniquity, pass over their transgressions, have compassion on us and subdue all our willful rebellion. Like the herd of swine into which Jesus cast the legion of demons, God will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 8:18,19, cf. Mark 5:11-13)
The point is this: we must simply accept, and even embrace, the truth that "sin" is normal in the sense that it is woven into the fabric of our fallen world. Our prayers should not be directed toward God removing all terror and hatred and hardship while this sinful world continues. God will in fact do all that "when He comes again" so, like Micah, and in line with Jesus' teaching, what we should be praying is that God will equip us and empower us to persevere. We must be realistic. There will be highs and lows... sometimes we may get some degree of respite... but those times are only the calm before the storm.
We must turn to God in hope and adoration, and see through the temporary pall of evil to that bright morning that is closer now than it hs ever been. "Some glad morning... I'll (we'll) fly away" as we rise to meet our Savior in the air. Till that day we must endure and our prayer, as always, is: "Maranatha, Lord Jesus, come quickly."
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