As we continue looking at the message of the prophet Micah, we come to wonderful words of promise to the nation of Israel.
Micah 4:6-7 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
For almost 2000 years the people of Israel have been scattered all over the face of the earth. In the last century God put into the motion the regathering of His people to the land of Israel, and in 1948 the Jewish state of Israel was reborn. This dispersion and regathering had actually been prophesied by Moses.
Deuteronomy 30:1-3 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Though the regathering has begun, it is far from complete. In fact, the completion will happen after yet another time of judgment that will result in a godly remnant of the nation of Israel calling out to the Messiah for deliverance at the end of the refining fires of the 70th week of Daniel, the time we call the tribulation. This is according to the words of Jesus.
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
It is in response to that call that the Lord Jesus will return to set up His earthly kingdom and bring all the believing Jewish people home to Jerusalem and make them a great nation. This is the emphasis of the next verse in Micah.
Micah 4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
Scripture defines “the daughter of Zion” as Jerusalem.
Isaiah 10:32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 52:2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
The Lord is often referred to in scripture as a shepherd and His people as a flock of sheep. The Hebrew for tower references a “bed of flowers.” I think the Lord is saying that He is going to restore Jerusalem to the beauty and glory she enjoyed during the reign of King Solomon, and the Lord of lords and King of kings is going to rule from Jerusalem.
In chapter 7 the prophet praises God for His mercy and faithfulness in determining to restore a believing remnant of Israel in love and forgiveness in fulfillment of His promise to Abraham and Jacob.
Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
The language is beautiful and thought-provoking. God promises to perform truth to Jacob, the deceiver, the liar; and He promises to show mercy to Abraham. This reminds me of the truth Jesus taught in the beatitudes.
Matt. 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Abraham messed up more than once, but he is depicted as a man of mercy and compassion.
• He gives Lot the choice of pasture even though He was the man in authority.
• He desires blessing for Ishmael, the rejected son.
• He seeks to have Sodom and Gomorrah spared for just ten men.
As I continued to look for verses regarding God’s promise to show mercy to “the fathers of old,” I finally realized that for Him to keep His covenant with such a rebellious offspring as that of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is an act of mercy. In fact, as is often the case, when God restores Israel, it will be a time when God’s grace and mercy act hand-in-hand. They will be given what they don’t deserve and not given what they do deserve.
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