Miquéias 4

Miquéias 4

Meyer - It is not improbable that Isaiah, Micah 2:1-4, and Micah quoted an older prophecy, which in its fullness, is yet to be fulfilled. In the millennial age Israel, in her restored beauty, will be the center of a renovated world. That restoration will bring great glory to God and blessing to mankind, Ro 11:15. The time center of unity is not to be found in creeds or systems, but in the impulse of a common desire after God and common worship. When men have found their unity in God they will renounce war; and the home-life will become the preservative of society, Micah 4:4. Micah 4:6-7 foretell the gathering of Israel to their own land. Babylon probably stands not only for the literal nation by which the Jews were carried into captivity, but for all of the Gentile nations that have afflicted the Chosen People. Notice that God’s deliverances discover and help us in the midst of our direct affliction. (Commentary) A C Gaebelein - The last verse (Micah 3:12) predicted the long desolation and ruin of Zion. This is followed at once by a great prophecy of the future of glory in store for Zion. Isaiah also uttered this great prediction. Not that Micah copied Isaiah, nor Isaiah Micah, but the same Spirit gave to the men the same prophecy. It concerns the latter days, which means the coming of Messiah’s kingdom on earth. These days are not yet here. To apply these words, even in a spiritual way, to the present age, or to the Church, is a serious mistake. The house of the Lord is not the Church, but the house in Jerusalem (Ed: context must be "king," if one truly seeks accurate interpretation), to which in the kingdom the nations will come to worship the Lord of hosts. The nation will be judged and rebuked by Him whose glorious throne will be established in Jerusalem. Then, and only then, comes the time of universal, world-wide peace. How blind Christendom is in not seeing in what connection the favored text concerning peace on earth stands! It will be “in that day” when “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” The prediction of our Lord that throughout this age, down to its end, nation would lift up sword against nation, is then ended, and another order of things begins; for then “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” What peace and prosperity will then follow! It is described in the fourth verse, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Annotated Bible) Those readers who feel that God is finished with Israel might be surprised to discover that the prince of preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon would not agree with their interpretation. In fact Spurgeon clearly believed in a future restoration of a literal nation of Israel. Here is a statement regarding the nation of Israel made by Spurgeon in 1864 (84 years before Israel became a sovereign nation for a second time and also years before the birth of Dispensationalism). The meaning of our text, as opened up by the context (Ed: Spurgeon clearly understood that context was absolutely crucial for accurate interpretation), is most evidently, if words mean anything (Ed: Does this statement sound like Spurgeon spurned Literal Interpretation which so many decry!), first, that there shall be a political restoration of the Jews to their own land and to their own nationality; and then, secondly, there is in the text, and in the context, a most plain declaration, that there shall be a spiritual restoration, a conversion in fact, of the tribes of Israel. (From his sermon - The Restoration and Conversion of the Jews - Ezekiel 37:1-10) In addition Dennis Swanson discusses Spurgeon's view of The Millennium noting that Despite claims to the contrary, his position was most closely identifiable with that of historic pre-millennialism in teaching the church would experience the tribulation, the millennial kingdom would be the culmination of God's program for the church, a thousand years would separate the resurrection of the just from that of the unjust, and the Jews in the kingdom would be part of the one people of God with the church. (The Millennial Position of Spurgeon) (Related article: C. H. Spurgeon, Biblical Inerrancy, and Pre-millennialism A Review Article by John C. Whitcomb -- Grace Theological Journal 7.2 [1986], 229-234) - See bottom of page 5 for this statement from the 1891 edition of "The Sword and Trowel" - "Our hope is the Personal Pre-millennial Return of the Lord Jesus in glory") Henry Alford one of the most highly respected theologians from the 19th Century wrote these words on Revelation 20:4-6 which he titled "The Millennial Reign" (notice that he wrote this many years before Dispensationalism was even propounded as a system)… It will have been long ago anticipated by the readers of this Commentary, that I cannot consent to distort words from their plain sense (Ed: Clearly Alford espouses Literal Interpretation) and chronological place in the prophecy, on account of any considerations of difficulty, or any risk of abuses which the doctrine of the millennium may bring with it. Those who lived next to the Apostles, and the whole Church for 300 years, understood them in the plain literal sense: and it is a strange sight in these days to see expositors who are among the first in reverence of antiquity, complacently casting aside the most cogent instance of consensus which primitive antiquity presents. As regards the text itself (Ed: Referring to Rev 20:1-6), no legitimate treatment of it will extort what is known as the spiritual interpretation (Spiritualizing) now in fashion. If, in a passage where two resurrections are mentioned, where certain psuchai exesan at the first, and the rest of the nekroi exesan only at the end of a specified period after that first,—if in such a passage the first resurrection may be understood to mean spiritual rising with Christ, while the second means literal rising from the grave;—then there is an end of all significance in language, and Scripture is wiped out as a definite testimony to any thing. If the first resurrection is spiritual, then so is the second, which I suppose none will be hardy enough to maintain: but if the second is literal, then so is the first, which in common with the whole primitive Church and many of the best modern expositors, I do maintain, and receive as an article of faith and hope)… (Alford's Summary of Rev 20:1-10) 1–10.] THE VICTORY OVER SATAN. The next enemy now remaining is the Arch-fiend himself, who had given his might and his throne and great power (Revelation 13:2) to the beast: whose instruments the other enemies were. The blow given to him by their overthrow is followed by his binding and incarceration for 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-3): during which period the Saints live and reign with Christ, and judge the world, and the first resurrection takes place (Revelation 20:4-6). But his malice and his power are not yet at an end. One final effort is permitted him at the end of that time (Revelation 20:7), and he once more succeeds in deceiving the nations (Revelation 20:8), who come up against the camp of the saints, and are destroyed by fire from heaven (Revelation 20:9). He is then cast into the lake of fire with the beast and false prophet, there to be tormented forever (Revelation 20:10). (Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary) Recommended Resources Related to Interpretation of Prophecy: Discussion of Allegorizing and Spiritualizing the Truth The Art and Science of Interpretation The Rise of Allegorical Interpretation Understanding Symbols and Figures In the following table, observe God's pattern, noting especially how in the midst of wrath He remembers mercy, even promising welfare in place of calamity thus giving Israel a future and a hope (cf Jer 29:11)! It is fascinating that we see Jehovah repeatedly juxtapose prophecies of inevitable destruction with prophecies of incredible renewal for Israel as typified in His introductory prophecy in Jeremiah… See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant. (Jer 1:10) TABLE 1 DIVINE MERCY TRUMPS DIVINE WRATH JUDGMENT PROMISE/HOPE Micah 1:1-2:11 Micah 2:12-13 Micah 3:1-12 Micah 4:1-5:14 Micah 5:1 Micah 5:2-15 Micah 6:1-7:10 Micah 7:11-20 And so even in the midst of wrath, God remembers mercy (Hab 3:2-note), and Micah 4:1-5:15 is a excellent example, for the prophecy of Jerusalem's desolation and ruin in Micah 3:12 is followed with a prophecy of restoration of the future glory for Zion! This yet to be fulfilled prophecy is so significant and so glorious that the Spirit inspired Isaiah (Micah's contemporary) to pen a virtually identical description of the future Millennial Reign of the Messiah (Isaiah 2:2-4-note). As noted above, the topic of the coming of the Messiah and Israel's future restoration continues from Micah 4:1 to Micah 5:15). Moses had predicted When you (Israel) are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter (Lxx = eschatos > "eschatological") days, you will return (Heb = shub; Lxx = epistrepho) to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. (Deut 4:30, 31) Comment: Dear reader regardless of whatever "theological system" you are an adherent, let me ask you "Has the prediction of Moses been fulfilled?" If you are objective and honest, surely you agree that this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. Yes, the Jews are back in the Land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but they are back largely in unbelief (in their Messiah). Today the majority of the nation of Israel is secular and has only a shallow interest in the Word of God or the God of the Word! Compare parallel promises by God to Israel in Deut 30:1-9. Clearly the heart of most Jews is not yet circumcised (cf Jer 31:33, Ezek 36:26-27-note, Ro 2:25-29-note, Col 2:11-note), again strongly supporting the premise that the perfect fulfillment of this prophecy is yet future event. And - This conjunction is present in the original Hebrew (Lxx has kai = and) but most of the modern translations (even the ESV) omit it! Micah is clearly tying the hopeful message that follows with the horrible message that preceded (See the following table on parallel contrasts). Some feel this is a poor chapter break in light of the fact that Micah is still speaking of Zion and Jerusalem. The mood changes from judgment to hope (see table 1 and table 2), for the overgrown Temple Mount would be exalted and the holy city like a plowed field as McComiskey puts it "would become the center of God’s gracious activity to the peoples of the earth." (His contribution to the Expositor's Bible Commentary) TABLE 2 CONTRASTS LINKING ORACLE OF DOOM IN MICAH 3 & ORACLE OF HOPE IN MICAH 4 MICAH 3 A TRAGIC ENDING MICAH 4 A NEW BEGINNING Zion, Jerusalem Micah 3:10, 12 Zion, Jerusalem Mountain of the Temple (Heb = har = mountain) Micah 3:12 Mountain of the house (Heb = har = mountain) Heads, leaders (Heb = ro'sh) Micah 3:9, 11 Chief (Heb = ro'sh) Zion built with bloodshed Jerusalem with violent injustice Micah 3:10 Zion source of the law Jerusalem source of the Word of Jehovah Priests teach for money Leaders judge unjustly Micah 3:11 Jehovah teaches His righteous ways Jehovah judges justly PROPHECY FOR THE LAST DAYS It will come about in the last days - What is "It?" What will come about? When? Simple questions to aid your inductive study of the text. The last days (literally "at the back of the days") 11x - Isa 2:2; Jer 23:20; 49:39; Ezek 38:16; Hos 3:5; Mic 4:1; Acts 2:17; 2Ti 3:1-note; Heb 1:2-note; Jas 5:3; 2 Pet 3:3-note Compare similar phrases (in the NASB)… Latter Days: Dt 4:30, Dt 31:29, Jer 30:24 (cf Jer 23:20), , Jer 48:47, Da 2:28, Da 10:14 Days to come - Ge 49:1; Nu 24:14; Isa 27:6 Related Resource: Click for detailed discussion of "the last days" Last days clearly has prophetic implications in this context, and from the use in Hebrews 1:2-note (cf Acts 2:17, 2Ti 3:1-note, 1Pe 1:20-note) we see that the last days begin with Jesus' first coming. Micah (and Isaiah's) descriptions of the Last Days clearly do not "fit" Messiah's first coming, but will be fulfilled at Messiah's Second Coming. Patterson - This expression (last days) is prophetic shorthand for “the Day of the LORD,” the eschatological day of divine intervention in history that brings both the judgment of the wicked and the deliverance of the righteous. It is a day of cosmic upheaval and reversal, a day of theophany (an appearance of the Lord) and holy war against the pagan nations. The “day of the LORD” is an indefinite period of time, but always an impending event for the OT prophets. (Ed: See discussion of Day of the Lord) MacKay - Certainly this (Micah 4) prophecy was not exhausted by the return of the Jews from Babylon, though in such an event we can readily detect a partial fulfilment of it (Ed: Beware for MacKay replaces Israel with the Church in some of his interpretation of Micah 4!). Patterson - Micah described the day of the Lord as a day of reversal. He envisioned a day in which Jerusalem is the “navel” of the earth (Mic 4:1), a day when weapons of war are retooled as instruments of peace (Mic 4:3), a day when peace prevails over war (Mic 4:4), and a day when the worship of Yahweh is the “gold standard” among competing religious traditions (Mic 4:5). The idea of reversal is a common motif in the prophetic literature addressing the topic of the day of the Lord. This theme of reversal is sometimes called a “world upside down” (van Leeuwen 1986:599–610). God is a God of a “world upside down” in the sense that he is a God of surprises, a God of the unexpected. Barker on last days - The phrase can refer to the general or undetermined future (e.g., Ge 49:1; Nu 24:14; Dt 31:29, “in days to come”), but in contexts like this one it usually appears to have in view the Messianic Age (Ed: A synonym for The Millennium). “In a real sense the last days began with the first coming of Christ (see Acts 2:17; Heb 1:2-note, 1Pe 1:20-note) and will be fulfilled at His Second Coming.” McComiskey on the last days - (This) always denotes a period of time that, from the writer’s perspective, is in the indefinite future. It is not primarily an eschatological term. However, since the term is used in this context of the reign of the Lord, it is eschatological. The context must determine which future period is in view. That the prophet envisioned the exaltation of Jerusalem in association with the Messianic Kingdom is clear from such verses as Micah 4:8 and Micah 5:2–4, 7–9. And the phrase “in the last days” occurs in the prophetic writings in reference to the Messianic Age (cf. esp. Da 10:14; Hos 3:5). So it appears that Micah looked for the fulfillment of this prophecy, not specifically in the return from the Captivity, but rather in that time when the Messianic King would effect the will of God for His people and would restore the fortunes of Israel. Other passages in which Last Days has an eschatological meaning are Deut 4:30, Ezek 38:16, Da 2:28. Martin says last days (in the context of Micah 4:1-4) denotes "the time when God will bring to consummation all the events in history." MacArthur agrees noting that the Last Days speaks of "the period beginning with the first advent of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:17; 2Ti 3:1-note; He 1:2-note; Jas 5:3; 2Pe 3:3-note). Old Testament prophets, being without a clear word regarding the time between the Messiah’s two advents, linked the expression to the Messiah’s return to establish His earthly kingdom, i.e., the millennial kingdom spoken about in Re 20:1-10-note) The writer of Hebrews in one sentence encompasses the first and second comings of Christ, which in effect define "the last days" - "So Christ also, having been offered once (First coming - beginning of "the last days") to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time (see Second Coming- which marks the termination of "the last days") for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. (He 9:28-note) The mountain of the house of the LORD (See artist's rendering below) - This is the "it" that will occur in the Last Days is a great, cataclysmic, geopolitical and spiritual upheaval if you will. The tiny nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem that has been the source of age long strife and enmity by the Gentiles, will be transformed in such a way that they become a great attraction to the peoples of the world. This "earth shaking" event surely necessitates a significant supernatural intervention for the Gentiles' hearts to be changed so radically from hatred to love. The chief attraction will not so much be the house of the LORD, but the LORD of the house Who will dwell among men in His long promised, long awaited and longed for Kingdom on earth. As noted earlier this glorious transformation stands in marked contrast to the gloomy prophecy or Micah 3:12! It's as if the prophet is saying to his readers "When the outlook is grim, try the uplook!" Look to God's promises of a lifted up Temple in the City of God. Look up to the Messiah (cf Heb 12:2). Compare the words of Jehovah through His prophet Zechariah… Thus says the LORD, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ (Zech 8:3) The house of the LORD is not the church, but interpreted literally and in context clearly refers to the Holy Temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem, a Temple which will be rebuilt during the Millennial Reign of the Messiah. The current Temple Mount in Jerusalem will be the site of the rebuilt Temple and corresponds to Mt Moriah ("Chosen by Jehovah"). God's inspired prophet Ezekiel (speaking to a defeated, discouraged nation that had just seen its Holy Temple utterly destroyed by pagans) offers a hope (albeit it is a hope in the distant future, but isn't that the essence of "hope"? cf Ro 8:24-25-note, 1Cor 13:12) to the exiles in Babylon by giving a description of the Millennial Temple beginning in Chapter 40 (a detailed description that extends through Ezekiel 48)… The man said to me, “Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the House (referring to the Temple) of Israel all that you see. 5 And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the Temple all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one rod; and the height, one rod. (Ezekiel 40:4-5) (See Pastor Brian Bell's nice outline discussion of Ezekiel 40-48 - Ezekiel 40-43 Notes; Ezekiel 44-48 Notes)