A Remnant of the Lame

Micah 4:6-13

I am not very good at interpreting prophecy, but I am enjoying this work very much. I have to pray more in order to understand this book which helps me to draw closer to God.

This day of assembly spoken of in verse 6 may have already come. It resembles the day Israelites began pouring back into their land after both the exiles into Babylon and the Nazi tyranny. God said He would call for the lame, the exiled, and those touched with grief. Hitler’s evil, Nazi empire wrought devastation upon the Jews causing millions to die and disappear. The death of so many loved ones caused grief, millions were exiled through his oppressive hatred, and millions more were brutalized like common lab rats.

In the midst of such fury, God’s grace calls out. He said He would make the lame into a remnant. There is that word again. A remnant of the lame will receive power and glory from God. Only God is great in power and only His grace is sufficient. The ones driven away in exile will come together and form a strong nation under God. God would be king.

As for you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem. Micah 4:8 (NIV)

In verse 8, God says kingship will return to Jerusalem, and it did when Christ came to earth. He restored the glory of Jerusalem which had once represented reconciliation with God through worship. His cross became the new beacon to God’s dominion over sin.

Because of Israelite treachery in the times of Micah, however, they would still face suffering. Leadership could not pull them out of heartless worship. Their sadness would become greater as they were forced out of their comfortable homes and into the harshness of desert living. God still gave hope. He said that they would go (a certainty of His judgment), and He would come to rescue them. God would pay the price necessary to redeem Israel from her enemies. He accomplishes this through His Son, Jesus, who died to give life to all. Redemption was extended to all mankind through Jerusalem.

But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, "Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!" But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, he who gathers them like sheaves to the threshing floor. Micah 4:11-12 (NIV)

The enemies of God gloat in the temporary because they cannot understand the plans of God. In the end, God’s people will present the spoils of these enemies as offerings to be given to God. A day is coming for a remnant. Will we make room for Him when it does?

• What do you know about the Holocaust?
• What do you understand about the exiles in the Old Testament?
• How would you react if the United States’ government systematically began oppressing and pushing Christians out of public view and into exile?