Micah 4:1-5: The Mountain of the Lord

It's easy for us to focus on the negative in absolutely everything!  A funny quote I remember hearing as a kid was, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, did you like the play?"  That's taking optimism to a whole new level!

Sometimes putting a positive spin on something seems inappropriate or insensitive.  But on the other hand, seeing the good in a world of chaos is what sustains us.

Think of the early church.  Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God, with its "constitution" found in Matthew 5-8, where blessings come from humility; where loving your enemies is not an option; where saying, "just looking" doesn't cut it; where being reviled elevates you to the status of the prophets of old and where anger is tantamount to murder...but if you walk out on a sunny day in Jesus' day, you do not see any of this going on. 

You hear the cries of the victims in the arenas with the roars of the blood-thirsty crowds; you hear the come-ons from the temple prostitutes or see them in action; you see Romans guards ready to confront you if they feel you are out of line and you see the tax booths where the tax collectors--Jews, no less--are bleeding the people dry, all to support reprobate emperors and brutal armies. 

Wow. 

The contrast could not be greater between the kingdom of this world and the one Jesus says has arrived. 

Jesus ends His Declaration of Interdependence with this wonderful analogy:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matt. 7:24-27 NIV). 

The Rock:  Solid. Sure. Formidable.  

Jesus' teachings qualify.  But so does the Savior Himself. 

Interesting to note:  After Jesus is done preaching, He goes down the mountainside and heals a leper.  Boom!  The Kingdom of God in action!  Jesus shows the incurable can be cured!  But even more important: He restores dignity to one of the lowest of the low in His society. A person plagued with disease is viewed as someone who is under punishment from God.  Jesus shows that no: disease, chaos, sin, alienation, shame and hopelessness are part of the old kingdom that His Kingdom will overcome.

When Jesus?

Where Jesus?

One person at a time. 

You. 

Me. 

Those who love and follow the Savior as workers in His fields that are bursting with a bounty of broken souls, ready for a compassionate harvesting.  

Micah has the much the same issue.  Micah is talking about the power and the beauty of a holy God, whose righteousness is never-ending nor never-failing. But everywhere you look in Micah's society, you find: idolatry, corruption, exploitation and compromise.  Micah constantly calls out what is going horribly wrong in the northern kingdom. Micah mourns that justice and righteousness are in short supply, and he doesn't let up on why.

But then we come to chapter 4.  

Listen: 

In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it (4:1)

He is talking abou the restored temple. But he is also alluding to not just the physical one, where heaven and earth meet as you enter the Holy of Holies, but the One where Heaven and earth meet: Jesus Christ. John 1:51 says: “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ [Gen. 28:12] the Son of Man.”

The Son Man and the Son of God.  

But until that glorious day, the people have hope that they will gather once again at the restored temple.  Exile will not last forever.   

Listen: 

Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever (4:2-5). 

There is is!  Justice!  Righteousness!  Shalom!  Wisdom!  Taught by God Himself!  "Many nations!"  The words to Abraham of His people being a blessings to the nations will be acted out every day, in and out of the restored temple!

But also we hear echoes of the One to come. 

But the hope for the people of Micah's time will be that one day, they will gather at the temple once more to learn of God and know who He is. 

Did you catch the last part? 

The ultimate restoration of the people then and now will be: 

All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever (4:5) 

No "golden age" brought about by human-ordained wisdom, however well-intentioned it may be.  The Kingdom of God is only made possible by the Son of God and the new hearts of those who choose to love and follow Him.

So, when we walk outside, and see the nations walking after their own "gods," (i.e., made up by us) and hear the cries of the oppressors and the oppressed, we will continue to walk "in His name." 

Our hope?  The mountain of the Lord has a name:  Golgotha. 

In whose name do we walk in?  

Choose and know that either the kingdom of this world or the Kingdom of God will prevail because of our choices.

One person at a time.