Micah 4 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Micah 4

The Mountain of the Lord

4:1   It shall come to pass in the latter days
    that the mountain of the house of the LORD
  shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
    and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
  and peoples shall flow to it,
2     and many nations shall come, and say:
  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
    to the house of the God of Jacob,
  that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.”
  For out of Zion shall go forth the law,¹
    and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3   He shall judge between many peoples,
    and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
  and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
  nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war anymore;
4   but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
    and no one shall make them afraid,
    for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
5   For all the peoples walk
    each in the name of its god,
  but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
    forever and ever.

The Lord Shall Rescue Zion

6   In that day, declares the LORD,
    I will assemble the lame
  and gather those who have been driven away
    and those whom I have afflicted;
7   and the lame I will make the remnant,
    and those who were cast off, a strong nation;
  and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion
    from this time forth and forevermore.
8   And you, O tower of the flock,
    hill of the daughter of Zion,
  to you shall it come,
    the former dominion shall come,
    kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.
9   Now why do you cry aloud?
    Is there no king in you?
  Has your counselor perished,
    that pain seized you like a woman in labor?
10   Writhe and groan,² O daughter of Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
  for now you shall go out from the city
    and dwell in the open country;
    you shall go to Babylon.
  There you shall be rescued;
    there the LORD will redeem you
    from the hand of your enemies.
11   Now many nations
    are assembled against you,
  saying, “Let her be defiled,
    and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”
12   But they do not know
    the thoughts of the LORD;
  they do not understand his plan,
    that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.
13   Arise and thresh,
    O daughter of Zion,
  for I will make your horn iron,
    and I will make your hoofs bronze;
  you shall beat in pieces many peoples;
    and shall devote³ their gain to the LORD,
    their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.

Footnotes

[1] 4:2 Or teaching
[2] 4:10 Or push
[3] 4:13 Hebrew devote to destruction

Commentary

v1: The Lord's reign in Jerusalem, compare Is 2.1-4; Isaiah and Micah are contemporaries, and presumably know each other.

v2: The renewed desire to obey the Word of God, and to know the God of Israel. His rule is centred at Jerusalem.

v3: All nations subject to God, enjoying a time of peace.

v4: Security and peace, not by human wisdom, but by God's command. In 1 Kings 4.25, a similar peace is enjoyed under Solomon.

v5: Others may follow idols, but "we will" follow the true God. The worshippers of God learn God's ways (Ps 50.23).

v6-8: The Lord reigning over Israel in Jerusalem. Their sufferings are reversed; the lame, those from exile, and those brought to grief; they will become a remnant, a strong nation, and enjoy the "former dominion."

v9-10: Specific prophecy of defeat by Babylon, and exile in Babylon; and from there the Lord will redeem them. During Micah's lifetime, Assyria is the dominant empire, so this prophecy was clearly by the Spirit of God.

v11-12: The Most High rules in the kingdoms of men; many nations are brought against Judah, and none of them acknowledge the Lord's directing. Although the Lord blesses faithful individuals, He also deals with nations; the prophet writes of judgment upon ungodly nations.

v13: Ultimately, Israel will be God's threshing instrument, bringing judgment on the nations. At the same time, the glory of the nations will be brought to the Lord.