Miquéias 4

Miquéias 4

Morgan - Having denounced the false rulers and revealed the evil principle of their exercise of authority, the prophet described the true order in a prediction concerning its establishment. His outlook was that of the true Israelite; he recognized the Divine purpose in the national life of His people. Not for themselves did they exist in an isolation of privilege, but rather as a rallying centre for humanity, an order to which the people (the Gentiles) would flow, a revelation and realization, attracting the nations and inspiring them to inquire for the ways of Jehovah, the God of Jacob. In these particular words the chief glory of the national life of Israel is revealed. Zion is to be the hill of Jehovah, and out of it the law which men need, shall go forth; Jerusalem will become indeed the city of the Great King, and from it the word of Jehovah will be uttered. That is what the world waits for, and failing to find, or rather refusing to receive, it carries on, under a false interpretation of life, and cursed by the oppressions of false rulers. When life is governed by the law of Jehovah, and sustained by His word, strife will end, war will be no more; then peace and prosperity will be realized. That day has not yet come, but the gleams of its glory are everywhere appearing. Peace is found today in men in whom He is well pleased; and prosperity is the portion of the meek, who already inherit the earth, even though they seem to be excluded from its possession. The men in whom He is well pleased are those who live by His law; and the meek are such as are sustained by His Word. But the Day is yet to be. (Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible) Micah 4:3 And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war. he shall judge 1 Samuel 2:10; Psalms 82:8; 96:13; 98:9; Isaiah 11:3-5; 51:5; Matthew 25:31,32; John 5:22,23,27-29; 16:8-11; Acts 17:31; Revelation 19:11 and rebuke Mic 5:15; 7:16,17; Psalms 2:5-12; 68:30,31; 110:1,2,5,6; Isaiah 25:3; 60:12; Daniel 2:44; Joel 3:2,9-16; Zechariah 12:3-6; 14:3,12-19; Revelation 19:17-21; 20:8,9 they shall Ps 46:9; Isaiah 2:4; 11:6-9; Hosea 2:18; Joel 3:10; Zechariah 9:10 pruninghooks or, scythes. neither. Ps 72:7; Isaiah 9:7; 60:17,18; 65:25 He - This is the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16-note, Rev 20:4-note), fulfilling many OT prophecies, especially the great prophecy in Psalm 2 (See notes by Tony Garland)… 1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!" 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, 6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." 7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'" 10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. - What a wonderful day when all judgment will be perfectly righteous, a far cry from many judges in America whose perversions of justice are clearly biased by their liberal political agendas! No nation will be exempt from Messiah's righteous rule (Jer 23:5, 22:3, 15, Ps 72:2). As an aside, in light of the fact that some interpreters see Micah's prophecies as fulfilled in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2-note), one wonders how passages such as this can be interpreted this way in an environment which is totally devoid of sin and thus has no need of judgments? Allen - Jerusalem will become the international court whose findings [will] be accepted without quibble. Disputes would be settled amicably, for such would be Yahweh’s prestige that even great nations in far-flung corners of the world would acknowledge his equity. Related article: The Arrival of God’s Kingdom. Then - This is a small, easily overlooked expression of time. The reader should be aware that it can have a very strategic meaning, especially in prophetic passages. It therefore behooves all of us to pause and ponder and interrogate "then" whenever it is encountered! They will hammer their swords into plowshares (cf Isa 2:4-note, Joel 3:10) - They refers to the peoples and nations. Instead of war they will pursue peace. In His Millennial Reign, the Messiah will "rule all the nations with a rod of iron" (Rev 12:5-note Rev 2:27-note, Rev 19:15-note), eliminating the need for swords, but necessitating the need for plowshares, because in that day "the plowman will overtake the reaper" because of the incredible fruitfulness of the land (Amos 9:13). See the United Nations statue "Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares" Davis - Divine intervention brings about international pacification. People and nations do not produce this state of affairs by their own efforts, or brilliance, or exhaustion. Rather, Yahweh imposes his just rule and, because of that, nations exist in peace. Brian Bell gives us this modern twist on the text… In 1989 when Hungary was still a Communist country. The European Baptist Federation met in Budapest, and it was the first time the federation had ever met in a Communist country. The meeting ended with a one-day Billy Graham crusade that filled the sports stadium with the largest crowd ever assembled there. There were eighty-five thousand inside and thousands more outside. Earlier sessions had welcomed church leaders from all over Europe with translations into the various languages and headphones for the listeners. Where, you may wonder, did they get all those headphones? They got them from the army! It was a modern twist on an old text--turning swords into plowshares. (Thy Kingdom Come!) McComiskey - The result of God’s rule in this time will be that the nations of the world will experience peace. While the people of God who are the church have experienced peace in their hearts, it is difficult to limit this prediction only to Christians… The pastoral motif reflects the peace that Micah saw as the ruling element of the messianic kingdom, a concept used also by other prophets to symbolize the tranquility of that time (Isa 11:6–10-note, Hos 2:15; Amos 9:13–15). Swindoll - Surrounding Micah’s prophecy of Jesus’ birth is one of the most lucid pictures of the world’s future under the reign of the Prince of Peace (Micah 5:5). This future kingdom, which scholars call the millennial kingdom, will be characterized by the presence of many nations living with one another in peace and security (Micah 4:3–4) and coming to Jerusalem to worship the reigning king, that is, Jesus Himself (Micah 4:2). Because these events have not yet occurred, we look forward to the millennial kingdom at some undetermined time in the future. (Book of Micah Overview) And their spears into pruning hooks - Kaiser "Messiah will not only be King and Teacher in Zion in that day, but He will be the final Arbiter of all disputes. That will effectively antiquate the need for the United Nations Security Council." Nation will not lift up sword against nation and never again will they train for war - Has this prophetic description been fulfilled? Clearly Micah's description is a striking contrast to this present age which Jesus described in Mk 13:8 and Mt 24:7.