Miquéias 7
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Miquéias 7
Constable - The powerful could expect to get the evil things they wanted because they pulled the necessary strings. These leaders formed networks of conspiracy, like a basket, to entrap the weak. NET Note - More literally, "the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together." Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man's desires materialize. Micah 7:4 The best of them is like a briar, the most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, your punishment will come. Then their confusion will occur. is a 2 Samuel 23:6,7; Isaiah 55:13; Ezekiel 2:6; Hebrews 6:8 the day Ezekiel 12:23,24; Hosea 9:7,8; Amos 8:2 thy Isaiah 10:3; Jeremiah 8:12; 10:15 now Isaiah 22:5; Luke 21:25 NET The best of them is like a thorn; the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen– your appointed time of punishment– is on the way, and then you will experience confusion. The best of them is like a briar - Briar is from a root meaning to sting. These men were like prickly plants, which pierce, hurt and draw blood! They hurt others who became entangled in their evil schemes. Best (02896)(tob is from a verb meaning to be pleasing) speaks of good or goodness in a broad sense and was used to refer to Jehovah (Ps 34:8, cp Ps 73:1) and His Spirit (Neh 9:20). The Lxx translates tob with agathos (the opposite of kakos = evil or bad) which speaks of upright moral character. The most upright like a thorn hedge - "the most honest of them like a thorn-hedge" (NLT), "the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes." (NET) "the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns" (HCSB) The "best" of these men is still like a hedge of thorns which scratches all who contact them! Micah uses "sharp," piercing metaphors to describe the perverted character and acts of men who should have been "righteous" in light of the truth that they had a Righteous God! Upright (03477)(yashar) comes from a root meaning to be straight and describes a man who is upright, just and righteous, something the men of Judah were NOT! See use in Micah 7:2. Here yashar is translated in the Lxx by the verb badizo which means to walk straight and present tense depicts this a lifestyle. So what should be a description of a godly man instead is a man like a thorn hedge. The point is that the "best" (most upright) of the worst were still bad! The day when you post a watchman, your punishment will come - "The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen." (NET) Watchmen on the wall were to warn for danger, but this protective measure would be in vain against the Lord's hand of judgment! As Amos reiterates "The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer." (Amos 8:2). NET Note - The present translation takes “watchmen” to refer to actual sentries. However, the “watchmen” could refer figuratively to the prophets (like Micah) who had warned Judah of approaching judgment. In this case one could translate, “The day your prophets warned about – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way.” (See Ezek 3:16–21; Ezek 33:7–9; Hos. 9:8) The watchmen on city wall were to warn citizens of danger, and here in Micah 7:4 were to warn of the judgment of God! But tragically watchmen would not help, for Micah says on the day you post watchman, your punishment will come. It's like the one follows the other without a pause. The day of the watchman would be the day of destruction. Watchman (06822)(tsaphah) conveys idea of being fully aware of a situation in order to gain some advantage or keep from being surprised by an enemy. The root carries with it the meaning of "being alert" and "active in watching" rather than simply gazing at something in the distance. It speaks literally of keeping watch for some event (a Watchman). Tsaphah means t God watches over the nations (Ps 66:7) and literally over everything, everywhere (Pr 15:3)! It is used figuratively of waiting to see something, what God will do (Ps. 5:3; Nah. 2:1; Hab. 2:1). The wicked watch the righteous to do them harm (Ps. 37:32). In Micah 7:7 the prophet says "But as for me, I will watch expectantly (Lxx = epiblepo = gaze on attentively, paying close attention) for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. To keep an eye on something or someone, as God watching over the covenant cut between Laban and Jacob - "And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed; and Mizpah, for he said, “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other." (Ge 31:48-49) The idea is to be a watchman, to keep an eye on something or someone, to guard someone, to watch over. Watchmen on ancient city walls were to warn citizens of danger (cp use in Ezek 33:2-6-note). Tsaphah conveys the idea of being fully aware of a situation in order to gain some advantage or keep from being surprised (as by an enemy). Most of the uses of tsaphah that are translated as "watchman" are in turn translated in the Lxx by the noun skopos = a distant mark looked at, a goal and then the one watching this mark (Used in Php 3:14). Watchman - Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature Tsaphah is translated (NAS) - destined(1), keep watch(3), lookout(1), looks well(1), spies(1), watch(3), watch expectantly(1), watched(1), watching(2), watchman(14), watchman's(1), watchmen(5). Tsaphah - 32v - Gen 31:49; 1 Sam 4:13; 14:16; 2 Sam 13:34; 18:24ff; 2 Kgs 9:17f, 20; Job 15:22; Ps 5:3; 37:32; 66:7; Pr 15:3; 31:27; Isa 21:6; 52:8; 56:10; Jer 6:17; 48:19; Lam 4:17; Ezek 3:17; 33:2, 6f; Hos 9:8; Mic 7:4, 7; Nah 2:1; Hab 2:1 Ps 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, Thou wilt hear my voice; In the morning I will order [my] [prayer] to Thee and [eagerly] watch. (tsaphah; Lxx = ephorao = fix one's glance upon, gaze upon, concern one's self with, take notice of - describes God looking at Abel's offering - Ge 4:4 = "Had regard [ephorao] for Abel and for his offering" - notice how God inspected the "offerer" and then the "offering"!) Ps 66:7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch (tsaphah; Lxx = epiblepo in the present tense = continually gaze on attentively, paying close attention) on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. Pr 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching (tsaphah; Lxx = skopeo = paying careful attention in the present tense = continually) the evil and the good. Pr 31:27 She (Proverbs 31 Woman) looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Isa 52:8 Listen! Your watchmen (tsaphah; Lxx = phulasso = conveys idea of watching like a sentinel or military guard would watch) lift up [their] voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes (Hebrew is picturesque = literally "eye to eye"!) When the LORD restores (better translated "returns to") Zion. Comment: The watchmen will see the return of the Messiah with their own eyes! See Second Coming. Jer 6:17 (Jehovah speaking to rebellious Judah!) “And I set watchmen (tsaphah; Lxx = skopos= one that looks after things, a lookout man) over you, [saying,] ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ Ezek 3:17-note “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman (tsaphah; Lxx by the noun skopos) to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. Ezek 33:6-7 ‘But if the watchman (tsaphah; Lxx by the noun skopos) sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s (tsaphah; Lxx by the noun skopos) hand.’ 33:7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman (tsaphah; Lxx by the noun skopos) for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth, and give them warning from Me. Hab 2:1-note I WILL stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch (tsaphah; Lxx = aposkopeuo = to keep watch, to look steadily) to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved. Then their confusion will occur Confusion (03998)(mebukah from bukh = to be agitated, to wander in confusion) means perplexity and is used only one other time (Isa 22:5), also in the context of God's judgment. Mebukah is translated in the Lxx with the noun klauthmos which describes a strong inner emotion manifest by weeping and wailing with grief (cf Mt 2:18). Klauthmos is accompanied by gnashing of teeth in the face of God's righteous judgment for all who reject Him (Mt 8:12, 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Lk 13:28) Gilbrant - One of the methods God uses to judge a people is bringing them into a state of confusion (Isa. 22:5; Mic 7:4). This confusion includes a sense of panic and results in a lack of trust and confidence in neighbors and friends. That one misplaced trust in humans will be returned to Yahweh through this experience. Kaiser - Once again, Micah employs his love of word-play to make his point: the mesûkâ, “thorn hedge,” will result in mebûkâ, “perplexity” (Micah 7:4b). Micah 7:5 Do not trust in a neighbor. Do not have confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom guard your lips. ye not in Job 6:14,15; Ps 118:8,9; Jeremiah 9:4; Matthew 10:16 DISINTEGRATION OF SOCIETAL RELATIONSHIPS Do not trust in a neighbor - Sin by its destructive nature breaks even the closest relationships. No one can be trusted. This is how bad the judgment will be - everyone will watch out for himself in this horrible day. Kaiser - If some think this is strange, then listen to an illustration that comes from contemporary experiences. One family, in a very fine neighborhood in California, left home for a week, only to learn upon their return that their next-door neighbors had stolen everything in their house while they were gone! When this happens, the fabric of society has indeed thoroughly eroded.
Miquéias 7
Constable adds that "The reason Micah did not succumb to utter pessimism in view of the terrible conditions in his day is that he determined to trust God. The same faith is much needed in our dark day (cf. Phil. 2:15-16-note). My God will hear me. - A declaration of the prophet's great faith in God's faithfulness! Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook - God Always Hears - My God will hear me. (Micah 7:7) - Friends may be unfaithful, but the Lord will not turn away from the gracious soul; on the contrary, He will hear all its desires. The prophet says, "Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. A man's enemies are the men of his own house." This is a wretched state of affairs; but even in such a case the Best Friend remains true, and we may tell Him all our grief. Our wisdom is to look unto the Lord and not to quarrel with men or women. If our loving appeals are disregarded by our relatives, let us wait upon the God of our salvation, for He will hear us- He will hear us all the more because of the unkindness and oppression of others, and we shall soon have reason to cry, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy!" Because God is the living God, He can hear; because He is a loving God, He will hear; because He is our covenant God, He has bound Him- self to hear us. If we can each one speak of Him as "My God," we may with absolute certainty say, "My God will hear me." Come, then, O bleeding heart, and let thy sorrows tell themselves out to the Lord thy God! I will bow the knee in secret and inwardly whisper, "My God will hear me." Micah 7:8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me. Rejoice Job 31:29; Ps 13:4-6; 35:15,16,19,24-26; 38:16; Proverbs 24:17,18; Jeremiah 50:11; Lamentations 4:21,22; Ezekiel 25:6; 35:15; Obadiah 1:12; John 16:20; Revelation 11:10-12 when I fall Ps 37:21; 41:10-12; Proverbs 24:16 when I sit Ps 107:10-15; 112:4; Isaiah 9:2; 49:9; 50:10; Matthew 4:16; Luke 1:78,79 the Lord Ps 27:1; 84:11; 97:11; 112:4; Isaiah 2:5; 60:1-3,19,20; Malachi 4:2; John 8:12; Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 21:23; 22:5 Who is speaking now? While one might at first reading think that it is still Micah speaking of himself (as in Micah 7:7), most commentaries agree that now the prophet is describing the nation (and/or the city of Jerusalem/Zion - e.g., see "your walls" in Micah 7:11 ~ city walls) speaking and confessing her sin, acknowledging divine justice and anticipating divine restoration. The ESV Study Bible entitles Micah 7:8-13 "Zion's Repentance and Renewed Faith in Yahweh's Help." Martin observes that "The prophet, still speaking as a representative of the nation (me... my, and I occur 15 times in Micah 7:8-10), expressed confidence in the fact that eventually God would reverse Israel's sad situation." Walter Kaiser comments that "The city of Jerusalem is personified as a prisoner of war, fallen and sitting in darkness (v. 8). Thus positioned, this city pleads that her “enemy. . . not rejoice over [her]” (v. 8). Constable - While Micah spoke as an individual, he spoke for the faithful remnant of Israelites in his day. His sentiments would have been theirs. NET Note - Personified Jerusalem declares her confidence in Micah 7:8–10; in Micah 7:11 she is assured that she will indeed be vindicated. Wiersbe sees the speakers somewhat differently - In this final section of Micah’s third message, we must distinguish several voices: the nation (Mic 7:8–10), the prophet (Mic 7:11–13), the Lord (Mic 7:14–15), and the prophet again (Mic 7:16–20). We must also realize that Micah is looking down through the centuries with prophetic vision to the time when Israel will come through great tribulation to come, “dress rehearsals” as it were. But the future will bring victory to God’s people, not defeat, when the Lord fulfills His promises and establishes the kingdom. Jeremiah indicates that Micah's prophetic warnings convicted some of those in Judah including the time of King Hezekiah who repented of his sin and God "repented" of His judgment (it would still come but was delayed because of their broken and contrite hearts)... Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus the LORD of hosts has said, “Zion will be plowed [as] a field, And Jerusalem will become ruins, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.”’ 19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, and the LORD changed His mind about the misfortune which He had pronounced against them? But we are committing a great evil against ourselves.” (Jer 26:18-19) Kaiser comments - God did not bring the threatened judgments on that generation, for Judah waited more than a century before the same hardness of heart had settled so firmly that there was no changing and no repentance. May our Lord grant our generation the good sense to turn to God before we too find it is too late to repent. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy - In the Lxx "do not rejoice stop an ongoing action, something Israel's enemies have done for centuries! Who is the enemy? In view of the fact that it would be the Babylonians God would use to judge Judah and Jerusalem, the enemy is almost surely that pagan nation.
Miquéias 7
Constable - That day, when the Israelite critics of Micah and his prophecies would see they were wrong, would be when the walls around vineyards would be rebuilt and the boundaries of Judah extended (cf. Ezek. 47:13–23; Obad. 19–20). This refers to the distant future when God will regather and reestablish Israel in her land, in the Millennium, not following the Babylonian captivity. This is clear from what follows. Notice that Constable is letting the context be his guide in interpretation of the "timing" of that day, and the following passage (Micah 7:12) certainly indicates that this is not a day that has yet occurred in the history of the nation of Israel. Therefore this day must await a future fulfillment.