4:2 - As we have seen time and time again in the Old Testament, the heart of God has always been for ALL of humanity - not just the Jewish people. Micah foresees a future where people from every nation will turn to God and follow in His ways. We live in that future! There is still a lot of work to do, but praise God that salvation is available to everyone.
4:6-7 - God often uses the weak to shame the strong. Matthew 5:5 says, "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." And we have to understand it is not the meek who "win" - they do not overwhelm the world through sheer numbers...the meek are blessed because God is at work for the cause of the meek. We see it here in this passage...it is God who conquers on behalf of the meek and oppressed. He gathers the humble together into an unconquerable kingdom while the arrogant are doomed to go down with the sinking ship of trusting their own strength.
5:2 - Ah, this verse reminds me of Christmas, because that is when I hear it every year. This is one of the many prophecies about the birth of Jesus Christ. It was fulfilled when Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem.
5:4 - Micah goes on to describe the future rule who will be born in Bethlehem: He will have the strength and the majesty of God. Jesus was God in the flesh...exhibiting love like no one has ever seen in the life of man. When we look at the life of Jesus we see the glory of God and God's name is glorified. He is our hope and our salvation.
6:8 - God does not require blind rule-following and offerings that are not born from love...He has actually shown us what is good and right through His own character. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with God. This is how you live out your faith. You don't just believe in justice...you do it...you actively work with God to bring justice to the world. To love kindness means that it pervades every area of your life. And to walk humbly with God is to connect in relationship with the God who created you...it is the only path to joy and true life.
7:7 - After a large passage of scriptures describing the corrupt culture around him, Micah gives us his response to that corruption. He says, "I am going to trust God, wait for His salvation and follow His lead." I look at the descriptions of their corrupt culture and see a lot of similarities between that society and ours (greed, lies, selfishness, etc.). It is easy for Christians to get frustrated with the state of the world and convince themselves that there is nothing they can do to bring change. But we can do what Micah did...we can refuse to give up...refuse to give in and trust that if we live for God, He will take care of the rest.
7:8 - Our enemies may rejoice when we fall, but it does not matter. God is strong in our failure. When we fall, He is there to pick us up. When we are blinded by darkness, He will bring us into the light. Trust in Him and you will find the peace that passes all understanding...you will not have to have the acceptance of the world because you have the love of God.
7:9 - Micah lays out for us a beautiful explanation of the way that salvation works. Micah knows that he is a sinful man who is utterly broken. He knows that there is no hope for him outside of God and that he needs God to defend him and give him undeserved freedom. Thank you Jesus! He is our defender before God. He is the sacrifice for our sins. He is the way, the truth and the life.
7:18-19 - Micah closes his book, with an amazing description of our awesome God. There is none like Him - He alone is God. He delights in love...offers us undeserved forgiveness...and has cast off our sins. That is a God who offers hope....that is a God worth living and dying for.
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