Day 659: Micah 4- Something For Nothing

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,[a]
    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, 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 devote[c] their gain to the Lord,
    their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.
 
Meditation
Martin Luther is quoted as saying, “God created the world out of nothing. As long as you are not yet nothing God cannot make something out of you.” Our God brings life from dead and lifeless graves, welcomes the worst sinners, and He redeems horrific situations. God’s grace invites us to realize we can do nothing so that we can know the sufficiency of His grace, His power made perfect through weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)!
 
Micah’s salvation oracle celebrates God’s future glory. “In the latter days…” there will be a new temple, resurrection, and redeemed religion (1-5) God’s majestic mountain will be a Mecca for all nations, bringing shalom and security, so that all peoples will walk in the name of the Lord. This future kingdom is composed of people who are nothing in society- The lame, remnant, and those cast off will become a strong nation under the Lord’s rule (6-7). God’s grace remakes the world, making something out of nothing!
 
Why does God “choose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong, the low and despised, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are”? So no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). God redeems stories so He gets all the glory.
 
God’s grace invites us to acknowledge our nothingness. Jesus calls tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners, the unclean, and outsiders to be by His side and follow Him. Will you let His grace make something of you?
 
Richly Dwelling
-Have you realized you bring nothing to your salvation in Christ? What does the trajectory of your heart reveal?
 
-Why is it surprising that God remakes the world and creates His Kingdom on earth from nothing and nobodies? How does this inform our kingdom ambitions?
 
-How can you embrace your weaknesses for the glory of God?

​Key Verse
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.