Series in Micah - Deliverer, Shepherd, and Breaker King

 

Deliverer, Shepherd, and Breaker King

Micah 2:12-13 (NIV, MSG)

In our modern day world, the nation of Israel has come back to life (Ezk. 37:10-14); and Jesus’ prophecy of the rebirth of Israel as a fig tree is blossoming. (Matt. 24:32-25) For God is restoring the chosen nation of Israel as He said and purposed by His Name. But the final restoration will be complete at the end of the tribulation (the time of Jacob’s trouble) and the remnant of the jewish people who have been protected by God’s will will return and will acknowledge their Messiah, the Deliverer. He will lead His people as a Shepherd and King as Micah prophesied. So let’s delve into the first portion of the text. “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people.” (NIV)

Micah's desire is to bring hope to all who have heard the first portion of the admonishment of the Word from the Lord. For he has seen the end time vision (1:2-5) and has brought the first oracle of wrath because the people had broken the covenant regulations and their harlotry in wanton idolatry. Micah opens the message of hope and restoration with a promise from the Lord, “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.” Micah wasn’t thinking about the deliverance from bondage to Assyria or Babylon, He saw the deliverance of the nation of Israel as a whole (all), not two separate nations (Jacob and Israel), and the fiery and cataclysmic vision was about all the earth. Now, he brings an oracle of hope.

Now Micah begins by bringing the symbolism of who God is to the nation of Israel. God is the Shepherd and his sheep is Israel. The people of Israel have had a rich history as a nation of shepherds from Abraham to King David. As well, the nation of Israel had been alluded to as sheep because of their wandering nature, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” (Isa 53:6a NIV), and God was their Shepherd. “Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth.” (Ps. 80:1 NIV) 

God the Shepherd would bring them all together into the fold, a place of safety and security. The fold, God the shepherd will provide, has a bountiful pasture to nurture and provide for the sheep’s every need. (Ps. 23) And this fold will be filled with the remnant people of Israel and the cacophony and the echoing of the large group of people talking and murmuring about the Shepherd and the plenty and bounty in this place of safety, will be the subject of conversation on every lip.

Application - When Israel became a nation again on May, 14th, 1948. It set the world on notice that God had begun to fulfill His promise word to the chosen people, Israel.  Now, seventy-six years later, the land of Israel has prospered and grown, but not without pain and afflictions. But they haven’t come to the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as their Messiah as a nation yet. That will be a future event at the end of the times of Jacob’s trouble, which to Christians we understand as the Tribulation of the book of Revelation, then the nation will acknowledge the time of Jacob’s trouble as the 70th week of Daniel; “In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end they will be saved!” ““A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.” (Jer. 30:7 NLT; Dan. 9:24) 

It will be during this time a remnant of Jewish people will be taken (delivered) and protected by God in a chosen place by Him. He will provide for them until the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble and then Jesus will come in majestic splendor as the deliverer, the Shepherd, and the breaker King. For out of their unbelief, the nation of Israel will see, acknowledge, and proclaim ““Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” “ I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

(Matt. 21:9; Rom. 11:25-27 NIV) 

In all of these 2000 years of waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promise, for this is only the beginning. As Micah proclaimed, God is not only their deliverer, He shows himself as the Good Shepherd. Although Israel is in denial of Christ as Messiah, this doesn’t keep Him from being the Good Shepherd, He just has a lot of rambunctious and boisterous sheep; rams and ewes. But after the deliverance, their talk will not be about their discontent, bitterness, or the ways of this world, their conversations will be focused on the Good Shepherd, their volume will increase as they recognize Him as the One to whom they had pierced. "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10)

During the times of Jesus’ first advent, the people were longing for the warrior King Messiah to come. They didn’t recognize him because of their spiritual blindness and their hypocrisy. He did come to break down walls, the walls and the gates of Hell, Death, and Grave. Jesus came as the conquering champion over sin and Satan, defeating His strongholds and stranglehold on mankind. All of that changed, and the nation of Israel will one day be grafted back into their native olive tree, “And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!” (Rom. 11:23-24 NIV)

Even today, God is awakening the Jewish people to their Messiah, Yeshua Amasia. So God’s appointed time is nearing, and we should rejoice and be in prayer for the nation of Israel. 

Last, Micah brings the good news of breaking through to a new way, an open way through a gate led by their King, the Messiah. So let's read the last portion of the text. “Then I, God, will burst all confinements and lead them out into the open. They’ll follow their King. I will be out in front leading them.” (MSG)

The Jewish people have been in captivity many times in the past, the times in Egypt, the different battles against the peoples around them after losing their land because of sin (the Judges) and now the Assyrians and the Babylonians' captivities were inevitable because of their propensity to transgress and provoke God to judgment and wrath, and what God said is the final word.The Jewish people didn’t realize that the wall that confined was sin, and their breakthrough from confinement could only come through Jesus, the Messiah, the Breaker of sin. 

God is the truth, He is true by His very nature, and God, who is compassionate, merciful, and thoughtful in His lovingkindness, brings breaking deliverance by His Son through the sovereignty power as the ruling and leading King. He had to break every hold, fetter, chain, yoke of confinement for the nation of Israel. His deliverance will literally set these captive people free from the bondage to sin and bring them into the open space of true liberty. The Breaker will tear down every wall and lead them through the gate to freedom with Him as their King. They will follow Him, listening to His voice and choose Him as their Messiah King. He will lead them in His sovereignty, regathering the remnant and and bring a spiritual awakening and liberation (salvation) to His chosen people as they proclaim Jesus is Messiah, Lord and Savior.

Application - In the world today, we too have walls of sin’s confinement and the only way to break through sin’s walls has to come through Jesus, the Lord, Savior and King. 

Our sovereign Lord promised to come and burst the walls of this world, and He did by overcoming the world. “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith". (John 16:33; 1 John 5:4) Jesus did that at the cross, and anyone who seeks him and believes in Him as Lord, and that He died, on the cross, arose on the third day, they will be saved and have overcome. Jesus also told us that He would return and take all who believed in Him to the Father’s house in heaven. This is the real kingdom of God.  

Here there are a number of end times scenarios in the theological camps, but God has only one that He will do. He, God, will manifest His power and presence in destroying and bursting through the walls of sin’s confinements in a demonstration of His glory, power, and majesty. He did this at the cross, but the finality of His presence will leave no doubt of His intent or purpose. Micah said that the King will lead from within. I believe that His coming two thousand years ago and the leading all who will believe in Him and His work on the cross is the working from within the world and broke down the wall of death’s hold. He is the first born from the dead. “He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things.” (Col. 1:18)

The King of Glory will shine in breathtaking light, confirmation, and validation of who He is and He will lead the possession of saints and angels. The Breaker King will make quick work of those who have deceived and set His Kingdom up here on earth to reign in His righteousness. “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Isa. 9:7; Rev. 11:15)

It is here that all who are following Him both Israel and the church, as well as those who have endured the tribulation will enter to live and reign with Him.

Until then, we do need a true spiritual awakening as well as a breakthrough from the confinements of sins of irreligiosity, lackadaisicalness, and outright disregard for His holiness. We have work to do, and we are told to be about God’s work until He comes. “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4)

Paul the apostle saw plenty of work for God in his journeys and gave this admonition to the church. “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Rom. 13:11-14)

 The breaker, Jesus Christ, came and broke the Devil’s claim on mankind.  "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8) 

 Jesus broke down the stronghold of sin, death, and the grave, and we have been set free from the confining of sin to live a life of reverence and holiness, not to earn salvation by works but to please our Lord and God. We have been set free, not to please the flesh but to yield to the Spirit of God and walk with Him to finish the work that Christ has given us to do. “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (Jn. 9:4)

Last, there is a day coming very soon, when King Jesus will set up His kingdom on this earth for a thousand literal years. We, as His Church who have been set free from the confining walls of sin and the world, and will be given the opportunity to follow and lead with Him during this time. It will be a time of freedom we have not known in our lifetime, as Isaiah the prophet wrote, “Then God will act as judge to end arguments between nations. He will decide what is right for people from many lands. They will stop using their weapons for war. They will hammer their swords into plows and use their spears to make tools for harvesting. All fighting between nations will end. They will never again train for war.” (Isa. 2:4)

And we will rejoice in the presence of our Deliverer, our Shepherd, and our Breaker King Jesus forever. Amen, Amen

 I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com