Sertes in Micah - Peace Came With a Cost

 

Peace Came With a Cost

Micah 5:5-9

Today, Jesus is called the Lord of Peace (2 Thes. 3:16) and is the Lord of Peace (Isa. 9:6) because of His first advent and the victory at the cross, but in order for the world to know true peace in their lives and in the world today, it will only come through our Lord Jesus Christ when they know Him as Lord and Savior. 

For in this world today, we are in the season of wars and rumors of wars, where hatred is propagated yet admonished according to one fleshly desire and mindset. So peace in the world comes at a cost, and true peace through Jesus came at a cost and it is given freely to all who will seek Him and believe.  

For Micah only knew wars and the struggle with the sin-riddled world and society of his times. And it was to this that God the Father had called him to prophecy of when real peace would come . So let’s begin the first portion of the text. ““And He will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders, who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders.”

In Micah’s world the Assyrian Empire reached as far down as Ethiopia and far north as Mt. Ararat in the Urartu mountains, and as far east as the middle of Elam (Persia).

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It was the dominant world power of the world from 824-640 BC. Micah could hear their trampling boots, their thunderous chariots, and sheer terror of this massive army. But Micah also knew the power of Almighty God, in whom he trusted in. But it was the sins of the nation that had brought this powerful army upon the nation of Israel, and Judah and Jerusalem were also in their sight as well. But God in His sovereignty was in control of all facets of the world. For Micah knew that God was their only hope and their only source of true peace. Although God had allowed the Assyrians to march through the land, it was in God's will and providence to save the country of Israel and bring them from captivity and bondage to tyranny, but the timing was God’s alone to determine and to act on the behalf of His people. Throughout the oracles that God had shown Micah and would show to the other contemporary prophets of his day, Isaiah and Hosea. The people of Israel would overcome the tyranny of the world’s most powerful nations (for Assyria was a type of the world in the future). For Micah had foreseen a time when Israel’s defense through its leaders would fight to subdue the world around them, but the true peace of God would only come during the time of the Messiah. “He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders.” 

Application - We are living in a time when ancient prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. The prophets had the Word of the Lord spoken to them by the Holy Spirit, but didn’t see its fulfillment. And as Jesus spoke, “I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” (Matthew 13:17 NLT) 

As I ponder and study the scripture and see the Word of God being fulfilled. As the over three hundred prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus’ first advent, we are seeing the prophecies in Micah as well as the coming and fulfillment of His second advent.

 Israel today is a world power, and it is constantly battling for its existence against world powers that would conquer it again. But the warring will continue, and there will be false peace which Daniel spoke about until the Messiah comes. “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. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times. “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”(Dan. 9:24-27 NLT)

We may be very near to His coming, for the stage is being set by God as spoken of in Matthew 24-25, and Luke 21 for Christ’s second coming. We rejoice in our hope and promise in Jesus our Lord and Savior, the Prince of Peace.

 Next, Micah sees the remnant of Israel that had been scattered all throughout the world during their captivity because of their sins of transgressions against the God who is their God and they are His people. So let’s read the last portion of the text. “The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue. Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.”

God used simile and metaphor to explain to Micah the future of the nation of Israel and Judah. The first metaphor was comparing the remnant of Jacob, the jewish nation spread out amongst the nations to the world.  “The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man.” 

They were to be amongst the world like the dew that covered the grass, but they were insignificant compared to the grass (the world of many peoples), but God would become the shower on the grass which only He controls and determines its timing. Again, God reveals the remnant will be amongst the nations, but they will raise up like a lion. They would be transformed by God into a formidable force in the world. For only God sets nations and leaders in their places of power. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. (Rom. 13:1b) 

Here too, God will set the nation of Israel in its place of power amongst the nations. They would be like the relentless lion that rules and reigns amongst the beasts of the world. “...like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep…”

Micah wouldn’t realize the true deliverance of Israel until the coming of the Messiah, the Lion of Judah. Yet God had given him a message of hope for the remnant of Israel’s people who truly believed in God, the Father.

David, the psalmist, wrote of God’s dominance over the world from heaven in the psalms. The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” (Psalms 2:2-6)

Micah, like Isaiah knew that there will not be any lasting peace in Israel until the Messiah, the Prince of Peace conquers the world and it is subjugated to His rule and reign from Jerusalem (Isa. 63: 1-6) 

Application - Again, we see the young lion arising in the middle east. Its people have been restored to the land of Israel as God had promised and prophesied. They are being awakened to the need to return to their country from all the nations around the world. It is in our times we have seen the return and rebirth of the people of Israel to their native land. And we as believers in Jesus the Christ (Messiah in Greek) know from the Word of God that it is God’s timing and providence, His will and purpose to bring all this about. 

I, like a remnant of the church, believe that we must heed and obey the Words of Lord and Savior, “For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled…So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:22,28)

So let us celebrate the birth of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, and remember the peace that we have in our lives, spirit and soul came with a price paid by Jesus on the cross. For we have His peace and assurance that we will be with Him in His kingdom forever. Amen.

 As always, I want to end with presenting the gospel in the form of 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