Series in Micah - "In That Day"

 

“In That Day”

Micah 5:10-15

Micah is still viewing time from the mountain tops. He is receiving more detail on God’s plan to clear the earth and purge it of a warfare mentality. So let’s read the first portion of the text. “‘In that day,’ says the Lord, ‘I will slaughter your horses and destroy your chariots. I will tear down your walls and demolish your defenses. I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortune-tellers. I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again worship the work of your own hands. I will abolish your idol shrines with their Asherah poles and destroy your pagan cities.”

Micah had seen the present sinful state of his people and God had revealed to him the near future of Israel as well as the very distant future. “In that day” has been repeatedly given to him by God as a reminder of the every presence of God in the lives of His people and the world, and He appointed times for His will and purpose. For Micah sees God as an ever-present God in the activities of Israel and his people. MIcah can imagine the destruction of military equipment (horses and chariots) and the siege walls. He desires to see all the idolatry and harlotry that had infiltrated Israel religiously and politically.

For people have always relied in one or two ways, upon their military prowess and their trusting in the spiritual, whether God or in the alliances with other world powers as a source for their own growth and existence. And it has always been God’s desire to stamp out completely in the lives of those He loves and all who will listen and obey His commands. 

For now God has revealed to Micah God’s plan, will, and purpose for the Israelites and the world in the last days, “In that day”. 

First, in the distant future, God is going to purify the Israelites by taking from them their dependency on their military adeptness and proficiency and their alliances so that they will trust in HIm instead of themselves. For they have relied on their own prowess to subjugate their enemies throughout the ages. God has always stated that if they will seek Him, He will go before them when they seek Him with all their heart and soul. “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him." (Deut. 4:29-30) 

Now He will take away all the things that they have relied on so that they will again rely on Him alone, to bring glory to His name in the world, that they will know their King, the God of Israel.

As well, He will take away the war material from the world as well. (Horse and chariot). Just as David, the great military king spoke in the Psalms, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Ps. 20:7 NLT) and the words of God through Isaiah the prophet, “What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa. 31:1 NLT)

God as well will tear down all their fortified walls and cities that they will have to trust in instead in Him, the Holy One of Israel.  “I will tear down your walls and demolish your defenses.”

God especially in the later days is going to destroy all the spiritual wickedness in Israel and the world of witchcraft and sorcery. “I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortune-tellers. I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again worship the work of your own hands. I will abolish your idol shrines with their Asherah poles and destroy your pagan cities.”

God once and for all times will end the enemy of God’s hold on humanity and Israel’s dependency on the need for the divination (the knowledge of the unknown by ungodly means) and their worship (trust and adoration) on the man-made idols and materials for their protection and provision. For God is a jealous God. “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” (Ex. 34:14 NLT)

Application - God is a vengeful and jealous God, “in that day” He will come in His power and restore honor to His name. He will deal quickly with those military powers of the world, including Israel. He will astound the world with His almighty and unlimited power. All weapons will be destroyed and all vestige of power and strongholds, whether above or below ground He will destroy. All the strongholds of mankind will be annihilated and mankind will find themselves defenseless against the almighty arm of  the Holy One of Israel, Jesus the Christ.

Jesus will purify the world of the enemy of God that has deceived the world with his sly cunning ways and words. All means of spiritual debauchery will be demolished and eradicated from the world.

Israel will finally see the King Messiah that they denied and killed centuries before. He will establish righteousness as the rule in the world, and reign from the city that bears His ownership, and His place of choice to reign and rule. “In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all—the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.” (Isa.2:2-3). “In that day” He will be Lord Sovereign and Almighty.

 

Last, Micah is given the words from God that He will contend with all the world. Let’s read the last portion of the text, “I will pour out my vengeance on all the nations that refuse to obey me.’” 

Micah knew that God hadn’t changed, He is still Almighty God, sovereign over all the universe that has been made by Him. It is shown to Micah through the oracle from God the results of the vengeance that God will do to the sin-riddled nations of the world that continues to war and has refused to obey and trust in their Creator and Sovereign God and Lord. Even throughout the Millennial reign of Christ there will be a portion of the world that are still rebellious and indwelled with a sinful-nature from the fall of mankind in the garden. 

God’s vengeance will be poured out in the final battle at the end of the millennial reign of Christ, the battle will destroy not only the unbelieving world but also Satan and his deceptive and usurped hold over humanity.

Application - The world of war is recorded throughout the eras and centuries of the world. Mankind has become adept at creating military weapons that can annihilate all of mankind. We use it to control, to bribe, to secretly connive those around them to deliberately deceive to execute their agendas.

Israel is a good example of a people who have developed and maintain an arsenal of weaponry second to none. The prowess of their cunning have shocked the world and their enemies. But there's “coming a day” when God’s vengeance will defend His name in this world in His own power and way, He will take away all the weapons of mass destruction and the devices of deception and intrigue used through the cunning of sinful mankind. He will purge the world and Israel and will retaliate and avenge as the Lord Almighty, the God Sovereign and All Powerful. He will destroy and crush the pride, the lust for power, control, and dominance by Satan and by mankind. He will destroy the lawlessness and hidden and deceptive powers of the enemy’s hold on mankind, and He will bring all peoples and place them under His feet (sovereign control). 

Isaiah, Micah’s contemporary fellow prophet in Israel stated that “In that day” in these words from God, “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?...’I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.’”(Isa. 43:4-13,15)

“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it.” “This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting. For this is what the Lord says—he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. “Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in him.” (45:2-8,11-12,17-25)

We could be on the eve of His coming very soon. Today, we need to be purged and purified of sinful ways and words. We need to seek His face and His salvation. As He stated millennia ago, He will bring salvation to all who will call on the Name of His Son, for it is through Him and His sacrifice and atonement for our sins that our sins have been forgiven. But many billions have yet heeded His word or believed in His Son. Please as Paul stated, “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:1-2)

 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