Sermon Tone Analysis

*Micah 4.*

*When?

Who? What? – context** *Before we interpret a prophecy we need to know what it is referring to – set the context.

“In that day” – what is that day? – Jerusalem exalted, the highest mountain, nations streaming to it, submitting to God’s law, walking in His way, peace, end of weapons of war.

This has never been fulfilled, this is not the return from Babylonian exile – this is, as it says in (v.1) “in the last days” When Jesus is seated on His throne.

Who is the King on the throne?

– Jesus!

Verses 1-4 spoke of /the nations/ coming to Jerusalem, now it is talking about the regathering of the scattered – who is it referring to? – To the nation of /Israel/.

What is it talking about?

The coming millennial rule of Jesus from Mount Zion, when the Kingdom is restored to Israel and Israel to her Messiah.

* A strong Kingdom out of the rejected [v.6, 7]** *When Brian builds a house he wants it to be strong, so he starts with the best material - if you use defective material the integrity of the whole structure is compromised, no matter how well you build.

But with God it is different.

Hallelujah!

He takes the weak, the poor, the rejected, the failures, the nobodies – you and me, and makes something strong, good, and perfect!

Praise God! (*2 Corinthians 4:6**,/7/*/ For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves/).

“The lame” (v.6,7) – seems to be emphasized – what is the significance – the nations are seeking Jesus’ ways so that they may walk in His paths – but the lame are incapable of walking.

(v.1-4) has talked about /the nations/ coming – the Gentiles – but this is talking about the Jews, about Israel.

They are weak, outcast, rejected.

It is יהוה Himself who has afflicted her.

They are incapable of walking in יהוה‘s ways – He has to restore them, remove the veil from their eyes so that they can see Jesus, the Messiah.

The scattered are regathered – out of these יהוה makes a remnant.

Jesus will reign over them in Zion forever.

The Kingdom will be restored to them.

יהוה also declares the establishment of His Kingdom - the regathering of His people whom He scattered and exiled in judgement.

"I will gather ..." "I will assemble ..." - יהוה Himself will intervene and act on His people’s behalf.

It is יהוה Him self’s doing!

Hallelujah!

This is not man’s idea or operation.

All the weak, the poor He will gather – it is to the nobodies, that He will give help - not to the mighty, important and proud.

The ones He gathers to Himself are the ones everyone else rejects - the lame, the outcasts, the poor, the afflicted - the HUMBLE (cf.

*1 Peter 5:5-7* /God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time./).

It was יהוה Himself who afflicted them; it is יהוה who will make them a remnant.

Now He will have mercy on them and regather them to Himself, to the land, to be His people in His Kingdom.

Hallelujah! יהוה Himself will do this, for He has declared it.

- יהוה will restore His people to their land and there personally rule over them as King in His Messianic Kingdom.

It is out of the dregs, the outcasts that יהוה will make a nation - the people the world discards and gives up on.

Out of these hopeless cases, these handicapped, יהוה will make a /mighty/ nation - then all will know that it is *יהוה**’s doing*!

All the glory goes to Him - for these people had no strength in themselves.

יהוה will take a weak and crippled remnant and make them into a mighty nation.

Has He not done this with His church? - made a people, a glorious temple out of the outcasts and sinners?

יהוה will be King!

Hallelujah!

He will reign from Mount Zion, His holy hill.

His Kingdom reign is FOREVER - it will know no end!

Hallelujah! (cf.

v.5*; Daniel 7:13*/ //Behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him.

“And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed./)

All glory be to the Eternal King! Do you feel your weakness, frailty, failure, do you despair that God can do anything with you?

This is the very material He uses to build His Kingdom! Hallelujah!

You may have fallen but יהוה restores.

* Restoration [v.8]* – “The former kingdom will come” – it will be restored to Israel.

Israel was once a kingdom with David on the throne.

His greater Son will take up the throne and the dynasty of David will be restored.

Jesus will reign from Zion.

“You, the tower of the flock" – shepherds built a raised platform to watch the flock from – the watchtower speaks of the intercessor~/prophet.

It possibly refers to Mount Zion, the holy hill or to Jesus - the One who stood watch over His people, guarding their security.

The word “hill” is “Ophel” and means “pride”.

The pride of the daughter of Zion is Jerusalem.

The hill of the daughter of Zion is the temple mount - the Ophel - the hill from which King David reigned.

From there his greater Son, Jesus will reign - the government will be upon His shoulders (cf.

Isaiah 9:6,7) - the former dominion, the Davidic kingdom will be restored (cf.

*Amos 9:11*/“In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old/).

Jerusalem will be the capital of the whole world forever, with יהוה ruling from there.

From His tower the Good Shepherd will watch over the peoples.

Zion is emphasized (6x); the mountain of יהוה (3x); and Jerusalem (2x) – There will be a Kingdom of Israel again - Jesus will rule from Jerusalem, from His holy mountain.

יהוה restores!

You may have lost what you once had, that which is the LORD’s intention for you – יהוה is a God of restoration – who returns that which was taken away and it seems that it is impossible to regain – there will be a restoration of all things (*Acts 3:19-22* /Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Messiah appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you./)

Restoration is wonderful but the process of bringing it about is painful – as anyone whose marriage has been restored will tell you.

Bringing something new to birth involves pain.

*Bringing to birth out of desperation [v.9,10]** *- God’s people are mourning their misfortune, יהוה having afflicted them – He exiled them to Babylon, they no longer have any king – this happened, but Jews are still in Babylon, the humanistic world system that places man and his ability as god.

Jews are the foremost of humanists, the world religion that is in utter opposition to יהוה.

But there is no cause for their grief - for their King has come to rescue them.

They have the King in their midst, the wonderful Counsellor (cf.

Isaiah 9:6).

Counsel hasn’t perished - there is no reason to be in distress and cry out.

If only they would trust in their Messiah, their King who has already come.

But before that day when He rules, Israel would indeed cry out - she would writhe in agony like one with labour pains or one giving birth - Israel would experience terrible distress and pain - but with the promise of the pain bringing forth something wonderful to birth.

יהוה Himself would be her Redeemer.

He Himself would pay the ransom and redeem her from the hand of her enemies.

Jesus has redeemed us from the hands of our enemies.

He Himself has paid the ransom price.

Bless and praise His wonderful Name! יהוה our Redeemer!

Hallelujah! Bringing to birth is painful.

יהוה regathers her, rescues her, but you have to be rescued /from something/ – dire trouble is coming to Israel.

Israel goes through the mill first – all nations will be gathered against Jerusalem – it looks like she will be utterly destroyed but Jesus intervenes!

Hallelujah! (*Zechariah 12:1-10* /Thus declares /יהוה/ //who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah.

It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured.

And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.

In that day,” declares /יהוה/,// “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness.

But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through /יהוה/ //of armies, their God.’

In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem.

/יהוה/ //also will save// the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah.

In that day /יהוה/ //will defend// the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of /יהוה/ //before them.

And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.