Aug 31 – Micah 1, Micah 2, Micah 3, Micah 4 2 Corinthians 4 Psalm 104:31-35

Micah 1:3-4

For behold, the LORD is coming out of his place,

and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

And the mountains will melt under him,

and the valleys will split open,

like wax before the fire,

like waters poured down a steep place.

God was coming to judge Israel – the captivity we read about in Kings and Chronicles – this is a warning of that coming.

This is a serious warning to start with. God is so amazing, so big – even the hills melt under Him. 

Micah is not saying that God is going to melt the hills and split the valleys open in Israel, although He certainly could. But He’s warning Israel – you need to take God seriously. They’d played fast and light with His Grace for too long. And it had to stop. 

The captivity came. Jerusalem was destroyed. I’m sure they thought it would never happen but it did. 

Let us not follow their example and treat Grace like it’s cheap. Yes we live under the covenant of grace, but let’s not treat God like He’s not serious about sin. He is. 

Micah 4:1-2

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,

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,

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

What an amazing picture – this prophetic vision of the New Jerusalem,  a promise still to come. The picture of swords beat into ploughshares, if a world finally living in peace. People from every nation united. 

We try very hard to United Nations, and we mainly fail. But when all walk in the name of the Lord our God – that’s true unity and peace. 

This day is coming when Jesus returns. I can’t wait. Come, let’s go up to the mountain of The Lord. 

2 Cor 4:4

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 

Who blinded their minds? The same one who hardened the hearts and minds of Israel when they read the law. The god of this world. The enemy does all he can to keep them from seeing the glory of Christ. 

When we reach out to people with the Gospel we need to understand the source of the blindness. To break through we need to pray that the veil will be removed, that’s the blindness will be lifted. The one who is blinding them is not stronger than the one who can lift the veil. 

2 Cor 4:16-18

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Do you ever have trouble with your outer self? Me too. It aches and it creaks and it certainly doesn’t move as fast as it used to. Our outer selves are wasting away. That’s true for all of us. 

I don’t want to minimise the pain… but it does need some perspective. 

First, don’t lose heart. The outer may be fading but the inner self can be renewed day after day. It can move from one degree of glory to another. 

Second we are in a time of preparation for a glory to come that is so great it’s beyond all comparison. This time now is very small on the eternal scale and absolutely tiny compared to the glory and blessing to come. 

When things get hard (and they will) don’t look at the current difficulties, don’t look at the temporary but at the eternal.