MICAH 7 - THE EXERCISES AND DELIVERANCE OF THE REMNANT
MICAH 7 - THE EXERCISES AND DELIVERANCE OF THE REMNANT
What Jehovah had done for His people at the beginning of their history came before us in chapter 6, but they had turned away from Him, and came under His rod of chastisement. If a remnant was to be secured for Him after all the failure it must be through conscience work which rightly felt the state of departure, accompanied by faith of heart which counted on Him to come in for those who looked to Him. They had to come back to all that was made known typically at the beginning of their history. The very departure provided occasion for Jehovah to come in and show His people marvellous things. But the way must be prepared for this by much exercise on their part, and this is brought out in chapter 7. So that this chapter is peculiarly instructive for us who are at the end of the assembly period; a period marked by as great departure as was ever seen in Israel.
The prophet is seen here as representative of the godly remnant, feeling keenly the terrible state of those amongst whom he served. This exercise marked all the prophets, and it finds expression in many of the Psalms. The sorrows and distresses of those who feared Jehovah were largely occasioned by the presence and conduct of those who were in the place of privilege as Jehovah’s people, but whose hearts were far from Him. This exercise is always present with us. It was a deep grief to Paul to have to say of those who were in the Christian profession, “all seek their own things, not the things of Jesus Christ”. And, again, “Many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ ... who mind earthly things”. We have only to read 2 Timothy, 2 Peter, and Jude to see what Scripture has said about the present state of things. The language is as severe as anything the Old Testament prophets said about Israel.
The effect of all this is to isolate anyone who really fears God from the state of things which surrounds Him, and to shut him up to God. He comes to realise that nobody can be trusted. “The best of them is a briar; the most upright worse than a thorn-fence”, verse 4. If you cannot put confidence in a familiar friend, or in your dearest relation (verse 5), where can your resource be? You must turn wholly to God. “But as for me, I [p. 50] will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me”, verse 7. The more evil I see around me the more I am shut up to God: this is the great exercise of the Psalms on the moral side; it is a detaching and sanctifying exercise. In an evil day it is impossible to find a divine path without taking it up.
But there is something even more deadly than bad conduct. There is an enemy (verse 8) ready to rejoice over the sorrows and failures of the one who has been isolated by his distress at the prevalent evil, ready to rejoice even in what such a one suffers under God’s chastening hand. The word enemy is feminine, and she is spoken of in verse 10 as her and she. It is well known that in Scripture a woman often represents a system of things, as, for example, Hagar and Sarah, or the harlot of Revelation 17, or the Lamb’s wife of chapter 21. Perhaps the female enemy of Micah 7: 8 refers prophetically to the apostate Jews who in the last days will seek to ingratiate themselves with Antichrist. They will go to the king with ointments (Isaiah 57: 9), but they will taunt and persecute those who fear Jehovah and cherish His promises. They will say, “Where is Jehovah thy God” (verse 10), just as the chief priests said of Christ upon the cross, “He trusted upon God; let him save him now if he will have him”, Matthew 27: 43. There may be circumstances in which God does not seem to come in on behalf of His suffering saints, and the enemy will taunt them with it. The tried saints in Smyrna had to bear “the railing of those who say that they themselves are Jews, and are not, but a synagogue of Satan”, Revelation 2: 9. And this synagogue of Satan appears also in connection with the assembly in Philadelphia (Revelation 3: 9); it evidently represents traditional and ceremonial religion, an imitation of Judaism, but really of Satan.
But while the prophet recognises the presence and tauntings of the enemy he goes on with his own exercises. He cannot meet the taunts of the enemy by setting up to be anything but one who has fallen (verse 8); if he has arisen after falling it is surely by mercy alone! And he says further, “When I sit in darkness, Jehovah shall be a light unto me”. He is like the one spoken of in Isaiah 50: 10, but he confides in the name of Jehovah, and stays himself upon his God. He is not out of the darkness yet, but he knows he will be. He has not yet seen the great light of Jehovah having become Man, and accomplishing redemption, but he is assured that Jehovah will be light for him. He is cast down, but hoping in God. This is far better than walking in the light of sparks of [p. 51] his own kindling. But it is not the Christian position. The New Testament never speaks of one who has peace with God sitting in darkness. What we have before us here in verses 8 and 9 is the exercise of an upright soul who looks only to God, but he does not yet know God’s righteousness; he is looking forward to beholding it. He says, “I will bear the indignation of Jehovah, for I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light: I shall behold his righteousness”, verse 9. He does not yet know “the righteousness of Jehovah” as spoken of in chapter 6: 5, but he is assured that he will be brought to the light of it. Many sincere souls are practically in this state, but it is because they are not yet really in the light of Christ and the glad tidings. The exercise of looking only to God is good, but to close our eyes to the light which He has now caused to shine for us is not good.
The glad tidings of the grace of God gives us to know that God has pleaded our cause, and executed judgment for us. He has brought us to the light that we might behold His righteousness. That righteousness was borne witness to by the law and the prophets; this very scripture bears witness to it. But it was something to be looked forward to then, and it will be something for the remnant of Israel to look forward to until Jehovah brings them forth to the light of Christ and the new covenant, but that righteousness is now revealed and manifested. Redemption has been accomplished, and the mercy-seat set forth in all the value of the blood of Christ. We are brought to the full light of God’s righteousness as being upon us, and this by infinite grace. This really qualifies us to receive the Spirit, and to take our place in God’s assembly.
This is suggested in verse 11, where we read of “the day when thy walls shall be built”. This is clearly collective, for walls have reference to a city. This gives great enlargement. Down to this point the exercise has been an individual one until the soul is brought to behold God’s righteousness. But now those delivered are to be put together in a city, and “the established limit” recedes. If the limit recedes there is clearly more room; there is enlargement, and a centre to which those scattered can come. I think it means that all who have had similar exercises to the prophet can now draw together in separation from what is evil, and in the comfort of God’s light and righteousness. God’s city thought is secured thus, even though the land, speaking of the general state of His people, is “desolate because of them that [p. 52] dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings”, verse 13. It is a beautiful suggestion of what Jehovah will make available for the remnant before the kingdom or the house are publicly established. And it is not less a divine encouragement for us who find ourselves in very similar conditions at the end of our dispensation.
Jehovah’s “rod” is not here (verse 14) the rod of correction, but the shepherd rod for the feeding of His people, “the flock of thine inheritance”. How surely He may be trusted to feed those who are brought together by moving on the lines of the exercises seen in this chapter! Though the flock is not seen in Jerusalem, but as “dwelling alone in the forest”. They are still in the outside position publicly, but grace makes it a Carmel, a fruitful field.
Then Jehovah declares what He will do for them. “As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt, will I show them marvellous things”, verse 15. He begins, as it were, afresh with them on the ground of His original thoughts. He does not go into what He will show them, but He describes the effect which it will have upon the nations when they see it; verses 16,17. Millennial circumstances are not brought in here, but something which is morally greater. The remnant celebrates God as known in forgiveness. Verses 18 and 19 enlarge upon this. He does not speak here of the house or the kingdom, but of their delight in God Himself as known according to the new covenant. They are brought to Him morally as knowing His forgiveness. This gives perfect liberty to approach Him, and it is powerful leverage in the heart to do so, for the one who has been forgiven much loves much. Those who are not free to approach do not really know the forgiveness that is in the heart of God for them. It would appeal to us very powerfully if we understood that forgiveness is in the heart of God because He wants us to be near Him without a shade of reserve, and in perfect liberty. It is because He loves that He forgives, and He does it righteously because “Christ indeed has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God”, 1 Peter 3: 18.
This, if truly known, will powerfully affect us in our feelings as to any who may, in some small way, have trespassed against God. Yet He has in love forgiven us, and He now gives us the privilege sometimes of forgiving others as He has also in Christ forgiven us; Ephesians 4: 32. Indeed, if we do not forgive men their offences, our Father in His government of His family will not forgive ours. The Lord’s words are very explicit, “And when ye [p. 53] stand praying, forgive if ye have anything against any one”, Mark 11: 25. It is what you are to do in the presence of your Father without question as to whether the offender has repented or not. It is the state of our own hearts that He is concerned about. The creditor in making a release (Deuteronomy 15) acted like God, whether His debtor appreciated it or not. Of course one who has sinned ought to repent, and will never be right until he does, but nothing is more likely to break him down and to bring him to confess his wrong than a spirit of forgiveness in the heart of the one against whom he has sinned.
When God is known in forgiveness the ground is clear for Him to fulfil all His promises. “Thou wilt perform truth to Jacob, loving-kindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers, from the days of old”, verse 20. The outlook of all the prophets is earthly blessing as the fulfilment of promise, but sins on the part of the people of God morally barred the way to this. God removes that barrier by forgiveness founded on a propitiation which He Himself has provided in love; see 1 John 4: 10. All the sins of His people are cast into the depths of the sea. His course is now clear to fulfil all His promises. Jacob has particularly in view the earthly seed, but “Abraham”, who was told to look toward the heavens (Genesis 15: 5), brings in the thought of a heavenly seed. Saints of the assembly have their blessing, not only according to promise, but according to God’s eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord.