In the first chapter of the
book of Micah, Micah the prophet primarily focused upon the pending
judgment against Samaria and Jerusalem, however, he listed several
cities who influenced or surrounded Jerusalem which would be affected
by God's wrath as well. In chapter one and verse fifteen, Micah
mentioned the “inhabitant of Mareshah” and “Adullam”
where we read:
Yet will I bring an
heir unto you, O inhabitant of Mareshah:
he shall come unto
Adullam the glory of Israel.
The
verse begins, “Yet will I bring an heir unto you, O
inhabitant of Mareshah:” In
the previous verse, Micah referenced the cities of “Moreshethgath”
and the way the inhabitants of Judah would give gifts unto them when
they fled, and “who
would “lie” to
those within Judah concerning hope for their assistance. Micah then
wrote, “Yet will I bring”
or “enter, come in or carry in” “an heir”
which means “to seize, dispossess, take possession off,
inherit, disinherit, occupy or impoverish” “unto you, O
inhabitant of Mareshah” which means “crest of a hill” and
was one of the lowland cities of Judah. In other words, the
“inhabitant of Mareshah” would be overtaken by the enemy
and the enemy would inherit their homes and places.
The
verse goes on to say, “he shall come unto Adullam the
glory of Israel.” Let us
notice that Micah wrote, “he shall come”
which is the same Hebrew word “bow” used for the previous phrase
“Yet will I bring” “unto Adullam”
which means “justice of the people” and was “a town of
the Canaanites allotted to Judah and lying in the lowlands and the
site of the cave where David hid” “the glory” which is
reference to the “honor, splendor, abundance and reputation” “of
Israel” which were the people whose “God prevails”. This
“heir” sent unto Judah would not only prevail against
them, but would also enter in and occupy the glorified city in which
their inhabitants dwell.
As we think about this verse
for a few minutes, let us attempt to imagine if there was a pending
judgment against our city and country. What if a “prophet” who
was sent from God Almighty told us that we were not only going to be
conquered by an enemy, but they would be “heirs” of our
belongings. Micah the prophet was direct and without compromise as he
mentioned specific places within Judah which would be destroyed and
occupied by others. As we ponder these things, let us remember the
reason the people of Judah were to be judged - “apostasy from the
Lord”. They left their love of the Lord God Almighty who is the
Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that is within it, and they
followed after false gods and the pernicious ways those gods
promoted. Perhaps it will help us to think about our own city and
country and whether we have forsaken the Lord. If we find we have,
may we humble ourselves in repentance and pray before the fate of
Judah becomes ours.
Next
time Micah writes about baldness and polling,
so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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