As Micah the prophet
continued to name cities such as “Saphir, Zaanan and Bethezel”
which were near Samaria and Jerusalem, he told of their inability to
stop the judgment that was carried out against them. In chapter one
and verse twelve of his prophesy, Micah shares concerning another
city named “Maroth” and how “evil came down from the
LORD” against them. We read:
For the inhabitant of
Maroth waited carefully for good:
but evil came down from
the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
The verse begins, “For
the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good:” Micah
began this verse with the word “For”
which means “because or on account of” “the
inhabitant” or “one who
stays or dwells” “of Maroth”
which means “bitterness” “waited carefully for good”.
The idea of “waited carefully”
is “to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in
anguish, be pained or to writhe as in pain”, and if we use our
imaginations we can almost picture the people within the city of
“Maroth” twisting
and turning in anguish as they hoped that good would befall them.
The verse continues, “but
evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.” With
the thought of “Maroth”
painfully waiting and hoping for good, Micah wrote “but
evil” or “bad, unpleasant
and unpleasing” things “came down from the LORD”
which means “descended, marched down or declined” from “Jehovah”.
Those within “Maroth”
or “bitterness” desired “good”,
but they only received “bad” and “unpleasant things” “from
the LORD” which were like unto
their name. This “evil”
descended “unto the gate of Jerusalem”
and is more than likely a reference to the Assyrian takeover of
Israel.
As
we think through this verse, it might be helpful if we imagine
ourselves being the occupants of the city of “Maroth”.
What if we were hoping for “good”,
but “evil from the LORD” came?
Perhaps we have been in their position before when we were expecting
one outcome, and the opposite occurred. The interesting part to this
verse is “the LORD”
was involved. Could it be that the citizens of “Maroth”
were so blinded by their own activities and actions that they ignored
the possibility that the LORD was against them? If so, may the Lord
Jesus continue to help us see Him in every action and activity, so
that when we are expecting “good”
and “evil” comes,
we will still know that He is involved.
Next
time Micah writes about Lachish and Zion, 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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