As Micah continued his
prophesy concerning Jerusalem and Samaria, he began to indite himself
for his own sin among his people. Though he would “bear the
indignation of the LORD” because of it, he knew the LORD would
“plead” his “cause” and “execute judgment”
for him. After he suffered the punishment for his sin, he knew the
LORD would “bring” him “forth to the light” and
he would “behold his righteousness”. In chapter seven and
verse ten of his prophesy, Micah shared how his “enemy”
would see his redemption and “shame” would cover the one
who had doubts where we read:
Then
she that is my enemy shall see it, and shame shall
cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD your God? mine eyes
shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the
streets.
The
verse begins, “Then she that is my enemy
shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said
unto me, Where is the LORD your God?” Micah
knew someone was watching him go through this time of “indignation”
from the LORD and he wrote, “Then she that is my enemy”
which leaves out “she
that is” in the original text
and refers to an “enemy, foe or adversary either personal or
national” “shall see it”
or “look at, inspect, perceive or consider” “and
shame” which means “disgrace, dishonor, ignominy, and
embarrassment” “shall cover” or “conceal and hide”
“her which said unto me” or “uttered and spoke to him”
“Where is the LORD” or “where is Yehovah or Jehovah”
“your God” which means “divine ones or deities”. If we
use our imaginations we can almost see the enemy taunting Micah as he
went through this time of retribution for his sin. Although the
nation of Judah was ultimately the one whom the LORD was judging,
Micah endured this time as well, and others mocked both him and the
nation of Judah in the process.
The
verse continues, “my eyes shall behold her: now shall she
be trodden down as the mire of the streets.” The
result of this “enemy”
taunting and mocking Micah was, “my eyes shall behold
her” or “look upon, gaze
upon, see, look at, inspect, perceive and consider her” and
the result would be, “now shall she be trodden down” or
“trampled” “as the mire” which refers to the “clay,
mud and dirt” “of the streets” which
literally means “out of doors or outside” and refers to the
passage ways upon which people travelled. Because of this enemy's
insolence, they would now be outside of the dwelling place and
trampled in the streets.
There
are times when the LORD corrects His children. We are told in the
book of Proverbs in chapter three and verse twelve:
And in
the book of Hebrews in chapter twelve and verse six we read:
When
we are corrected by the LORD as Micah the prophet was, we know it is
to bring us to “the light”
and “his righteousness”.
Those who observe this correction would be well advised to think
about what happened to the “enemy”
of Micah who taunted him during this time, and we should carefully
consider when others are being chastened by the LORD. If we taunt and
mock them or if others taunt and mock us, the “shame”
that conceals and hides may be the impetus for being trampled outside
the walls and within the streets. May the LORD Jesus guard our hearts
and minds when correction is employed.
Next
time Micah writes about walls and decrees, 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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