Micah

Micah 1

BC736 to 703; some say until BC696.

Harold E. Lafferty

Micah 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

First, Micah is described as a Morashthite – an inhabitant of Moresheth-Gath in southwest Judah between Judaea and Philistia; cf., verses 14, 15, below.

In 1Kings 22 there is recounted the career of another prophet of the same name, but spelled “Micaiah.”

The prophet’s name, Micah means “Who is Like Yah?” or “Who is Like YHVH?”

He was a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos and Hosea.

The time of Micah’s ministerial activity surrounds the threatening actions and the captivity of Israel, the Ten Tribes of the north, by Assyria, which happened c. 700 BC.

His words contain yet another set of dire warnings to his people, advising them to give up their widespread idolatry.

Although a prophet of Judah, he delivered messages to Israel (Samaria) as well.

Mic 1:2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD (Adonai YHVH) be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple (a reference that invokes the high holiness of YHVH found in Habakkuk 2: 20, q.v.).

Micah begins his message with some of the final words of his earlier namesake, Micaiah, as recorded in 1Kings 22: 28, q.v. The admonition to Hear! is repeated by Micah in 3:1, 9; and 6: 1, 2 – a sum of five times!

So that the people may fully understand the seriousness of His charges, the Almighty puts forward His case in legal terms: “let the Lord GOD be a witness against you …” He summarizes the global meaning of this concept, and adds the character of judging through the prophet, in Malachi 3:5 - And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. The last phrase evokes the prevalent idolatry of the people – their propensity to worship and “fear” idols rather than their Father Who has revealed Himself in so many ways to them …

This verse contains perhaps the most complete catalog of their iniquities recorded in one reading – those specific crimes which led Him to bring both the Assyrians against Israel, and the Babylonians against Judah. That action is illustrative of Him “coming out of his place” to punish them.

Mic 1:3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

These words warn of the impending personal intervention of the LORD of Hosts upon both societies. The results shall be drastic, and irreversible.

Mic 1:4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

This verse is a direct reference to the terrifying events of 2Kings 17 and 25. These literal events were already becoming formulated and prepared in a societal sense for the political overthrow of His people.

This language speaks of the severest penalties for their iniquities – of God’s seething wrath poured out upon His people in the figure of volcanic lava – one of the most destructive, fatal, and punishing elements known to all mankind.

The “cleaving” of the valley speaks of earthquakes, again a terrifying natural result of tectonic forces. We are reminded of the vivid photographs of the Hawaiian Island volcano Mauna Loa, which sputters lava into the atmosphere, sending searing streams of molten lava in rivers down to the Pacific, at the same time shaking the earth surrounding the fiery mountain.

These phenomena are slated for literal use in the end time when Jesus’ feet stand upon the Mount of Olives, and at a later time, when the Gogian host is destroyed in one day at Hamongog.

Mic 1:5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. Now He answers His rhetorical question: What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria (invoking the prevalent idols of Samaria)? and what are the high places (again, the idolatrous high places) of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? Cf., Jeremiah 32: 35.

Idolatry is the prevalent problem with both societies: both are steeped in the “religions” of their neighbors, thereby repudiating their Creator, YHVH, hands down, who multiple times had forbidden their participation in those abominations.

There will be severe penalties …

Mic 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as (the exhausted, used-up) plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.

These words speak of consummately physical wreckage – of a drastic throwing down of the northern kingdom in every sense.

The principal transgression of Samaria is idolatry.

Mic 1:7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires (this word is H868, ethnan, and refers to the price of an harlot or of idolatry, emphasizing the similarity of the two) thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

Since idolatry is obviously Israel and Judah’s first love, they shall return to it and continue in it wholly … but their errancy will bring severe anguish – and utter ruin.

Mic 1:8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked (a vivid depiction of despair and mourning – of complete departure from Him by His people): I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.

Mic 1:9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

It is interesting that the prophet now likens their condition to an infected wound, or to a boil which fulminates and spreads rapidly … the sequelae of which is often septicemia – and certain agonal death in time.

Mic 1:10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.

“House of Aphrah” is “house of dust;” it is an ironic reference to their descent into the darkness and ignorance of death because of sin.

Why should not their shame be published in Gath – a city of the Philistines? Because it would give these vile enemies of God a cause for rejoicing against God Himself. Better to keep His despair and disappointment from them …

Mic 1:11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing.

This language is largely obscure as stated; Saphir indicates an habitat of beauty and fairness; it is an estimate of their own status – not His evaluation. Those residents shall have their nakedness uncovered – cf., Isaiah 20: 4; Ezekiel 16: 37 – and their shame bared for all to behold..

Zaanan means a sheep pasture: it is the habitat of His sheep of the house of Israel. The meaning of Bethezel is “house of the side,” which seems to make no sense. All these, if they are willing, shall receive His judgment as to their “standing,” or their station in life. But to bring a good station, they must alter their behavior.

Mic 1:12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem. Maroth means “bitter springs,” and is curiously connected with Naomi who, when she came home to Bethlehem after the death of her husband and sons, was greeted by the people of her hometown saying, “Is this Naomi …?” In Ruth 1: 20 her reply is recorded: And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

Mara means bitterness; Naomi was overcome with bitterness for the adversity which had come to her. The term “Maroth” is from the same root word – and reflects disappointment or bitterness as well. The good outcome that they expected would not turn out well for them. Evil has come down to the gate of Jerusalem, i.e., The chickens have come home to roost, as we often say.

Mic 1:13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.

The meaning of Lachish is uncertain – but its use here connotes adversity and oppression, for it became the headquarters of the approaching Assyrian Scourge of Samaria (2Kings 18; 14 and Isaiah 37:8); this king seems to have been Shalmanezer III (cf., 2Kings 18), one of the first kings of Assyria to threaten Samaria. In Micah’s day it should have been, first, Tiglathpileser III, then Shalamanezer IV, followed by Sargon and Sennacherib.

Mic 1:14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

This verse contains some meanings hidden to English-readers.

Giving presents to Moreshethgath means “giving up possessions at Gath.” These would be forcibly ripped from them. Recall that it is the home city of Micah.

Achzib means deceitful. “Houses of Achzib being a lie” is the figure of speech Paronoasia, and means “the houses of False-town (Akzib) shall prove false.” So there is a clever – and memorable – play on the words here.

Mic 1:15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.

Mareshah means summit, as a place of elevation. Again, there is a play on the words here: “bring an heir … Mareshah,” connotes “bring the possessor … to the possessed.” This, of course, refers to the King of Assyria who YHVH was bringing upon them … he who shall become the possessor of that which is possessed.

Where have we heard of Adullam previously? It was the name of the cave to which David fled from Saul – see I Samuel 22: 1; this verse is foretelling that the royalty of Israel shall go (flee) to the Cave of Adullam as David had done – striving to escape oppression. Bullinger f.n. Perhaps this is figurative and not literal.

Mic 1:16 Make thee bald, and poll thee (shave your heads) for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

These actions are to be performed in profound yearning and mournfulness for the victims of the coming captivity. Although these actions were forbidden under the Law (Leviticus 19: 27, 8), YHVH was speaking to Judah who had become AS the heathen, to which these actions were common. <HEL>

Micah 2

The prophet now turns to individual excoriation ...

Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Mic 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

Mic 2:4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he (meaning, God?) hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.

In context, these words seem to be accusing YHVH of changing the portion of “this family.” But the words could be directed against the kings of Assyria – implausible in our thinking because it was not they, but it was YHVH who had given a portion of the land to the People in the first instance.

Mic 2:5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.

Psalm 16: 6 defines a “line” (therefore a measuring cord) as a means of marking boundaries for a property; this right to own property was being forfeited by Israel; they would soon be ejected from their lands. No more should a measure of ownership in the land be rightfully claimed – for He has withdrawn it!

Now he condemns yet again, the false prophets – the prophets of “smooth things” of Isaiah 30: 10, q.v.

Mic 2:6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.

Mic 2:7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

The term “Jacob” means supplanter, or heel-catcher (grabber), thus indicating his proclivity for taking something that is not his possession. “Jacob” has been synonymous with “Israel,” but the Almighty uses “Jacob” here as attribution to this ignoble quality of his sons. “Israel” means “he will rule as God,” but the term does not apply to the people that they have become.

Mic 2:8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

Mic 2:9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.

The effects of their ungodliness are far-reaching – much beyond their temporal circumstances: it affects their progeny for all time.

Mic 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

The surety of the matter is that their “rest” is prophesied to be “glorious” in Him, as in Isaiah 11: 10, q.v.

Mic 2:11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

Yet, in the midst of all these terrible consequences, there is a bright end in sight – an end, however, which the present inhabitants shall not see. His next words leap forward to the resolution of Jacob’s status and trials; as He always does, the Almighty offers hope in the midst of hopelessness – and redemption in the face of their utter failure. But such will come at a price...

Mic 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

Mic 2:13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.

Although this verse might seem to refer to "the breaker" as their enemy, the root word indicates that they would be breaking out from the captivity of those who oppress them as in verse 12 – the alien societies from which He shall gather them together in the midst of a “great noise,” which reflects the uproar and mayhem of the process of their regathering – a history of His people which we have observed closely for seventy years with great consternation, sometimes, and with great admiration and appreciation at others.

The “breaker” therefore, we believe, evokes their Deliverer from their enemies. They are now passing through the “gate” of their deliverance, returning to their homeland on the wings of eagles and the backs of donkeys - by every means effecting their restoration. In the midst of this process their King shall return and “pass before them” in power and great glory – His purpose being to effect the totality of their return to their Land ... and their condition of peace and security which they must enjoy prior to the Gogian invasion.

Does Micah discuss the Gogian invasion in his scroll? We shall see ...

But it certain that he does discuss in great detail the involvement of Israel with its neighbors round about as they are being restored to their Land by their Breaker (of the heathen grip upon them). <HEL>

Micah 3

Mic 3:1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?

The Hebrew word translated “judgment” here is mishpat, meaning a verdict – either favorable or unfavorable – which His people shall receive from His will.

Here, it is unfavorable.

Mic 3:2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

Mic 3:3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

The picture drawn here is one of hideous dissection, random division and systematic destruction of His People by their false prophets and false shepherds. After this sentence is deployed, there shall be no repentance and no reprieve for the present population …

Mic 3:4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

Mic 3:5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.

Mic 3:6 Therefore night (implying a dark “night” of knowledge and understanding) shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets and the day shall be dark over them.

This verse was the source of the title of our comprehensive study of end-time prophecy entitled “Twilight of the Prophets,” in 2000AD. But in our study, that twilight comes about by fulfillment of the words of the true prophets – not the failures attended by the sure termination of the false prophets of Israel.

When the prophecies have reached fulfillment, the prophets’ brilliant sun “sets,” and their foresight is eased and erased by being fulfilled in actual history – and the name of the LORD is exalted!

For this elevated reason, it is extremely important for contemporary students of end-time prophecy to “get it right” rather than relying on outmoded, wrongly forecasted expectations of the past; only the former approach can be of profit to His people; they rightly view the rapidly approaching events as realistically forecasted by the prophets, and therefore “believe,” as it is expected that they do, thusly preparing themselves and their fellows for the rapidly-approaching, age-ending events.

It is a case parallel to this present discussion by Micah: let the “false prophets” keep still – and learn from the true prophets of God.

Mic 3:7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.

Thus, a godly “night” falls upon them!

Now Micah begins to make his personal voice heard ...

Mic 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

This is not a bright outlook for Israel of his day. The diviners and seers have led the People astray ... and essentially condemned them to destruction.

Mic 3:9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

Mic 3:10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

Mic 3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.

Those are obviously false hopes, based on human greed and ambition. But they hold no true hope! The consequences are therefore dim ...

Mic 3:12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

This prophecy came to pass after 70AD when Titus is said to have sowed the city and its then desolated Temple Mount with salt and plowed it into the earth for good measure. Such would folklorically assure the physical AND spiritual sterility of that place for decades to come, and assure its desolation for ages, but there is no proof that physical sterility was the actual result … spiritual sterility certainly continued for centuries!

This prophecy speaks pejoratively of the City and its inhabitants.

But Micah’s next words foretell a time when complete redemption shall come to the City and its People – and evoke their eternal elevation and justification in the end time. <HEL>

Micah 4

These words show a progressive development of YHVH’s power in the earth, expressed as we are aware, through the righteous and just reign of His Son – and the conquests which He shall make among all peoples when He returns to the earth.

It implies that all the righteous shall be there when these glorious things come to pass.

It is a picture which is in complete contrast to the scene in Micah’s and his peoples’ view ...

Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Mic 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

The picture presented here is one of the finality and completeness of the Almighty’s Plan for his People. It proves that His intent is permanently to bring His People back to their land, to give them a great victory over their enemies round about, and to establish His King upon the reestablished throne of the LORD in Zion ... forever peaceful and secure from all harm or aggression. In addition it reveals the homage of the nations of the earth to His sovereignty as expressed (as we know from many other scriptural references) the preeminence of His Son in that day, and the subservience of the nations to Him in every matter.

These words are so important prophetically that they are repeated almost verbatim by the prophet Isaiah, in 2: 1-3, q.v.

The conjunction “but” in the next verse indicates an entire reversal of previous conditions ...

Mic 4:4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

This picture is one of Messianic peace – of the peaceable kingdom of Christ.

This condition adequately describes conditions in Israel as a preamble to the crucial time when the Gogian host thinks an evil thought and is drawn down upon the mountains of Israel … Ezekiel 38: 10-12, but also of the peace which shall pervade the earth in post-Apocalyptical time.

Ezekiel 34: 22-31 also speaks of this era of peace and tranquility ... the time immediately precedent to the utterly failed invasion of Gog!

Mic 4:5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever (in Hebrew, olam ad – in perpetuity, world without end).

This fifth verse of Micah 4 seems to contain an oxymoron in the statement that “all people will walk every one in the name of his god,” contrasting it with the next statement – “and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for olam ad.” We believe the key to understanding this seeming enigma is in the realization that IN THAT DAY there shall be no other “god” in which to trust, so our only rational and scriptural conclusion is that every man’s “god” will be YHVH Himself; the word “elohiym” being the word used in both cases. No other view makes any rational sense.

The preceding text precludes the existence of any other “gods” in addition to YHVH and His Representative, the LORD Jesus Christ sitting upon David’s reconstituted throne in Zion.

Mic 4:6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;

Mic 4:7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation (all these descriptors nominate the Two and the Ten Tribes reunited as one nation – the conclusive condition indicated in Ezekiel 37, picturing the dry bones of Israel being brought together as one nation again, and standing up as the People of God): and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever (again, the Hebrew is ad olam – forever, or eternally, as expressed by the final word: see Hebrew text).

Mic 4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

In these words is seen the consummate fulfillment of verses one to three above, being a complete reversal of its constitution today – that of a pariah nation (in the eyes of the world), responsible for “occupation” of Arab lands, an apartheid State, boycotted widely, shunned almost internationally, and often vilified in that representative body of nations called The United Nations!

The “first dominion” of the Kingdom shall be Greater Israel itself – the home-base of the administration of the LORD Jesus Christ, just as England was the first dominion of the British Empire – its officials formulating its policies and its terms of commerce, its legal policies, and its law enforcement for the entire Commonwealth.

Mic 4:9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.

Mic 4:10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

This is a global restatement of their immediate prospects and of their long-term destiny.

It is as if the entire People are returning to an unborn condition – to a place in which they originally were situated (Babylon, or Egypt, in a special sense) – to a “place” from which the LORD shall in future deliver His people!

Believers of today are so blessed to have seen the crucial, initial stages of His Peoples’ deliverance from the nations of their captivity. He has formed them in the Land again – a remnant (see verse 7 above), which has now been made a “strong nation,” soon to be dwelling physically and spiritually secure under their newly returned Messiah, Jesus, the Christ of the Second Advent!

Mic 4:11 Now also many nations (these are the proximal Islamic enemies of today) are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

Their rapacious eyes have been upon Zion since its second establishment – since 1948, when the modern nation of Israel was founded. Their threats to “take back their land” have been invariable; their intentions to “wipe Israel off the map” clearly enunciated to all the world.

But their enemies know nothing of the true nature of their true Enemy, the LORD our God, at that time expressing His will and purpose through the personal good offices of Jesus the Christ, Who shall have returned to them, shall have saved them from their enemies, and shall have been recognized as the “blessed” one – “He Who cometh in the name of the LORD” as prophesied in Luke 13: 35 – a future circumstance exactly similar to that great day of acclamation of the same understand among the common people as described in John 12: 13, q.v., during the days of His First Advent.

Mic 4:12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.

Note well that their enemies’ oppression, although justified – and ordered by the Father – would outlast itself too, and that those perpetrating nations themselves would be punished for their deeds and their idolatry.

Much of this punishment shall be administered by the hand of political Israel at the time of the end, as foretold by all the prophets. It is an ability the precursor of which we have already been a witness in 1948, 1953, 1967 and 1973!

This prowess in battle is forecasted to continue into the initial days of the Second Advent when the IDF will again come into play in the destruction of their enemies round about.

Those who predict that Israel will be overrun one final time by the Gogian host are entirely unreceptive of the word of God, that Israel of this moment is on the scene to stay, in residence and in prominence, and that it shall never again be uprooted or plucked up (cf., Amos 9:11-15).

Even though some seem to believe that this prophecy of Amos has already been fulfilled, its conclusions make that impossible if one only peruses the clearly expressed verbiage of the prophecy. The invincibility of the IDF is made clear in Micah’s next words … but notice carefully that its ability (as in earlier time as well – during the pre-adventual days of their second recovery) is granted by YHVH (“I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass ....”).

Mic 4:13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

In these words the prowess in warfare of Israel in the end time is revealed with certainty – their “beating in pieces many people.” These are only the nations round about, for these are the immediate concern not only of His People today but also of Christ when He comes.

In these words also is indicated the ingathering of the “wealth of the Gentiles” of Zechariah 14, which shall be gathered unto the Lord much in the same fashion as that of Edom, Moab and Ammon’s vast treasures were harvested by Israel in the days of Jehoshaphat (cf., II Chronicles 20).

The result will be that Israel shall in one short season of time become perhaps the richest People on earth – their wealth including far more than half the world’s known liquid petroleum resources, much of all the earth's oil shales, all the wealth, the chattels, the cash accounts, the gold and silver deposits, the currencies and real estate, and all the property of the nations round about, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, much of the Saudi peninsula (all of it?), and much of the present nation of Egypt – an enormous storehouse of goods and resources, and a fitting fulfillment of Israel’s acquisition of “great wealth” from the nations round about in that final conflict with Proximal Islam. Please see Zechariah 14: 14 for one description of this action. <HEL>

Micah 5

The prophet continues forecasting what shall happen to his people in future time.

His next words relative to “smiting the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek” might refer to the persecution and crucifixion of Christ at His first coming.

But we believe that another insult must be indicated here when the events of this chapter come to pass in the end times. Our attention is drawn to the text of Isaiah 59:19 - So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

We feel that this prophecy means that at some time in the future an overwhelming overflow of enemies shall be on the verge of an invasion of Israel – waves and more waves of human fodder advancing upon the Jewish state with the intention of tearing it to bits, and of taking their land and polity. (cf., Luke 1: 71, 74), in reference to these particular enemies). The primary such people of today are the nations round about Israel and no others; so it is THESE enemies to which Isaiah and Zacharias refer.

Conclusively, the stop-gap instrument of their defeat is the Standard (the Hebrew is nus, Strong’s H5127, meaning to cause something to vanish away, and to be lifted up as a symbolic power against an enemy) – which is surely a reference to the Personage which we understand to be Israel’s deliverer, the personal LORD Jesus Christ at His Second Coming.

To the people listening to Micah, this key statement was a definitive picture not only of the exact place of Messiah’s birth but also of His mission!

Note that this is determined to be applicable mostly after 1948 because no army could besiege the widely scattered Jews of the world before that time; they had to become concentrated in one location (Israel) for this to be possible...to become a national entity in order to be attacked as such an entity.

Mic 5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

The next phrase pinpoints the exact place of birth of the Ancient of Days – which should be sent into the world. Ephratah is a more ancient name for Bethlehem of Judah’s portion; the prophet cites both place names so there can be no mistaking his words.

When the wise men of the east came to give tribute to the infant Jesus (recorded in Matthew 2: 5, 6), the Jews readily cited these words of Micah by direct reference, proving their belief that He was to be born in Bethlehem ...

He should be “that prophet like unto Moses” which the LORD should raise up. Please see ... Deuteronomy 18: 18; Luke 7: 37.

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Now the prophet speaks of His People’s desolation – of their being abandoned (given up) until a certain time in history – until the time of the “bringing forth” of His modern People’s nation, Israel.

This secular “mother” of Israel is the very human Jewish Agency, which became divinely appointed, in our opinion, and was given responsibility for the modern birth of Israel! Only after the nation was “brought forth” could the Jews return to the land of the children of Israel; prior to that, many severe restrictions were imposed upon them, preventing their return en masse.

Mic 5:3 Therefore will he give them up (or abandon them), until the time that she (world Zionism) which travaileth hath brought forth (see Isaiah 66: 7,8): then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Only the harshest critic of Israel today will claim that the People have not “stood and fed in the strength of the LORD,” for they clearly have received abundant angelic assistance as they stood firmly against and overcame hordes of Islamic enemies!

Now the prophet concentrates upon one named oppressor: Assyria.

But today there is no nation named Assyria – and no Assyrian people. However, the solution to this identification is easy, for he is referring to the modern nation(s) which now inhabit the ancient Assyrian territories – namely, Iraq and Syria! If these nations (per se) never enter into a common effort to combat Israel, then some entity representing these peoples would do so.

In our opinion, the Islamic State (aka ISIS) could be that entity. Its fortunes fluctuate widely over the months, but its avowed purpose is, from its formative day, to take as much territory in Iraq and Syria as possible, then move southward to destroy Israel – in our opinion a perfect outworking of this stated prophecy!

But we must stress: If ISIS fails, then we look for another entity to arise representing the ancient territories of Assyria, who attempts the same goal.

The biggest barrier to their fulfilling their plan is that a Man of peace, the returned Lion of Judah, shall intervene against them, and bring peace to His own people by conquest – by utterly defeating those aggressive forces to the last man, and clearing His land of all the squatters and interlopers who have arrived there over the past 2,500 years. The prophet’s next words confirm this goal ...

Mic 5:5 And this Man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

These seven shepherds are “complete ones” (the number seven is the number of completion, as a complete week) and the “eight” (eight is the number of perfection, or immortality, so these will be perfected men) princes of men will take over and control that aggressor, destroying him and blunting his purpose.

The agents here, we believe, are the Immortalized Saints – now in a condition of completion and immortality – who shall execute that task under their Master and Commander, Jesus the Christ! Their fury will be irresistible by the enemies of God who shall fall utterly by their hand.

Mic 5:6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria (which today mainly constitute Iraq and Syria) with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

In making this point we are decidedly refuting the older concept that Russia is represented by the entity which older expositors called “the latter-day Assyrian,” and assigned its identity to Russia. Never in the history of nations are we aware of a condition in which a conquering nation moved into a conquered land and then assumed its name rather than its own name; nations just don’t do such inane things. They are proud of their own name and would be completely averse to the adoption of another nation’s designation.

But there are still other enemies to conquer in addition to “Assyria” – and these are the remaining interlopers and intruders at present located within the area designated as the Land Between the Rivers.

The “remnant of Jacob” is the much-reduced forces of the returned Jews of the world who now constitute “Israel;” their overpowering hand in battle shall continue dominant, as it has done since the modern nation’s inception; with incredible strength and prowess shall they waste the Land of Nimrod! But one must not discount the added strength of the immortal army of the returned Jesus Christ in this conflict!

At the end of the war of the Valley of Jehoshaphat (cf., Joel 3: 12), which is this particular conflict in our opinion, the basic nature of Israel as a nation devolves to that of docility and productivity ... their new eminence in the world becoming beneficial to many peoples, expressed in the words of Isaiah 49:6 – And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Thus our Father confirms that it is Jacob which is the source of our salvation, and that of the world, for out of Judah’s tribe came the Christ, the Redeemer, the Lion of Judah, the Star out of Jacob, that Sun of Righteousness which should arise with healing in His beams – the Firstborn of the Dead, and the First of the New Creation of our Father.

His Administration among the kingdoms of men elegantly termed the “first dominion of the kingdom” as in Micah 4: 8, shall be the sole source and fountain of salvation of the remaining peoples of the earth in that new day of His Second Advent! Obadiah 1: 17, 21 q.v.

He further describes the great blessing of the remnant of Jacob – the recovered and converted people of Jacob from the coastlands of the whole earth who shall then be gathered into their Land of Promise, and who shall dwell in it peacefully and safely under the regnal scepter of the LORD Jesus Christ in the day of His coming glory.

His blessing shall be upon them – and theirs upon all others on that wonderful day.

That shower of blessings shall depend no longer upon any man or sons of men; only upon Messiah and His immortal Servants along with His mortal people of Israel during the Millennium that is now approaching.

Mic 5:7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

Dew is condensed moisture lying over all creation; it is symbolic of great spiritual blessings. It shall become universal in that day!

At the same time, the prophet neglects not to enlighten his hearers/readers of the fierce and determined nature of this New People of God – and to describe their resolute prosecution of His will among their foes ... their hand of retribution upon “all thine enemies;” “and none can deliver” them from this fate!

Mic 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

The literary reference to a “lion” here is unmistakable: the Perpetrator is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah – the LORD Jesus Christ ... as perspicacious as an “old” lion, and as vigorous as a young lion!

Mic 5:9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

At that time His People shall be purified as to all their components that are adverse to His polity – itself a new creation in the earth which depends upon no weapons of carnal warfare (horses and chariots, cities for defense, or strong holds) ... and which tolerates none of the corruption of conduct, or the false worship which has long plagued His people in past eras such as sorceries or magic, including graven images and groves (asherim) under which the People had corrupted His name.

Instead, their new “weapon” is the sword of the Spirit (both the might and the word of YHVH) wielded by the LORD Jesus Christ and the Saints of His New Dominion. Isaiah 2: 12-17, q.v., illustrates the futility of human defenses and other measures of protection, emphasizing Israel’s utter trust in the LORD in that future day.

Mic 5:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

Note the strong parallelism to Zechariah 9: 10 and Hosea 1: 7 in these verses! These are human weapons utilized for human purposes, but are no longer needed or allowed; that entity of the new Zion shall employ divine weapons for His divine Purpose.

Mic 5:11 And I will cut off the cities (the Hebrew is iyr, meaning “a place guarded by waking or a watch”) of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds (fortifications):

Mic 5:12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

Mic 5:13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

Mic 5:14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

This word “cities” implies human institutions, not divinely originated.

But His purifying rites do not cease with His People; they extend in vengeance and fury to the heathen, as needed for their conversion to His way as well, so that all corruption and unrighteousness is purged from His kingdom forthwith, for “... the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” Zechariah 14: 8, 9.

He expresses that certain intention in his next words ...

Mic 5:15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. <HEL>

Micah 6

Micah 6:1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.

By divine inspiration the prophet is now instructed to be His messenger even to the inanimate objects of His creation (the mountains and hills – cf., Ezekiel 36: 1-6, where the same literary mechanism is employed for great emphasis) to hear the expostulation, the dissuasion, of YHVH with His people – to witness it in all its fury and certainty; it is a truly awakening, magnificent concept of His great concern and love for them.

Mic 6:2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD'S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

His words of remonstrance follow in verses 3 to 5: His mercy toward them has previously been set before them in great detail. Now He asks sincerely, just what His further duty is toward them as their gracious Father ...

Mic 6:3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.

Mic 6:4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

Mic 6:5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

He reminds them that He is able (and willing) to express His mercy upon Israel even through the agency of a pagan “prophet” such as the mysterious Balaam, a dweller in Syria, who seems to have an esoteric and unexplained relationship with the God of Israel.

Through even such extreme agents, His mercy and kindness and care have been lavished upon them profusely, but they have not responded in kind with faithful behavior.

His righteousness has been answered with unrighteousness by them in every instance!

His answer now emerges in the words of the prophet to them ... who asks them frankly...

Mic 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

Mic 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Even this last, forbidden, extreme offering of his own children could not suffice to erase their guilt. And in their present state of mind, neither should their more conventional sin offerings.

They apparently have no answer to these piercing questions by Micah, who continues with his reasonable arguments before a deaf people: but that does not defeat his attempt to appoint them the simple solution – obedience to the Almighty rather than their accustomed transgressions.

Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

In our thinking, this is the whole duty of all mankind toward its Creator. Cf., also Ecclesiastes 12: 13, in the words of which these principles are surely contained and elucidated. They are also the principles embodied in “the everlasting gospel” to be sent forth to the nations as in Revelation 14: 7, q.v.

Every man of wisdom should perceive these principles and adhere to them; the problem is that there are few of these left among the people – and apparently none of any important standing – so that even these have limited, insufficient influence with the people.

The rod of His anger is eminently about to be rained upon them, but they are deaf to His warnings; wickedness still abounds among His people.

Mic 6:9 The LORD'S voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

Mic 6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

Mic 6:11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?

This means of assay – of His determination of their worth – is not workable; it will yield no satisfactory answer. Their abominations are yet established before Him, and are still unacceptable in any wise.

Mic 6:12 For the rich men (all men of influence) thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

Mic 6:13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

The same principle of disobedience, making some “weak and sickly among you,” affected the Corinthian brethren who were the focus of attention of the Apostle, in I Corinthians 11: 30, qv.

Mic 6:14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver, and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.

Their legacy in the Land is now bankrupt.

None of their physical efforts to survive shall work anymore.

Their intransigent wickedness has determined their fate, which now seems unable to be deflected because sincere repentance has escaped them. All their labors are to be in vain. The result shall be unbearable to them and to their progeny ...

Mic 6:15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil, and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

Mic 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

The statutes of Omri! This infamous king of Israel set a new standard for wickedness – and then passed his legacy to his son, the wicked Ahab who succeeded him ... a king who did evil of even greater magnitude, including his unwise union with a priestess of Phoenicia, Jezebel!

1Kings 16:25-30 defines these abominations of both men:

1Ki 16:25 - But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead. 29 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.

The legacies of Omri and Ahab had become the norm for Israel. Their adherents actually believed they were performing the will of the Almighty. <HEL>

Micah 7

The prophet’s next words amount to an eloquent soliloquy as he muses upon the failures of his companions.

Mic 7:1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.

Mic 7:2 The good man (similar to the good fruits described above) is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

Mic 7:3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward (bribes are indicated); and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up (meaning, bring it to conclusion).

Mic 7:4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.

Additionally, strict discretion is the new order of the day for any righteous among them ...

Mic 7:5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

Mic 7:6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

In Israel of the day there is no consolation to be expected from one’s closest companions, even the closest of kin. No one is trustworthy. The only valid and sure consolation is in YHVH alone, as it truly is in every other circumstance.

And that is his precise conclusion as the prophet reinforces his loyalty to YHVH ... his utter and singular trust in the God of his salvation ... and his stubborn, faithful intention of faithfulness to Him.

Mic 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

The immediate conclusion is that such faith – such righteous intent – generates the warm, certain expectation of the Father’s eternal blessing ...

Mic 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.

Mic 7:9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

Mic 7:10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

A f.n. in ESword clarifies the first phrases of this verse ... “And thou wilt see her that is mine enemy, and cover her with shame.” A fitting example of this is the pathetic advice of Job’s wife in Job 2: 9, in which she chided her husband: Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

Every husband/wife should expect better from his/her spouse, yet in that day it was more likely that these should be vicious enemies!

Mic 7:11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree (His intention of their destruction) be far removed.

The utter failure of their means of security (their walls, their military forces, etc.) in that day, will lead to their captivity.

But a day is also coming when they effectively build up those defenses – at that time wisely relying upon the Almighty for salvation from their enemies – and in no wise relying any longer upon their own initiatives.

For this reason, their appointment with their rapidly approaching destiny of utter defeat and desolation was an unstoppable fiend.

But even this destiny should turn about ... and finally have an acceptable resolution!

Mic 7:12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

What do these words mean? On the surface they not seem to make any sense.

A footnote in ESword clarifies: “This verse may be rendered, ’In that day they (thy people) shall come to thee from Assyria and the fenced cities; and from the fortress (probably Pelusium at the entrance of Egypt), even to the river (Euphrates),’ etc.”

As such it speaks of the regathering of Israel from the four corners of the earth!

It speaks of the rebuilding of Israel’s walls (cf., verse 11) in the time of their Return.

But prior to their return – immediately prior – the land shall have lain desolate for endless ages. Unproductive, neglected, desiccated, treeless, hot, dusty, forlorn and vacant due to the neglect and disregard of previous interlopers – the mingled races (Arabs) which inflowed and sparsely inhabited the land for centuries. Her native population (the Jews) had long since been exported into the nations, leaving their land open to invaders and squatters.

Mic 7:13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

But when His People begin to flow back into their land (after the Great Aliyah of the 19^th century, and 1917-1948) there will be the distinct evidence of His “feeding (His) people, ruling over them, restoring their flocks ... and eventually their peace and safety “as in the days of old.”

Mic 7:14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

Their days of Restoration has required a longer time that we had at first hoped.

The next phrase referring to the “days of thy coming out of Egypt,” does not refer to the length of time (40 years) of their second deliverance from the nations, as we had previously thought, but to the nature of their miraculous survival, the “marvelous things,” as being like that of the People in the wilderness as they came out of Egypt; there would appear among them unmistakable miracles provided by Him, such as abound in that historical record.

These would be apparent to the faithful, but be denied by persons of no faith.

Our opinion is that the assurance of Daniel 12: 1-3 of the assistance of Michael the archangel is meant to be believed as written and as fulfilled; but such belief comes only with faith in His word which some unfortunately deny outrightly.

It is a factor of credence which is lacking in so many hearts.

Some observers of the present day even have denied that the Jews’ recovery from the Valley of Dry Bones is occurring before our very eyes ... and that the present great nation of Israel has nothing whatever to do as being a fulfillment of Ezekiel 37!

Mic 7:15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvelous things.

The next phrases are an understatement of what we have personally observed: the nations which have attacked Israel and been summarily defeated during these times of miracle have been confounded, but so also have the other nations of the earth! Israel’s exploits in conflicts such as the Six Day War are studied in war colleges throughout the earth as brilliantly impossible strategic and tactical warfare; such they are – but have surely been sourced from above, and not from carnal Israeli minds and planners!

Mic 7:16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

These words express the prophecy in Ezekiel 37, that the People should emerge from the Valley of Dry Bones as “an exceeding great army;” and such they have!

Mic 7:17 They (their enemies) shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee (of Israel’s God).

Perhaps it is an irrelevant coincidence, but we cannot help but think of the “terror tunnels” being constructed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip today; emerging from the Israelis’ destruction of these tunnels, the vile terrorists are even more intent upon mayhem and murder among the innocents of Israel!

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

As He always does in revelations such as this, the Father’s final words to His People are words of assurance and encouragement; their future is bright, their prospects no longer dim and tarnished – all because of His tender mercies toward their fathers, with whom He made numerous covenants of blessing and prosperity!

Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Mic 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

<HEL 7Q> ~10,700 words. Completed July, 2017; reviewed November 2017 and July 2018.