“Purification Hurts”

Once in a track meet my younger daughter fell on a cinder track. Her leg looked like a piece of raw meat. We had to pick little pieces of cinder out of her leg before we could clean and treat it. If that wasn’t enough pain, the antiseptic used just added to it. The physical purification process was painful but was necessary for healing to happen. In the same way when God purifies His people, it hurts, but the blessings beyond the purification are immeasurable.

Examination: (Why?)

1. The Good (vv 1-6)

Mic 5:1-6 “Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod. Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel. He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. He will be their peace. When Assyria invades our land, when it marches against our fortresses, we will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade. So he will rescue us from Assyria when it invades our land, when it marches against our territory.”

When Zedekiah reigned over Israel, he was captured by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Israel was in bondage in Babylon for 70 years before the Persian King, Cyrus sent them home to restore Jerusalem. Even then Israel was not returned to her former glory. That didn’t even happen when Jesus came the first time. It will happen when He returns again for His Millennial Reign. This passage highlights the first advent of Jesus. He was to be born in an insignificant village south of Jerusalem where King David had been born, as the fulfillment of the Davidic promise that there would always be a king from the line of David on the throne in Israel. The name “Bethlehem Ephratha” means “fruitful house of bread”. In verse 3 Micah noted that Israel would be abandoned for a period of time. This probably refers to the rejection of Jesus during His first advent, and lasts until He comes again in glory.

In the meantime God will provide earthly leaders who will stand against the invaders and rescue Israel until the return of Messiah who will rule the whole earth from Jerusalem.

2. The Bad (vv 7-9)

Mic 5:7-9 “Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or linger for mankind. Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue them. Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies will be destroyed.”

Before the remnant of Israel is stored to their homeland, they will be scattered among the nations. In some nations they will be viewed as a blessing, “like the dew from the LORD”, but in other nations they will be seen as a threat, “like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue them.” Even though the state of Israel was restored in 1948, Jews are still scattered across the globe. There is a steady flow of those returning to Israel even though they were born elsewhere. This will continue until Jesus comes to set up His Millennial reign in Jerusalem. Until then, the promise of verse 9 “Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies will be destroyed” remains unfulfilled. This is the answer to David’s plea in Psa 10:12 “Rise up, Lord God! Lift up your hand. Do not forget the oppressed.”

For those of us today who have been grafted into the root of the tree of Israel, we will have to deal with the presence of sin until God takes us home or until Jesus returns. Our complete salvation is revealed in three parts.

We are instantly and completely saved from the penalty of sin the instant we surrender to Christ.

We are being saved from the power of sin as we learn to live by God’s Word and resist temptation.

We will be saved from the very presence of sin when we are in glory with Christ.

All of that is already done in God’s sight, but until Christ returns, or God takes us home, we must live by faith. As Paul wrote in Col 2:6-7 “So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.” We received Christ through faith (Eph 2:8-9 “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.” Consequently we must live by faith in a Godless world until Jesus comes to establish His kingdom here on earth. Remember the words in the LORD’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

3. The Ugly (vv 10-15)

Mic 5:10-15 “In that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— I will remove your horses from you and wreck your chariots. I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses. I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune-tellers. I will remove your carved images and sacred pillars from you so that you will no longer worship the work of your hands. I will pull up the Asherah poles from among you and demolish your cities. I will take vengeance in anger and wrath against the nations that have not obeyed me.”

When Christ returns and establishes His kingdom of peace, He will remove all implements of war and everything that man has trusted to keep them safe. This will seem to man to be really ugly. Suddenly all the things they have relied on are removed. My modern-day rendering of vv 10-15 is “In that day---the LORD says---I will remove your tanks from you and wreck your hum-vees, fighter jets, battleships and helicopters. I will tear down your gated communities. I will destroy your horoscopes and palm readers that you have depended on to make you feel secure. I will remove your fame, fortune and anything else you have worshipped instead of Me. I will vent My anger on pagan nations that have pushed me out of their lives.”

The Jesus who returns will not be the “gentile Jesus, meek and mild”. Rather, as John described Him in Rev 19:11-16 “Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

This conquering Christ will seem to be ugly to those who are still in their sin, refusing to surrender to Him as LORD.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

Where do you stand today? Are you looking forward to the return of Christ, or are you dreading it?

Is your faith in barred windows, gated communities or implements of war, or is your faith in Jesus?

Do you consult your daily horoscope to see what your future holds, or do you daily consult the Word of God?

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