Micah
Micah 4
Chapter IV · Vol. III, pp. 1455–1457
1 The establishment of Christ's kingdom: 3 the peace of it. 6 The restoration, 11 and victory of the church.
1 But ina the last days it shall come to pass, that the bmountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the ctop of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall dflow unto it.
A.M. cir. 3284. B.C. cir. 720.
a Is.2.2-4. Da.2.35,44. Ho.3.5.
b ch.3.12. Ps.68.15,16. Is.11.9;66.20. Je.31.23. Eze.17.22-24;20.40. Joel 3.17. Zec.8.3. Mat.5.14;16.18.
c Ps.72.16.
d Ps.110.3. Is.60.8,11.
2 And emany 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 ghe will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for hthe law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.1
e Is.2.3; 43.6; 49.12. Je.31.6;50.5. Zec.2.11; 8.20-23;14.16-21. Da.7.14. Re.11.15.
g Ho.6.3. Is.11.9;29.18;54.13. Je.31.34. Jn.6.44,45.
1 Having predicted the overthrow and desolation of Zion, the prophet here naturally turns from the type to the anti-type. He foretells the rise, prosperity, & final universal dominion of the spiritual Zion—the church.—P.
3 Andi he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks:2 nationj shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
4 But kthey 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.
5 For lall3 people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we nwill walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
l Je.2.10,11. 2 Ki.17.29-34,40,41.
3 For all, &c. 'Though all the people walk every one in the name of his god, yet we will walk,' &c.—C.
6 In that day, saith the LORD, owill I assemble her that halteth, and I will pgather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
7 And I will make her that qhalted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD rshall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
q Zep.3.18,19. Zec.10.8,9. ch.2.12; 5.3,4,8. Ho.1.10. Is.49.18-22; 60.22; 66.8. Re.11.11-13,15.
r Da.7.14,27. Ps.2.6. Lu.1.33. Is.9.6,7. Joel 3.17. Is.24.23. Re.11.15; xix.-xxii.
8 And thou, O stower of the flock,4 the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the tfirst dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.5
s Ps.48.12,13. Zec.2.4. Ne.xi.xii. Lu.24.47. Ac.13.46;3.26.
4 Or, Edar, Ge.35.21.
A.M. cir. 3284. B.C. cir. 720.
t Re.22.5.
5 See note † in second column.
† The real and the spiritual Zion are singularly blended in this prophecy. The re-establishment of the former is to be in some way connected with the prosperity of the latter. The prophet seems to foretel in the distant future the restoration of the Jews to their position as an independent nation, and the setting up of their government again in their ancient city. In no other way can this passage be fully or fairly explained.—P.
9 Now uwhy dost thou cry out aloud? is there nov king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.
10 Bex in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for nowy shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; zthere shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
11 aNow6 also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.
a La.2.16. Is.5.25-30; 8.7,8; 10.5,6,28-30. 2 Ki.xviii. xix. Is.xxxvi.xxxvii. xxxii., or 2 Ki.xxiv. xxv. Je.xxxix. lii. 2 Ch.xxxvi., or Eze.38.2-17. Da.12.1. Zec.14.1,2. Ps.35.21. Ob.12.
6 Now. Not at the time when the prophet wrote, but at the time of Zion's final redemption from Babylon, when Gog and Magog shall assemble seeking her destruction, but meeting their own, Eze.38.14-16; 39.1-14.—C.
12 But bthey know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall cgather them as the sheaves into the floor.
Notes
Ver. 1-5. In the apostolic and future periods the gospel church, represented by Zion and the temple, shall, in all the kingdoms of the world, be most firmly and visibly established. Then shall multitudes of Gentiles everywhere earnestly excite one another to attend the ordinances and embrace the doctrines of the gospel, issuing forth from Jerusalem in the ministration of the apostles and other Jewish preachers; and, by his gracious influences and government, Jesus Christ shall introduce spiritual peace and holy conversation, and even civil concord, virtuous industry, and safety among the nations, where murderous wars, idleness, and danger had long prevailed.—And though others should follow their idolatrous courses, in which they have been educated, we will constantly persevere in the faith, profession, worship, and obedience of the true God, in his strength, and according to the rule of his word. 6, 7. And not only shall the weak, dispirited, and scattered Jews be preserved, brought back to, and happily re-established in their own land, as the people of God, but the most weak and wretched sinners shall be everywhere gathered to Christ, and the very weakest of saints encouraged by him. 8. And both in the apostolic and future periods multitudes of Jews shall be among the first noted converts to the gospel church. 9, 10. There is therefore no ground of desperate sorrow amidst your distresses by the Assyrians, Chaldeans, or Romans; for after ye have been reduced to the most miserable captivity, bondage, and dispersion, ye shall be marvellously delivered; and the deliverances of the gospel church from her heathen and antichristian persecutors shall take place when her distress is at the greatest, and her case seemingly desperate. 11-13. And howsoever the Gentiles may insult you, O Jewish church and nation, in your distress by the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syro-Grecians, and Romans, and rejoice in hopes of your utter destruction, God shall, in prosecution of his good will, permit them in sin to be destroyed, even by your means, and their spoils shall be consecrated to pious uses, and many of themselves be turned to the Lord. And however the heathens, antichristians, and Mahometans, insult the gospel church, she shall at last be exalted on their ruins, and true Christians be enabled to destroy and tread under foot all opposition.
Ver. 1. In the last days. This prophecy has been considered by some as a quotation from Is. 2. 2, with which it fully corresponds in meaning, though not exactly in words. There is no doubt that one prophet studied the predictions of others, Da. 9. 2; still the difference between Isaiah and Micah is so considerable that the one cannot well be viewed as taken from the other. It is safer therefore to trace the similarity to the one Spirit in both, and the variation to some difference in the objects which the wisdom of God had in view by each prediction.—C.
Ver. 6. In that day. That is, in the day when 'we will walk in the name of the LORD our God;' when we walk in him in whom the name of the LORD was; to him that led us in the wilderness; whom, 'manifest in the flesh,' our fathers crucified, but to whom we have returned as the shepherd and bishop of our souls, Ex. 23. 21; 1 Pe. 2. 25. C.
Ver. 8. First dominion. 'The former' (Boothroyd). The dominion of David shall be restored in a purer form, and with ampler possessions and greater glory, in the person of Shiloh, to whom 'shall the gathering of the people (from the nations) be.' C.
Reflections.—Graciously has God set his promises and threatenings the one over against the other. And glorious is our New Testament church, and regularly and firmly founded. What profitable instruction, light and conviction, peace and love, faithfulness, vigour, harmony, holiness, and comfort abound in her! God graciously issues forth comforting promises before distress takes place, that his consolations may be ready for his afflicted people. And the extremity of trouble always issues in marvellous deliverances to the church and her members. Yea, in all her harassments and oppressions her enemies and her God have very different ends. They aim at ruining her and exalting themselves, and God aims at purifying, enlarging, and enriching her, and ruining them.