The Judge Arrives (Micah 1:3-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/10/2015 2:48 PM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  The Judge Arrives

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Micah 1:3-4

            Message of the verse:  “3 For behold, the LORD is coming forth from His place. He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth. 4 The mountains will melt under Him And the valleys will be split, Like wax before the fire, Like water poured down a steep place.”  “3 Look, here he comes! GOD, from his place! He comes down and strides across mountains and hills. 4 Mountains sink under his feet, valleys split apart; The rock mountains crumble into gravel, the river valleys leak like sieves (Message.)”

            First a quote from the John MacArthur Study Bible:  1:3,4 high places…mountains.  These could refer to key military positions, so crucial to Israel’s defense, or to the pagan places of worship in the land (cf. v. 5).  When fortifications disappeared like melted wax, people were gripped by the terrifying reality that they were to answer to the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25; Am. 4:12-13).”

            Note from verse three same source:  “1:3 the Lord is coming…down.  A warning of impending divine judgment by One who sits in the ultimate High Place.”

            We see in this court setting that it is much different than the setting we have in our country today, for when a judge comes into the room everyone in the room stands for respect to the judge and also to the law that the judge is sworn to uphold.  Not so in this scene as Dr. Wiersbe writes “But no judge ever came to court in the manner described by Micah!  The verb ‘to come forth’ means ‘to come forth for battle.’  God opens the court and declares war!”

            Judges in our country are to come into the court room not to take sides, but to uphold the law, but again this is different in the description that Micah is giving us here in these verses for God comes to judge the nations, and the fact is that He has all of the evidence that is needed for our God is all knowing and therefore He does not need a witness to come to testify, He knows it all.  Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “God is angry at His people because of their sins.  That’s why His coming makes the earth split and the mountains melt so that the rock flows like melted wax or a waterfall.”  These are not the only pictures of God coming like a warrior look at Exodus 15, Psalm 18, Isaiah 63, and also Habakkuk 3.

 12/10/2015 3:12 PM