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The Scriptorium

Wait for God

He will not fail His people. Micah 7

The Promise of Restoration: Micah 7 (7)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 27.11-14
Teach me Your way, O LORD,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Sing Psalm 27.11-14

(Joanna: Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise)
Lord, teach us; Lord, lead us because of our foes!
Hear, Lord, when we plead for release from their woes.
Had we not believed all Your goodness to see,
our heart sorely grieved and in turmoil would be.

Wait, wait on the Lord; persevere in His grace.
Hold fast to His Word; seek His radiant face.
Be strong, set your heart to abide in His Word;
His grace He imparts; therefore, wait on the Lord.

Read Micah 7; meditate on verse 7

Preparation
1. What confidence did Micah express in verse 7?

2. What was he going to do?

Meditation
Like all the prophets, Micah’s words have a forward-looking aspect. In the short term, he sought to warn God’s people of His coming judgment, so that they might prepare themselves by repentance for the chastening they were about to experience.

Israel and Judah would come under the judgment of God, Israel at the hands of Assyria and Judah from the Babylonians. This was only what God had long ago promised for all who reject His promises, that if you turn away from His Law, you will embrace the beliefs and practices of the pagan world. The wrath of God was about to fall on His people by their own choice (Mic. 7.1-6).

But for the longer horizon – as far as the last days – Micah held out a message of hope (vv. 8-13). God is faithful. Though He disciplines us for our sins, this is only that we should return to Him, so that we might rest in His promises and look forward to the coming day of restoration.

The shepherding grace of God would not fail His people (vv. 14-20). God would return them to the land He had prepared for them and, in His time, would make His people a light to the nations. His Shepherd King would bring in a new reign of righteousness, peace, and joy that would draw people from every nation, tribe, and tongue to the mountain of the Lord’s house.

Micah counseled the people to wait for the Lord, to remember that His Word will not fail, whether for judgment or restoration, and that His grace would ultimately prevail to fulfill the promises He had made to their fathers. There is no God like the God of Micah. And all who believe in Jesus our Shepherd King are being transformed into His likeness from glory to glory. So, like Micah, we must wait for the Lord, looking to His beauty and trusting in His Word, to bring us through our times of trial and struggle into the greater realization of His Kingdom and glory (Acts 14.21, 22).

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (v. 7).

We are the Micahs of today, calling out to our fellow believers and non-believers alike about the coming judgment of this God Who is like no other.

We are the workers of God obediently following Him in His Last Days Project.

We are faithfully shepherding those in our own Personal Mission Fields.

We are waiting patiently on the Lord.
 
We know that His Word never fails and will never return void. As God has said, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55.11).

We know that God is faithful to His Promises. Micah and the people of his day were patiently waiting for the Messiah. Today we know that the Messiah has come, just as God promised He would. We can trust Him most assuredly, that since He made good on that Promise, He will fulfill all His promises. And Jesus is coming again. For good and for judgment.

God, through Jesus, has shown us what is good. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…” (Jms. 1.17) and “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6.23).

Considering this, what does the LORD require of us? “We are to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God” (Mic. 6.8).

Reflection
1. In what sense are we the Micahs of today? What does this require of us?

2. Jesus has commanded us to make disciples and be His witnesses (Mat. 28.18-20; Acts 1.8). How can believers help one another fulfill these mandates?

3. What does it mean for us to “look to” and “wait for” the Lord?

The Prophet points out here the only remedy, to preserve the faithful from being led away by bad examples and that is, to fix their eyes on God, and to believe that he will be their deliverer.
John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Micah 7.7

Closing Prayer: Psalm 27.1-10

Seek the Lord in His beauty, majesty, and glory. Call on Him to show you the path to walk for the day ahead. Wait on Him in silence to encourage, convict, direct, and guide you.

Sing Psalm 27.1-10

(Joanna: Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise)
Lord, You are our Light and our Savior most dear!
You guard us with might; therefore, whom shall we fear?
Though evil surround us, our enemies fall;
no harm shall confound us when on You we call.

One thing we request but to dwell with You, Lord.
Your beauty to test and to think on Your Word.
In trouble You hide us secure in Your grace;
no foe may o’erride us: We sing of Your praise!

Hear, Lord, when we cry and be gracious, we pray!
Lord, do not deny us Your favor this day!
Our help, our salvation, though others may fall,
preserve our good station when on You we call.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for Sunday.

Micah in God’s Covenant
Where does the book of Micah fit in God’s covenant with His people? Our workbook, God’s Covenant, can help you to answer that question and to gain a better understanding of how the grace of God reaches and transforms us in Jesus Christ. Order your free copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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