He Afflicts In Order to Restore
Scripture Passage: Micah 4:6 - 5:1 (NASB)
6 “On that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble those who limp
And gather the scattered,
Those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will make those who limp a remnant,
And those who have strayed a mighty nation,
And the Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion
From now on and forever.
8 As for you, tower of the flock,
Hill of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come—
Yes, the former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 “Now, why do you cry out loudly?
Is there no king among you,
Or has your counselor perished,
That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
10 Writhe and scream,
Daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will go out of the city,
Live in the field,
And go to Babylon.
There you will be rescued,
There the Lord will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.
11 And now many nations have been assembled against you
Who say, ‘Let her be defiled,
And let our eyes gloat over Zion!’
12 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,
And they do not understand His plan;
For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,
For I will make your horn iron,
And I will make your hoofs bronze,
So that you may pulverize many peoples,
And dedicate to the Lord their unjust profit,
And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
1 “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
SUMMARY
The Lord declares that He will gather and restore the outcasts and even those whom He has afflicted. They will become a strong nation and He will reign over them. They will go through agony like childbirth, but the Lord will redeem them. The gentiles, who don't know the thoughts of the Lord, will also be gathered to be judged.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
As I read this passage, the thing that stood out to me was that God has plans of good and not evil for His people. Seeing Him break down Israel in order to restore them, but this time with Him being the center, reminded me of times when God broke down me in my earthly desires. I had my own plans for my life. Plans of success in an amazing career. Plans of finding the perfect someone. Plans of having a luxurious lifestyle filled with exciting things and experiences. All of these things were broken down by God and I was humbled by Him. He didn't give me my dream job, but He gave me the job I needed. He humbled me financially so that I could appreciate the simple things. He brought me through seasons of loneliness so that I would depend on Him instead of looking for a savior. There were many hard moments but through all these things, I found peace and stability by putting God above all things. Apart from Him, I can do nothing and everything falls apart.
APPLICATION
Just like the beginning of the passage, the Lord breaks things down in order to rebuild them with Him as the center. Without God, I can do nothing and must remember to abide by Him. He is faithful in restoring His people even if they've been afflicted by Him because of past disobedience. This gives me hope and comfort to know that God always comes back for His people even when they disobey His commands. The gentiles who didn't know or understand the thoughts of God became detrimental to their wellbeing. They became like the sheaves to the threshing floor to be trampled on by Israel through God's judgment. This reminds me to keep my ears open to hear the things of God's heart and to understand Him and His purposes for me.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are so good and faithful. I repent of the times I was so angry at you for not giving me my desires. Instead I should've sought the things of your heart, and sat down to understand your plans for me. Thank you for sharing with me through those wilderness seasons, and for blessing me with the things I have, and the people you've brought into my life. May I continue to put you above all things, and walk with a heart of obedience and trust in you. I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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