BEN F. VICK, JR.
One of the twelve Minor Prophets was Micah the Morasthite. His name means “Who Is Like Jehovah.” He prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. He was from the small town of Moresheth-gath, located about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem, near the Philistine border. His prophetic activity was approximately from 735 B.C. to 700 B.C. He was a younger contemporary of Isaiah. One source says, “His father’s name is not mentioned, so scholars conclude that his family was of insignificant and humble status. Micah is a master in his use of classical Hebrew poetry. He champions the cause of the oppressed peasants against the arrogant rich. His plea for true religion is equaled only by James (cf. 6:6-8 with Jas. 1:27).”
Prior to Jotham’s coming to the throne in Judah, his father, Uzziah, reigned. Judah had prospered under Uzziah’s rule, but with prosperity often comes evils. There was a falling away from the Lord. Judah was constantly being threatened by foreign powers during this time. The people went through the rituals of religion but were not really dedicated to the Lord.
One of the key passages in Micah is found in 4:1-2. If one has read Isaiah, he will see familiar words in Isaiah 2:2-3. Some might falsely surmise that one copied from the other. However, the Holy Spirit guided both prophets (2 Peter 1:19-21). Evidently God wanted both prophets to preach this message, a prophecy regarding the time and place of the coming of the church or kingdom.
Micah wrote, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, That the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, And it shall be exalted above the hills; And people shall flow unto it. And many 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 he will teach us of his ways, And we will walk in his paths: For the law shall go forth of Zion, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:1-2.)
“The last days” refers to the gospel age. We are living in the last days now, the gospel age. Peter pointed out the beginning of these last days in his recorded sermon in Acts 2. Something, according to this prophecy, would take place in the last days. What was it? “The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains.” “The mountain of the house of the Lord” is the church. Paul wrote, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Tim. 3:15.)
The expression “in the top of the mountains” could be taken literally for Jerusalem because it is 2500 feet above sea level; however, it seems to me, the prophecy is figurative for the exalted position of the church. Paul tells of the preeminent position of Christ after he ascended into heaven: “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Eph. 1:19-23.) Those who are in his church are in a high and lofty position with Christ for we read, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Eph. 2:4-6.)
Notice too that the Micah text says, “…it shall be exalted above the hills.” The church is a divine institution. It should come first in our lives. It is more important than any other organization. We should exalt it in our own lives, putting it before any human institution. It is ignorance for one to say something like: Give me Jesus, but not the church. The church is his body. It is exalted as is He. For one to think that the church is unessential or unimportant is a failure to see its exalted place in the eyes of God.
Micah also prophesied, “…people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up [what did I say about the exalted position of the church?)] to the mountain of the Lord….” “Many nations” shows the gospel is for all. It is not limited to one ethnicity, one race, one nation, one people, but it is for all people. “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel,” Jesus said.
The mountain of the Lord’s house, the house of the God of Jacob” is the church. Gabriel said to Mary concerning her son, Jesus: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33.) Christ is reigning over the house of Jacob, the kingdom of God now.
God “will teach us of his ways,” the text tells us. One must be taught before becoming a subject within this kingdom, or a member of the house of God (John 6:44-45). Under the law of Moses, an Israelite born into the world was in that old covenant. Then, he had to be taught; however, under the new covenant, one must be taught first (Heb. 8:6-13.) An untaught person cannot be in the covenant, though he is obligated to it.
Once one learns of God’s ways, he is to walk in his paths. Being taught is not enough; one must also follow in the paths the Lord has laid down in his word. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21.)
Observe the beginning place of “the house of the God of Jacob,” the church. Micah wrote, “for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Any church that did not begin in Jerusalem cannot be the church one reads of in the Bible. Acts 2 tells of the beginning of the church.