Written ~ 12-06-2023
Micah 7:7-10
7 “As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
8 Do not gloat over me, my enemies!
For though I fall, I will rise again.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.
9 I will be patient as the Lord punishes me,
for I have sinned against Him.
But after that, He will take up my case
and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies.
The Lord will bring me into the Light,
and I will see His righteousness.
10 Then my enemies will see that the Lord is on my side.
They will be ashamed that they taunted me, saying,
“So where is the Lord—
that God of yours?”
With my own eyes I will see their downfall;
they will be trampled like mud in the streets.”
These verses are written by the prophet Micah, during his time, Israel had fallen, they had been exiled and were being judged heavily by the Lord because of their sin. Their enemies constantly tormented them, but even with the taunting, Israel remained hopeful and looked to the Lord for help. Soon, they would be rescued and restored, but only a small remnant would make it through the difficulties and remain faithful to the Lord.
Think about you own life, look back on some of the decisions you have made without first consulting the Lord. How did they work out for you? Each of us during the course of our lives have made decisions that have not followed the instructions written in the Word of God, and like the Israelites, God needs to get our attention by enforcing some kind of punishment. If you are going through a particularly difficult period of your life right now, it is very possible unresolved sin is standing in your way. But there is “light at the end of the tunnel.” God is waiting, He is that light and He is waiting for your heart to come to a place of repentance. True repentance. That means we are to completely turn from sin, to feel regret over decisions we have made that do not please the Lord and to feel sorrow or remorse for any improper behavior or questionable action. If you have a heaviness or have a depression weighing you down, don’t just push it away and blame others for making you feel this way… at this moment God may not be calling to them for repentance even when they are in the wrong. God is calling after you.
For a moment, using both The Message and Amplified Translations, let’s look at Psalm 139:23-24,
23 “Investigate my life, search me thoroughly, O God, know my heart, find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me, know my anxious thoughts; get a clear picture of what I’m about;
24 See for Yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, then guide me on the road to eternal life.”
When we ask God for help, first we must ask Him to look at our own hearts to find anything that needs to be cleared up and cause us to repent. From our passage today, Micah 7:7 says,
7 “As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.”
How true that is… we can confidently wait for God to step in and lift us out of a tricky situation. God hears our cries for help. He does. Even if sometimes you don’t see or feel anything happening. But it may be that He is waiting for us to come to a place of repentance first. Micah 7:8-9,
8 “Do not gloat over me, my enemies!
For though I fall, I will rise again.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.
9 I will be patient as the Lord punishes me,
for I have sinned against Him.
But after that, He will take up my case
and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies.
The Lord will bring me into the Light,
and I will see His righteousness.”
Look at these words taken from verses 8 and 9 , “…though I fall… though I sit in darkness… I will be patient… I have sinned… I have suffered…” When we cry out to the Lord with a repentant heart, when we have recognized those things in our own lives which are not pleasing to the Lord and have gotten rid of all of it, then God will bring justice, then He will bring us into the Light.
We need to be careful about pushing blame onto everyone else for the circumstances that have come from our own sinful behavior. God will deal with your “enemy” as well, but right now He is speaking to you. Even if your “enemy” is taunting you and is trying to bring you down, God will bring His justice to them in His timing. Micah 7:10,
10 “Then my enemies will see that the Lord is on my side.
They will be ashamed that they taunted me, saying,
“So where is the Lord—
that God of yours?”
With my own eyes I will see their downfall;
they will be trampled like mud in the streets.”
Depending on the situation we find ourselves in, we may not see our “enemy” trampled like mud in the streets. But we may be witness to God’s justice. And if we do see our “enemy” being punished for their wrongful actions, we shouldn’t rejoice over their punishment, we should pray for their hearts to become repentant so change can be evident in their lives as well.
These verses from Micah are filled with our actions and God’s actions. If we decide not to act and do not repent of our sinful behavior, God cannot act. But if we come to the Lord with a humble and repentant heart, the action we take will cause the Lord to act, to bring forgiveness and guide us into the Light of everlasting life.
Just as the Israelites in the day of the prophet Micah, when they repented, the small remnant who remained faithful to the Lord were released from their “prison” and were fully restored after being exiled for quite a long time. You may feel as though you are in a place of exile. You may feel as though your life is a sort of prison. The Lord will certainly hear your cry for help, He may just need to bring justice, but then He will bring you into His Light, you will see His righteousness. The Lord’s promise of forgiveness and restoration will happen.
This is a choice for each of us to make. Will we decide to remain in our sinful behavior, not repent and continue to suffer at the hand of our “enemy?” Or will we come to the realization that there is something that needs to be cleared up between you and the Lord… and repentance is necessary… verse 7:9, “…I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against Him…” The longer we continue pursuing sinful behavior (whether that behavior is an action or an attitude), the longer we may have to remain in exile and in our own prison. But…
Let’s look at the outcome of a repentant heart…
- The Lord will certainly hear me
- I will rise again
- I will see the Light of the Lord
- The Lord will take my case
- I will see righteousness
- My enemies will have their own downfall
Be a part of the faithful remnant. That no matter what you may have to go through, you need to remain faithful to the Lord.
Father, I know some of my actions do not please you, then I wonder why I don’t hear Your voice or I wonder why I don’t see Your hand move in my life. Help me to recognize quickly, anything, that is standing in the way of true repentance. I want be a part of that small remnant who remains faithful even though difficult circumstances may cause me to sit in darkness for a time. I want to be brought into Your Light, and with You as my guide, I want to be led into Everlasting Life. Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness. Thank You for Your righteousness. Thank You for hearing me.
~AMEN~