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Micah, the Prophet of Unchanging Love, final

In Micah 7:14-17 the prophet prays for Israel’s redemption as in the time of Moses when God delivered them from Egypt. This pictures the end times when Israel is restored as a nation that has been resurrected as a new creation.

The resurrected Israel is not the same as the fleshly Israel that died in captivity. It is as distinct and different as we see about ourselves as individuals. Paul says, “it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). In fact, the “old man” (as Paul calls it) is what dies; the “new man,” or the “new creature,” is a new being that is raised in glory. So also, the old natural Israel died in captivity. What is raised is a spiritual body.

Not all who died over the years will be raised in the first resurrection, nor will they see the manifestation of the Kingdom through the feast of Tabernacles. Only the remnant of grace actually see the promises of God fulfilled in them at this time (Romans 11:1-7). Hence, the nation of Israel, when it is manifested in glory, is really a remnant nation.

Further, this glorified nation is not limited to ethnic Israelites. God has chosen a cross-section from all nations, so that all are represented in His Kingdom government. John defines this remnant best in Revelation 5:9, 10,

⁹ And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation; ¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”

This new nation of Israel is populated by those with faith in Christ from all nations. It is not the present fleshly state called “Israel,” which is composed mostly of people without faith in Christ. The true Israel nation is defined, not by genealogy to Abraham, but by Abrahamic faith which characterizes the true children of Abraham (Galatians 3:29).

Micah’s Prayer for Restoration

In Micah 7:14, 15 the prophet prays,

¹⁴ Shepherd Your people with Your scepter, the flock of Your possession [nachalaw, “inheritance, possession”] which dwells by itself [badad, “alone, isolated, desolate”] in the woodland, in the midst of a fruitful field [karmel]. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old. ¹⁵ As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles.

Shepherds had a rod and staff (Psalm 23:4) by which they ruled their sheep. The rod was for protection—or discipline when applied to wayward sheep; the staff was to guide the sheep. Some believe that the rod and staff were the same instrument. Whatever the case, it represented the shepherd’s scepter. Hence, the prophet asks God to “shepherd” His people with a scepter.

The people are called “the flock of Your possession.” The Hebrew word nachalaw is usually translated “inheritance” in the rest of Scripture. God’s inheritance requires faithfulness and obedience in order to qualify. Anything short of this shows that the remnant people are still being prepared through Pentecost by the fire of the Holy Spirit.

This nation is said to dwell “by itself in the woodland.” This again speaks of the remnant, which usually feels as if they are alone in the middle of a forest. Trees represent men (Deuteronomy 20:19 KJV). Though they may dwell in a city, far from alone, they are yet distinct from the rest of their neighbors in this matter of Abrahamic faith. How do you teach the deaf? How do you show things to the blind?

Micah’s prayer is to “Shepherd Your people… in the midst of a fruitful field.” More literally, he prays to guide them to Mount Carmel, which was known for its fruitfulness. From a prophetic viewpoint, it refers to the Fruitfulness Mandate, that is, the birthright. This remnant of grace, having Abrahamic faith, are indeed the inheritors of Joseph’s birthright (1 Chronicles 5:1, 2).

Bashan also means “fruitful.” The name Gilead is derived from Galeed, “witness heap” (of rocks), which is a witness to a covenant between two parties. In this case, the prophetic meaning points to the New Covenant which Christ has made with us at the cross.

Even as Israel saw mighty miracles when God delivered them from Egypt, so also will it be in the last days of the present age, when God delivers His people from modern “Egypt.” This is no longer a reference to the nation of Egypt but is a metaphor that equates with all other nations associated with bondage—Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.

The prophet’s reference to miracles probably refers to the promise given to Moses at the Mount in Exodus 34:10,

¹⁰ Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.”

God said this to Moses some months after the Exodus and the miracle at the Red Sea. It spoke of a future time, and Micah applies it to the end times during the restoration of Israel. Many noteworthy miracles have already been reported in the past century, but the promise is that He will perform unusual miracles unlike any other from the past. As of today (2024) we have not yet seen this promise fulfilled.

When the Nations See

Micah 7:16 says,

¹⁶ Nations will see [these miracles] and be ashamed [boosh, “to be ashamed, confounded, or astonished”] of all their might [gebura, “mighty acts”]. They will put their hand on their mouth, their ears will be deaf.

We may paraphrase this verse in this manner:

¹⁶ Nations will see these miracles and be astonished at their mighty acts. Their mouths will be stopped, and their ears will be deaf to all that they used to believe.

It is a prophecy of entire nations turning to Christ in the last days as God works through His remnant people to do “mighty acts” in the sight of the nations.

Micah 7:17 continues,

¹⁷ They will lick the dust like a serpent, like reptiles of the earth. They will come trembling out of their fortresses; to the Lord our God they will come in dread [pakad, “to be in fear or in awe”], and they will be afraid before You.

In those days it was customary to bow with one’s face to the ground, as if to “lick the dust like a serpent.” This also refers back to God’s curse upon the serpent in Genesis 3:14, “On your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life.” Hence, it is a sign of humility and repentance for Adam’s sin and for all sins deriving from the original sin.

The nations, as a whole, have been in rebellion against the God of heaven since early times; but when the remnant manifests the glory of God and performs these mighty acts, the nations will then see their errors and will capitulate to the Kingdom of God. To come out of a fortress is to surrender and swear allegiance to the conqueror.

They will be awestruck by these miracles. The Hebrew idea of fear is also reverence. The fear of the Lord is not so much about being afraid as it is about acknowledging His right to rule. Finally, “they will be afraid before You” (or you). It is unclear if the prophet was speaking of God or the remnant performing the miracles. In the end, of course, it is both, because the remnant does the mighty acts by the power of the Spirit. The miracles are performed by the remnant, but God is the One who actually does such miracles through them. For this reason, the nations will come to fear or respect both God and His people.

Thus, Micah’s prophecy ends with a picture of the remnant of grace performing miracles according to God’s promise in Exodus 34:10. Because of their testimony with signs following, the nations capitulate to God and become part of His Kingdom through faith in Christ.

Micah then ends with a doxology.

The Doxology

Micah 7:18 says,

¹⁸ Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.

Micah’s name is a shortened form of Micaiah, “Who is like Jehovah?” Here the prophet shows that his name is prophetic of the end time move of God, where many will witness miracles and exclaim, “Who is like Jehovah?” Who else would pardon iniquity? Note that He specifically pardons and “passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession.” The remnant of grace is pardoned and forgiven. God’s purpose is to raise up the few to bless the many.

Furthermore, His “unchanging love” is linked to the fact that “He does not retain His anger forever.” His anger is limited and temporary. “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). This means His anger (judgments) do not last forever, for this is the natural outcome of His unchanging love.

Micah 7:19 continues,

¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us. He will tread out iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Though the judgment upon Israel and Judah has lasted for thousands of years, it is also temporary. Judgment is designed to correct the sinner, so that he comes to repentance. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, which, according to John the Baptist, was a baptism of fire that burns the “chaff” within our hearts (Matthew 3:12). Micah uses a different metaphor for the same purpose. While wheat is threshed and its chaff burned, the grapes are trodden under foot to remove the flesh and leave only the new wine.

When God treads out iniquities under foot, the sinner benefits, because their iniquities are being removed. We normally think of treading the grapes as a way to eliminate the sinners themselves, but Micah reveals God’s unchanging love as the basis for the salvation of the remnant and the nations as well.

The three main feasts of the Lord each come with a first fruits offering. The Passover offering is a sheaf of barley that is waved in the temple. It took only some wind to separate the chaff from the barley. This prophesied of Jesus Christ, the Head of the remnant of grace. Seven weeks later, on Pentecost, a new meal offering of wheat was presented to God. This offering represented the church, which required threshing in order to remove the chaff.

The last first fruits offering was of the grape harvest, which was trodden under foot to extract the new wine. This grape company represented the rest of creation—the nations. While many see this as destructive, Micah assures us that it is to remove the fleshly mind of the “old man,” so that they may truly become spiritual.

In just a few words, Micah defines God’s unchanging love in terms of pardoning and removing iniquity from the hearts of men.

Micah 7:20 concludes,

²⁰ You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from the days of old.

God’s unchanging love is not limited to Jacob and Abraham, of course. It refers to God’s fulfillment of the promises to Jacob and Abraham. God fulfilled His promise to Jacob by bringing him to the revelation of God’s sovereignty. He was then given a new name, Israel, as a testimony that “God rules.” As with all Hebrew names ending in -el, God is the One doing the action. In this case, Isra-el means “God rules.” This was where Jacob prophetically became an overcomer.

As for Abraham, God’s promise was for him to be a blessing to all families of the earth (Genesis 12:3). This is defined further in Acts 3:25, 26,

²⁵ It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, “And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” ²⁶ For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.

The Abrahamic calling, given to Abraham’s children, is to bless all the families of the earth, resulting in “turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” Such is the unchanging love of God. It is difficult to comprehend the universal scope of this promise without understanding the law of Jubilee and the restoration of all things. Yet in the end, in spite of men’s limited views about His unchanging love, Paul tells us the destiny of the nations in 1 Corinthians 15:27, 28,

²⁷ For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. ²⁸ When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.