Misplaced Trust


Micah 5:5b-15
5When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men;
6they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border.

7Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man.
8And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
9Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.
10And in that day, declares the Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots;
11and I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds;
12and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
13and I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands;
14and I will root out your Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities.
15And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.

In my early life as a Christ follower, I would have ranked myself with the majority. I was a New Testament reader for the most part. The Old Testament was far more mysterious and frankly, seemed laborious. That philosophy is certainly not true for me today, as the Old Testament has become a vast source of information about the character of God, and that is something I long to know more and more every day. The last half of Micah, chapter 5 proves both points. The Old Testament can be laborious while at the same time being a source of information about our God.

The Children of Israel prove to be false in their devotion to the Lord so many times throughout their history I’m surprised God didn’t destroy us all millennia ago. In these few verses, we find the Lord’s wrath in full display. He is more than willing to execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. God is not to be taken lightly.

Seven is the number of completeness; eight means there will be more than enough. Therefore, by seven and eight Micah says, “enough and more,” that is, without number. These shepherds are the spiritual leaders of the church. God’s people are like the invigorating dew and rain the Lord sends upon the earth. Through the gospel they proclaim by word and deed, Christians everywhere shower the refreshing grace of God upon the barren hearts of people, that they might become fruitful branches growing out of Christ the vine. But dew and rain “do not wait for man.” Man must make use of them when they are present, or like a passing shower they will be gone.

In this section Micah declares the Lord’s will to purge Israel of everything by which she had sought to assert herself and find security apart from God. She had considered her horses and chariots, her fortified cities and strongholds to be her strength for aggression and her defense from oppression. They must go! Israel must learn to put her trust in the Lord who is her “refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Israel must also learn to find her spiritual counsel and help alone in the Lord, the God of her salvation.
Spaude, C. W. (1987). Obadiah, Jonah, Micah (p. 151). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.

As we live in a time of plenty, it becomes easy for us to mimic our ancient ancestors by trusting in our own wealth and cleverness instead of the Lord God. We too need constant reminders to trust in God alone, for all of those “things” are completely temporary. God could blow all of our stuff away with a breath. And none of that upon which we rely will save us in the end. Only the blood of Jesus is able to do that work in us.

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