Is Micah relevant to us today?

This morning, after having read the seven short chapters of Micah from the King James Version of the Bible and done a little extra research in the pages of The Christian Science Journal and Christian Science Sentinel, I asked myself: 

1. How well do you know the Bible? 

2. Can you distinguish between the prophets? 

3. Do you have a favourite passage in Micah?

The answer to the first question is: Day by day my hope is to learn something new and apply it in my daily experience. 

The answer to the second question is: Hmm. I've got some way to go before I can clearly distinguish between them.

The answer to the third question is not so easy. There are quite a few passages that capture my great interest.

I really like the concept of the "remnant". I think of a remnant of fabric. It can be shoved into a corner and forgotten, or it can be redeemed. With a little inner vision, we can see its potential for re-use. We can bring it into the light of day and regard it with fresh eyes and fresh possibilities. I've done it recently by creating pretty carry bags out of discarded fabric. What may seem old and no longer useful can be re-fashioned - perhaps a memory, a failing church, a missed education. Micah tells us that God says: "I will gather the remnant who are left. I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture. Yes, your land will again be filled with noisy crowds! Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile, out through the gates of the enemy cities, back to your own land. Your king will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you" (Micah 2: 12-13, NLT). What a glorious promise.

Next, I like the analogy of mountain-top thinking which leads to peace. Here, "The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear" (Micah 4: 3-4, NLT). "Nothing to fear". Another glorious promise to lean on in our daily walk and conversations - no more cutting remarks, no more hard feelings, no more resentment (swords and spears). Instead, may we tend to the gardens of our own thought. 

Another remarkable passage comes from chapter 5 in Micah. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf" (Micah 5: 2 NLT). This "ruler of Israel" - and there had been many up to this point - was revealed in due time as Christ Jesus. The King James Version makes it clear that this ruler is and has always been present: "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5: 2).

Micah holds hidden treasure. Ready to be mined and put to use.

Julie Swannell