Micah 4:1–5

This new salvation oracle comes immediately after the triad of judgment oracles climaxing in the destruction of the temple and the turning of the holiest mountain into a forest, a haunt for wild animals. Now there is a dramatic contrast as the temple is raised to the heights, becoming a magnet for the nations because Yahweh is there. Thus this unit stands as a beautiful transition to the next two chapters. It provides a picture of the future glory of Zion as a place of peace and not bloodshed; as a place of truth and not corruption; as a place of blessing and not curse. It stands as the future goal from which the present Zion had become radically sidetracked (3:1–12).

1. II.B. The Future Glory of Jerusalem and Temple: Resurrection and Good Religion (4:1–5)
   1. 1. The Magnetic Hill of Zion—A Mecca for the Nations (4:1–2)
   2. 2. The Consequence: Shalom, Satiety, Security (4:3–4)
   3. 3. Present Response: Walk in the Name of Yahweh (4:5)

Micah’s call to Judah to respond to the future in the present shows clearly the purpose of prophecy. It is not primarily to give abstract information about the future; it speaks, rather, to the present—rebuking, challenging, warning, comforting, healing. Thus this passage reveals God’s ultimate plan for the world, against the backdrop of the worst possible nightmare for ancient Judah—the announcement of the destruction of the temple (3:12). Out of this darkness comes a brilliant flash of the sun.

Some NT evidence suggests an analogy between the destruction of the old Zion and its temple and the birth of a new city on a hill and a new temple. For example, on the verge of his own death, Jesus purges the temple and prophesies its destruction, along with the city of Jerusalem (Matt. 21:12–16; 24:1–21). But he himself prophesied that if the temple was destroyed, he would raise it up after three days (John 2:13–22). He was speaking of the temple of his body, the final locus of God’s presence, to which the temple building pointed. Further, the new Zion consists of Christ’s disciples, likened to a city set on a hill, displaying the light of God’s glory through good works, which leads others to glorify God (Matt. 5:13–16). What is more, Paul suggests that the church, consisting of both Jew and Gentile, is the new temple, announcing God’s presence to the world (Eph. 2:18–22). Finally, it may be noted that this presence is predominantly one of peace (Eph. 2:14, 15, 17).

There are myriad examples in which the church has manifested this peace. One striking recent example comes from Mozambique. An Anglican bishop named Dinis Sengulane decided to do something about the proliferation of arms in his country near the end of a civil war that had decimated the nation. He went to every province and asked people what they thought might jeopardize peace in the future. One person responded, “Guns. We have so many guns in our hands. Both sides have been very generous in dishing out guns just like that, so when peace comes, are those guns going to be just left alone?”¹ The bishop was not prepared for this question, but after much prayer and reflection on the books of Micah and Isaiah, he announced that disarmament would begin, issuing a request that guns be returned to collection centers throughout the land. Many of the guns were made into instruments for production, so that rifles became saxophones, while gunstocks were used to make chairs and other furniture. Since this program started, over one million guns and other weapons have been collected and transformed. The program was called Turning Swords into Ploughshares. If this can be done in the war-torn country of Mozambique, imagine what could happen if Christians in other countries got their act together and heard the call to be emissaries of peace so that weapons were no longer needed for protection or peace.