Shepherd Your People – Micah 7:11-17

Israel is speaking here in Micah of her hoped for future when Yahweh relents of His punishment and restores Israel to her land.

11 A day for the building of your walls!  In that day the boundary shall be far extended.  12 In that day they will come to you, from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.  13 But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds.

14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.  15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things.  16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf; 17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall be in fear of you.  (Micah 7:11-17)

Micah can once more see the future for Israel, when her walls once torn down are being rebuilt, when her territory, once diminished to nothing will yet extend to where God promised, and when Yahweh will once again be shepherding His people and leading them to green pastures, making them a garden land once again.

The nations, on the other hand, will be in dismay for the way they treated Israel and for how they used their God-given might to attack God’s people.  In abject humiliation they will come begging forgiveness from her and from Yahweh.  Historically this has only happened in part.  Israel was destroyed but then restored by God and the nations God used to judge her were destroyed and no longer exist.  But the day has yet to come in which the nations are in fear of Israel.  That awaits Messiah’s coming.

Israel is not now in submission to God.  There is yet another destruction coming for her.  And perhaps us too, if we do not repent.  To date America retains an alliance with Israel and it may be the only thing keeping us from our own destruction.  The rebellion of either of us could result in the demise of either of us and there is no guarantee that our nation will be restored.  The fruit of our deeds may be desolation.

Oh may we yield to the staff of our true Shepherd.