"Rise and Thresh"

This morning I have been reflecting on some verses from Micah.  Some mornings the verses I am led to, are consistent with a recent theme, and some mornings, its completely different, and today is one of those different days.  Here are the verses - Micah 4:11-13 NIV:

[11] "But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, “Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!” 

[12] But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. 

[13] “Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hooves of bronze, and you will break to pieces many nations.” 

You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth."

It is important to note these verses do flow out of a greater context within this chapter.  Basically Micah is talking about Jerusalem being the center of belief in God, the sending and training, and of a world changing turning back to God.  He speaks of Kingship returning to Jerusalem, and this is clearly all a prophetic picture of Jesus, and the Church following His ascension.  I would encourage reading the rest of this chapter.  

It is into this context that these verses are then written, following restoration and raising up of true belief in God, there is a pressing back against this and nations gather to try to stop Zion.  This is where I am focused this morning, this strategic gathering of nations, and God's plans for them.  

Maybe it is just me, but this bold statement of God's strategy just caught my eye in verse 12.  Micah appropriately stated that the nations do not know the thoughts or plans of the Lord!  I would add, that much of the world does not even consider the plans of God, for they don't believe He exists, especially in the Western world, at least in the leadership.  The rich and elite and powerful, have become so focused on secular humanism, and humanitys control, power, destiny, and wealth, that they seem to be forgetting about God.  Again, this is my observation, but I don't know these people nor their hearts. 

If this is true, that we are leaving God out of our worldview, it doesn't reduce Him, it just reduces our openness to believing that He might be moving and arranging and setting up world events.  As Micah says, they don't know His thoughts and they do not understand His plans, and that could be because they don't even consider the possibility of His existence.  What a surprise they will have the day their plans and scheming are laid bare and defeated!

If we replace "Daughter Zion", with "The Church, My Bride", we see a interesting prophetic picture of the Church rising up and defeating these forces aligned against it.  While the language is of war, we understand that the weapons we fight with are not physical (Eph 6:17), and our battle is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12), thus the imagery here is more about spiritual warfare, and the battles that are won are in people's hearts, for God's Kingdom is in our very midst.  However, that being said, we see nations being broken, or humbled, and then devoting their wealth to the Lord!   

I would like to note that, while this speaks of wealth, I don't believe this is about actual wealth as in money, but has to do with what is of greatest value to God, the hearts of people, and relationship with Him.  Jesus came not as a financial wizard to establish control over the literal wealth of the world, for God's use and control, even though in the past and still at times today, certain people have thought this very thing.  Instead,  we see that He came to open the way to the Father, that we might have relationship with Him.  Jesus came to save the people of the world (John 3:16-17), and in so doing places highest value on us, not the money and riches.   Thus, when I read these verses I see massive waves of peoples, even whole nations, coming to relationship with God!  A revelation of His goodness that absolutely cuts through the lies, deceptions and delusions of the world.  Oh Lord, let it be so!

The command God give in these verses is to "Rise and Thresh".  Again while the language seems to speak of war and battle, the word thresh means to separate the grain from the rest of the plant, what we would call chaff, which is of little value.  In other words, the command is to rise up and separate that which of value from that which is not.  I see here, again, a focus on gathering the hearts of people (grain of value), and separating them from that of no Kingdom value, worldly trappings. One could almost call this a refocusing of valuation in the world from things to people!  Interestingly we see this exact thing happen in the early church - see Acts 2:44-45 & Acts 4:32-37.

In summary, I find my heart stirred this morning that God is moving and His plans are fully in place!  I am encouraged that God's purposes ad plans will come to fruition and the world will be stunned and humbled!  I am encouraged that we will see a massive revival of belief and relationship with the Lord!  We will see nations turning to God, whole people groups coming to Him!  We see people being raised up in value, and a turning away from worldly things to God!

Amen and Amen!