February 26, 2019: Day 87 – Micah 4

We find the perfect image of what God’s future is going to look like and it is highlighted by peace.  If you look at vs.3 this is the center of what God’s kingdom will  look like for eternity.  God will arbitrate between the nations and the goal of this arbitration is that swords will be beaten into plowshares.  You will take instruments of war and shape and fashion them into farming tools which will allow the crops to grow and people to be fed.  What a complete reversal of where we had been before.  This is almost a direct quote to what we hear in Isaiah 2:4, go ahead and read that again.  In fact, if you keep going to Isaiah 2:5 you will see that Micah does the same thing, goes from speaking about the installation of peace to the people walking in the light of the Lord, or at least in the name of the Lord.   These verses are completely parallel to the verses in Isaiah, it is as if the scribe picked them up and dropped them down right here.

The prophet goes on and speaks about those with disabilities and says that he will gather the lame and make them the remnant, make them favored in the sight of the Lord.  That would be hard at First Presbyterian because if you are in a wheelchair you can’t really use any of our bathrooms comfortable.  You couldn’t preach from the pulpit or play the piano or drums.  Your access would be limited to what is happening on the floor period.  Your seats would be relegated either to directly in front (where no one wants to sits) or all the way in the back (where everyone wants to sit).  We don’t do a great job of fulfilling this prophecy where we can actually welcome the lame, or that we actually take seriously our command to do that.