Micah 7:8-10

The words ‘I’ and ‘me’ here refer to the people in Jerusalem. In the *Hebrew language, those words are female. That is because the name ‘Jerusalem’ is female in that language. Therefore it is as if Jerusalem, with her people, is a lady (‘I’ and ‘me’). The word for Nineveh (the city which was the capital of Assyria) is also female. But Micah does not mention the enemy’s name. It may mean Micah’s personal enemies. It may mean a nation. It may mean people from Nineveh in Assyria (verse 12). So it means the enemies that opposed Jerusalem.

Now Jerusalem is in darkness. Its people’s enemies surround the city. The enemies are waiting to attack. It is as if Jerusalem’s people are in prison (Isaiah 42:6-7; Isaiah 49:9). That is how it seems to them. The *LORD has promised always to be with *Israel’s people. (Look at verses 7 and 20.) The *LORD will be the people’s light. (In other words, he will show the truth to his people.) He will free them from their prison. The people in Jerusalem tell their enemies not to be glad. One day, things will be different.

The people in Jerusalem have *sinned. That is the reason for their present state. The *LORD is angry with them. They confess their *sin. They know that God is always right. He will always act in the right way. So it is right that God should punish Jerusalem’s people. Micah agrees with that. He is willing to suffer the punishment. It will last only for a certain time. He is sure about that. Then the people in Jerusalem will have suffered the punishment for their *sin (Isaiah 40:2).

It is as if God will defend Jerusalem’s people in court. He will be their lawyer. Once, he was the lawyer that accused them (Micah 6:1). But the situation will change. ‘He will do the things that are right for me’ (verse 9). God will bring *Israel’s people out into the light. (In other words, he will show the truth to his people.) They will see (know) that he is completely right. Many years ago, God made a *covenant with *Israel’s people. God is making real the promises of the *covenant. People will understand how God does things. And they will understand how he wants them to live.

The enemies of Jerusalem’s people insulted them. The enemies said, ‘You are in trouble. Your God is of no use to you! He cannot help you now’ (Psalms 42:3; Joel 2:17; Isaiah 36:19). The armies from Assyria later surrounded Jerusalem. Their chief officer spoke to the people. He tried to make them oppose their leaders. He tried to persuade them not to listen to their leaders. The story about that is in Isaiah 36:1-37. Jesus later suffered in the same way. It was when he was hanging on the cross. People insulted him then (Matthew 27:42-43).

Then the people’s enemies will see that God is right. The enemies will be greatly ashamed. ‘At that time I will laugh at them.’ ‘People will walk over them.’ It will be as if people are walking over mud. The mud is in the streets. It means that people will defeat the enemy completely. It is right for God to punish Jerusalem’s people. But it is also right for him to punish their enemies. The punishment that the enemies receive will be very much greater.

Whoever the enemy here may be, the chief enemy is ‘your enemy the devil’ (1 Peter 5:8). We can say a similar thing to him as Micah says. ‘Although I have fallen, I will rise. Although I sit in darkness, the *LORD will be my light’ (verse 8). Micah does not say that he will never fail. He knows that he will fail. But God will always rescue him. Micah sees what really happens to people. He sees it as it is. He knows that good things will not always happen. There will be difficult periods. There will be darkness (trouble). But God himself will be like a light to Micah. God will show Micah what to do.

We can win over the darkness (that is, over the power of God’s enemy). The important thing is that we agree with God’s truth. Like Micah, we must say, ‘I *sinned against the *LORD.’ We must not make excuses. We must not blame God. Micah has no doubt about *sin’s results. He understands that *sin is against God. He knows that God will defeat *sin and the devil in the end. Micah says, ‘But my enemies will see this. They will be ashamed. At that time, I will laugh at them’ (verse 10).

v11 The time to rebuild your walls will come. The time to extend your borders is coming. v12 At that time, people will come back to your country. They will come to you from Assyria. And they will come from Egypt’s cities. They will come even from Egypt and from the River Euphrates. They will come from Babylonia and they will come from everywhere else. They will come from sea to sea. And they will come from mountain to mountain. v13 However, the Earth will become like a desert because of its inhabitants. It will be the result of what these people have done.