Micah 7:1-17--Wait for the God of Salvation

Micah 7:1-17
English Standard Version

Wait for the God of Salvation
7 Woe is me! For I have become
    as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
    as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
    no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
2 The godly has perished from the earth,
    and there is no one upright among mankind;
they all lie in wait for blood,
    and each hunts the other with a net.
3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
    the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
    thus they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,
    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
    now their confusion is at hand.
5 Put no trust in a neighbor;
    have no confidence in a friend;
guard the doors of your mouth
    from her who lies in your arms;
6 for the son treats the father with contempt,
    the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD;
    I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the LORD will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD
    because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    “Where is the LORD your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    like the mire of the streets.

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.

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Micha is talking about how one season leads to another and the next is sure to come as a symbol of the season of pending judgment that they find themselves in (Fall) with judgment that may seem dark and long (Winter) coming, but salvation (Spring) will certainly come.  Waiting and salvation go hand in hand.

It seems that the righteous no longer are anywhere to be found.  Micah supposes they have all died. (possibly by God's grace so that they did not face the judgment meant for the wicked).  Micah lists off the "darkness" that he sees all around him that tells him the time of judgment is at hand.  In that day, Micah says every man will be thinking of himself.  Neighbors will not give thought of one another, nor will those charged with being watchmen defend the city.  Fleeing will not save them, and fighting will not save them.  Some who unconditionally surrender will be spared.  Even in this they are to remember to trust in the LORD for His salvation in the right way and at the right time.

Micah warns their enemies not to gloat over them, for the LORD will take note of this and will treat them accordingly.  The nations may try to discourage the Jewish people by trying to make them believe that the LORD has abandoned them, but Micah reminds the people that the LORD will be with them wherever they go--even into Exile.  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths (make your paths straight)." (Proverbs 3:5-6).

A day is coming when the entire Kingdom will be restored to the people of Israel (this has never happened yet) The LORD will reign over all of it and there will be peace and prosperity in all of the Land.  That which was destroyed will be rebuilt.  The Land will again bear much fruit and the people will be fruitful and will multiply.  Until this day, the prophet asks the LORD to shepherd His people Israel with His staff from His throne in Heaven.  They are like sheep that are alone and vulnerable to attack.  They are not very smart and cannot provide for themselves nor can they defend themselves.  If the LORD does not continue to save them day by day in the little things, they will never make it to the "big" day of salvation they are looking for.

They long for a return to the Land flowing with milk and honey and the land of Gilead that was filled with the dew of heaven and healing balms.  When they are restored and the LORD is their King and Shepherd, the wicked will be judged and humiliated.  The righteous that remain from the nations will love the LORD and His people, and they will show respect to the LORD and His chosen people Israel who will again be a prince among the nations.