มีคาห์ 4:13 วิจารณ์

Comparing this chapter with the close of the foregoing chapter, the comfortable promises here with the terrible threatenings there, we may, with the apostle, "behold the goodness and severity of God," (Rom 11:22), towards the Jewish church which fell, severity when Zion was ploughed as a field, but towards the Christian church, which was built upon the ruins of it, goodness, great goodness; for it is here promised, I. That it shall be advanced and enlarged by the accession of the nations to it (Mic 4:1, Mic 4:2). II. That it shall be protected in tranquility and peace (Mic 4:3, Mic 4:4). III. That it shall be kept close, and constant, and faithful to God (Mic 4:5). IV. That under Christ's government, all its grievances shall be redressed (Mic 4:6, Mic 4:7). V. That it shall have an ample and flourishing dominion (Mic 4:8). VI. That its troubles shall be brought to a happy issue at length (Mic 4:9, Mic 4:10). VII. That its enemies shall be disquieted, nay, that they shall be destroyed in and by their attempts against it (Mic 4:11-13).

INTRODUCTION TO MICAH 4 This chapter contains some gracious promises concerning the glory and happiness of the church of Christ in the last days; as of its stability, exaltation, and increase, and of the spread of the Gospel from it, Mic 4:1; and of the peace and security of it, and constant profession and exercise of religion in it, Mic 4:3; and of the deliverance of it from affliction and distress, and the ample and everlasting kingdom of Christ in it, Mic 4:6; and then follow some prophecies more particularly respecting the Jews; as that, though they should be in distress, and be carried captive into Babylon, they should be delivered from thence, Mic 4:9; and, though many people should be gathered against them, yet should not be able to prevail over them, but their attempts would issue in their own destruction, Mic 4:11.

Arise, and thresh, O daughter of Zion,.... The nations gathered against her, and now laid together on the floor as sheaves to be threshed. Here the people of God are aroused, and called out of a low and weak estate, and are animated and encouraged to exert themselves, and fall upon their enemies, and destroy them; alluding to the threshing of grain on the floor, the metaphor being here carried on from Mic 4:12. The Targum is, "arise, and kill, O congregation of Zion;'' for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass; signifying that the Lord would give them strength sufficient to such work, and such power their enemies should not be able to resist and overcome; and that they should into their hands, and be crushed, trod, and trampled on by them, and utterly subdued. The allusion is to oxen that have horns and hoofs; and it suggests that they should be as strong as they; have horns like them, that is, power to push down their enemies and hoofs to trample upon them: or as these creatures have a horny substance on their feet, or hoofs, which are strong, and fit for the purposes of treading out corn, for which they were used in the eastern countries, drawing after them iron wheels, or planks stuck with flints; so horses and oxen that have strong feet, and hard hoofs, are said to have feet of brass (b); thus the Lord's people should have such courage, force, and power, as not only to withstand their enemies, but to obtain a conquest over them The Targum is, "I will make the people in them strong as iron, and their remnant firm as brass;'' which was true of, and accomplished in, Judas Maccabeus and his brethren; and will be more clearly fulfilled in the Christian kings and princes in the latter day, when engaged with the antichristian states; and thou shalt beat in pieces many people; as the Maccabees did subdue many people and nations, as all Palestine, Moab, Idumea, Samaria, and Iturea, as Josephus (c) relates; and as the Christian princes will beat in pieces, and utterly destroy, all the antichristian kings of the earth, their states and kingdoms, and bring them into subjection to them: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth; that is, to Christ, who in the last day will appear to be King and Lord of the whole earth; and all the riches of the antichristian nations, Pagan, Papal, and Mahometan, will be devolved to, and employed in, his interest and service; see Rev 21:24; these are the words of God the Father, with respect to his Son Jesus Christ; who will now have a dominion, glory, and kingdom given him, by the ancient of days, that so all people, nations, and languages, shall serve him, Dan 7:14; of which there might be some type and shadow in the times of the Maccabees. (b) "aeripedes equos", Homer. Iliad. 8. v. 41. (c) Antiqu. l. 13. c. 15. sect. 4. Next: Micah Chapter 5

“For I will make your horns, which the Babylonians broke, iron. You shall beat in pieces many people, and shall devote their grain to the Lord.” This will happen when, after taking possession of their land and wealth, you pay the tithe to the Lord of the entire earth. As I have said, God showed a sign of such great prosperity to the Jews who would be coming back from captivity. He also reserved the same thing for his church.

(Verses 11-13.) And now many nations have gathered against you, saying: Let her be stoned, and let our eyes see her downfall in Zion. But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, and they do not understand His plan, for He has gathered them like the hay of the threshing floor. Rise up and trample, daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hooves bronze, and you will crush many peoples. And you will dedicate their plunder to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth. LXX: And now many nations have gathered against you, saying, 'Let us insult and see with our own eyes in Zion.' But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, and they do not understand His counsel, for He has gathered them like sheaves into a threshing floor. Arise and trample them, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horns iron and your hooves bronze, and you will crush many peoples. And you will devote their multitude to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth. O Jerusalem, O daughter of Zion, who will come to Babylon, and there you will be set free, and the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. But now many nations have gathered against you, who speak as if of an adulteress, saying: Let her be stoned, and let our eyes look upon her. As it is written in the Septuagint: Let us insult and rejoice, and let our eyes despise Zion; and they did not understand the will and plan of the Lord, for this reason the nations have gathered against you, so that you may crush them like the threshing floor crushes the chaff or straw. Rise up, therefore, daughter of Zion, and with the iron horns that I promise to give you, and with the bronze hooves that you will receive, scatter and crush the peoples, and kill them for the Lord of the whole earth. For He takes pleasure in such a victim and such a sacrifice. The Jews, seeing that these things have not yet been fulfilled, promise themselves the coming of Christ in the future, and they say that all nations will serve the Jewish people, and that the Roman empire, which they interpret as Edom, will be crushed under their hooves and scattered with their horns. It is easy to prove from all the Scriptures how foolish this is, but that is a matter of another time. Therefore, we who follow not the letter that kills, but the life-giving spirit, say that many nations of demons gather against the daughter of Zion, which is translated as the Church, and insult her in the present age, which is under the power of evil, and rejoice in the killing of her children, ignorant of the thoughts of the Lord and not recognizing His plan. For if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of majesty (I Cor. II, 8). Therefore, He will gather them as sheaves in the area, so that whatever appeared to have thorns and be scattered, empty and light, may be crushed by their hooves, and winnowed by their horns, and the pure remaining grain may be offered as gifts to the Lord. But what does it mean when he says: You will crush many peoples, and consecrate their multitude to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of the whole earth. We read Numbers, and Jesus on the ship, and the first book of the Kings, and we will see how, concerning the subject peoples, when all things perish by the edge of the sword, both gold and silver, and also how a certain number of people and animals dedicated to the Lord as spoils. Finally, Achor, who stole something from the ban of Jericho, disturbed the people, and the name of the valley was imposed from sin, Emec Achor (), meaning valley of tumult, or disturbances (Joshua 7). But so that you may know, according to the Septuagint interpreters, who said: 'You shall consecrate their multitude to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth,' the word 'consecration' should be understood in a positive sense: Theodotion translated it as 'multitude,' the Fifth Edition as 'benefit,' which means 'advantage,' and Symmachus as 'gain,' which means 'their profit.'

In the commencement of this chapter we have a glorious prophecy of the establishment and prosperity of the Messiah's kingdom; its peaceful character, increasing spiritual and political influence, ultimate universality, and everlasting duration, Mic 4:1-4. Then breaks in a chorus of his people declaring their peculiar happiness in being members of his kingdom, Mic 4:5. The prophet resumes the subject; predicts the restoration and future prosperity of Israel, Mic 4:6-8; and exhorts them not to be discouraged at their approaching captivity, as they should in due time not only be delivered from it, but likewise be victorious over all their enemies, Mic 4:9-13. These last verses, which evidently contain a prediction of the final triumph of Christianity over every adversary, have been applied to the conquests of the Maccabees; but the character and beneficial results of their military exploits, as far as we have any account of them, correspond but in a very faint degree to the beautiful and highly wrought terms of the prophecy. The first three verses of this chapter are very similar to the commencement of the second chapter of Isaiah; and the fourth, for beauty of imagery and elegance of expression, is not unworthy of that prophet.

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion - This refers to the subject of the preceding verse. When God shall have gathered together all thy enemies, as into the threshing-floor, he will give thee commission and power to get a complete victory over them, and reduce them to servitude. And that thou mayest be able to do this, he will be on thy side as a powerful helper; here signified by the metaphors, iron horns, and brazen hoofs. Thou shalt have power, authority, and unconquerable strength; for thine enemies shall be no more against thee than the corn against oxen shod with brass, or a puny animal against the horn of a fierce bull tipped with iron. I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord - What they have taken from thee in the way of spoil shall be restored; and again consecrated unto the service of him who will show himself to be the Lord, the Supreme Governor of the whole earth. Was not this prediction fulfilled when Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return to their own land, and gave them back the sacred vessels of the temple which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away? The Maccabees and their successors recovered much of the booty of which the neighboring nations had deprived the Jews; and the treasure taken was devoted to Jehovah. The first verse of the next chapter should conclude this.

TRANSITION TO THE GLORY, PEACE, KINGDOM, AND VICTORY OF ZION. (Mic 4:1-13) Almost identical with Isa 2:2-4. the mountain of the house of the Lord--which just before (Mic 3:12) had been doomed to be a wild forest height. Under Messiah, its elevation is to be not that of situation, but of moral dignity, as the seat of God's universal empire. people shall flow into it--In Isaiah it is "all nations": a more universal prophecy.

thresh--destroy thy foes "gathered" by Jehovah as "sheaves" (Isa 41:15-16). thine horn--Zion being compared to an ox treading corn, and an ox's strength lying in the horns, her strength is implied by giving her a horn of iron (compare Kg1 22:11). beat in pieces many-- (Dan 2:44). I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord--God subjects the nations to Zion, not for her own selfish aggrandizement, but for His glory (Isa 60:6, Isa 60:9; Zac 14:20, with which compare Isa 23:18) and for their ultimate good; therefore He is here called, not merely God of Israel, but "Lord of the whole earth." Next: Micah Chapter 5

Glorification of the House of the Lord, and Restoration of the Dominion of Zion - Mic 4:1-13 Zion will eventually be exalted from the deepest degradation to the highest glory. This fundamental thought of the announcement of salvation contained in Mic 4:1-13 and Mic 5:1-15 is carried out thus far in Mic 4:1-13 : the first section (Mic 4:1-7) depicts the glorification of the temple mountain by the streaming of the heathen nations to it to hear the law of the Lord, and the blessing which Israel and the nations will derive therefrom; and the second section (Mic 4:8-13) describes the restoration of the dominion of Zion from its fallen condition through the redemption of the nation out of Babel, and its victorious conflict with the nations of the world.