Help is on the Way!
For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place.
He will come down and tread on the high places of earth.
The mountains will melt under Him,
And the valley will be split,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a steep place. Micah 1:3–4
“Help is on the way”, Ms. Doubtfire yelled as she rushed through the restaurant to perform the Heimlich on a chocking person. Though the children of Israel are not dining at the worlds finest establishment, they find themselves stumbling and chocking from what they consumed quickly without consideration.
Not taking the time to chew, they consumed what they encountered, breaking covenant with God, inviting others to the table, to receive praise and adoration as well as sacrifice and worship. Their practices quickly caught up to them, much like our practices have caught up to us. No, they aren’t the first to dabble in spiritualism. They aren’t the first to have other gods, and formed idols to which they pray to and seek, but they were the first to realize they had made a costly mistake.
Micah says, “Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.” Micah 1:3–4
As Ms. Doubtfire displays a burst of energy, weaving through tables and patrons, leaping over a half wall and sprints to the back of the man, getting in position, he prepares to dislodge the blockage by applying pressure; I imagined the Lord leaving His place of comfort to deal with His children. He descends from the mountain, as we choke and gag on the foolishness we have consumed.
He’s tried many ways to dislodge the blockage!
Nope; they wouldn’t listen to the Prophets! He sent word via representatives, left His law by which to abide by, and given oral tradition to teach and correct; but they stopped up their ears, ignoring the words and advice of those in authority, and inadvertently pushed the call button to request the stewardess. And He is coming.
I read this passage, shaking in my boots. Much like a child in the wrong, sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for mom or dad to enter the room (I initially typed “my room” 🙂 ) with pain or punishment (possibly both).
Micah says, He’s coming from heaven; and the heat that exudes from His person melts the mountains beneath Him. It’s as thought God is stepping out of bed, and the mountains are toys on the bedroom floor, He grabs His house coat, puts on His slippers, and begins His decent to confront His children.
All the while, His children continue to play, breaking the law, and ignoring the sound from the mouth of the prophet. They ignore Proclamations, sleeping through the Sabbath, and have their Ear Pods in during the reading of the scripture. The Torah, more a history book, than the Word of God given to His chosen people, they sit arrogantly in exiles, settling for miracles and handouts, rather than living the best life God described for them.
Micah says, the valleys, that are already separated naturally, aren’t big enough for the feet of our God! As He continues His course to discipline His children, Micah says the valleys which have held together now separate, as though the heat from God burns so great, that the rock established mountains melt like wax. The temperature is so great, and that it melts so quickly, that wax takes on the consistency of water and rushes down as though cascading off of ledge like a flowing stream.
This God, Micah says, is on the way, and is going to discipline His children, and yet, foolishness continues. Sadly, we are like the children of Israel. We know that God is coming and the sky will be parted much like Willis Reed entering game 7 and hitting his first two shots.
Yes, He is our God, and He is coming to us, but he is not bearing a crown, He is bring correction! The first appearance, He came not to condemn, but to save, but this second trip, He’s dividing sheep from goats!
Yes, again; help is on the way, but we forget that God chastises whom He loves. We forget that healing is not only encompassed in Him, but so is judgement and wrath. While we all jubilantly sing about seeing Him face to face, The Prophet Micah reminds us descriptively of how powerful and all encompassing our God is.
Only few saw Him and lived. He had to hide His face from most, and just reward them with His presence. It is this God that will return. This God that will speak. This God that will Judge. This God that will Congratulate. And This God that will Condemn.
Why do we carry on as though we have nothing to fear? We cut off salvation like a box top, We confess Him as Lord, as though we are participating in insider trading. And while measuring our relationship with Him, it will be revealed that most of our interaction with Him was a ponzi scheme. We enter relationship with Him not to grow with Him, or to Build His Kingdom, but that we can access His resources and build a Kingdom of our own.
Foolishly many of us think we are winning because we have amassed some earthly trinkets, but will realize in the end, that it rains on the just and the unjust, and the blessing you received weren’t favor, but His mercy and grace poured out on an His creation.
Help is on the way! I saw our Lord, like Ms. Doubtfire running through the obstacles, and dislodging the blockage that is within us, because in the end, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, that He is Lord!
#PastorJDO3
