6 In
that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her
that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have
afflicted;
7 And
I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong
nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in
mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. (Micah 4:6-7)
When I read this, it seems to me it is talking about the
gathering of Israel, but in curious terms. The halt are the lame, the “driven
out” are those who were marginalized or rejected, and the afflicted are those
who had some sort of physical or mental problem that was unexplainable or
seemingly incurable. Why speak of
these as part of the gathering of Israel in the last days?
Also, the blessings given to them are interesting and even a
little counterintuitive.
As a first instance, the Lord promises that those who were
halt will be made a remnant. The
“remnant” in battle terms would be those who make it through war and
destruction that killed or scattered everyone else. You’d think that only the
fit would survive, but no, the halt do--the ones too lame to run, those who
aren’t seen as a threat.
As another instance, the Lord promises to gather those who
were driven out and make them a strong nation. These are the outcasts, the marginalized, maybe even the
people who had to leave because they couldn’t accept what was going on. Or they might have been driven out
because they were criminals. They
are so few, so alone… And the Lord
says He will make them a strong nation? That’s a major miracle for the
marginalized to become such a strong institution that it might be called a
nation. It would have to have a
justice system, so any criminals would have reformed.
And the afflicted. This could be those with physical
handicaps and/or mental illnesses. They are the people who probably had heads
shaken over them and hands thrown in the air, saying, “I just don’t know what
to do about them! What can I do for them?” These were often seen as people God was punishing. But if they are
gathered to Mount Zion, then they are obviously being blessed instead of cursed!
All these the Lord says He will reign over in Mount Zion
forever. These are people who accept His guidance and commandments. They
believe in Him. Could it be that
their handicaps and marginalization and rejections and trials have humbled them
enough to listen?
I get some great principles from these verses.
1)
Handicaps, marginalization, and afflictions can
prepare us to follow the Lord if they humble us.
2)
The Lord reaches out to all types of people with
all kinds of challenges and has the power to make weaknesses into
strength. Once again, the halt
(lame) become the remnant (the
ones who survive). The outcast (rejected) becomes the strong nation, able to
create unity and social cohesion so that others won’t suffer similarly. The affliected
one who previously seemed punished by God becomes the faithful adherent in
Zion.
3)
Behind the Sunday smiles, all of us have some problem we need help with. Even those who look
like they have perfect lives have hidden challenges. (“In the quiet heart is
hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see.”) We are all broken somehow, all in need
of healing, in need of Christ.
In a way, it also prophesies of
days when handicaps and affliction would become better understood so that tools
and means to cope with them would be created, and people who had these problems
would be given the resources to transcend their difficulties and progress
further. Again, all of that shows
the Lord doesn’t want to leave any of His children behind, and He reaches out
to all.
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