Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20100221.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Micah: An Eloquent Presentation Of God's Salvation From Ungodly Leadership
Part IV: Micah's "Remnant" Sections: God's Deliverance Of The Godly From Trials Under Oppressors
(Micah 4:6-8 with Micah 5:7-9)
  1. Introduction
    1. Troublesome leaders have long plagued man, and neither are the godly immune from their oppression.
    2. However, God limits the effect of such oppression on the godly to achieve His will in them before He delivers them, the theme in Micah 4:6-8 and Micah 5:7-9, two corresponding sections in Micah's " chiasmus," so we view them for insight in responding effectively as God's people to oppressive leaders:
  2. Micah's "Remnant" Sections: God's Deliverance Of The Godly From Trials Under Oppressors.
    1. Both at Micah 4:6-8 and then in its corresponding section at Micah 5:7-9 are two sections of Micah's prophetic "chiasmus" literary masterpiece that deal with the saved "remnant" in Israel who will survive the horrific Great Tribulation, with a focus on their hope amid allusions to distress of their trials, cf. Leslie C. Allen, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah (NICOT), 1976, p. 260.
    2. Micah 4:6-8 reports how God will heal and nurture those of His "remnant" that He Himself had afflicted (Micah 4:6), implying the Lord had used the trauma of the antichrist's rule as a disciplinary vehicle.
    3. However, at Micah 5:7-9, the thrust shifts away from God's nurturing His people fresh out of oppression by the antichrist to blessing them with vitality, power and courage to defeat and dominate their oppressors.
    4. Putting these two focuses together, we see a program of God for His Great Tribulation era "remnant" that is dramatically mirrored in His program for the believers of the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22:
      1. The crass materialism of Micah 2:1-2 and idolatry of Micah 1:7 that will need to be disciplined out of the people of Israel in the Great Tribulation era matches the materialistic idolatry of the believers in the Laodicean Church era of Revelation 3:14-17.
      2. Accordingly, as God will allow antichrist to arise to punish such waywardness in His people (Zechariah 11:15-16 with 11:5) in the Great Tribulation (Micah 4:6b), so God urges Christians in our present Laodicean Church (era) to look to Him in faith to buy gold tried in the fire of trials, Rev. 3:18.
      3. Following such intense trials in both the Laodicean Church era and in Israel's case in the coming Great Tribulation under the antichrist, God promises first in Micah 4:6-8 to heal, nurture and restore His people in preparation for the Kingdom, and in Revelation 3:20-21 to do much the same for Christians.
      4. However, beyond just such nurture and enthronement, in Micah 5:7-9, God promises to give His "remnant" survivors of the Great Tribulation (a) vitality in their renewal from oppression under the antichrist (Micah 5:7) and (b) courage and power to dominate their enemies in the end (Micah 5:8-9).
      5. Well, such similar blessing awaits believers in today's Laodicean Church era as well (as follows):
        1. When Christ promised to enthrone the believer at Revelation 3:21, He promised to put Him on His own earthly Davidic throne like God the Father put Jesus on His heavenly throne.
        2. Well, that Davidic throne establishment is described in Psalm 110 in similar fashion to the Micah 5:7-9 section (as follows): (a) God promises to extend the strength and influence of the repentant believer outward to affect others so that he dominates them (Psalm 110:1-2, 4-7), and (b) in doing so, He also promises renewed vigor for the believer and for in his fellow supporters, Psalm 110:3, 7!
    5. Hence, in a timeless program for His people under trial especially to wean them from materialism or some other god, be it the coming Great Tribulation or in our present Laodicean Church era, God promises to bless His own if they submit to His allowed trials under oppressive people that are allowed to wean them from idolatry, that, after the trials when they learn to look to God alone for blessing, He might refresh them, and give them and their supporters vigor, influence and dominion over those who oppressed them!
Lesson: If we face dire oppression in our era as believers, may we check to see if God seeks to use it to wean us from depending on a false idol, quite possibly money, that we look to Him only for fulfillment. If we do this, God will reverse our situation, giving us nurture from the drain of the past trials and victory and dominion over the oppressors who had troubled us to His glory and our great relief!

Application: May we "survive" the trials God permits us to have under human oppressors by learning in them to trust HIM and NOT FALSE IDOLS, and so be RICHLY BLESSED of the Lord!