Old Testament Commentary - Micah 7

by Don R. Hender


Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
           CHAPTER 7              

Though Israel has rebelled, yet in the last days the Lord will have mercy on her—He will have compassion and pardon her iniquities.

 1 WOE is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
 2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his abrother with a net.
 3 ¶ That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
 4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy avisitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
 5aTrust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
 6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's aenemies are the men of his own bhouse.
 7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will ahear me.
 8 ¶ Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in adarkness, the LORD shall be a blight unto me.
 9 I will abear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the blight, and I shall behold his righteousness.
 10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be atrodden down as the mire of the streets.
 11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.
 12 In that day also he shall acome even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
 13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
 14 ¶ Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
 15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.
 16 ¶ The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
 17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.
 18 Who is a God like unto thee, that apardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?a he retaineth not his banger for ever, because he cdelighteth in dmercy.
 19 He will turn again, he will have acompassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to aAbraham, which thou hast bsworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
 18a that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? In the last days the mercy of the Lord will reclaim Israel, that is the remnant of Israel. And the Lord will again restore Israel's heritages to Israel. This will particularly begin unto the remnant of Joseph/Ephraim by the restoration of the gospel and unto the nations of the world in fulfilling the covenant of Abraham unto the blessing of all nations. Yet it is by the mercy of the gospel that it is done, by the atonement of Christ and that acceptance and its ordances as received by the people. Yet many will not receive it and the great and dreadful day will still needs come upon the wicked because they will not.