“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.”
(Micah 4:1)
The first five verses of Micah 4 look forward to the kingdom in which Mt. Zion (verse 2) will be recognized as the center of Messiah’s reign. Jesus will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords from His holy mountain (i.e. in the church), and people from all nations will flow to Jerusalem to worship the one true God and His Messiah, Jesus Christ. God’s reign of peace will prevail and everyone that comes to worship will participate in it (verse 4); such promises are fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ incarnate, and His work under God’s covenant.
Significant events in Scripture often take place on top of a mountain or high hill. Abraham offered Isaac on a mountain (Gen 22:2), Moses received the Ten Commandments on a mountain (Exod. 19:16), and the city of Jerusalem was set on top of a high hill. So it is not surprising that at the time of Christ’s coming (Micah 4:1-8, 10b-13; 5:4-15), the holy hill of God, represents the universal place of worship in the church (4:1).
Christ came as a deliverer from sin, so He appeared when sin was at its worst (Isa. 63:5). This was not only true among the Gentiles (represented by the wicked and bloody nation of Rome), but even among the Jews of that day who stoned the prophets and defied the very Word of God by their irreligious and accursed traditions.
John Lightfoot rightly said, “This was the time when Christ began to declare Himself, the time was fulfilled. This was that which God from the foundation of the world had determined for this great occasion of revealing the Savior fully. All the prophets foretold of the coming of the righteous one … in the last days of Jerusalem, for she had now come under the bondage of that nation that was to be her ruin. And so, John the Baptist appeared to announce that the Messiah was here, and He was to be heeded.”
Not long after such a pronouncement by John the Baptist, John 4:23 states, “the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.”
In preparation for the Christ’s coming glory, when the Kingdom of God will come in fully and the Messiah will return in mighty power, let us be found lifting our voice in praise and worship of our Lord in spirit and in truth, with reverence and godly fear, and with thanksgiving that we may be willing and ready to worship Christ into eternity.
- It is in the coming of Your Son, Lord, that through the death and resurrection of the Savior people like me can be saved. This wonderful Gospel is now fully and clearly revealed by Christ. I am grateful for the unspeakable blessing of being Your child and for all Your covenant mercies.
- Lord, awaken my heart with fresh love for my Lord and King. Help me spend time in godly meditation, worshipping the superlative excellencies and perfections which are in Christ. Help me worship You in all sincerity and let my worship stem from love.
- Lord, I know that often the Old Testament expresses spiritual service in terms pertaining to the law. “Bring an offering and come into His courts.” Though the ceremonial law is fulfilled by Christ, yet the moral duties which are shadowed in them are still essential. In other words, I must not come with empty, vain offerings in my worship to You. It cannot merely be lip service; it must come from my heart. I must offer myself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You. Help me, Lord, to “Bring an offering worthy of You and come into Your courts for worship.”
Further References for Micah 4:1
Isa. 2:2; Ps. 22:27, 86:9; Jer. 3:17; Dan. 2:28; Ezek. 17:22
