Pastor Tim Patoka Midweek Advent 2018 A Mighty Mountain Micah 4:1-5 1) Wait For The LORD’s Coming Might 2) Walk In The Name Of The LORD Mountains have long been associated with power and significance. In Greek mythology, it was said that the pantheon of gods lived at the top of Mt. Olympus. Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, is the setting for Hollywood movies and where climbers show who’s the best. Japan’s Mt. Fuji is doubly important as it’s a popular tourist destination and has lots of meaning in the Shinto religion. As you look throughout the history of the world’s civilizations, you see that mountains have a special place. The same was true for the people of the Old Testament who thought highly of Mt. Zion. While it’s not much taller than a big hill, Mt. Zion had a special place in the Old Testament believer’s heart for it was where the temple was built and there was representative of God. It’s because of this that when we read the Old Testament and see references to Mt. Zion, we can associate it with the LORD for it is the mountain of the LORD. In our verses from the prophet Micah, we see how the mountain of the LORD is a mighty mountain because of what he would do on that mountain. But we’re not just talking about a simple, physical mountain. We’re talking about the LORD and his people, about how as the mountain of the LORD are mighty, so too are the people of the LORD mighty. So that they may wait for the LORD’s coming might with patient hearts and walk in the name of the LORD in the meanwhile. 1) Wait For The LORD’s Coming Might The prophet Micah’s beginning words tell us that we are talking about Jesus’ second coming when he returns on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead. It is on that Last Day when the Lord’s might will be magnified before everyone’s eyes as illustrated through Mt. Zion, the mountain of the LORD. As Micah tells us, “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:1-2). The mountain of the LORD would be unique in that it and it alone would be associated with the LORD. Even though it would not be taller than Mt. Fuji or Mt. Everest, Mt. Zion would be greater in importance 1
Pastor Tim Patoka Midweek Advent 2018 because this was where the temple was, where God made his dwelling during much of the Old Testament. Given that it is only here that the LORD dwells, it makes sense that it would only be from here that people could come and learn God’s ways and so put them into practice. And it wouldn’t just be those who came from Abraham’s family line who would come, but people of all nations, of all ethnic backgrounds, would come to learn about the God of all. But more than being the place where all people would come to learn of God’s precious Word, Mt. Zion is the setting where God the Son, Jesus Christ, would show his coming might on the Last Day. Micah again says, “He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken” (Micah 4:3-4). As Jesus would later clarify in the Gospels, he will come and judge all people based on their faith. Those who believe that Jesus is their Savior from sin will be judged not guilty for their sins. Those who do not believe this will be judged eternally guilty and cast out from his presence. Micah then goes on to describe the peace that those judged not guilty will have, those who remain with the Lord on his mighty mountain. There will no longer be any wars or instance of violence. They can enjoy the peaceful moments a person might find under a vine or fig tree. They will never again be afraid of or fear anyone. For they will have God’s true peace which will last for all time. And they can be sure that all these things will happen because the LORD Almighty himself has spoke it. These are some mighty blessings we have coming our way when the Last Day finally arrives. But are you starting to get impatient? Micah wrote these words around 700 B.C. foretelling what life would be like under the Messiah. Once when Jesus himself was not too far away from the temple mount of Mt. Zion, he told the disciples what the signs of the last days would be (Matthew 24). Signs that have been fulfilled many times over. A handful of the inspired authors of the New Testament confirmed the same, that we are living in the last days (Romans 13:1112; Hebrews 10:25; James 5:8; 1 Peter 4:7). And yet here we are, 2,000 some years after Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and the writing of the New Testament’s inspired words, and we are still waiting for the Last Day to come. We are still waiting to see the ultimate fulfillment of all the Lord’s mighty blessings. Are you getting tired of waiting? If so, then perhaps you’re tempted to think that the Bible is incomplete, 2
Pastor Tim Patoka Midweek Advent 2018 that there is something out there God intended us to know that we somehow lost. Or maybe you have deeper worries, that maybe the Bible isn’t 100% trustworthy because there are errors in it. That maybe there’s another source out there that knows more than the God of the Bible. Or maybe if it’s worth the wait for the LORD’s coming might. It’s true, these last days have gone on for what seems to us as a long time. God’s people have waited thousands of years for the ultimate fulfillment of Micah’s mighty words. But even though it may be hard for us to wait, we can be sure that God will fulfill his words exactly as he says he will because of who he is. Micah says that we can be sure that all this will happen, “for the LORD Almighty has spoken” (Micah 4:4b). If you look at this reading in your worship folders, you’ll see that each of the letters for LORD are capitalized. This is the Yahweh name, the Jehovah name, that the Old Testament uses for God. When it uses this all-caps name, it’s referring to God as the God of free and faithful grace. That God is full of undeserved love which he will generously pour out on sinful humans without expecting something in return. And because he’s faithful, he’s dependable, he will stick to his Word. In addition, he is also called the Almighty. In the original Hebrew it’s a bit more picturesque than simply Almighty as it calls God “the LORD (all caps) of armies.” Our LORD is so powerful that he has power over entire armies and therefore nothing can stop him. He is mighty over all. And it is this LORD of armies who will use his infinite power to graciously follow through on what he says no matter how long it may take. Whenever I look through the history of the Old Testament, I’m always reminded of how patient those believers had to be. When Abraham was 75 years old, God promised to make him into a great nation (Genesis 12:2, 4). But it wasn’t until he was 100 years old that his wife Sarah gave birth to Isaac (Genesis 21:5). During Joseph’s last days on earth, he prophesied that God would bring the Israelites out of Egypt and back to Israel (Genesis 50:24). But that didn’t happen for another ~475 years (Exodus 12:40; Deuteronomy 8:2). But if you think that’s a long time to be patient, consider how long God’s believers waited for the promise of their Savior to be fulfilled. God promised to Adam and Eve that their offspring would crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15). But it wasn’t for another 4,000 – 8,000 years that Mary gave birth to Jesus at the first Christmas (Luke 2:7). And then add another 33 years for Jesus to live a life that was in complete accord with every one of God’s laws, to die an innocent death as the once-for-all sacrifice for sins, and to rise from the dead to show that he is indeed the Savior of all. That was a long time to wait. Yet no 3
Pastor Tim Patoka Midweek Advent 2018 matter how long it takes for the LORD Almighty to fulfill his promise, he will. For he has all power and, because of his grace, he uses that power for the benefit of his children. 2) Walk In The Name Of The LORD And we can be sure of that as we walk in the name of the LORD. As Micah encourages us in his closing verse, “All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.” (Micah 4:5) Who your god is determines how you will live your life because, at least on paper, your life should be a reflection of your god’s values and priorities. While open idolatry may not be as common today as it was in Micah’s day, our society has numerous gods which people follow: money, power, or popularity to name a few. And you can tell it when people follow such false gods where life is all about making riches, or getting the corner office with the window, or being the center of attention in whatever social circle they’re in. Yet for those who look forward to Micah’s mighty mountain and its future blessings, we walk in the name of our LORD. We do not know how long we will need to walk until these last days are over. It could be tomorrow or it could be another 2,000 years from now. But no matter how much time we have left on this earth, we can let our lives show which God we follow. By making time for our Lord and his Word. By using his blessings of money and power for the benefit of his Church. By using our popularity with others as a foot in the door to tell others about the LORD Almighty and his Son, our Savior. And by using whatever other blessings we may have. And as we walk in the name of the LORD, we wait with patient hearts assured of what is to come. Because what is to come, as outlined with Micah’s mighty mountain, is surely worth the wait. May the Lord grant us hearts that are both patient to wait for the wondrous second coming and to walk in the name of the LORD in the meanwhile. Amen.
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