Micah 7:16-17
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling out of their dens;
they will turn in fear to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.
Throughout this book we’ve seen the nations of the world described in different ways. Sometimes, the focus is on their rebellion against their creator - they are the nations who follow the ways of their own particular false gods, rather than the one true God. Sometimes, the focus is on them as an instrument of God’s righteous judgement on Israel. Sometimes, it’s their own desire to attack and crush Israel that is highlighted. Sometimes, we are shown the judgment that is coming to them for their rebellion. Sometimes we are shown the hope that lies beyond that judgment, when people from all nations will gather to worship the Lord as they were always intended to. It’s a complex picture, that doesn’t allow us to simply hate them for being the bad guys, or wholeheartedly root for them to triumph. In that sense, I think this book is a pretty accurate reflection of the world around us today, many hundreds of years later. God is always at work to judge and to reconcile, and so we can’t write off his enemies as unworthy of our love and concern. But neither do we need to be afraid that they will get away with their mistreatment of us, his people.
We might find that complexity confusing and disorientating. But as we get to the end of the story, the final conclusion is clear. Enemies of God who remain enemies of God will, eventually, see him for who he is and tremble before him. This won’t be the joyful worship of those who bow to their Lord and Saviour willingly. It will be the reluctant acknowledgement of defeated rebels that they have fought consistently on the losing side, and it’s too late to switch allegiance once the battle is over. This might feel like a bleak ending, until we remember that this final day is still to come. It is not yet too late to change sides.
So if we know that we have not yet come to Jesus for forgiveness and the peace with God that is only possible through his death, let’s do that today before it is too late. And if we know and love others in that situation, let’s pray today that God would soften their hearts and call them to faith in him, and would make us bold in encouraging them to switch sides and worship him while they can. As we will see tomorrow, there is a far, far better ending available for those who choose to do just that.
