A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

The Prophecy of Micah, the word of the Lord that came to Micah during the reigns of kings: Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah and Uzziah. Micah is thought to have prophesied thirty or forty years, which places him in the years 713 to 750 BC; thus contemporary with Isaiah, Hosea and Amos though they had started earlier.

Micah 5

¹ Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops; he hath laid siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. — it seems this verse ought to be joined to the foregoing chapter, as it evidently belongs to it, as in the Targum, as it was of the same subject;

— the “daughter of troops” is still the same who was before addressed, the children of Judah; the word is almost always used of “bands of men employed in irregular, marauding, in-roads.” Judah is entitled “daughter of troops,” on account of her violence, the robbery and bloodshed within the city being besieged.

² “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto Me He that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

— but thou, Bethlehem; but though Jerusalem should be besieged and taken and the land of Judea laid waste, yet before all this should be the Messiah should be born in Bethlehem of which this is a prophecy as is evident from Matthew 2:4;

— though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, the town being of little importance over against the mighty Jerusalem nearby, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel, out of thee shall come forth unto me a Judge, that is to be ruler in Israel, and this is the King; for because he is to be of the seed of David, that is, the selection of the Messiah as the true King of Israel;

— whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting; thus the Father’s will and purpose from eternity was made manifest in the coming of the Prince of Peace. And even as his outgoings were from eternity, since he is the Son of the Father;

— the Targum identifies this ruler, coming from Bethlehem, as the Messiah, says,

“And you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are small to be counted among the thousands of the house of Judah, from you before Me shall come forth the Messiah, to be a ruler over Israel, whose name has been spoken from of old, from the days of eternity.”

³ Therefore will He give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

— meanwhile, God will deliver Israel into the hands of its foes; Bethlehem will be in foster homes until the birth pangs are over and the child is born then the scattered brothers come back home to the land of Jacob;

— He will stand tall in his Messiah-rule with God’s strength, centered in the Kingdom of God. And the people will have a good and safe home, his Greatness shall reach the ends of the earth; the “remnant of their brothers” refers to the scattered Israelites who will eventually return and be united with their people.

⁴ And He shall stand and feed them in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they shall abide; for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth.

— and he shall stand and feed, both ruling and nourishing as the King and Shepherd of his people, in the strength of the Lord, he himself being the mighty God, Isaiah 9:6;

— in the majesty of the name of the Lord, Yehovah, and they shall abide, namely, the true spiritual children of Israel; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth, his kingdom, the Kingdom of God, extending over the entire earth.

⁵ And this Man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land; and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men.

— the Assyrian may be here put for any powerful enemy of the people of God in later times; then shall we raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; we, the Israel of God shall be enabled to repel the enemy.

— “Shepherds,” that is, princes, “seven” is the perfect number, representing completeness and rest; often signifies fullness; and “eight” suggests going beyond completeness into superabundance.

⁶ And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at the entrances thereof; thus shall He deliver us from the Assyrian when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

— and they; the seven shepherds and eight principal men; or the rulers and princes of men, mentioned in the preceding verse; shall pasture (subdue) the land of Assyria with the sword,” turning its land into spoil.

⁷ And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many nations, as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

— in the Messianic Age, the remnant of Jacob, those that survived the Fire, Famine, Pestilences and the Sword, shall be in the midst of many people as captives, “in the midst of the abundance of the nations,”

— they shall be as a dew from the Lord, their testimonies would nourish the nations, as the showers upon the grass, the truth about their abominations and captivity would give the nations much need truth in their judgement and a testimony for the Word of God, (more on the remnants from Ezekiel 12 at the end)

⁸ And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many people, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

— and the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midst of many people; the same persons are meant here as before; who are compared to dew and showers of rain; because numerous and full of blessings in themselves and useful and beneficial to others;

— in the great Millennium or the Messianic Age, as a lion among the beasts of the forest; strong, mighty, powerful, courageous and superior to their enemies as the lion is strongest among beasts and keeps all others in awe of him;

— as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; their enemies shall be no more able to oppose them than a flock of sheep are to a young lion to resist him; the design of the metaphor is not to signify the harmlessness and innocence of their enemies but their weakness and the strength and courage of them.

⁹ Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. — in the great Millennium or the Messianic Age thy hand shall be lifted up upon thy adversaries; O remnant of Jacob or Israel, will destroy their enemies with the sword that proceeds out of his mouth.

¹⁰ “And it shall come to pass in that day,” saith the Lord, “that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots.

— and it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, at the time of Messiah’s reign that he will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, ordinarily, the confidence of men, and he will destroy thy chariots.

¹¹ And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds. — the Targum says, “I will cut off the cities of the people out of thy land and destroy all their strong fortresses;” these shall dwell no more there and be no more offensive and troublesome.

¹² And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers. — and God will cut off witchcrafts or sorcerers out of thine hand;

— in the Messianic Age, all unlawful arts, cheating and juggling in religious matters will cease and be no more; every religious building of any kind (churches, cathedrals, temples, shrines, monuments, mosques) will all be totally demolished, so that no vestige of any false religion remains.

¹³ Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. — thy graven images; which were for this matter made of wood or stone, and fashioned to the images, which the blind idolaters thought well to represent their god.

¹⁴ And I will pluck up thine Asherah poles out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. — I will pluck up thy groves; that is, either the statues, pillars, or trees connected with the worship of Baal and Astarte.

¹⁵ And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations, such as they have not heard.” — such as they have not heard; such terrible judgements, and dreadful expressions of divine wrath and fury,

— by earthquakes, hailstones, as were never known or heard before of in the world before see Revelation 16:18; or “which have not heard” the people that have not heard and hearkened to the word of God or the voice of the Messiah, but have turned a deaf ear to it, and despised it. So the Targum says, “who have not received the doctrine of the law.”

~~~ “as a dew from the Lord” ~~~

Ref: Micah 5:7 “as a dew from the Lord,” more on the Remnants from Ezekiel 12

¹⁶ But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.” — “that they may declare all their abominations among the nations;” this explains why a few are left to survive;

— if they have hidden in some secret hideouts, they won’t be able to “declare all their abominations among the nations” whither they come; who, observing their calamities, and distresses, could deserve and a need to know, and hear those who are well-versed to explain their sins, abominations and judgement to the nations. From God’s viewpoint, this gift is “as a dew from the Lord.”

Micah 6

¹ Hear ye now what the Lord saith: “Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. — hear ye now what the Lord saith; the third portion of Micah’s prophecy opens with a solemn appeal to Nature, mountains and hills, to hear the Lord;

— hear ye now what the Lord saith; here begins a new discourse and with an address of the prophet to contend before the mountains; a parallel Scripture in Ezekiel 6 against the mountains and hills of Israel.

² Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel. — a detailed parallel Scripture in Ezekiel 6 on the mountains and hills of Israel;

— the “mountains of Israel” refer to the United States, UK and France – “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Finland and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg;

— and to the rivers; where during the nineteenth century, the British Royal Navy were known to “Rule the Waves;” their colonies, their new territories; and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene.

³ O My people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against Me! — then addressing his people, what have I done unto thee?

— namely, in inflicting any kind of wrong unto them. And wherein have I wearied thee? is my requirements too rigorous or too hard to follow? Testify against me! God challenges his people, ready to entertain any reply which they might want to make concerning any charges.

⁴ For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servitude; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

— for I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt; instead of doing them any wrong, God had done them much good; of which this is one instance and he was able to produce more: this a notorious, plain and full proof of his goodness to them which could not be denied;

— and redeemed thee out of the house of slaves; or “out of the house of bondage” as the same words are rendered, Exodus 20:2; that is, out of hard service in which their lives were made bitter; out of cruel bondage and slavery which made them cry to the Lord for help and deliverance; and he heard them and sent them a deliverer;

— and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam; Moses was their lawgiver, leader and commander; Aaron was their priest to offer sacrifice for them and to intercede on their behalf; and Miriam was a prophetess;

— the Targum says, “I sent before thee three prophets, Moses to teach the tradition of judgements; Aaron to make atonement for the people; and Miriam to instruct the women;” Miriam’s prophetic role is emphasized, particularly as a guide and exemplar for Israel’s women.

⁵ O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.” — O My people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab, consulted, the counsel he took in trying to bring about their downfall;

— and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal, between the first station after Balaam’s blessing and the first station on the soil of the Holy Land, Cf Numbers 25:1; Joshua 4:19.

⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

— wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high God? the prophet asks in the name of the people in order to restore the relationship which had been so rudely disturbed by their transgressions. Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? these being considered the choicest sacrifices.

⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? — will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams; if single burnt offerings of bullocks and heifers will not do, will thousands of rams be acceptable to him?

— or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? for meat offerings, in which oil was used: if he could but gain his point and get the God of Israel on his side;

— shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? It is well known that the Phenicians and others in the land of Canaan sacrificed their children to Saturn or Molech, and some of the idolatrous Israelites imitated this horrid practice: see note on Leviticus 18:21, where God in a solemn manner prohibits it;

— these two verses give us an exact description of the character of hypocrites and habitual sinners who hope to obtain God’s favour by performing certain external ceremonies and are willing to purchase their own pardon upon any terms, except that of reforming their lives.

⁸ He hath shown thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? — and to do justly; to do private and personal justice between man and man; to hurt no man’s property and character; which as it is agreeable to the law of God;

— and to love mercy; not only to show mercy to miserable objects, to persons in distress; to relieve the poor, to clothe the naked and feed the hungry, but to delight in such exercises and which a king especially should do;

— and to walk humbly before thy God? To walk humbly in the fear of your God, as the Targum says, acknowledging his distance and fear from him; and even though a king yet his God and Creator was above him, King of kings, and Lord of lords, to whom he owed his crown, sceptre and kingdom and was accountable to him for all his administrations:

— and this “walking humbly” as opposed to “walking in pride” or compare to “come boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)” which kings are apt to do; but God can humble them and bring them low as kings have been obliged to learn; see Daniel 2:21:

“And He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings and setteth up kings. He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding,” Daniel 2:21

⁹ The Lord’S voice crieth unto the city (and the man of wisdom shall see Thy name): “Hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it! — the prophet speaks God’s word of warning and correction, directed toward the city; hear, O king and rulers, and the rest of the people of the land;

— the Targum says,

“The voice of the Lord’s prophet is upon the city for rebuke; and the teachers who fear His Name. Hear, O king, ruler, and the rest of the people of the land.”

¹⁰ Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? — are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked? namely, such as had been gained by wickedness, by oppression, corruption and cheating;

— and the scant measure that is abominable? or for such practices as they were abominable and detestable to God; they stirred up his wrath, and brought destruction on those that used them. The Targum says, “and deceitful measures that bring forth fraud.”

¹¹ Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? — and with the bag of deceitful weights? or “stones” which were used in weighing goods and which were deceitful when a heavier was used in buying and a lighter in selling;

— so the Targum says, “and with the bag that contains great and small weights?” condemned in Deuteronomy 25:13.

The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony for spiritual inspiration and understanding, as virtually all the endtime Churches do, is an absolute disgrace.

¹² For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. — greedy men like Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, Charles Schwab and George Soros;

— for the rich men (read rich nations like the United States and United kingdom) thereof are full of violence; that is, the rich men of the city, to whom the voice of the Lord cried, ancient Samaria, but more likely modern nations like the US and the UK, are full of violence, invading Iraq under the false pretext of WMD (weapons of mass destruction);

— or any or all the cities of Israel and Judah; the rich men of these cities, who had enough of the world and were under no temptation to do an ill thing, to get money; and yet their hands and their houses and their treasuries,

— they were full of goods gotten by violent measures, by the oppression of the poor and needy. for more, see (1) Britain stole $45 trillion from India; (2) The $144 Billion Art Robbery

— or, as the Targum says,

“For the rich are full of violence, and their treasuries are filled with plunder; and her inhabitants speak lies. And their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.”

¹³ Therefore also will I make thee sick by smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. — therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee; with the rod to be heard by some of his sore judgments:

— as famine, pestilence, the sword of the enemy, civil disorders and the like which should cause their kingdom and state and families to decline and waste away as a sickly and diseased body. So the Targum says “and I brought upon thee with evil and with diseases.”

¹⁴ Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied, and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee. And thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.

— thou shalt eat, but remain unsatisfied; either not having enough to eat, for the refreshing and satisfying of nature; or else a blessing being withheld from food, though eaten, and so not nourishing; or a voracious and insatiable appetite being given as a curse;

— and you shall be overtaken: and your enemies who lead your sons and daughters away into captivity; but you shall not rescue them and if you rescue them their end will be given to the Sword.

¹⁵ Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

— thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap, the enemy either destroying or robbing the crop; thou shalt tread the olives but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil since the enemy would plunder the stores; and sweet wine, these must as pressed from the grapes, but shalt not drink wine, the finished product.

¹⁶ For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and ye walk in their counsels, that I should make thee a desolation and the inhabitants thereof a hissing: Therefore ye shall bear the reproach of My people.”

— statutes of Omri; the founder of Samaria; Omri, king of Israel, is remembered for establishing policies of idolatry and corruption; and Ahab exceeded Omri his father and all his predecessors in impiety. He did more, it is said in 1 Kings 16:33; to provoke the Lord God than all the kings of Israel that were before him;

— God would make thee a desolation, an object of astonishment and horror, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing, to be jeered by the nations at on every side; therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people, the disgrace which is ordinarily heaped upon the people of God if it is delivered into the hands of its enemies.

Micah 7

¹ Woe is me! For I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: There is no cluster to eat; my soul desired the first ripe fruit. — Woe is me! alas for an unhappy man, Micah, that I am to live in such an age and among such a people as I do!

— this the prophet laments; for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits as the grape gleanings of the vintage; when there are only an apple or a pear or two leftover, signifying either that he was like Elijah left alone or however that the number of good men were very few;

— there is no cluster to eat; the prophet compares the moral state of Israel to a vineyard after harvest—empty, stripped, barren; that society has been picked clean of virtue, leaving only scraps of corruption.

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 brother with a net. — the good man is perished out of the earth; here the complaint is that there are few of this character in the earth in the land of Israel;

— and there is none upright among men; that are upright in heart and life; that have right spirits renewed in them are Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile; and walk uprightly according to the rule of the divine word, truly honest, faithful men; very few such were to be found, scarce;

— they hunt every man his brother with a net as men lay nets for fish, fowl, beasts and hunt them till they have got them into them; so these men laid snares not for strangers only but for their own brethren to entangle them in and cheat and defraud them of their substance; and this they would do even to their destruction;

—there are very few left because the majority in our society have succumbed to four great deceptions in our modern era (Easter, Christmas, Sundays, holy ghost); so the Targum says, “betray or deliver his brother to destruction.” More at the end.

³ That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man uttereth his wicked desire; so they wrap it up.

— that they may do evil with both hands earnestly; as wicked men generally are more industrious and exert themselves more to do evil than good men do to do good; and even weary themselves to commit iniquity:

— the prince asketh and the judge asketh for a reward; and if they do it must be bribed and have a reward for it even persons of such high character; and the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire; the depravity, corruption and perverseness of his soul;

— who is either some great man at court, that being encouraged by the example of the prince and judge, openly and publicly requires a bribe also to do an ill thing; and without any shame or blushing promises to do it on that consideration; or a counsellor at the bar who openly declares that he will speak in such a cause.

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 visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. — the Targum says, the best of them is difficult to escape from, like trying to get free of thorns;

— thy watchmen; either the true prophets of the Lord, foretold to come but were discredited and despised will most assuredly come; but now the time of your confusion has arrived whether it would be the day of their punishment for their false prophecies promised only good times ahead;

— and thy visitation cometh; the time that God would punish the people in general for their iniquities, as well as their false prophets, princes, judges and great men; who also may be designed by watchmen.

⁵ Trust 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. — do not put any confidence to any guide; in spiritual matters, in civil affairs as civil magistrates, judges, counsellors or in domestic matters.

⁶ For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law: a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. — for family respect has collapsed: the son dishonoreth the father, openly despising him, the daughter riseth up against her mother;

— the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, all the most sacred relationships being utterly broken down; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. Similar conditions preceded the fall of Jerusalem and will precede the end of the world.

⁷ Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. — but as for me, I will look to God, who works my salvation;

— my God will hear me; this is the language of faith, both to say that God was his God, and that he would hear and answer him; unlike the failed human relationships described earlier.

⁸ Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

— rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; for though I have fallen, I will rise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord will shine upon me.

⁹ I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause and execute judgement for me. He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness.

— I will bear the indignation of the Lord; the Targum prefaces these words with “Jerusalem saith” and thus they are the words of the prophet in the name of Jerusalem; with the humble submission which characterizes the repentant heart, such a free and unequivocal confession being essential if the sorrow is genuine;

— until he plead my cause, taking the part of his people against the enemies and execute judgement for me, maintaining and establishing his Kingdom in spite of all hostility;

— God will bring me forth to the light, namely, out of the darkness of captivity and oppression and I shall behold his righteousness for the deliverance of his people was in agreement with the Lord’s ancient promises.

¹⁰ Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her that said unto me, “Where is the Lord thy God?” Mine eyes shall behold her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

— then mine enemy shall see it, this being the confident expectation of the Lord’s people and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord, thy God? in the scornful question usually asked by the enemies of the Kingdom;

— God’s eyes shall behold her, with quiet satisfaction; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets;

— or, as the Targum says,

“And my enemy shall see, and she shall be covered with shame—she who said to me, ‘Where is the Lord your God?’ My eyes shall behold her downfall; now she shall be trampled like the mud of the streets.”

¹¹ In that day thy walls are to be built; in that day shall the decree be far removed. — when Jerusalem is to be rebuilt in the Millennium, then it will be larger than it was previously;

— “far removed” refers to being extended outwards and implied these extended walls are the city limits of Jerusalem; the Targum includes the congregation of Israel shall be rebuilt.

¹² In that day also he shall come 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.

— in that day also God shall come even to the house of Jacob, the restored Zion, from Assyria and from the fortified cities where many of the ten tribes were, whither they were carried captives and from the fortress, namely, Assyria, even beyond the river, the Euphrates, to indicate all the countries lying between;

— and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain, from all the regions and countries of the earth, all those whom the Lord had chosen from the various countries of the world;

— here is a parallel and contrast from Ezekiel 6:3

and say: ‘Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys: Behold I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. — this message to the “mountains of Israel;” these mountains refer to the United States, the UK and France. . . .

“and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg;

— and to the rivers; where during the nineteenth century, the British Royal Navy were known to “Rule the Waves;” and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene.

¹³ Notwithstanding, the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, because of the fruit of their doings. — notwithstanding the land, the land of Israel, shall be desolate,

— the reference to the land; possessed by the ten tribes and at the latter days shall be desolate; because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings; the fruit of their doings are the fruits of their wickedness, which is desolation: by Fire, Pestilence and Famine, and if they still survive, to be smitten by a Sword.

¹⁴ Rule Thy people with Thy rod, the flock of Thine heritage, who dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

— led thy people with God’s rod, with her true shepherd’s care, the staff being the mark of the shepherd; the Targum says, “feed thy people with thy Word, the people of thine inheritance, in the age which is to be renewed.”

¹⁵ “As in the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto them marvelous things.” — as of thy coming out of the land of Egypt,

— when God overthrew their enemies with a mighty hand and revealed his goodness to Israel, will will againI show unto them wonders: God promises to perform miraculous acts again, comparable to those of the Exodus.

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. — the nations will be stunned with what they saw, and scarce to know what they hear;

— become deaf, they shall lay their hand upon their mouth in token that they were reduced to silence; and will choose to hear no more; they shall stand astounded so as not to hear what shall be said and will stop their ears at what is being told.

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.

— the nations shall lick the dust like a serpent, in deepest humiliation; they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth, literally, “as those things that creep on the earth” they shall tremble forth out of their hiding-places;

— they shall be afraid of the Lord, our God, approaching to him with terror, and shall fear because of thee. With these words the prophet once more turns directly to Yehovah, addressing him in words of praise;

— the Targum says of the nations

“They shall crawl upon their faces on the earth like serpents; like those that creep in the dust they shall tremble out of their strongholds. From before the Lord our God they shall be broken and shall be afraid before You.”

¹⁸ Who is a God like unto Thee, who pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. — the Targum says,

“There is none besides You—You are the God who pardons iniquity and passes over sins for the remnant of His inheritance. He does not maintain His anger forever, because He delights in doing good.”

¹⁹ He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities. And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. — he will turn again, so the prophet Micah assures the believers;

— God will have compassion upon us, he will subdue our iniquities, treading them down like enemies that rise up against the believers; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea, so that they are covered over and can no more rise to condemn the Lord’s people.

²⁰ Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham, which Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. — thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob; that is, the promise made to Jacob; unfortunately there is very little truth in the house of Jacob today!

— and the mercy to Abraham; the gracious promises made to him, which sprung from mere grace and mercy the Lord would faithfully perform and make good to his posterity, natural and spiritual, especially to those who are Israelites indeed;

— all respecting his natural and spiritual seed; and especially the promise of the coming of the Millenium and the Messianic Age, that seed of his in which all nations of the earth were to be blessed; and which is the eminent instance of the mercy and grace of God to all nations of the world that walk in the steps of Abraham.

~~~ Micah 7:2 ~~~

The Targum of Micah 7:2, says

“The pious have perished from the land. Among men there is none. All of them [are set] to shed innocent blood. Each man delivers his brother to destruction.”

Why would each man delivers his brother to destruction? And that’s because of Four Great Deceptions that are really destructive:

(a) Easters, a celebration of the Queen of heaven: Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols; and to those who actually think eggs and bunnies have something to do with the resurrection; Jeremiah 7:18 the women knead their dough to make cakes to the Queen of heaven; in Egypt, Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25, this is Ishtar: pronounced ‘Easter.’

(b) Christmas; Ezekiel 8:16 five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple; their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east; Christmas, which honor the Mithraism, birthday on December 25th – a form of nature worship based on the Sun-Goddess Mithra who on the darkest night of the year (December 20/21), gives birth to “Light” causing each day thereafter to grow longer until the Summer solstice;

(c) Sundays; her sabbaths which is Sundays, where the original keepers were the Samaritans, brought from Assyria: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof, II Kings 17:24.

— today, more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday worship. Ezekiel 8:16 They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east; whose penalty is to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 17:3-5 – ’till they die.

— also, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, most Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday; always on a SUNday. And these are supposedly in God’s Sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! A death penalty – ’till they die!

(4) Holy Ghosts – Revelation 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; if the Spirit is a Being or an independent Personage; there would be seven Holy Spirits;

— and with these we would add Jesus Christ the Son, and God the Father, then there would be nine Personage; we should have a Polygon or a Nonagon; so surely the Godhead would be a Polyty or a Nonaty; nine heads, that would be more like an Indian goddess more than a Trinity?

— more about the missing Holy Ghost; indeed he’s real and around; he was created full of wisdom and beauty, his head swelled up so much that he wanted to be like the Most High: these clues are giving in the book of Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.

~ by Joel on December 16, 2025.

Posted in Minor Prophets