Thurs.’s Devo- God’s Mercy

Read: Micah 5:1-7:20; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 30:5-6 Micah predicted the siege of Jerusalem and the fall of Israel’s leader. Then he saw the future ruler which would have his origin in the distant past. He would come from Bethlehem from the travail of a woman. Through him, a remnant of Israel would return to the Lord. He was talking of Jesus. He would stand in the strength of the Lord and in the majesty of the name of the Lord and be great until the ends of the earth. He will be the peace of those who trust in Him no matter what enemy was coming against them. In verse six it says that He (Jesus) will rescue us from the Assyrians when they pour over the borders to invade our land. The remnant left in the land will take their place among the nations and no one will be able to hold them back. None of the enemies will be able to stand against them. In that day, all of the evil that has been going on in the nations will be abolished. I pray that we are living in that day. In chapter six God told them to stand up and state their case against him because He was going to state his case against them. God reminded them of all he had done for them and asked them why they were so mad at him when he had always been on their side. Micah told the people what to do to get in God’s favor. It was to do what was right, love mercy and walk humble with God. God called out the sins of the people and told them that He was bringing them to ruin because they refused to repent. Chapter seven gives us a picture of what Micah’s world looked like. He felt like all the godly people had disappeared and not one honest person was on the face of the earth. Micah speaks out for his cause as though he is the only one who is trusting the Lord, but he is a type of the people who were God’s hidden remnant. God promised them that one day their cities would be rebuilt and they would be honored once agains as a nation. God would do miracles for them like he did for the people coming out of Egypt. Their sins would be taken away and God would show his people his love and faithfulness once again. In Revelation, John saw four angels standing at the corners of the earth holding back the four winds from blowing on the earth. Another angel shouted to the four to wait until they had placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants. Then they marked 144,000 Jews, an equal amount from each tribe. Dan was not mentioned. Dan means “God will judge”. Some believe that Dan was not mentioned because they led the nation in idolatry housing the golden calf. Then there was a great crowd too great to count who were standing before the throne worshiping the Lamb. They wore white robes and had palm branches in their hands. They were the ones who died in the great tribulation. They would be given living water and God would wipe every tear from their eyes. Lord, you always end with an encouraging word because your end is always good. All things work for the good of those who are called by You. Thank you for your great mercy.