He Again Turns His Thoughts Towards ‘That Day', That Day When God Will Acts To Restore His People (Micah 4:6-8).
In mind here now is not the final day spoken of in Micah 4:3-4, but the days of restoration which will precede it. Before final blessing there must be restoration.
“In that day,” says YHWH, “will I assemble that which is lame, and I will gather that which is driven away, and that which I have afflicted, and I will make that which was lame a remnant, and that which was cast far off a strong nation: and YHWH will reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth even for ever.”
Micah's thoughts now again turn to the future and he looks for God's restorative work on a devastated people. He sees around him, among the arrogant leaders, and the mercenary prophets and priests, many who are humble seekers after God, and many who are as sheep without a shepherd (not mentioned here but a regular Old Testament picture, and see Micah 4:8, and Micah 2:12), and he sees the thousands of Judah who have been carried off into exile as their cities have been destroyed (Micah 1:10-16), and he foresees YHWH as acting to restore them.
In that day it is the lame (the weak and helpless and lowly), and those who have been driven away (the helpless exiles), and those whom He has afflicted (those who have suffered silently under the current situation), who will be restored. This is especially telling as the lame were originally excluded from the actual precincts of the Tabernacle (Leviticus 21:18). Indeed it is the lame (the weak and lowly and rejected) who will be fashioned into a remnant, and it is the exiles who will be fashioned into a strong nation, and it is these who will enter under the Kingly Rule of God, and will enjoy His rule over them in Mount Zion from now on and for ever.
We may see of these words a threefold fulfilment:
1) In the first instance after the exile those who gathered back from exile to Jerusalem would be a pitiful remnant, and yet God would make of them a ‘great nation', although sadly that nation as a whole would fail to come under His Kingly Rule. And so another remnant would have to be set up (compare for the twofold process Isaiah 6:13. it also demonstrates that the idea of the holy remnant was very much alive in Micah's day).
2) In the second instance Jesus would come literally for the lame and the afflicted and would literally heal them (Matthew 11:5; Matthew 21:14) and begin the founding of His new congregation (Matthew 16:18), His new strong nation (Matthew 21:43).
3) Thirdly He would take up ‘unlearned and ignorant men', and He would make them a remnant, and He would give them understanding, (the lame would become whole), and through them He would begin to establish His Kingly Rule. And they would reach out to ‘those who had been driven away', the Jews in exile, many of whom were waiting for the Messiah, so that they would be gathered to the Messiah, with the result that those who had been cast off would become a strong nation (Matthew 21:43), so that YHWH might reign over them for ever and ever.
‘In Mount Zion.' The New Testament makes clear that Jerusalem and Mount Zion are finally to be seen in heavenly terms. Compare Galatians 4:26; Heb 12:22-23; 1 Peter 2:6; Revelation 14:1; Romans 11:26). This ties in with the mountain of the house of YHWH which has been raised above the mountains and hills in Micah 4:1. Micah was expressing it in the terms of his day.
The idea of the reign of YHWH is a regular Old Testament conception. It is found in Psalms 22:27-28; Psalms 103:19; and in the enthronement Psalms 93:1; Psalms 95:3; Psalms 97:1; Psalms 99:1, and is regularly assumed. It had been established over Israel after the conquest, but rejected (Deuteronomy 33:5; 1 Samuel 8:7). Now it was to be full manifested.
“And you, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, to you will it come, yes, the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
He concludes the vision with an assurance to the holy mountain that has been set above the mountains and hills (Micah 4:1), that it will be the source of God's blessing to His people. It is to be the stronghold of God's flock, the tower from which YHWH watches over His sheep (compare 2 Chronicles 26:10). It is to be the true hill of God's people (the daughters of Zion). And to it would come the former dominion that had once been enjoyed under David, but now in even greater measure. It would be the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem promised, for example, in Psalms 2.
But this does not require the restoration of old Israel. The old Israel was cut off as a result of rejecting its Messiah, something finally evidenced by the destruction of Jerusalem. Rather a genuine new Israel has arisen, founded on Jesus Christ as His new ‘congregation' (Matthew 16:18), established on the Apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20), initially comprising large numbers of Jews who responded to their Messiah, initially in Jerusalem but then ‘worldwide', and then incorporating Gentile ‘proselytes' (Exodus 12:48) who became one with the new Israel (Galatians 6:16; Romans 11:17-28; Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 2:5-9; 1 Peter 1:1; James 1:1). These are the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem over which God rule worldwide. (In New Testament language the church (congregation) of the Messiah Jesus are the continuation of the church (congregation) of Israel founded at Sinai. There is now no other Israel)