Micah 4:11

‘Now’ in verses 9 and 10 referred to the exile. The exile means the time when God will send the people out of their country. He will send them into Babylon. But ‘now’ in verse 11 refers to the present situation. It refers to the army from Assyria. These armies contain soldiers from many nations. The *Assyrians have paid those soldiers to fight. That payment came from taxes. And the taxes came from the nations that the *Assyrians have defeated. Those nations have paid these taxes to Assyria. Nations are attacking Jerusalem. *Israel is a nation that the *Assyrians have defeated. So its people themselves have helped to pay for this war.

Each army has its national flag. The armies surround Zion (Jerusalem). They look towards it with great pride. They talk about their enormous power. They are the present danger to Zion (Jerusalem).

The *Assyrians want to make the city *spiritually unclean (unholy). The armies want to break down its walls. These walls protect the holy city. This refers especially to the Most Holy Place in the *Temple. The armies want to destroy the holy furniture. Then the Most Holy Place would become *spiritually unclean (unholy). The people in Jerusalem city have declared that it is God’s city. God has intended *Israel to be like heaven on Earth. That is why the armies hate Jerusalem.

Some nations hate God. They will always oppose another nation that obeys his commands. They will try to destroy such a nation. Such events have happened often in history.

v12 But those nations do not know the *LORD’s thoughts. They do not understand his plan. The *LORD has brought those people here. They are here for a special purpose. They will be like grain that people have cut. And people put the grain on the floor. v13 ‘Daughter of Zion’ (Jerusalem), get up. Break these people. I will let you be like a bull (a strong animal). The bull’s horns (sharp points on its head) will be of iron. I will give to you feet that I have covered with hard metal. You will break many nations into small pieces. You will give their wealth to the *LORD, who is the *Lord of all the Earth.