Behold the Lord is Coming (Micah 1:2–4)

“Hear you peoples, all of you. Pay attention, oh earth and all that is in it. And let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him. And the valleys will split open like wax before the fire, like waters pour down a steep place.”
– Micah 1:2–4

Thus begins the prophecy of Micah. Just a powerful picture from the very beginning of the coming judgment of God with Micah 1:2–4. Specifically, in Micah’s day, God’s coming in judgment on the people of Israel, Samaria, the northern kingdom of his people, and then after that, the southern kingdom of Judah.

The imagery in Micah 1:2–4 reminds us that no one can stop the coming judgment of God.

And from the very beginning, God is warning of judgment that’s coming through the prophet Micah, “Hear you peoples, all of you. Pay attention oh earth and all that is in it. Let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.” Listen up, sound the alarm from God. There’s no other alarm like this. This is from the Lord in his holy temple. “Behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.” And here’s the effect of his coming. “Mountains will melt under him. Valleys will split open like wax before the fire, like waters pour down a steep place.” Just picture a waterfall and water just coming straight off of it.

The imagery here is a powerful reminder that no one, nothing can stop the coming judgment of God. And when God comes as judge, he is just, and when the holy God of the universe comes as judge, the picture is frighteningly awesome. Stunningly terrifying, particularly for all who have not turned to him and trusted in him. And so Micah was proclaiming this boldly in his day. “Hear you peoples, all of you. Pay attention, oh earth and all that is in it. Listen up,” Micah says. Because God’s judgment was coming upon the people of Israel and the people of Judah.

Declaring With Urgency

So then how much more should we proclaim with boldness, with urgency the alarm that God has sounded in the lives of people all around us, all the peoples in all the earth. We know there is coming a day when this world and all is in it will witness the coming of Jesus as the ultimate judge who will usher in a new heaven and a new earth. And all who have trusted in him, turned to him will experience eternal life with him, salvation from judgment forever. Yet all who have not trusted in him will experience eternal judgment forever. Frighteningly awesome judgment. Stunningly terrifying judgment. We know this. We know this.

So God help us to proclaim this today. Help us to spend our lives proclaiming this. God, help us not to stay silent with the news of your judgment, with this alarm that you have sounded all throughout your word. God help us to sound the alarm wherever we live in the world, among people around us, to urgently call people to turn to you, to trust in you for salvation before it’s too late. And God help us to realize the urgency. When we think about people around us, like you could come back at any moment, they could die at any moment, not one of us listening to this guaranteed to be here tomorrow. So God help us to proclaim your gospel with urgency today to people right around us, to all the peoples of the earth, all of them.

Prayer For the Alawites In Turkey

For the Alawites in Turkey, half a million of them, most of them never even heard, never even heard of what Jesus has done for their sins. Never even heard how they could be saved from coming judgment. God, we pray that these Alawite refugees in Turkey, refugees from Syria, God, that they would hear the gospel. For Alawites in Syria, God, we pray this people group would hear the good news of your grace and would turn and trust in you that they might be saved on that day. God, we pray this for Alawites. We pray this for thousands of people groups around the world that still are yet to hear the gospel. We pray this for people right around us. God, help us to be faithful as your church to take this gospel, to sound this alarm among the nations, among all the peoples of the earth.

Help us to do this. God, please don’t let us settle for casual, comfortable, cultural, nominal Christianity that stays silent about what’s coming. God help us to live with zeal, with boldness. To proclaim what’s coming, to proclaim your judgment that’s coming, your grace and your mercy that are available in Jesus. God, we pray that you give us urgency knowing that this picture in Micah 1:2–4 will one day fully be a reality. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.

David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow MeCounter CultureSomething Needs to ChangeBefore You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.

Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

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