“For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.”
– Micah 1:3
Imagery. God, Micah says, is coming out of his place, out of the heavens, and he’s going to come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. That’s a phrase, high places. It’s used in different parts of scripture to refer to idolatry that had been set up among God’s people or to refer to worldly prosperity and power.
Micah 1:3 Challenges our View of Material Wealth
And that’s what’s interesting about the context here in Micah. He’s actually speaking, prophesying, these words in the middle of prosperity among God’s people, material prosperity. But they were spiritually bankrupt and Micah knew that judgment and wrath were coming and would come if God’s people continued in rebellion against him.
This is one of those places that we see all over the Bible where God warns us not to be lulled to sleep or deceived by prosperity, specifically worldly prosperity. Jesus says over and over again that a great reversal is coming. Think about the way he describes the rich man and Lazarus, this rich man who had everything the world could offer and was basically ignoring the poor outside his house and the poor Lazarus with nothing in this world. And when they find themselves beyond this world, it’s a total reversal. This poor man is with the Lord and the rich man is in hell.
Micah 1:3 Encourages Us to See Prosperity as God Sees It
Let’s not be deceived by material prosperity in this world, not that material possessions are bad. They are good gifts from God to be used for what will matter forever.
And so we pray, God, help us to not be deceived by prosperity, comfort, the things of this world. Please keep us from thinking that because we have this or that we are secure. God, please help us to see the things of this world as you see them. Help us see what matters most in this world. Lord help us put our hope in you, to find our security in you.
And as we do this in a 1 Timothy 6 kind of way. We want to be generous and ready to share, to give away material prosperity for the spread of your glory. God, we pray that you’d help us to live in light of the reality that one day you are coming out of your place from the heavens and you will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
I think about my nine year old son reading Revelation right now and his time with the Lord and just asking, “Dad, what does all this mean?” And it’s such powerful imagery talking about how this world and all that’s in it won’t last. God, help us to live accordingly. Help us to spread the gospel according. Help us to lead people to you, Jesus. The people right around us, and all around the world to put their trust in you.
Praying for the Adyghe People of Turkey
We pray for the Adyghe people of Turkey today, for 400,000 of them, among whom there are few, if any, followers of Jesus. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to the Adyghe people of Turkey. We pray for friends, family members around us. We pray that we might all be prepared for the day when you return, Lord Jesus. Help us to live in light of that coming day and not be deceived into thinking that the stuff and the things that we surround ourselves in the world are what’s going to matter most on that day.
In Jesus name, we pray, according to your word in Micah 1:3. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
