Calvin, Commentary on Micah, Part 12
(... continued from part 11)
Lecture Ninety-second.
Micah 5:7,8
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a
dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not
for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of
many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young
lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth
down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
Mica promises here two things as to the future state of the
Church, - that God shall defend it without the help and aid of men,
- and that he will supply it with strength, so that it will become
superior to all enemies. In the first place, to show that the
preservation of the Church depends on the mere favor of God, and
that there is no need of any earthly aids, he makes use of a most
suitable similitude; he says, that the people of God are like a dewy
meadow. The Prophet speaks not what is strictly correct; for what he
says of the rain and dew is to be applied to the grass or the
meadow. "The residue of Jacob, he says, shall be as dew from
Jehovah, and drops of rain on the grass". This cannot be applied
according to the design of the Prophet, except you take the dew, as
I have already said, for the dewy meadows or for the grass, which
draws moisture and vigor from the rains. The sense indeed is by no
means obscure, which is, - that God will make his people to grow
like the grass, which is fed only by celestial dew, without any
culture or labour on the part of men: and this is also what the
Prophet expressly mentions; for he says, that the grass of which he
speaks waits not for men, nor grows through men's care, but grows
through the dew of heaven.
But that we may better understand the Prophet's intention, I
shall briefly notice the words. "There shall be, he says, the
residue of Jacob". He shows here that the whole people would not he
preserved; for he had before spoken of their destruction. We hence
see that this promise is to be confined to the seed, which God had
wonderfully preserved in the calamitous state of the Church, yea,
even in its almost total destruction. Then this promise belongs not
to the whole body of the people, but to a small number; and hence he
uses as before, the word "she'erit", a remnant or residue. There
shall then be the residue of Jacob; that is, though the people shall
nearly all perish, yet there shall be some residue.
He then adds, "Among great or many nations". There is here a
contrast between the remnants and great nations: and the Prophet has
not unnecessarily added the expression "bekerev", in the midst.
There are then three things to be observed here, - that God does not
promise deliverance to the whole people, but to a residue only, -
and then, that he promises this deliverance among powerful or many
nations, as though he said, - "Though the Church of God shall not
excel in number, nay, so great may be the number of its enemies, as
to be sufficient to overwhelm it, yet God will cause it to grow and
to propagate: in a word, its enemies, though many in number, and
strong in force and power, shall not yet hinder the Lord, that he
should not increase his Church more and more;" - and the third
particular is what the expression, "in the midst", intimates, and
that is, that the people of God shall be besieged on every side.
When enemies come upon us only from one part, it is not so very
distressing, but when they surround us, being in front, and behind,
and on both sides, then our condition seems miserable indeed; for
when they thus press on us on all sides, they hardly allow us time
to draw our breath. But the Prophet declares, that though surrounded
on all sides by enemies, yet the Church would be safe.
He now adds, "ketal m'et Jehovah", As a dew from Jehovah; that
is, it shall be, as I have said, as the grass, which is nourished
and grows by means of dew from heaven, and as grass, which
flourishes, not through the culture or labour of men, but which God
himself makes to grow. He might have merely said, as the dew, but he
adds, from Jehovah, that he might make a distinction between God and
man, and show that the power of God is alone sufficient to support
and sustain the Church, though men brought no assistance. And this
is expressed more clearly in the next clause, when he says, "As
drops of rain on the grass, which waits not for man, nor tarries for
the sons of men". We now then see that the faithful have their
attention called to God alone, that they may understand that they
are to be safe through his favour, that if all helps on earth
failed, they ought not to fear, since they can be effectually
sustained by the power of God alone: for God makes grass to grow on
mountains and in meadows without the help and labour of man; and
thus he can defend his Church without any foreign aid, but by his
own hidden, and, so to speak, his own intrinsic power.
Then follows this promise, - that God will arm his people with
invincible and irresistible power, that they may be superior to all
their enemies. Hence he says, that "the residue of Israel shall be
like a lion among the beasts of the forests and like a young lion
among a flock of sheep. As a strong lion then is superior to other
beasts, and as a young lion dares ferociously to attack a flock of
sheep; so he says, the people of Israel shall be; they shall be like
lions, filling their enemies with terror, yea, and plundering and
scattering them, so that no one will dare to resist them. The
Prophet, by speaking thus, does not mean, that the people of God
would be cruel and sanguinary: for we know that when the Prophets
use similes of this kind, they express something not strictly
suitable; for who would be so foolish as to select every thing that
belongs to a lion, and apply it to the Church of God. Then the
reason for this similitude must be observed; it was to show, that
the faithful shall be endued with a power so superior to that of
their enemies, that they shall be a terror to them. It does not
hence follow that they shall be cruel.
But we must, at the same time, see what the Lord promises to
his Church. Though God then recommends to his children the spirit of
meekness, yet the faithful may still be a thread to their enemies;
they ought, however, to observe what is just towards them, and to
keep themselves within proper bounds. And yet Micah says, that they
shall be endued with such power that they shall drive their enemies
afar off; yea, that they shall plunder and tear them in pieces,
while no one will be able to resist them. But these two things are
necessary as to the preservation of the Church, that God may make it
grow; for except it be miraculously increased, it can never grow;
and then it has need of a strong and powerful defense against her
enemies; for we know that there are always wicked men who oppose the
Church, yea, who apply all their powers to destroy it: it is
therefore necessary that it should be supplied by the Lord with
invincible strength, as our Prophet declares here. Let us proceed -
Micah 5:9
Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine
enemies shall be cut off.
He confirms what is said in the last verse, and expresses in
other words what he meant, and what we have explained, - that though
the Church must contend with many strong and violent enemies, it
will not yet fail, for the Lord will supply it with strength from
heaven. "Exalted, he says, shall be thy hand, that all thine enemies
may be cut off". He promises not that the Church shall be in a quiet
state, but victorious, and declares also that there will never be
wanting enemies. This promise, then, ought to arm us for enduring
patiently, as we cannot conquer except by fighting. As then there
will be always enemies to oppose the Church of God; yea, to attempt
its ruin, the Prophet says here, Exalted shall be thy hand above
thine enemies.
But it may be asked, When has this promise been fulfilled? For
we know that since the people had been led away into the Babylonian
exile, they had always been either tributaries, or kept under cruel
tyranny, or at least had been unequal to their enemies. But this
principle ought ever to be remembered, - that the faithful ought to
be satisfied with victory, - that however hard they may be pressed,
and however constant may be the contests which they have to carry
on, and however wearisome, this one thing ought still to be
sufficient for them - that they shall not wholly perish. And it
appears evident, that God's people have always been preserved by his
invincible hand, however numerous have been their opposing enemies.
We must also keep in mind what we have just heard, - that the
promise here is not made to the whole people, but to a residue only.
And it surpasses the expectation of the whole world, that even a
small member could have survived so many slaughters, by which they
might have been swallowed up a hundred times. Now then we see that
it had not been without reason promised to the faithful, that they
should be made conquerors over all their enemies. But this has not
been really fulfilled, except under the conflict of the cross. It
now follows -
Micah 5:10-15
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I
will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy
thy chariots:
11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy
strong holds:
12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt
have no [more] soothsayers:
13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images
out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of
thine hands.
14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will
I destroy thy cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen,
such as they have not heard.
There is introduced here a most necessary admonition, in order
that the faithful may know, how they are to be preserved by the hand
and favor of God, even when they shall be stripped of all their
helps, yea, even when God shall take away all those impediments,
which would otherwise close up the way against his favor. The sum of
the whole then is, - that the Church shall not otherwise be saved by
God's kindness than by being deprived of all her strength and
defenses, and also by having her obstacles removed by God, even
those which in a manner prevented his hand from being put forth to
save his people. For the Prophet mentions here cities, then
fortified places, he mentions horses and chariots. These, we know,
are not in themselves to be condemned: but he means, that as the
people foolishly placed confidence in earthly things, the salvation
of God could not otherwise come to them than by stripping them of
all vain and false confidence. This is one thing. Then, on the other
hand, he mentions groves, he mentions carved images and statues, he
mentions augurs and diviners: these were corruptions, which closed
the door against the favor of God; for a people, given to idolatry,
could not call upon God nor hope in him as the author of salvation.
We now then perceive the Prophet's design. It now remains for me to
run over the words.
He says first, "It shall be in that day, saith Jehovah, that I
will cut off thine horses." Here the Prophet enumerates those things
which could not in themselves be ascribed to any thing wrong: for as
God has created horses for the use of men, so also he allows them to
be for our service. Why then does the Prophet say, that the Church
could not be delivered, except horses were taken away? It was owing
to an accidental fault; for when men abound in forces, they
instantly fix their hope on them. As then such an abuse of God's
gifts had prevailed among the people of Israel, it was necessary
that horses should be taken away. God indeed could have humbled
their minds or withdrawn their confidence from their horses and
chariots: but it hence appears how deep are the roots of presumption
in the hearts of men, that they cannot be otherwise torn up, than by
having the things themselves cut off. To have horses and to have
chariots is the bounty of God: for how can we have chariots and
horses and other things, except through God's kindness? And yet God
cannot find a way by which he can do us good, except by taking away
his former gifts. Here then Micah touches the hearts of the people
much more sharply than before, when he says, that salvation cannot
proceed from the Lord, except their horses were destroyed; as though
he said, - "Ye see how great is your wickedness; God has hitherto
dealt bountifully with you, since he has enriched yon, and has also
given you horses. Now as he sees that you abuse these gifts, he
complains that all ways of access to you are closed up, as ye do not
receive his kindness. Inasmuch as your horses and your chariots
engross your attention, ye in a manner drive God far away from you.
That he may therefore come to you, he will open a way for himself by
removing all the obstacles and hindrances."
We hence learn, that though all God's benefits ought to raise
us up to heaven, serving as kinds of vehicles, they are yet turned,
through our wickedness, to another purpose, and are made intervening
obstacles between us and God. Hereby then is our ingratitude proved;
and hence it comes, that God, when he intends to make his salvation
known to us is in a manner constrained to take away and remove from
us his benefits. We now then understand what the Prophet had in view
when he mentioned horses and chariots. For he does not threaten
here, as some think, that the people would be merely deprived of all
God's gifts that they might see in their destitution and want only
signs of a curse; by no means, but it is rather a promise, that is,
that God will turn aside all impediments by which he was for a time
prevented from bringing help to his people. This doctrine ought at
the same time to avail for bringing no ordinary comfort. It is hard
and bitter to the flesh to be brought down. Hence the people of
Israel were little able at first to bear their lot with submission,
when they saw themselves stripped of God's benefits: but the Prophet
sets before them a compensations which was capable of soothing all
their grief, - "This," he says, "shall be for your chief good - that
God will deprive you of horses and chariots; for the way which your
horses and chariots now occupy shall be cleared. While ye are
replenished with abundant forces, ye drive away God far from you,
and there is no way open for him. He will therefore prepare a way
for himself; and this will be the case when your land shall be made
naked, when nothing will intervene to prevent him from coming to
you."
He afterwards subjoins, I will cut off the cities of thy land,
and I will destroy all thy fortresses. This verse is to be taken in
the same sense. That the people dwelt in fortified cities, and had
defenses and fortified places, was not of itself displeasing to God.
But as the people habituated themselves to a false confidence, and
as it were hardened themselves in it, so that this evil could not be
remedied without taking away those things to which it is attached,
the Prophet says here, "I will cut off the cities of your land," and
then, "I will cut off your defenses and fortified places". Is it
that they may be plundered with impunity by their enemies? By no
means, but that the favor of God may be made glorious in their
deliverance. For they could not ascribe it to their cities that they
kept off enemies, but were constrained to acknowledge the hand of
God, and to confess him to have been their only deliverer; for they
were exposed to enemies, and there was no aid for them in the land.
God then will thus render more evident his favor, when their cities
and fortified places shall be cut off. We hence learn that the
faithful at this day have no cause to murmur if they are without
great riches, and if they are not formidable for the multitude of
their horses, nor for the number and strength of their men. Why so?
Because it is the Lord's will that we should be like sheep, that we
might depend wholly on his power, and know that we cannot be
otherwise safe than under his protection. This reason then ought to
comfort us, that it may not be grievous to us, when we find that we
are in the midst of wolves, and that we have no equal strength to
contend with them; for even this destitution hardly extorts from us
a real confession that our safety is in the hand of God. We are
always proud. How would it be, were the Church at this day in a
flourishing state and all enemies subdued, were there no danger, no
fear? Surely earth and heaven could not bear the foolish
self-confidence of men. There is therefore no wonder that God thus
holds us in, and that while he supports us by his grace, he deprives
us of all earthly helps and aids, that we may learn that he alone is
the author of our salvation.
This truth ought to be carefully contemplated by us. Whenever
we see that the Church of God, though not possessing any great
power, is yet diminished daily, yea, and becomes, so to speak, like
a naked land, without any defenses, it so happens, in order that the
protection of God may be alone sufficient for us, and that he may
wholly tear away from our hearts all haughtiness and pride, and
dissipate all those vain confidences by which we not only obscure
the glory of God, but, as far as we can, entirely cover it over. In
short, as there is nothing better for us than to be preserved by the
hand of God, we ought to bear patiently the removal of all those
impediments which close up the way against God, and, in a manner,
keep off his hand from us, when he is ready to extend it for the
purpose of delivering us. For when our minds are inflated with
foolish self-confidence, we neglect God; and thus a wall intervenes,
which prevents him to help us. Who would not wish, seeing himself in
extreme danger and help not far distant, that an intercepting wall
should immediately fall down? Thus God is near at hand, as he has
promised; but there are many walls and many obstacles, from the ruin
of which, if we would be safe, we must desire and seek, that God may
find an open and free way, in order that he may be able to afford us
aid.
The Prophet comes now to the second kind of impediments. We
have already said that some things become impediments, as it were,
accidentally, when, through our wickedness and misapplication, we
turn God's benefits to an end contrary to what he has designed. If,
for instance, horses and chariots are given us, to possess them is
not in itself an evil, but becomes so through our blindness, that
is, when we, blinded by earthly possessions, think ourselves safe,
and thus neglect God. But there are other impediments, which are, in
their nature, and in themselves, vicious. To these the Prophet now
leads us.
"I will cut off, he says, the sorcerers, "keshafim". Some
render the word jugglers, and others, augurs or diviners. We cannot
know of a certainty what kind of superstition it was, nor the other
which immediately follows: for the Prophet mentions here two words
which mean nearly the same thing. There is no doubt but that some,
in that age, were called augurs or diviners, and others called
jugglers or astrologers who are now called fortune-tellers. But on
this subject there is no necessity of much labour; for the Prophet
simply shows here that the people could not be preserved by Gods
unless they were cleansed from these defilements. These
superstitions, we know, were forbidden and condemned by God's Law:
but the Law was not able to restrain the wickedness of that people;
for they continually turned aside to these evils. God then here
shows, that until they had purged the Church, it could not continue
safe. Now, in these words, the Prophet reminds the Jews, and also
the Israelites, for their benefit, that it was, and had been,
through their own fault, that they labored under constant miseries
and were not helped by the hand of God. - How so? Because there was
no room, as God shows here, for the exercise of his favour; for they
were full of auguries and divinations, and of other diabolical arts.
"How," he says, "can I help you, for I have no agreement with Satan?
As you are wholly given to wicked superstitions, my favor is
rejected by you."
One thing is, that the Prophet intended to humble the people,
so that every one might know that it had been through their fault,
that God had not brought them help as they wished: but there is
another thing, - God promises a cleansing, which would open a way
for his favor, - I will take away, he says, all the diviners. Let us
then know, that it ought to be deemed the greatest benefit when God
takes away from us our superstitions and other vices. For since a
diminution, however hard and grievous it may be at first, is useful
to us, as we see, when we willfully and openly drive away God from
us; is it not a singular favor in God when he suffers us not to be
thus separated from him, but prepares a way for himself to be
connected with us, and has ever his hand extended to bring us help?
Thus much as to these two kinds of impediments.
He now adds, "I will cut off thy graven images and thy statues
from the midst of thee; and thou shalt not hereafter bend down
before the works of thine hands". This verse is plain and contains
nothing new: for the Prophet teaches that God cannot become
propitious to his Church, to keep and make her safe, until he purges
her from her filth, even from idolatry and other vices, by which the
worship of God was corrupted, or even entirely subverted. I will,
therefore, cut off thy graven images and statues from the midst of
thee. We see that God anticipates us by his gratuitous goodness, not
only by forgiving us, but also by calling us back, when wandering,
into the right way. Since then we have deviated from the right way,
and God thus withdraws his hand that it might appear that he has
cast us away it is certain that we ought not only to pray him to
have mercy on us, but also to ascribe to him a higher favor,
inasmuch as he takes away the very impediments which separate us
from him, and suffer him not to come nigh us. We hence see that God
is not only inclined to pardon when men repent, but that it is his
peculiar office to remove the obstacles.
This ought to be carefully noticed, that we may know that our
salvation, from the first beginning, proceeds from the mere favor of
God, - and that we may also learn, that all those things, of which
the Papists vainly talk respecting preparations, are mere figments.
He then adds, "thou shalt not bend hereafter before the work of
thine hands". God expresses here the cause why he so much abominates
idols, even because he sees that his honor is transferred to them:
this is one thing. He further arraigns the Jews as guilty, while he
makes evident their defection: for surely nothing could have been
more shameful, than to take away from God his honor and worship, and
to transfer them to dead things; and he says here by way of
reproach, that they were the work of their hands. What can be more
insane, than for men to ascribe divinity to their own inventions, or
to believe that it is in the power of men to make a god from wood or
stone? This is surely monstrous in the extreme. Then the Prophet by
this form of speaking aggravates the sin of the people of Israel,
that is, when he says that they bowed the head before the work of
their oven hands.
He afterwards subjoins, "I will take away thy groves". The
groves, we know, formed a part of their idolatry: they are therefore
mentioned here as an addition by the Prophet. For he speaks not
simply of trees, but refers to the wicked practices of the people:
for wherever there were high and lofty trees, they thought that
something divine was hid under their shade; hence their
superstition. When therefore the Prophet mentions groves, it must be
understood of vicious and false modes of worship; for they thought
that those places acquired a sort of sanctity from the trees; as
they also thought that they were nearer to God when they were on a
hill. We hence see that this verse is to be connected with the last;
as though the Prophet had said, that the Church could not be in
safety and recover her pristine vigor, without being well cleansed
from all the filth of idolatry. For we indeed know that some pious
kings when they took away idols did not cut down the groves; and
this exception to their praise is added, that they worshipped God,
but that the high places were suffered to stand. We see that the
Holy Spirit does not fully commend those kings who did not destroy
the groves. - Why? Because they were the materials of corruption.
And further, had the Jews been really penitent, they would have
exterminated those groves by which they had so shamefully abused and
profaned the worship of God. The sum of the whole then is, that when
God shall have well cleansed his Church and wiped away all its
stains, he will then become the unfailing preserver of its safety.
He afterwards subjoins, And "I will destroy thy enemies".
"'Areycha" may be rendered, enemies, and many so render it: but
others translate it, cities; and the word, cities, would be the most
suitable, were it not that the Prophet had previously mentioned
cities. I do not therefore see that it would be proper to render it
here by this term. The word "'areycha" then, ought doubtless to be
rendered, thy enemies. Let us inquire why the prophet says, that the
enemies of the Church were to be destroyed. This sentence ought to
be thus explained, (I leave the former ones, and take only this the
last,) "And I will demolish thy groves from the midst of thee, that
I may destroy thine enemies": the copulative is then to be
considered as a final particle; and this meaning is the most
suitable; as though the Prophet had said, as I have already often
stated, that the door was closed against God, so that he could bring
no aid to his Church, and deliver it from enemies, as long as it
held to false confidence, and was attached to the filth of idolatry,
which was still worse. "That I may then destroy thine enemies, it is
necessary first that every thing in thee that prevents or hinders my
favor should be taken away and removed."
At last he adds, "And I will execute vengeance in wrath and in
fury". He goes on with what I have just said of enemies; "I will
then execute vengeance in wrath and in fury on the nations". Here
God mentions his wrath and his fury, that the faithful might feel
greater confidence, that though now their enemies poured forth
grievous threatening, yet this could not prevent God from aiding his
people. - How so? Because if we compare the wrath and fury of God
with all the terrors of men, doubtless the threats of men would
appear as nothing but smoke. We now perceive the Prophet's meaning
in these words. And he says in the last place, I will execute
vengeance on the nations who have not heard. Almost all interpreters
join the relative, "'asher" with the preceding word, "goyim", - I
will then take vengeance on the nations who have not heard, that is,
who have been rebellious against God: not to hear, as they explain,
is obstinately to despise the power of God, and not to be moved by
his promises or by his threatenings. But a fitter sense may perhaps
be elicited, if we refer "'asher" to vengeance, - I will then
execute vengeance on the nations which they have not heard, that is,
I will take vengeance on all the nations in a manner unheard of and
incredible: and by nations, he understands indiscriminately all the
enemies of the Church, as we have elsewhere seen.
Prayer.
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou so kindly invites us to thy
self, and promises that thy aid should never be wanting to us,
provided we do not close the door against thee, - O grant, that
though many earthly benefits may be granted to us, we may not yet
trust in them and depart from thee, but, on the contrary, recomb on
thy grace only: and then should it happen to us to be deprived of
all helps, that our minds may be awakened, and that we may thus
learn to hasten to thee, may nothing impede our course, that we may
not, with the greatest haste and ardent desire, long to deliver up
and devote ourselves wholly to thee, that we may be made safe under
the care and protection of thy only-begotten Son, whom thou hast
appointed to be the guardian of our safety. Amen.
Calvin, Commentary on Micah, Part 12
(continued in part 13...)
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