Mount Everest is the tallest peak in the world. It is more than 29,000 feat above sea level. It is located in the Himalayas where Nepal meets Tibet. The mountain is so high that climbers must wear oxygen masks to reach the summit. And the summit is so high that it is actually at the flying altitude of most commercial jetliners. Only a few people have ever reached the summit and just as many have died trying. The amazing thing about this tallest mountain is that it is actually being slowly pushed upward by the geological forces from the subcontinents of India and China.

When I was a child my brother and sister and I lived in an area where there was a large mound of dirt on an empty lot. Each summer we would play king of the mountain. My brother and I quickly learned that the idea was to get to the top of the mound before announcing that we were playing king of the mountain, because who ever was on the top first had the best chance of staying up there. It is amazing what an advantage that little bit of height was.

In ancient times fortresses were built on mountain tops, and war strategy today is still to take the higher ground. That’s also why Israel has been so reluctant to give up the Golan Heights separating them from Syria. In the Bible a mountain has always been a sign of strength, protection, and safety.

Micah speaks of a mountain in these verses. But this mountain is a very different kind.

The mountain that Micah speaks of is the mountain of the house of the Lord. In Israel’s day, that mountain was Jerusalem where the temple was located. Today that mountain is the house of the Lord - the church. In 1765 John Wesley commented, "The mountain - The mountain on which the temple stood, the type of the church of Christ. Established - Literally fulfilled when the second temple was built by the Jews. Spiritually, when Christ established his church by the preaching of the gospel."

This prophecy of Micah speaks of the last days. It is true that Israel did rebuild the temple after the time of Micah’s prophecy, and many think that the temple will be rebuilt at the time of the return of Christ to earth. This prophecy certainly in part describes these events.

But I want to look at how these verses describe the church as the house of the Lord. Notice that God’s house is "established as the highest of the mountains," and it is "raised up above the hills." This does not say that God’s house is bigger or richer. But it does say that God’s house is higher, which indicates the safety of his house. The last part of verse 1 tells us "and peoples shall flow to it." They come because they know they will receive protection and help and find comfort.

Do we realize that our house of the Lord is a mountain? We should be a place of refuge to the hurting, a beacon of hope to the lost, and a place of safety for the oppressed. But are we? Do we realize that God has established the mountain of the house of the Lord right here on this street in our city so that people could come to him?

A mountain cannot be defeated. A mountain is a place of strength. A mountain is solid and firm. That is what our church is if we are a house of the Lord. Are we willing to be a mountain to our community? Are we willing to allow God’s strength to be in this place?

Three times a year the Jews would travel to Jerusalem to hear the scrolls read at the great feasts of Israel. Now people of all nations can come to hear the word of God taught from our churches. This needs to be a main emphasis of God house - teaching God’s word. Notice that this verse emphasizes that the people came to the house of God because they knew that "out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." They knew that they would receive God’s word.

May everyone who enters our house of the Lord hear God’s word proclaimed. The psalmist knew that going to the house of the Lord meant "that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in his paths." We receive instruction from church, whether it’s the Sunday morning message, or a weekly Bible Study, or a small group devotion. God’s word will teach us his ways that we may walk in God’s paths.

This has not happened yet and will not happen until Jesus reigns on earth. However, it’s important to remember that Christians have been at the forefront in issues of justice. Schools, orphanages, and mental hospitals were all programs that started with the church. Literacy, training, and civil rights issues all began with churches. Social programs, feeding the hungry, and helping others has always been the hallmark of Christianity. The church is to be a place of help, a refuge for the oppressed, and a sanctuary of peace. Is it any surprise that the Red Cross, YMCA, and Boy Scouts were all founded by people of faith?

As a church, let us be doing our part to teach others about the Prince of peace. May our church be a sanctuary of hope. And may all who enter these doors sense God’s presence.

Verse 4 tells us that every man shall sit "under his vine and fig tree and none shall make them afraid." Again, we may see a future prophecy in this verse yet to be fulfilled. But let the church be the place where people can come to sit and find rest. May the church be the place where no one will be afraid. Do we present an example to others who walk through these doors of Christ? Let people see in our lives the traits of Christ - love, peace, and mercy.

Matthew Henry explains, "The mountain of the house of the Lord shall again appear firm ground for God's faithful worshippers to stand, and go, and build upon, in their attendance on him. And it shall be a centre of unity to them; a church shall be set up in the world, to which the Lord will be daily adding such as shall be saved."

This verse is so true today. Each person has their own god - whether it’s money, possessions, addictions, acceptance. And they live their lives to honor these gods of the world. Verse 5 tells us that the church must "walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever." This means more than mentally affirming we agree with Christian principles. This means we need to live those very Christian principles we say we stand for.

When people walk into this church, they should feel the unconditional love that God has given us. They should sense the joy of the Spirit that we possess. They should experience the mercy and forgiveness that we have received. If we really want to be the mountain of the house of the Lord, then let us display those Christian principles openly to others. May people feel acceptance, and may we reach out to others. May they see our faith, and may we pray for others. May they see our commitment, and may we be steadfast in serving God. And most importantly, may others see that we live our lives as though we believe that all that is taught in scriptures is true. Let us be willing to not only take the name of the Lord, but to walk in the name of the Lord our God forever.

God promises a great gathering of those who are lame, who are afflicted, and who have been driven away. I believe this great gathering could take place this year if we will allow our church to be a mountain of hope and help. There are those who are physically broken and afflicted that need to experience Christ’s healing power and need to know that God loves them and cares for them. And there also many who are spiritually crippled and afflicted that need the same healing and love and strength. Verse 6 tells us that God will assemble these people. Are we ready to be God’s mountain to these people? Are we ready to be the house of the Lord that is a sanctuary and a refuge?

In 1710 Matthew Henry commented, "But let not our faith fail in this matter; out of the ashes of the church another phoenix shall arise. In the last words of the foregoing chapter we left the mountain of the house as desolate and waste as the high places of the forest; and is it possible that such a wilderness should ever become a fruitful field again? Yes, the first words of this chapter bring in the mountain of the Lord's house as much dignified by being frequented as ever it had been disgraced by being deserted. Though Zion be ploughed as a field, yet God has not cast off his people...."

We can look at the history of this church. Perhaps many felt driven away or drifted away in the past. But God is assembling the people and is gathering those that have wandered far from him. In this new year, in this new millennium, let us be ready to accept those who are lame and afflicted. Let us be willing to do God’s work in our corner of the world.

Perhaps some of you who stayed with the church through thick and thin felt that you were only a remnant. But you were a faithful remnant. And as God is gathering in his church, we may feel that we are weak or unimportant. But notice that God says "the lame will make the remnant; and those who were cast off a strong nation."

Mark Hopkins wrote, "Let the Church come to God in the strength of a perfect weakness, in the power of a felt helplessness and a child-like confidence; and then, either she has no strength and has no right to be, or she has a strength that is infinite. Then and thus will she stretch out the rod over the seas of difficulty which lie before her, and the waters shall divide, and she shall pass through and sing the song of deliverance."

Do you start this new year feeling like you are weak or lame? Do you begin this new millennium feeling like you are a cast off and unimportant? You are neither weak nor cast off. God will give you strength and will use you in his work. Perhaps some feel that the church is weak or small or unimportant. But God has established not a weak church, but a mountain of the house of the Lord.

Notice the promise at the end of this verse - God will reign here, in this church and in our lives "from this time forth and for evermore." Do you believe that? Let us make our church a mountain in the community - a mountain that will be firm in faith, strong against sin, and a place of safety and healing for all those who are broken, who are hurting, and who need to find God’s love.

This study on Micah 4:1-7 © 2000 by David Humpal, all rights reserved.
All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the Revised Standard Version © 1971, A. J. Holman Company

John Wesley’s Notes on the Whole Bible, The Old Testament, electronic version © 1996, Ages Software

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. IV, pg. 1318, MacDonald Publishing Company

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. IV, pg. 1317, MacDonald Publishing Company