Micah 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall
arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Micah is speaking in future tense as recorded by the King James
Bible. There are other versions which indicate that he was writing
in past tense. The context helps us as the prophet has cried over
the sinful state of the nation. He is now considering the mercy of
God in reference to their sins already committed. This means that
in some sense Micah is saying, “though I have fallen” i.e., it has
already happened, “I shall arise.” Regardless of the timing, past or
future, the promise is that the Lord will raise them up and the Lord
will be their light. Thus the nation is literally relying on the promise
of the Lord and that blessing was not contingent on the goodness of
the congregation of Israel, but rather it rested on the nature of their
merciful God.
The moment is reminiscent of the country of Peru which boasts of
the great Huachina Desert. The sand and dunes are cast across the
landscape as the prohibitive heat burns away any would-be foliage.
It is a desert boasting of all the commonalities of its own kind.
However, in the middle of that desert is an oasis, the likes of which
are a mystery. A little town has sprung up there where vendors and
tourists frequent. All that sand, heat, and dry air, and then suddenly
water and trees.
The horticulturist reported it this way: “It only takes a small, but
constant water base to change the environment.” The pool of
sustaining water has brought life to the desert. They call it The
Oasis of the Huachina Desert. Its image is beyond compare. Death
surrounds it, but within its circle there is abundance of life.
This is the image of God’s provision in the hardship of life. The Lord
raises us up when we fall. He gives light in the night of our self-imposed
peril. He is the Immutable Savior. When we fail and our sin
ravages the good of life; taking our natural blessing, God is merciful
and provides a place of refuge. He is the everlasting water; the river
without beginning or end.
So rejoice not against me. When I fail, though I have failed, I will rise
again. God’s grace will appear in the middle of my peril.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole