Micah 2:13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it… Micah lived near the time of the Babylonish Captivity. It is a prominent subject in the prophetic writings. Resembling, as it did, the spiritual captivity of God's people, it is made the groundwork of many glorious predictions relating to the Lord Jesus Christ and His salvation. In this light commentators regard the prediction of the text. It has a reference to the captive Jews, and their liberator Cyrus; but it looks further. In Christ and His ransomed people it has its real, complete fulfilment. It sets forth the Lord Jesus — I. AS INTERPOSING FOR HIS PEOPLE IN A PECULIAR CHARACTER. "The breaker." The demolisher. One who beats down before them all barriers and impediments that obstruct their way. The figure places us where we really are, far off from God and His kingdom, with many obstructions lying in between God's kingdom and us; with more than distance to be got over — with barriers and obstacles to be surmounted. What are these? Some of them lie out of us, some within us. Out of us is — 1. The judicial displeasure of God. It is our guilt which has subjected us to His wrath. 2. The opposition of Satan. By Satan is meant, not one being, but a numerous host of beings in the spiritual world opposed to our happiness. Through this difficulty Christ breaks. Not, as we might have supposed, by exterminating these enemies of our salvation, scattering them out of our path; but in first making His own way to heaven in man's form through them, and then by communicating strength to His people to do as He has done — withstand these enemies, force their way through them, and tread them down. Within His people, what is there to impede them in their way to heaven? We may say that everything within them is an impediment to them in their way. There is nothing within fallen man, naturally, that does not tend to carry him away from God, rather than to lead him to God.See — 1. The natural self-sufficiency and pride of heart, which we may call self-righteousness. But Christ comes, and touches the proud heart of man, and this barrier in it falls down. 2. There is the unGodliness of the heart. Almost as stiff a barrier in the way of our salvation as its pride. Here too the heavenly Breaker comes in. He opens the sinner's heart, communicates to it a holy principle; and this principle, warring against the unholiness in him, gradually breaks its strength, masters and dethrones it. 3. The unbelief of our hearts. This leads to hesitation and delay, under one excuse after another. II. THE ESCAPE OF GOD'S ISRAEL IN CONSEQUENCE OF CHRIST'S INTERPOSITION FOR THEM. Two remarks. 1. A great change has taken place in the spiritual condition of Christ's people, in consequence of what He has done for them. 2. The people really delivered by Christ cooperate with Him in their deliverance. You must be warned against imagining that you have one particle of spiritual ability or strength of your own. But you must be warned as earnestly against taking up with what may be termed a passive religion. III. THE HIGH PRIVILEGE OF THESE ESCAPED LIBERATED MEN AFTER THEIR ESCAPE. "Their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them." This is more than saying we shall have the Lord for us, we shall have Him with us. It indicates not merely the presence, but the near presence of the Lord. It may be a figure taken from the cloudy Pillar hanging over Israel, overshadowing them. It is an assurance at once of discipline and of safety on our way to heaven. (Charles Bradley, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them. |
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