So now we get Micah's response. Remember that he has just expressed his hope in God, despite the desperate situation. First he declares to his enemy that he should not gloat over him. Though he had fallen and was in darkness, the Lord would still save him, the Lord would be his light.
He knows the reason for his suffering, his sin against the Lord. See the complete acceptance of the reality of the situation. There is no pretence here. No pretence that things are not as bad as they seen, no pretence that it is not really his fault. So Micah looks to the Lord to hear his case. There are those who argue against "penal substitution", ie the concept that on the cross Christ was punished in our place. Such people do not know what they are talking about. We need to face up to the reality of our sin, and it is only the cross, only Christ taking upon Himself the punishment that should have been ours, that fully deals with the problem and the reality of our sin.
Christ did bear our sins, and He now pleads our case. So it is now our enemy who is covered in shame. So a time will come when we can rebuild. It is the rest of the world that will end up desolate. Indeed one day the nations will flock to Israel, but this will only happen when they turn to Christ.
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