Reverse Flow
by Eric Engelmann
All content © 2023 Static Force, LLC
When are we?
The time of the prophet Micah. About 735 BC. This is also the time of another prophet -- Isaiah. After Abraham and King David. After Elijah and Elisha. More than a century before the fall of Jerusalem. Way before Jesus and the New Testament.
Today’s Unpaid Plug
https://biblehub.com/timeline/ . It's one of the tools I use to report when Scriptures were written.
Where are we?
In the kingdom of Judah. That's the southern kingdom after part of Israel split away from David's kingdom almost 200 years ago.
Why are we here now?
Micah will talk about the exaltation of the mountain of the city of the Lord.
The passage we’ll look at will hint at a riddle: What things flow in reverse? There will be an image of people flowing up a mountain. This image of “flowing up” occurred in other places in the Bible, including Genesis 2.
A Little History
The second chapter of Genesis talked about a river that flowed out of Eden in a curious path. The water divided four ways. This flow pattern is unusual. Water usually flows from different mountains and comes together into one river. In contrast, the water from Eden came from one spring and flowed out four different ways.
This poses a possible riddle: Was the river in Eden a spiritual river?
Some More History
Jesus is in heavenly places right now, possibly dictating or at least agreeing with the words coming to Micah.
Micah 3 talked about how bribery affected the performance of Jerusalem’s leaders, priests and prophets. Micah ended chapter 3 saying,
"Jerusalem will become ruins,
and the temple’s mountain
will be a high thicket."
Scripture
Listen for "stream" and "dispute".
MIcah 4
Verse 1
In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,
2
and many nations will come and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways
so we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3
He will settle disputes among many peoples
and provide arbitration for strong nations
that are far away.
That's the end of the passage.
In the future
Jesus will give us many examples of people flowing together to hear Him.
Philip, a disciple of Jesus, will tell Nathaniel, "Come and see".
Jesus will talk to a Samaritan woman at a well and describe water that satisfies thirst. Jesus will also begin to settle a dispute between nations. He will say,
"Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. An hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him."
The woman will go into town and say to her townspeople, "Come. See."
I think there are parts of Micah 4 that have yet to come to pass:
Each man will sit under his own vine
and under his own fig tree,
with no one to frighten him.
For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken.
I believe Jesus spoke to Micah. Jesus spoke to the dicsiples and to the woman at the well.
May He speak to more people in the times that come.
All content © 2023 Static Force, LLC