The word of the Lord (v 11-13)

Verses 11-13 contain the words of God. God prophesies the restoration of the people of Israel. “It will be a day for building your walls. On that day your boundary will be extended.” This is a prophecy of the restoration and expansion of Jerusalem. Isaiah, a prophet who lived in the same period as Micah, prophesied about this theme in greater detail. That is Isaiah 28:14-22. It is prophesied that: (1) The people of Israel will make a covenant with the Antichrist: “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact” (Isa. 28:15). (2) As a result of that covenant, the Great Tribulation will come. The Great Tribulation is a time of God’s judgment. (3) When that period ends, the time of Jerusalem’s restoration and expansion will come. (4) In the time of restoration, the people of Israel will return from two major nations: Assyria and Egypt. The same prophecy is found in Isaiah 11:15-16. “And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; and He will wave His hand over the Euphrates River With His scorching wind; and He will strike it into seven streams and make people walk over in dry sandals. And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of His people who will be left, just as there was for Israel on the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt” (ref. also Isa. 27:13, Hos.11:11, Zech.10:10-11, etc.).　Verse 13 says, “And the earth will become a wasteland because of her inhabitants, on account of the fruit of their deeds.” This is a prophecy of the desolation that will occur before the restoration (the desolation that takes place during the Great Tribulation). This devastation comes because of the sin of the people of Israel.

The prayer of the people (v 14)

In response to the promise of restoration, the people offer a prayer asking for its fulfillment. That is the content of verse 14. The people pray that the Lord would be their Shepherd. The word translated “fruitful field” is “Carmel.” Carmel is located on the western edge of the land of Canaan. Bashan and Gilead are on the east side of the Jordan River. In other words, the people are praying that the Lord’s rule would extend over the entire land from west to east.　Even when God’s judgment falls, it does not mean that He has abandoned His people. God judges the sins of Israel in order to restore them. Therefore, when you find God’s promises, it is good to pray based on them. This principle also applies to us. Are our prayers grounded in God’s promises? “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10). Let us meditate on the meaning of this verse.