For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
God’s words always prove true. It is only when religious leaders add words which they think God should have said that lies enter in. When that happens it is not very long until those added words are revealed as lies.
I will praise and honor the Lord for He is both great and good. Every other thing which people worship is merely something which God created, or composed of things which God created. I will worship God, who is the real deal.
As I read this I was struck by the comparison of the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel who were marked with God’s seal before the final destruction and the vast crowd who emerged from the great tribulation. I have never fully understood the meaning of the 144,000. It is clearly significant, but is it literal, or merely symbolic? I can clearly see the symbolism. There are 12 tribes and 12 thousands from each tribe, but I am not sure what that symbolism means. I can think of numerous interpretations of the symbolism, but none of them provide me with any particular insight into living out my faith.
However, the great crowd in the next part represent a clear lesson to me. They are those who went through great suffering here on earth for their faith. It is possible that they represent just those who went through a particular time of suffering, but I believe they represent all of those who suffered for their faith throughout history. The day will come when those who suffered will stand before God and He will comfort them so that they will never suffer again. He will grant them joy and remove all sadness from them.
The summation of what the book of Micah is about is contained in chapter 6 verse 8. There Micah writes that God has told us what is good. Since God told us what is good, we know what is right. Therefore God wants us to do what is right, what is just, and to love mercy. He is not looking for us to make grand sacrifices. God just wants us to humbly walk with Him as we treat our fellow man with respect and dignity.