Book of the Prophet Micah

“Hear, all you people.” The prophet addresses the tribes of Israel. “The land and all that is in it” (Micah 1:2), that is, the land of Israel, which was given to the children of Israel, and because of their wickedness it will soon be taken away from them. “Behold, the Lord comes from His place, that is, from Jerusalem, and will come upon the heights of the earth,” that is, upon the arrogance of proud Samaria (Mic. 1:3). This was completely fulfilled by our Lord, Who, without departing from His place (because He fills heaven and earth), came from the country of Heaven into our world and became man, by the action of the Holy Spirit taking flesh from the Holy Virgin Mary, and in the body He assumed with human feet trampled the heights of the earth, “jumping on the mountains and leaping over the hills” (Song. 2:8 ). “And the mountains will melt under Him” (Micah 1:4), that is, the princes of Samaria. And in another sense, this signifies the devil and his forces. For, having sensed the coming of the Son of God, the devil will, as it were, melt and his dominion, which extended over everything, will cease. “The valleys,” that is, the inhabitants of Samaria, “will fall apart.” By the name of valleys (vales), the prophet means the darkened minds of pagan peoples, in which the devil predominantly acted. These valleys opened up and were laid bare when Christ appeared, as Elder Simeon prophesied about this (Luke 2:35). “Like wax from the face of fire,” that is, the inhabitants of Samaria from the face of the Assyrians will melt, as wax melts from a fiery flame. “And like water they come down with a rush” (Mic. 1:4), that is, in a sloping place. So the inhabitants of Samaria will quickly go into captivity. “What is wickedness to the house of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria?” (Mic.1:5), That is, is it not the kingdom of Samaria, where the true prophets were killed and the prophets of Baal found a meal for themselves? For the sons of Samaria caused the sons of Jacob to leave the faith of their fathers and serve the bulls, the gods of Egypt. “And I will put Samaria in the village’s vegetable store,” because she did not want to accept the prophets who wanted to sow the word of God in the minds of its inhabitants. And I will put it “in a vineyard” (Mic. 1:6), that is, I will destroy it and make sure that in the place it occupies, grapes will be planted, because Samaria did not want to be a vine in the vineyard, which was “in a rose (on the top), in a fat place” (Is. 5:1). And I will turn “her stones into a heap of ruins, and I will reveal her foundations” (Mic. 1:6), that is, the stones of her destroyed buildings, or carved stones, that is, her graven images, and the houses built by the hands of her loved ones will be burned by the hands of her enemies. “And all her sculptures will be crushed... and all her idols... will be set on fire,” that is, the idols in which they hoped would save them will be plundered by the captors, and the gods in whom they trusted will be crushed and burned with fire. “Before we were gathered from the hiring of fornication, they will return to...the hiring of fornication” (Mic. 1:7). The prophet calls idols the hire of fornication, either because they were made from offerings given by the fornicating Jezebel, or because the princes made them and created churches for them from the plunder. The words: “they will turn into the hire of fornication,” mean that the idols will be handed over for plunder to the Assyrians, who will overthrow idolatry, called here fornication, and for the work that they will undertake, punishing the enemies of God, they will receive a reward, which the prophet here calls the hiring of fornication. “For this reason I will mourn and weep, and I will walk barefoot and naked.” But all the more should you weep and howl for what has befallen you and your gods. “He will create weeping,” not an ordinary one, but weeping like “serpents,” and lamentation like the daughters of the Syrians” (Mic. 1:8). “As painful as your plague is, it has come even to Judah... and... to the gates... of Jerusalem” (Mic. 1:9), when Sennacherib came, devastated the land of Judea, and led his troops to Jerusalem itself. “Do not announce this in Gath,” that is, the destruction of Samaria and the captivity of its inhabitants. “Weep not, weep not,” that is, do not weep for Samaria, but weep for yourself, because you will lose both Samaria and Jerusalem and will be taken into captivity. “In Ephrath (Ophr e) sprinkle dust...on yourselves” (Micah 1:10). Ephrath was a city belonging to the descendants of Gideon, who were also destroyed and perished. “Move over, ...Shafir”, magnificent city, adorn yourself with repentance, so that your buildings are not destroyed, like the buildings of Ephrath (Ofra). “She who lived in Tsaan came out naked and was not ashamed.” Zaan was a city located in the possessions of Samaria. "Crying in the village of Beth-Knot (Etzel)", who is also captured. "Beth-Knot (Etzel)" was one of the cities of Samaria. “He will receive a plague from you” (Mic. 1:11), that is, either repentance or your punishment, the inhabitants of Samaria, will cause the inhabitants to cry. “She who dwells in good was grieved” (Mic. 1:12), that is, she repented and humbled herself. Jerusalem also humbled itself at the sight of the disasters that befell Samaria and the cities that were in its possession, and which threatened Jerusalem and were already at its gates. “She who lived in Lachish yoked her chariots” (Micah 1:13). The prophet refers to what happened to King Amaziah, who fled from the rebel inhabitants of Jerusalem and hid in Lachish, but was found there by enemies and killed. Therefore, the inhabitants of Lachish yoked their chariots either to kill the king, or to transport his body to Jerusalem, for the Scripture says: “and took him on horses, and was buried... in Jerusalem" (2 Kings 14:20). Thus, the prophet proclaims a disaster to the inhabitants of Lachish, similar to the disturbance under Amaziah. "She is the leader of sin, the daughter of Zion" (Mic. 1:13), because Lachish was the first of the cities of Judah to turn to idolatry, introduced by Jeroboam, and by its lawless act drew them into idolatry. other cities. “For this reason you, like your sister Samaria, should be sent even to the inheritance of Gath,” because the Philistines will not remain in slavery to them, but will themselves be taken into captivity. “Houses are vanity, they were in vain” (Mic. 1:14). The Prophet speaks this way about the churches in which they called on their gods, in the hope that they would hear them, but they were not heard. “I will bring you heirs, she who lives in Marisan,” that is, “in Lachish, or Mareshah” (Mic. 1:15; 2 Chron. 11:8). The prophet either implies enemies who will invade and take possession of the city, or announces the return of the city residents themselves to their inheritance at the end of the captivity. “Woe to those who plot deceit and do evil (wicked deeds) on their beds, which they do in the morning at dawn” (Mic. 2:1), that is, they carry out with haste what they came up with during the night. “...They covet villages... and houses, and acquire them by violence” (Mic. 2:2). The prophet announces the ruin and captivity of both kingdoms of Israel, here as in other places, showing that these disasters will be brought upon them by the thirst for gain (war spoils), idolatry and oppression of the poor. “For this reason says the Lord: Behold, I have thought evil against this generation” (Mic. 2:3). The prophet calls the entire people of Israel a tribe. “In that day a proverb will be brought upon you” (Mic. 2:4). When God fulfills what He previously planned for you, then Ezekiel, who is in captivity with you, “will speak a parable” (Ezek. 17:2), and, as if in amazement, will sing a lamentable song. “The robber plundered us, and the portion” (Mic. 2:4) that we received from three kings - Saul, David and Solomon, he took one from us to divide with snakes brought from Assyria. And there is no one to return our fields to us, that is, they will not have a deliverer who would take their lands from the Assyrians and divide them into plots, as was the case in the days of Joshua. “Do not cry with tears and murmuring” (Micah 2:6). If you, the remaining sons of Judah, cannot stop the flow of your tears, then beware of reproaching God’s decrees, lest the captivity and exile assigned to the house of Jacob, that is, the ten tribes, befall you too. “These are the words... of Mine... which are good for the righteous,” but the decrees of My wrath will be fulfilled on this people, who, like the thief, “resisted against their peace, tearing off the skin... of the poor, so that his hope would be taken away” (Mic. 2:7-8). You have taken away from the poor the property in which he had placed his hope. “You raise war again,” and hope with fight to return with victory. “You drive out the wives of My people from... their sweet houses; From their children... - whom you dash against stones - you take away their glory forever” (Mic. 2:9). Therefore, “get up and go, for there is... peace.” By this the prophet teaches that the land of the saints should not be inhabited by an ungodly people, that the very land, defiled by the wickedness of its inhabitants, must be cleansed with their blood and filled with the bodies of the slain, as it is further said: “uncleanness a...corrupts with corruption and will overcome destruction” (Mic. 2:10). The Prophet, by saying this, means either that the Jews, taken into captivity, suffering torment from cruel enslavers, will not be at peace because they themselves did not keep peace, owning their land, or that the truth of God will not rest in the captivity of the ten tribes, but will also require the defeat of the tribe of Judah. Therefore, the prophet says: “the uncleanness, - that is, the armies of the pagan nations, - ... will decay with corruption and will overcome destruction,” that is, the defeat will be repeated and after the overthrow of Samaria, Jerusalem will also be devastated. “The man who walks in the spirit of lies and deceit—that is, the king of Assyria—will prostitute you for wine and drunkenness.” He dug for you, but also for himself; and he will destroy you, and he himself will perish. “And it will be from the drop of these people” (Mic. 2:11), that is, the Assyrians will be defeated by the Babylonians, just as they themselves defeated the Jews. “I will gather you all together, Jacob,” within the walls of Jerusalem. “I will lay... him down like sheep in sorrow.” This announces that the entire multitude of those displaced will be gathered within the walls of the city. “Like the flock in the midst of their bed, hidden from men” (Mic. 2:12), that is, deprived of rulers and shepherds. “The penitent went out before them,” that is, an army of enemies entered and, having destroyed the wall, opened the entrance to the enslavers. “He cut through... and passed on,” that is, God, “and their king went out before them,” that is, Zedekiah, “but the Lord is their leader” (Mic. 2:13), that is, he leads the army to take the king and deliver him into the hands of his persecutors. Those who “have eaten the flesh of My people, and their skins... from the dead... will cry to the Lord, and will not listen to them” (Mic. 3:3-4). The prophet speaks of princes and rulers of the people. Since they robbed the people of their property and did not heed the cries of those oppressed by them, just as they themselves were inattentive to the cries of the robbed poor who asked them for mercy, so when they, during their captivity, cry out to the Lord, they will not be heard by Him. “This is what the Lord says about the prophets who flatter My people, who gnaw their teeth and preach peace.” Whoever puts something into their mouth, they proclaim peace to him; and whoever “puts nothing in their mouth” (Mic. 3:5), they proclaim war against him. The prophet denounces the wickedness of those false prophets who, posing as true prophets, appropriated to themselves the name of prophets of the Lord, filled with the Spirit of God, and called everyone who was not disposed towards them and did not supply them with anything a despiser of God’s prophets and made them tremble with terrible predictions. “And I am full of power, spirit, judgment and strength” not in order, according to my will, for gifts, to foreshadow good things for some and completely contrary things for others, but “to tell Jacob his wickedness and Israel his sins” (Mic. 3:8), and thereby turn them away from their sins. “Hear this, the elders and leaders of Israel, who abhor the judgment of righteousness and corrupt for the gifts of righteousness, building up Zion with blood” (Mic. 3:9-10), that is, shedding innocent blood, for you are expanding your houses at the expense of the empty dwellings of your neighbors, whom you have killed. “Zion is torn to pieces like a field,” because “its sacrifices for bribes” (for gifts) taught the law. “And Jerusalem... will be a wilderness,” because “its prophets are on the magician’s silver... And the mountain of the house... is like a forest of spears” (Mic. 3:12, 11). With this, the prophet announces that the church will be surrounded, and even armed enemies will enter it. The prophet says this to show the Jews the vanity of their hope for the church and the city, for they thought that God would not allow the church and the city to be destroyed, and that, for the sake of the church and the city, they themselves would not perish. “And it shall come to pass in the last days... the mountain of the Lord shall be prepared above the tops of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. And the nations will be gathered to her” (Micah 4:1). Isaiah also predicted this (Is. 2:2). In these words, the prophet predicts that after seventy years of captivity, the church of the Lord will be rebuilt on the top of the mountains on which Jerusalem was built, and the mountain of the church, after its construction, will rise above all the hills surrounding it; and then all nations will be gathered to her, as Isaiah and other prophets prophesied about this. But what was predicted about the restoration of the Jerusalem temporary church after the seventy-year captivity contains the secret of the eternal Church, which was really created “in the last days.” All the peoples who have been taught the knowledge of God have gathered to it, and in it they serve the true God. In an even more sublime sense, the prophet makes it clear that on the top of the mountain Emmanuel was nailed by the Flesh to the Holy Cross. This is what the prophet in the above words calls the mountain of the Lord, exalted above all mountains. “And no one will take up the tongue of the sword, neither will they learn how to fight” (Micah 4:3). With these words, the prophet proclaims peace to the Jews upon their return from captivity, however, not a perfect and unceasing peace. “And every one shall rest under his own vine, and every one under his fig tree.” By saying that everyone will sit under the vine and under his fig tree, the prophet means those blessings that the Jews will have upon their return from captivity, “and there will be no one to make them afraid” (Mic. 4:4). “I will gather ... those who are rejected,” that is, the Jews who are in Babylon, whom I drove out of their land. “And I will receive those who are scattered” (Mic. 4:6), that is, the Jews scattered throughout all four countries of the world. But, explaining this prophecy by its very fulfillment, we must say that it was only partially fulfilled among the Jewish people, and not all Jews received the fulfillment of this promise. This prophecy was fully fulfilled, in a mysterious sense, on the pagan peoples who were far from God and were scattered, differing among themselves in serving the gods, but whom the Gospel of Christ gathered into a single Church who worshiped God in spirit and truth. “And you, O pillar, are the dark shepherd of the daughter Zion, your time has come” (Micah 4:8). The prophet says this about the wicked king Zedekiah and calls him a pillar, because Israel was under his shadow; I eat the shepherd because he reigned; and darkness, because he served idols. In a mysterious sense, by the name “shepherd of darkness” (Mic. 4:8), the prophet depicts Satan, who, represented here under the image of Zion, keeps the soul in darkness, and does not shepherd it in the light. For whoever does evil hates the light. The time has come for the destruction of his dominion, because the supreme Lord of spiritual Jerusalem has come and driven out the blind shepherd. “Be sick and be of good courage... daughter of Zion, who is in labor: now you will come out of the city and dwell in the countryside and come to Babylon... and you will be delivered from there” (Mic. 4:10); that is, you, who are in spiritual captivity, after a certain time will be brought out of it, but not by a powerful army, but by the Leader who “captured ... captivity ... and ascended ... on high” (Ps. 67:19), and also by the leaders, the companions of Paul, who “captured every mind into the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). “And... many nations gathered against you.” But before this is fulfilled, many tongues will come against you from the house of Gog. “Let... Zion be desecrated, and eyes shall look upon him,” that is, the shrine of Zion will be desecrated and despised by those who “do not understand” that the truth of God will trample them “like sheaves of humility” (Mic. 4:11-12). “As thy horns, broken by the Babylonians, I will lay down iron... and lay unto the Lord the wealth of the nations” (Mic. 4:13), that is, you will bring to the Lord of all the earth, according to custom, a tithe from the estates and wealth of the nations. The Lord transformed such benefits to His people upon their return from captivity, but He preserved (preserved) the very reality of His Church. “Come out now with many warriors, daughter of mighty hosts,” that is, come out, daughter of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and David, when those who rebelled against us have already been crushed, and “those who struck with the rod the cheeks of the shepherd of Israel” (Mic. 5:1), that is, the cheeks of Zedekiah, the king of Judah. In reality, here we mean our Lord, the true Shepherd of Israel, Who on the day of His suffering gave His cheek to be bruised, as the prophets Isaiah (Isaiah 50:6) and Jeremiah (Lam. 3:30) predicted about Him. “And you, Bethlehem... were you small, even if you were among the thousands of Judah; From you... will come forth an Elder, who shall be a prince in Israel; therefore he shall go forth from the beginning, even from the days of the world” (Micah 5:2). This speaks of the carnal birth of God the Word from the Virgin in Bethlehem Ephrath. The prophet did not simply say: “He is from you”; but he says: “out of you... he will come out,” that is, he will come out of you in the flesh; but that nature by which He is eternal and is God from the beginning, He did not borrow from you when He came out of you, because in this nature He comes from eternity. But in both natures, in which He came from eternity from the beginning, and in which He came from you, He is one and the same. “I will give, until the time of giving birth,” that is, God will continue to fulfill His decrees until the time when the Virgin gives birth. “And the rest of His brethren will turn to the children of Israel” (Mic. 5:3), that is, the disciples of Christ will turn to preach to the children of the house of Israel, as the Lord Himself said: “Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6). The Prophet says about the disciples of Christ: “I am His brother” (Mic. 5:3). “And he shall become... and provide... for the name of the Lord” (Mic. 5:4), that is, “in the summer... pleasant” (Is. 61:2). “And they will turn to glory in the name of the Lord their God,” that is, the pagan peoples will turn from idolatry to the glorification and praise of the Lord their God. “Now it will be magnified even to the ends of the earth” (Mic. 5:4), that is, at first the small society of believers in the Gospel will grow to the point that the Gospel will fill all the ends of the earth. “And there will be... peace” (Mic. 5:5), that is, the born Elder will establish peace between those above and those below. This is in accordance with what the Heavenly Angels announced on His birthday, saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men” (Luke 2:14). “When Assyria comes to our land... we will appoint seven shepherds” (Mic. 5:5). Assur is Sennacherib; The “seven shepherds” are Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah himself. “And eight... princes... of men” (Micah 5:5), that is, we will put Hezekiah, Eliakim and other righteous rulers of the people of Judah against him. “And they will feed the land of Asshur ... with weapons,” that is, they will defeat it. It is said: “They will shepherd the land of Asshur ... with weapons,” but with weapons not their own, “and the land of Nevrod,” that is, the land of the Chaldeans, with copies, but with copies not of their own, but with copies of it (Mic. 5:6). For it was not the Jews who destroyed the Assyrians with their own weapons, but an Angel destroyed them, and destroyed them with their own weapons; and Sennacherib did not fall from the spears of Judah, but was killed as if by his own weapons, by his sons. So God in fact fulfilled what the prophet predicted here, saying: “When Assur comes to our land, He Himself will deliver us from him.” Sennacherib's army was destroyed in the land of Judah, and King Sennacherib, waiting for the end of affairs in Egypt, when he heard about the destruction of his army, hastily returned from Egypt to his country. “And the remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many people around him, like dew from the Lord... and like drops on the green ground” (Mic. 5:7), that is, just as dew and raindrops do not wait for human assistance, so “the remnant of Jacob” will be freed from his oppressors, will leave the camp of the Assyrians, not waiting for their permission to go, but as soon as he sees that the persecutors are partially exterminated, partially put to flight. In a mysterious sense, the prophet, under the image of dew and rain, represents the meek descent of Emmanuel. Isaiah (Isaiah 26:19) and David (Psalm 71:6) previously represented it in the same images. “He does not wait for a man, and does not wait for a son but a man,” for for the immaculate conception of Immanuel neither a husband nor “a son but a man” was needed (Mic. 5:7). “And Jacob will be the remnant of the nations among many people, like a lion among cattle in an oak grove, and like a lioness among flocks of sheep, which... torments, crushes, rends in pieces, and there is none that takes away” (Micah 5:8). This applies to Hezekiah, against whom the Assyrians went to war, and to the Jews, whom the Assyrian camp seemed to keep in custody and was preparing to soon take into captivity, and who remained fearless among the pagan peoples and by the hand of the Angel of the Lord destroyed those from whom man did not dare and could not deliver them. “Your hand will be lifted up against those who insult you,” that is, your hand, Hezekiah, will be lifted up against the enemies who came with Sennacherib. “And all your enemies will be consumed” (Micah 5:9), that is, Rabshakeh and other Assyrian military leaders will perish. “I will consume your horses from among you and destroy your chariots... I will put away your sorceries out of your hand, and those who practice magic will not be in you... and I will consume all the cities of your land” (Mic. 5:10, 12, 11). And this is also what the prophet says about the Assyrians, announcing that after the destruction of the army, the royal city of the Assyrians will also be destroyed. “And I will cut off the oak groves from among you” (Micah 5:14). Since the Assyrians did not come to their senses by the destruction of their army, then as punishment for them by the hand of the Babylonians their oak groves will be cut down, their idols will be crushed and their city will be destroyed. “Arise, go to law with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.” God calls as witnesses those mountains that Judah saw smoking “and the wilds of the foundation of the earth” (Mic. 6:1–2), that is, the sea that divided before them. “My people, what have I done to you?.. Answer Me” (Mic.6:3). First, God points to the miracles that He performed with the hands of His servants to deliver and bring the Jews out of Egypt, and to the holy leaders whom He raised up for them, that is, Moses, Aaron and Miriam (Ex. 15:20); then he accuses them of ingratitude for their benefits, enters into court with them, and says: “How have I insulted you? or why do you feel cold? Answer Me” (Micah 6:3). Have I denied you, My people, any benefits? Imagine this, bear witness to Me. And this shows that they themselves were guilty, that disasters justly befell them and that they suffer persecution from the Assyrians and Babylonians. “My people, remember now that Balak hath counseled against you” (Micah 6:5). Remember how Balak, king of Moab, plotted to destroy you by subjecting the soothsayer Balaam to curses, but the plot of the pagan nations was not successful. I turned it into nothing, and I did good to you from the border of Moab “to Gilgal,” that is, to the gates to the Promised Land. “And what did Balaam the son of Beor answer him? .. that the righteousness of the Lord might be known” (Mic. 6:5). “Why should I be cursed, but the Lord will not curse him?” (Numbers 23:8) God does not speak a lie like man, and does not deliberate like the son of man: “He who said this, will he not do it? And His word endures forever” (Num. 23:19). So Balaam answered: “for... I have known... the righteousness of the Lord” (Mic. 6:5), that is, the faithfulness and truth of the Lord; I knew that the Lord does not change what He has determined, does not change His promises; He promised to give the children of Israel the land of Canaan. “With what will I come before the Lord? How does God on high please him? The Lord is not pleased with thousands of rams and tens of fat goats. Will I give you my firstborn? will be blamed on me. Is this the fruit of my womb? will my soul be counted as sin?” (Micah 6:6–7). For it is not commanded by law to please God with such sacrifices. “It will be announced... to you, man, what good, or what, the Lord seeks from you.” The Lord has told you in advance what is good for you. The Lord demands from your hands, “to do justice and love mercy,” that is, to observe justice towards your neighbor, “and be ready to walk with the Lord your God” (Micah 6:8). “Listen to the voice of the Lord to the city, that is, Jerusalem, O tribe of Judah, listen to Him who came as a witness against you. For behold, there is fire... in the house of the wicked... The food will be justified in wicked measures and in sackcloths of unjust measures” (Mic. 6:9-11), that is, in what is gathered up by unrighteousness and in reduced false measures. “And I will begin to smite you and destroy you in your sins” (Mic. 6:13). The Lord threatens the sinful Jews with destruction, that is, with poverty and deprivation of what they were exalted and proud of before the pagan peoples. “You will eat and not be satisfied” (Mic. 6:14), because you hunger for what does not belong to you. In the spiritual sense, these words mean that the people of Israel, although they were taught the Holy Scriptures, did not gain any benefit from this knowledge. “And it shall not abide in you,” that is, the words of Scripture; how words pass over a bridge into the ears of the Jewish people, but they do not believe them. “And what you gain, you will not keep, and if the sparrows are lost, they will give themselves over to weapons” (Micah 6:14). The prophet tells Israel that since his ear served as a bridge for the prophetic word, and he did not accept this word and did not heed what the Lord spoke to him through the prophets who rose up from among the people, then for this “you will sow your seed, but you will not reap... you will not anoint yourself with the oil of your olives... and you will not drink... of your wine” (Mic. 6:15), because that you are not worthy of the joy foreshadowed by the prophecy. “And you kept the excuses of Zamri (Omri) and all the affairs of the house of Ahabel”; therefore, “I will give you over to destruction, and those who live in it to reproach, and you will receive the reproaches of men” (Mic. 6:16). The prophet speaks here about those grave disasters that God will bring on the entire tribe of Judah and on Jerusalem. “Oh, love me! as if they were like stubble in the harvest, and like little fodder when they embrace (harvest) the grapes” (Mic. 7:1). Thus spoke Jerusalem in the days of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 6:9), and Isaiah also foretold this to it (Isaiah 24:13). “I do not eat the first fruit of the grape, which my soul desires” (Mic. 7:1). The prophet does not desire an ordinary cluster, but he desires that Grape, which on Golgotha ​​was hanged on the branch of the Cross; It is his Gospel that he desires as the first fruit. The prophet calls him lost among the people when he says: “For the pious perished from the earth, and there is not one right among men,” for who is holy except the Lord? In the historical sense, the words: “for the godly perish from the earth, and there is no right among men” (Mic. 7:2), - are consistent with what the Lord said in Jeremiah: “Seek... if you find a man who practices justice and righteousness, and I will be merciful to him” (Jer. 5:1). “The day of your watch, and the day of your salvation is coming” (Mic. 7:4), as your false prophets tell you. “Do not believe in your friends, nor put your trust in your neighbors, rather than... against... the husband of his household” (Mic. 7:5-6). The prophet Jeremiah repeated the same thing to the Jews: “Let each one... beware, and do not trust in your brethren, for every brother will stumble with stumbling, and every friend will attack a friend flatteringly. Every one will laugh at his friend” (Jer.9:4-5). “I will look to the Lord” (Mic.7:7). Thus says the heart of the righteous. “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy.” Thus says Jerusalem to Babylon. “Do not rejoice... for I fell and will rise again” (Mic.7:8); Do not rejoice that I am captive, for I will be delivered. “I will endure the wrath of the Lord because those who have sinned against Him” (Micah 7:9). I will endure captivity with patience, because I sinned while enjoying the world. “If I sit in darkness, the Lord will give me light” (Mic. 7:8). Now I am in darkness, but the Lord will give me light again in Zion. This was also fulfilled in the Church, which at first was among the erring pagans, and Satan kept her in captivity and slavery under his heavy yoke; in fact, this is said on behalf of the Jewish synagogue, which disrespected God, thinking that God is only the God of the Jews, but not of the pagans. “And I will see His righteousness” (Mic. 7:9), that is, I will see how God will righteously judge my judgment and turn the cup of wrath on my tormentors. Although I myself sinned, and He was somewhat angry with me, they especially aggravated my misfortune. “And... now it will be trampled like stones in the way” (Mic. 7:10). The prophet speaks of the kingdoms of Babylon and Media, and means the time when all the enemies of the Jews will be trampled upon by the Chaldeans, and later the Chaldeans themselves will be trampled upon and exterminated by the Medes. “The day of the rebuilding of your walls” (Micah 7:11). These kingdoms are like your walls, Jerusalem. “The day... in which you will be lifted up as a burden to the nations” (Micah 7:11; Isaiah 66:12). This is in accordance with what Isaiah prophesied about the Church, and about the glory that would be given to her sons, saying: “You will piss ... the glory of tongues ... you will be taken ... on your shoulders and fed on your knees” (Is. 66: 11-12). For these words must be understood about the Church and about the blessings that are poured out on her and on her children, because her children drink (drink) the glory and love of all peoples, the peoples carry them on their shoulders and hold them in their arms. “The day of Your time will come for You to go out from Assyria and from the fortified cities of the nations, from Tyre... from the sea even to the sea... and to Mount Hor” (Mic. 7:12). This is in accordance with what was said elsewhere: “Even though you were scattered, O Israel, to the ends of the heavens, from there the Lord will gather you” (Deut. 30:4). This was truly fulfilled in the Holy Church, for the Lord gathered it together on the day when Christ appeared. And the prophet here calls the entire time of Christ’s economy one day. The Church is truly gathered from all nations that were hitherto in error, gathered from all the ends of the earth, from all the ends of the sea, wherever the apostles went to preach the Gospel. “Shepherd your people with your rod.” In a historical sense, the prophet speaks here about Zerubbabel, who, upon the return of the Jews from captivity, was appointed leader of the people to be their leader and prince. “Feed,” Zerubbabel, “the people,” as the prophet says, with meek power. In a spiritual sense, this was fulfilled in Christ. He is the true Shepherd, shepherding His people with meekness and kindness. “They will dwell united,” they will not be like sheep grazing in a cramped place, oppressed by numerous surrounding nations, but like the sheep “in the midst of Kormila,” that is, grazing in the vast and rich pastures of Carmel, “grazing in Mafnin and in Gilead,” that is, they will return and enjoy the blessings “on the day of the exodus... from Egypt" (Mic. 7:14-15). “Like the serpents of the earth, they will be troubled in their confusion” (Micah 7:17), that is, the tribes of Gog will be destroyed and will no longer return to the paths they walked. “Who is God like You?” This is what the righteous will say when they return from Babylon. “Have He forsaken the wickedness and sin of His people,” because He brought them back from captivity; “And I will not restrain my wrath forever” (Mic. 7:18); I was not angry forever, but for now Your truth only demanded it. “He will convert and reward us” according to His mercy, which He showed us from the beginning. “And he will gather up our unrighteousness and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19), with which we have upset Him; He will forgive and blot out the wickedness of His people. “He will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you swore by our father in the first days” (Mic. 7:20), that is, from the beginning, in the days when he entered into a covenant with them, and said: “To your seed I will give this land” (Gen. 15:18). 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