Micah 4:12
But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD or understand His plan, for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
But they do not know
The phrase highlights the ignorance of the nations regarding God's intentions. The Hebrew root for "know" is "yada," which implies an intimate understanding or experiential knowledge. This suggests that the nations lack a deep, personal insight into God's purposes. Historically, this reflects the frequent misunderstanding of God's plans by those outside the covenant community, emphasizing the distinction between divine wisdom and human understanding.

the thoughts of the LORD
The "thoughts" of the LORD refer to His divine intentions and purposes. The Hebrew word "machashabah" can mean plans, purposes, or intentions. This indicates that God's plans are beyond human comprehension, aligning with Isaiah 55:8-9, where God's thoughts are higher than human thoughts. It underscores the sovereignty and omniscience of God, who orchestrates events according to His divine will.

they do not understand His plan
The word "understand" comes from the Hebrew "biyn," which means to discern or perceive. The nations' inability to grasp God's "plan" (Hebrew "etzah") highlights their spiritual blindness. This reflects a recurring biblical theme where God's plans are hidden from those who oppose Him, as seen in 1 Corinthians 2:14, where spiritual truths are discerned only through the Spirit.

that He has gathered them
The imagery of gathering suggests a purposeful assembly by God. The Hebrew "qabats" means to collect or assemble, often used in the context of gathering people for judgment or deliverance. This gathering is not random but a deliberate act of God, indicating His control over the nations and their destinies.

like sheaves to the threshing floor
The metaphor of "sheaves" and the "threshing floor" is rich in agricultural imagery. In ancient Israel, the threshing floor was a place where grain was separated from chaff, symbolizing judgment and purification. The Hebrew "omer" (sheaves) and "goren" (threshing floor) evoke the process of divine judgment, where God separates the righteous from the wicked. This imagery is consistent with biblical themes of harvest and judgment, as seen in Matthew 13:30, where the wheat and tares are separated at the harvest.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The central figure in this verse, representing God's sovereignty and omniscience. His thoughts and plans are beyond human understanding.

2. The Nations
Implicit in the context, these are the enemies of Israel who are gathered against God's people, unaware of God's ultimate plan.

3. Micah
The prophet delivering God's message to Israel, providing insight into God's plans and purposes.

4. Sheaves
A metaphor for the nations gathered for judgment, symbolizing how God will deal with them.

5. Threshing Floor
A place of separation and judgment, where grain is separated from chaff, symbolizing God's judgment and purification process.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty
Recognize that God is in control, even when circumstances seem chaotic. His plans are perfect and will ultimately prevail.

Trust in God's Plan
Even when we do not understand God's ways, we are called to trust in His wisdom and timing.

Judgment and Purification
Understand that God's judgment is a process of purification, separating what is valuable from what is not.

Humility Before God
Acknowledge our limited understanding and approach God with humility, seeking His guidance and wisdom.

Hope in God's Justice
Take comfort in knowing that God will bring justice and righteousness, gathering and dealing with the nations according to His perfect plan.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's sovereignty in Micah 4:12 help us navigate uncertain times in our lives?

2. In what ways can we cultivate trust in God's plans, even when they are not clear to us?

3. How does the imagery of the threshing floor in Micah 4:12 relate to the concept of spiritual purification in our lives?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to remain humble and open to God's guidance, acknowledging our limited understanding?

5. How can the assurance of God's ultimate justice and righteousness in Micah 4:12 encourage us in our daily walk with Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 55:8-9
This passage emphasizes that God's thoughts and ways are higher than human thoughts and ways, reinforcing the idea that God's plans are beyond human comprehension.

Jeremiah 29:11
Highlights God's plans for His people, plans for welfare and not for evil, which aligns with the assurance that God’s purposes are ultimately for good.

Matthew 3:12
John the Baptist speaks of Jesus' winnowing fork, separating wheat from chaff, which parallels the imagery of the threshing floor in Micah 4:12.
The Moral Regeneration of the WorldHomilistMicah 4:9-13
The Moral Regeneration of the WorldD. Thomas Micah 4:9-13
People
Eder, Jacob, Micah
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, Zion
Topics
Able, Counsel, Crushing-floor, Floor, Gather, Gathered, Gathers, Got, Grain, Minds, Plan, Purpose, Sheaf, Sheaves, Stems, Thoughts, Threshing, Threshing-floor, Understand, Understood
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Micah 4:12

     4412   binding corn
     4508   sickle
     4524   threshing-floor
     5135   blindness, spiritual
     8228   discernment, examples
     8355   understanding

Micah 4:11-13

     5917   plans

Library
As God, So Worshipper
'... All the peoples will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.'--MICAH iv. 5 (R.V.). This is a statement of a general truth which holds good of all sorts of religion. 'To walk' is equivalent to carrying on a course of practical activity. 'The name' of a god is his manifested character. So the expression 'Walk in the name' means, to live and act according to, and with reference to, and in reliance on, the character of the worshipper's
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"And we Will --"
The prophet Micah was struck with the energy and devotion of the heathen to their gods. He saw the grip these idols had of their votaries, how no expense was spared, no sacrifice withheld, for the sake of a filthy lie embodied in a stone or golden image. While he listened to the songs of the heathen, his heart warmed as he thought of the greatness of Jehovah, and so he cried out--"All people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

The Battle of Armageddon.
The Battle of Armageddon! What extravagant speculations have been indulged concerning it! What unscriptural theories have been entertained respecting it! To begin with; this appears from the term employed. Nowhere in the Bible do we read of "The Battle of Armageddon." The Scriptural expression is "The Battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14). This Battle of the great day of God Almighty will bring the Tribulation period to a close and will witness the return of Christ to the earth to
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

"Is the Spirit of the Lord Straitened?"
THERE MAY BE SOME who think they can convert the world by philosophy; that they can renew the heart by eloquence; or that, by some witchcraft of ceremonies, they can regenerate the soul; but we depend wholly and simply and alone on the Spirit of God. He alone worketh all our works in us; and in going forth to our holy service we take with us no strength, and we rely upon no power, except that of the Spirit of the Most High. When Asher's foot was dipped in oil, no wonder he left a foot-mark wherever
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

A vision of the Latter-Day Glories
We shall not, to-day, look through all the dim vista of Zion's tribulations. We will leave the avenue of troubles and of trials through which the church has passed and is to pass, and we will come, by faith, to the last days; and may God help us while we indulge in a glorious vision of that which is to be ere long, when "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." The prophet saw two
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Place of Jesus in the History of the World.
The great event of the History of the world is the revolution by which the noblest portions of humanity have passed from the ancient religions, comprised under the vague name of Paganism, to a religion founded on the Divine Unity, the Trinity, and the Incarnation of the Son of God. It has taken nearly a thousand years to accomplish this conversion. The new religion had itself taken at least three hundred years in its formation. But the origin of the revolution in question with which we have to do
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Declarations of Old Testament Prophecy.
It is very apparent to any one who has read thoughtfully through the Old Testament that the First Advent of our Lord did not exhaust the burden and scope of the numerous predictions which had been made concerning Him. Many of the things foretold of Israel's Messiah were not accomplished during the days when He tabernacled among men. Many of the promises found in God's Word connected with the Person of Christ, still await their ratification. While it is true that the First Advent of the Lord Jesus
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

In the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Cæsar and under the Pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas - a Voice in the Wilderness
THERE is something grand, even awful, in the almost absolute silence which lies upon the thirty years between the Birth and the first Messianic Manifestation of Jesus. In a narrative like that of the Gospels, this must have been designed; and, if so, affords presumptive evidence of the authenticity of what follows, and is intended to teach, that what had preceded concerned only the inner History of Jesus, and the preparation of the Christ. At last that solemn silence was broken by an appearance,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Prophet Micah.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Micah signifies: "Who is like Jehovah;" and by this name, the prophet is consecrated to the incomparable God, just as Hosea was to the helping God, and Nahum to the comforting God. He prophesied, according to the inscription, under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings. On the contrary, the entire collection forms only one whole. At
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

A Clearing-Up Storm in the Realm
(Revelation, Chapters vi.-viii.) "God Almighty! King of nations! earth Thy footstool, heaven Thy throne! Thine the greatness, power, and glory, Thine the kingdom, Lord, alone! Life and death are in Thy keeping, and Thy will ordaineth all: From the armies of Thy heavens to an unseen insect's fall. "Reigning, guiding, all-commanding, ruling myriad worlds of light; Now exalting, now abasing, none can stay Thy hand of might! Working all things by Thy power, by the counsel of Thy will. Thou art God!
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

Conclusion
"Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6). In our Foreword to the Second Edition we acknowledge the need for preserving the balance of Truth. Two things are beyond dispute: God is Sovereign, man is responsible. In this book we have sought to expound the former; in our other works we have frequently pressed the latter. That there is real danger of over-emphasising the one and ignoring the other, we readily admit; yea, history furnishes numerous examples of cases of each. To emphasise
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

The Plan for the Coming of Jesus.
God's Darling, Psalms 8:5-8.--the plan for the new man--the Hebrew picture by itself--difference between God's plan and actual events--one purpose through breaking plans--the original plan--a starting point--getting inside. Fastening a Tether inside: the longest way around--the pedigree--the start. First Touches on the Canvas: the first touch, Genesis 3:15.--three groups of prediction--first group: to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; to Isaac, Genesis 26:1-5; to Jacob, Genesis 28:10-15; through Jacob,
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers.
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Interpretation of Prophecy.
1. The scriptural idea of prophecy is widely removed from that of human foresight and presentiment. It is that of a revelation made by the Holy Spirit respecting the future, always in the interest of God's kingdom. It is no part of the plan of prophecy to gratify vain curiosity respecting "the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:7. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God"--this is its key-note. In its form it is carefully adapted to this great end.
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Micah
Micah must have been a very striking personality. Like Amos, he was a native of the country--somewhere in the neighbourhood of Gath; and he denounces with fiery earnestness the sins of the capital cities, Samaria in the northern kingdom, and Jerusalem in the southern. To him these cities seem to incarnate the sins of their respective kingdoms, i. 5; and for both ruin and desolation are predicted, i. 6, iii. 12. Micah expresses with peculiar distinctness the sense of his inspiration and the object
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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