Licking
The Dust
Micah 7:16 “The nations shall see and be
confounded at all their might: they shall lay their
hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the dust like a
serpent, they shall move out of their holes like
worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord
our God, and shall fear because of thee.”
1. Misplaced Jealousy
2. The Dread of
The Nations
3. As Worms of The Earth
1. Misplaced Jealousy
The first part of verse sixteen: “The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might:”
The nations of the planet Earth are jealous of one particular nation.
This jealousy causes the nations to hate this one particular nation.
Jealousy moves a person to hatred!
Now, in the book of Genesis, there is located something very analogous to this hatred for one particular nation on the part of the nations of the world.
We have [in Genesis chapter thirty-seven] a story told of the hatred of Joseph by the very brothers of Joseph
[Jealousy moves a person to hatred.]:
“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.” [Genesis 37:3-5]
In general, misplaced jealousy will only bring you trouble from the God of jealousy. Indeed, the Book of God [which is the King James Bible of 1611 or any of its editions [1613, 1644, 1676, 1680, 1701, 1769]], reveals that one of the many names of God is … “Jealous”.
Now, can you believe this about God, that one of His names is “Jealous”? Do not believe me! See it for yourself … in the book of Exodus, chapter thirty-four, verse fourteen: “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” [Exodus 34:14]. JEALOUSY is an attribute of God! See Deuteronomy chapter four, verse twenty-four: “For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” [Deuteronomy 4:24]
Furthermore, this jealous God is jealous concerning a particular people … which includes that nation’s capital city … and all this is true … according to the book of Zechariah chapter one, verse fourteen which see: “So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.” [Zechariah 1:14]
This is a super clear statement that God has a great jealous interest in Israel. This is reinforced again several chapters later [in chapter eight, verse two]. Are you ready? “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.” [Zechariah 8:2]
Now, friend, I would think more than twice than to mess with God’s Israel … as Pharaoh did, [in Exodus 1:11] and as Balaam did [in Numbers 31:16], and as Sennacherib king of Assyria did [in 2 Chronicles 32:10], and as Haman did [in Esther 3:5], and as Hitler did in Germany in the 20th century.
2. The Dread of The Nations
The last part of verse sixteen: “they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.”
The nations have a hearing problem! For that, they are in big-time trouble. Even now the nations are being prepared to be herded to the Middle East so that they will be made to see just how God will intercede in behalf of Israel [during the Great Tribulation].
Now, Israel has been prophesied 3,500 years ago to become “the dread” and “the fear” of the nations during the time of Jacob’s Trouble [Jeremiah 30:7].
We can see this in the book of Deuteronomy chapter two, verse twenty-five: “This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.” [Deuteronomy 2:25]
And in the days of David God was actively putting the fear of them [Jacob] upon all nations. [All means all.] “And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.” [1 Chronicles 14:17]
This was the prayer of David in Psalm nine, verse twenty: “Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.” [Psalm 9:20]
May I remind you, David knew the BOOK of God?
[I wish we all knew the Book of God! We would not be in so much trouble!]
He knew what it said in the Bible [by Moses] in Deuteronomy chapter two. The word of God shows … that the King of all nations … will teach all nations … to fear God and to dread God through this particular nation – the nation of Israel.
Now, are you ready for what the Spirit of God says through the prophet Jeremiah? Read the word of God … in Jeremiah chapter ten, verse seven: “Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.” [Jeremiah 10:7]
Did you get that? There is none, like unto HIM, and all the nations will soon learn this … through the dread of one nation - Israel!
Now, for Jeremiah thirty-three, verse nine: “And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.” [Jeremiah 33:9]
3. As Worms of The Earth
Verse seventeen: “They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.”
We now come to the personal promise God made to Jacob [Israel] that God would intercede in Jacob’s behalf in the soon coming time of Jacob’s Trouble, which is after the Church of the Firstborn is translated out this world and is gone to Heaven. [First Thessalonians 4:16-18]
This personal promise to the nation of Israel is found in Jeremiah chapter forty-six: “Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.” [Jeremiah 46:28]
It is the nations of the world [and not Israel] that will take the full brunt of “the day of the Lord” [as seen in Zechariah 14:1, Isaiah 2:12, 2:17, 7:18, 13:6 are a few of the references.] Note: “Jacob” will receive correction [as a son] but God will “make a full end of all nations.”
The “wrath” of God is ready to come to the earth. The nations are already “angry”.
Everything is now ready for the judgment of God with the attendant destruction of the nations that will be gathered together in the Middle East … in the time of the Great Tribulation [Revelation 2:22, 7:14].
For this, we need to see Revelation chapter eleven, verse eighteen: “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” [Revelation 11:18]
As “worms of the earth” they will want to hide from God, and from the people of God [Israel].
There is a remedy!
The remedy for this is found in Psalm 2:12: “Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Amen!