Micah 4:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This city is elevated, not lowly, for it is uplifted through the understanding of divine doctrines, and the life of those justified in Christ and sanctified by the Spirit is also elevated. In them, there is no attachment to earthly, base existence, as seen in those who are circumcised, who are mired in carnality and the pursuit of shameful gain, evident by their many transgressions. However, as the Apostle Paul declares, "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." They detest the desire for wealth so profoundly that they boldly proclaim, "With food and clothing, we shall be content." Yet, those who seek riches entangle themselves in folly and desires that lead to destruction. Furthermore, they are so distanced from violence that they willingly "turn the other cheek" to those who strike them.

The church can also be likened to a mountain in contrast to the erroneous doctrines of the Greeks, who foolishly advocate the worship of stones, trees, and created beings. Instead, the church affirms the existence of the true God, the architect and sustainer of the universe, declaring Him the Lord of all. It underscores that the mountain of the Lord stands exalted above other heights, clearly visible from afar, capturing attention with its prominence. The prophetic words indicate that the people should earnestly aspire towards it. This longing is witnessed and firmly established by historical events. They will desire Him, the Lord of the house, that is, Christ. They will say, "Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will instruct us in His ways, and we will follow them." Observe their eagerness as they motivate one another, exclaiming, “Let us go up.” This response aligns with their realization of the low and contemptible nature of the Greeks, prompting them to express a longing to rise towards the knowledge of the true God. Their thirst for truth compels them to seek the Lord’s path, pledging to walk faithfully in His ways. Their guides are clearly the disciples of the Savior, who received the divine mandate from Christ: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

To this Church, all nations will gather, enlightened by the knowledge of God, and serve the one true God. Furthermore, in a more profound manner, the prophet reveals that at the pinnacle of this mountain, Immanuel was crucified in the flesh. The prophet refers to Him as the mountain of the Lord, raised above all other mountains.

According to Josephus's interpretation, the angels proclaimed, ‘Let us depart from our saddles’ or ‘from the dwelling place’; instead, the mountain of the Lord will rise in place of Zion, as proclaimed to the leader of Tyre, ‘And thou art smitten on the mountain of the Lord’ (Ezek. 28:16). This mountain of the Lord is revealed in the last days, as the kingdom of heaven approaches; at the culmination of ages, our Savior came to bear the burden of sin through His ultimate sacrifice, arriving at the last hour to engage the laborers. When His sufferings were completed, John notes, ‘the last hour is’ (1 John 2:18). Indeed, when distributed among six thousand years, the five hundred-year segments correlate to the hours of the day, making the last hour truly the time of the Gentiles’ faith. ‘And revealed,’ he asserts, ‘shall be the mountain of the Lord prepared on the top of the mountains.’ What was once concealed will be disclosed, not only among the hills but exalted above all, surpassing even Moses and the Prophets who heralded it. While they depicted holy matters, when juxtaposed with the prophecy announcing the Lord’s coming, all other aspects are inconsequential and fall short of reaching the pinnacle. ‘And he shall be exalted,’ he states, ‘above the hills’ (Phil. 2:8, 9). Indeed, He appeared as man, embracing the form of a servant; He humbled Himself to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Yet, the Father raised Him up, granting Him a name above all names; all human existence is likened to plains and fields in relation to His great stature. To this mountain, therefore, which is above every peak, ‘shall hasten’ or, as expressed in Hebrew, ‘all nations shall flow,’ indicating that countless multitudes will gather like rushing rivers. The nations will hasten—particularly when the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia and Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the regions of Libya near Cyrene, along with the Romans, Jews, proselytes, Cretans, and Arabs, all believe in Him equally (Acts 2:8-11). Are not those who heard the call, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,’ hastening towards the mountain? (Matt. 4:19, 20) Who immediately left to follow the Savior? The Scriptures bear witness of James and John, who, leaving their father and the ship, rushed to the mountain, abandoning worldly concerns. Matthew, the tax collector, upon hearing the command, ‘Follow Me’ (Matthew 9:9), quickly set out to follow. Additionally, the Gospel mentions the throngs coming after Him, saying that great multitudes from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the regions beyond the Jordan followed Him (Mt. 4:25). As nations come rushing, many Gentiles will also flow to the mountain—the entire world that believes in Him—reaching out to one another with a call to ‘Come, let us ascend the mountain of the Lord.’ It is essential to ascend to arrive at Christ and the house of the God of Jacob, that is, the church, the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim. 3:15). We have noted earlier that Jacob declares, ‘Jacob is my boy, I will receive him’ (Is. 2:3; Is. 41:8; Is. 42:1). They shall call those to whom they formerly said, ‘Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob,’ urging them to show us their way, which refers to the angels leading the churches or to the Holy Scriptures, guiding us in the path of the Lord, whom He declared, “I am the way” (John 14:6). We shall walk in His ways, as taught by the Apostles through whom we came to believe in Christ. Indeed, the spiritual law emerged from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, for the Father entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). He will enlighten many nations from afar (Ps. 93:10), as the Lord will confound the wise in their schemes and expose their futile thoughts. He will discern the nations deemed worthy of salvation from those unworthy, and upon His return, all conflicts will cease (Isaiah 2:4): swords will be transformed into plowshares, spears into sickles, and nations will no longer wage war against one another—no one will learn to battle since the need for fighting is eradicated. The nature of peace will ensure safety for all, not just in cities but also in villages and fields, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Initially—considering the literal interpretation—before the Ogrok, whose dominion rests upon him, the world was filled with violence, and nations fought vigorously against one another, kings against kings, and tribes against tribes. Ultimately, even the Roman Empire faced internal strife: the conflicts of Cinna, Octavius, and Catiline, Marius and Sulla, Antony and Catiline, Caesar and Pompey, Augustus and Brutus, as Augustus contended against Antony, leading to bloodshed across all kingdoms. By the time of Christ's arrival, the Roman Empire had become the unified realm, accessible to the apostles, with city gates open for the proclamation of the one true God. The aforementioned words, ‘They shall turn their swords into ploughs and their spears into sickles’ (Joel 3:10) can also have a deeper interpretation: with the advent of faith in Christ, anger and swearing were set aside, leading individuals to labor diligently without fear of looking back, aiming to reap spiritual harvests by discarding quarrels and swearing. Therefore, while others work, let us join in their labor (Jn. 4:38), so that it may be said of us, ‘They went forth in joy, bearing their sheaves’ (Ps. 125:6). At this point, no one will battle another, as we read: ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ (Matt. 5:9). No one will seek to overthrow those who listen, instead, everyone will maintain silence and cease from speaking due to the evil times; yet each one will rest in the vineyard to harvest the wine that delights the heart of man (Psalm 103:15), under the vine planted by the Father (John 15:1), and beneath the fig tree, gathering the sweet fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, and the like. All these events will undoubtedly come to fruition—each interpretation holds true—because the words of the Lord are reliable, and His words manifest in action. All nations will walk in their own paths; but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. While all nations tread their misled paths, we have illuminated the way and extended the invitation: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob’ (Isaiah 2:3), and we shall walk in the name of Christ our Lord, for He is the divine mountain. In that day, when the sun of righteousness will shine, the distressed will be gathered, and the exiled will return; even those in despair will be assimilated into the remnant, and the forsaken shall form a strong nation, for ‘If the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and similar to Gomorrah’ (Rom. 9:29). The Hebrew text clearly states, ‘I will gather the lame and the one who walked in evil’ to whom Elijah the prophet warns, ‘Until you become lame’ (3 Kings 18:21), and whose afflicted foot was severed (Mark 9:45). I will gather those whom I have cast away, given a certificate of divorce, afflicted with various sufferings, or turned over to the devil and his angels. But let the attentive reader reflect, ‘How can you state that the lame are gathered and the outcast joined when Judah remains in disbelief?’ He should recognize that this refers to the original Church of Christ, expressing faith among Jews, of whom the Apostles were part, and from whom Luke recounts in the Acts of the Apostles that three thousand believed on one day, and another five thousand at another time (Acts 2:11, Acts 4:4). James mentioned to Paul, ‘Brother Paul, you see how many thousands of believing Jews there are, all zealous for the law’ (Acts 21:20). Moreover, the prophet’s phrase is noteworthy; he does not say, ‘I will save the lame entirely,’ but rather, ‘I will save the lame among the remnant,’ ensuring that both the remnant and the chosen may receive salvation. Those who have endured suffering will become part of a strong nation, namely a nation identified as Christian, which cannot be overcome by sword, fire, or dreadful torment. The faith and endurance of the martyrs affirm the strength of this collective. The Lord will reign over this multitude, encompassing many nations, including the humble remnant of Israel on Mount Zion, signifying the Church, high in virtue contemplation from this time into the age eternal. If one interprets the phrase ‘I will gather that which is broken, and receive that which has been rejected,’ as applicable to the human soul, reflecting on its service to numerous passions and vices prior to Christ's coming—as a weak and lost sheep torn by wolves—such an understanding is not erroneous. The broken and downtrodden soul will find its place under the Lord’s dominion, living in Zion, and restored to its rightful stature upon the bosom of the Good Shepherd (Luke 15:5). It is important to distinguish that the Jews and their misguided followers misinterpret these passages, as well as similar ones in Isaiah, referring both to the millennial reign of Christ and the saints. The phrase stating ‘All nations shall walk every one in the name of the Lord their God’ is misconstrued to suggest every nation shall suffer for its idol and endure eternal punishment. The folly of such an interpretation is revealed by the surrounding context, clarifying that the intention speaks to Christ's first coming, during which the remnant of the lame will be gathered, and Gentiles shall be saved even beforehand. This is further illustrated by the prophetic words of Isaiah, stating, ‘The word that came to Isaiah the son of Amos concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In the last days, the mountain of the Lord and the house of the Lord shall be established on the highest peaks, exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, saying, ‘Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of our God, and He will teach us His ways, and we will follow His path; for out of Zion will emerge the law, and from Jerusalem the word of the Lord; and He shall judge among many nations and reprove numerous peoples, turning swords into ploughshares, and spears into sickles; and they will not lift swords against one another, nor will they learn war anymore’ (Is. 2:1-5). It is noteworthy that in this scripture, it asserts that the word of God concerning Jerusalem will judge many nations, but will only rebuke the people of Judah. Indeed, He will pass judgment upon us as sinners based on our deeds, yet He will not condemn them as wicked and rejected, but will only admonish them as the accursed.

One can observe the houses of worship, prominently situated in cities, towns, villages, and even in the most secluded areas, characterized by their magnificence and beauty, making them more prominent and noticeable than the tallest mountains. If one were to compare the stakes against the hills and peaks, the former could represent the ancient temples of vanquished idols, for it is evident that the prophetic declaration aligns with the truth; these pagan temples have been demolished and utterly destroyed, while God’s sanctuaries, countless and splendid, shine like the stars in the heavens. Nonetheless, some of the Jewish interpreters fail to grasp this, believing instead that it indicates a mere foreshadowing of their return from Babylon. This limited perspective is perplexing, as it reflects their other misconceptions and this flawed notion of prophecy.

It is, in my view, utterly unacceptable that certain pious teachers have incorporated this interpretation into their writings. After all, which nations, whether close by or far away, gathered at the Jewish temple upon their return from Babylon, wholeheartedly embracing their law and cherishing the teachings that emerged from there? Among what peoples did this truth confront them, correcting their immoral actions? The subsequent words of the Prophet further unveil the inaccuracies of this interpretation. For after the return from Babylon—according to those who correctly interpret this return—Gog and Magog, along with many other nations, rose against the Jews. Their neighbors, including the Idumeans, Ammonites, and Moabites, as well as the Philistines and Samaritans, continuously waged war against them, and shortly thereafter, the troubles experienced by the Macedonians, detailed in the Maccabees, befell them. Yet, the prophetic word here assures the promise of lasting peace.

We, who once fought against one another, now not only bear no animosity toward our adversaries but, in order to be truthful and not deceive those who challenge us, willingly profess Christ even unto death. We could invoke the saying, “the tongue swore, but the mind did not swear.” However, that would be absurd—especially when soldiers, who take oaths to serve you, cling to their promises, prioritizing them above their lives, families, and homeland, even though you cannot offer them an everlasting reward. If we desire immortality, we ought to endure everything to attain what we seek from Him who can provide it.