“But they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have afflicted. The lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion now and forevermore.” Micah 4:4-7
During my youth, we spent our summer vacations in the Sevkar [Blackstone] village. During the evening hours, when we would walk the streets of our village, we observed how people would sit under the grapevines in their yards and enjoy a glass of wine with the cool breeze and intimate conversations. Here in this passage of Micah, we can see a similar image — a glimpse into a blessed life in God’s kingdom.
Some believe that through striving, cleverness, or force they can establish peace in this world. However, humankind cannot establish perfect peace simply through determination or coercion. The peace for which we all long for so desperately can be achieved only by God, when His begotten Son, Jesus Christ, returns to earth for the second time to establish God’s kingdom. Only in that time, as Isaiah prophesied, “He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)
Henceforth, we place our hope in Jesus Christ, not only for our salvation but also for the establishment of world peace. And even if the mass of humanity chooses to walk in a different path, still we choose to walk forward in the name of our God, now and forever. Amen.
