Why do the righteous suffer?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  These are some of the most challenging and
gut-wrenching questions we can struggle through.  Guess what? 
We are not the first to wonder these things. 
In the days of the prophet Micah, he knew what was going to happen: the
entire nation of Judah was about to be punished for their sins.  Doubtless, there were some faithful to the
Lord in this crowd who would also endure the punishment meted against the whole.  To them, the words of Micah 2:12-13 must have
come as a sweet ointment on sore skin.

 

Micah 2:12–13 (NIV)

12 “I will surely gather all
of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring
them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will
throng with people. 13 The One who breaks open the way will go up
before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass
through before them, the Lord at their head.”

 

In isolation, these verses
would be reduced to prophecies about the return from exile.  At the time the Jewish people were facing
defeat, the message to the end of their captivity would have offered a great
deal of hope.  Micah’s concern, however,
is much larger than a return from imprisonment. 
Instead, Scriptures point to the ultimate restoration: when God sends
down His Son to set the captives free (Luke 4:18).   

 

Jesus was “The Breaker” of
Micah 2:13.  He opened the way.  Our Lord is the King delivering the redeemed
from captivity to sin into the freedom of His pasture.  It is intriguing to notice: “The Breaker” is
one of us.  This is why He was able to “go
up before them”.  Jesus, the Word of God made flesh (cf. John
1:1-18), was fully God and robed Himself in our frail form to lead us out of
the captivity.  When we were groping in
the dark unable to find our way, Jesus came to illuminate the darkness
revealing the way out of our sin.   

 

Isn’t this a wonderful
reminder from our Lord through the prophet of Micah?  Just when it seems so dark and judgment is
hanging over our heads, we are reminded: there is hope.  We live in a world where the innocent—even
the redeemed of the Lord—suffer for the sinfulness of the rest of
humanity.  What we experience today,
however, is not the end of history. 
Micah would remind us today, “Their King will pass through before
them, the Lord at their head.”

 

The song written at the
turn of the last century still encourages us today…

 

Verse 1

Why should I feel discouraged

Why should the shadows come

Why should my heart be lonely

And long for heaven and home

When Jesus is my portion

My constant friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

 

Verse 2

Let not your heart be troubled

His tender words I hear

And resting on His goodness

I lose my doubt and fear

Though by the path He leadeth

But one step I may see

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

 

Chorus

I sing because I’m happy

I sing because I’m free

For His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

“His Eye is On the Sparrow”

Public Domain

Charles Hutchinson Gabriel
| Civilla Durfee Martin