What Does Micah 7:13 Mean?

The observation that the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein for the fruit of their doings frames the predominant peak of the sanctuary's vertical justice. By describing the horizontal consequence of the vertical rebellion of the inhabitants, the ritual highlights the transparency of the divine provision that monitors the horizontal responsiveness of the heart. This orderly movement reflects the character of a God who values a devotion that is structured and completely yielded. The worshiper understands that the "desolation" is a means of divine healing through conviction. She recognizes that the "fruit of the doings" is a sign of a soul coming into right relationship through the awareness of its debt.

The weight of this ecological and social ruin establishes the reality of the depth of the divine design that provides a window for the creature to participate in the sanctuary's holiness. The "desolate land" is evidence of the frustration that God uses to strip away the weaponry of our own autonomous explanations of stability through material prosperity. This ritual strips away the self-sufficiency of human industry, proving that our strength is found in the receiving of His character rather than in our striving for autonomously defined power through the exploitation of the sacred resources. We find that the history is a witness to the fact that we were created for a Wholeness that the temporary activities of the earth often assault. The shared covenant is a witness to the Lord.

Jesus Christ is the one who "bore the desolation of the curse" to provide the ultimate foundation for our own eternal life and who has brought the closeness of the Father to our own horizontal fragmentation (Galatians 3:13). He became the High Priest in whom the "ruin of the earth" is perfectly answered by the gift of His own merit to secure our eternal peace, fulfilling the sacrificial depth of the law through His own perfect presence. The Savior provided the substantial reality of a transformation where the believer is "made a new creature." Through His work, our arrival in the presence of God is no longer source of fearful pride but a participation in His own victory. We find our restoration in the Son.