How will God establish peace on earth? It begins with God judging. Here are three more things Micah tells us:

God will gather. “I will assemble the lame” (4:6). These people have been injured by others’ cruelty. They have difficulty getting where they want to go. Imagine the Lord saying this to you. He will not allow your wounds to keep you from the blessing He wants you to enjoy. He is gathering His community: “Come to me, all you weary and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28).

God will rule. “The LORD will reign over them” (Mic. 4:7). The same Jesus who says, “I will give you rest,” also says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me” (Mat. 11:29). Those He gathers, He also rules. To rule means to give direction. And “many nations shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths’” (Mic. 4:2). Here is a community of people who say, “Without you, Lord, we would make a mess of our lives.”

God will redeem. “The LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies” (4:10). “Redeeming” is buying back what would otherwise be lost. You will see God’s strong arm revealed as He breaks the dark powers around you and in you.

God will fulfil His promise by judging, gathering, ruling, and redeeming. These are the things Christ does for all who will come to Him, and that is why you can have hope.

Is this something that you would want to be a part of?