John Calvin Commentary Micah 7:10

"Then mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her who said unto me, Where is Jehovah thy God? Mine eyes shall see [my desire] upon her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets." — Micah 7:10 (ASV)

But I cannot finish the subject now.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since we are today surrounded by so many miseries, yes, wherever we turn our eyes, innumerable evils meet us everywhere, which are so many evidences of your displeasure — O grant, that being truly humbled before you, we may be enabled at the same time to raise our eyes to the promises of your free goodness and paternal favor, which you have made to us in your own Son, so that we may not doubt that you will be propitious to us, inasmuch as you have adopted us as your people. And while our enemies, fully armed, rage and ferociously rise even daily against us, may we not doubt that you will be our protection, as you know that we are unjustly troubled by them; and may we thus go on, trusting in your goodness, seeing that we always groan under the burden of our sins, and daily confess that we are worthy of a thousand deaths before you, were you not pleased in your infinite mercy always to receive and restore us to favor, through your Son our Lord. Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

In the last lecture I repeated the tenth verse of the last chapter, in which the prophet adds, as a cause of the greatest joy, that the enemies of the Church will see granted, to their great mortification, the wonderful favor of which the Prophet had been speaking. But he describes these enemies in the character of an envious woman, as the Church of God is also compared to a woman; and this way of speaking is common in Scripture. He then calls Jerusalem his rival, or Babylon, or some city of his enemies.

And he says, Covered shall she be with shame. We know that the ungodly grow insolent when fortune smiles on them; hence, in prosperity, they keep within no bounds, for they think that God is under their feet. If prosperity most commonly has the effect of making the godly to forget God and even themselves, it is no wonder that the unbelieving become more and more hardened when God is indulgent to them. With regard then to such pride, the Prophet now says, When my enemy shall see, shame shall cover her; that is, she will not continue in her usual manner to elate herself with her own boastings; rather, she will be compelled out of shame to hide herself, for she will see that she had been greatly deceived in thinking that I would be wholly ruined.

He afterwards adds, Who said to me, Where is Jehovah your God? The Church of God, in her turn, triumphs here over the unbelieving, having been delivered by divine power; nor does she do this for her own sake, but because the ungodly expose the holy name of God to reproach, which is very common; for whenever God afflicts his people, the unbelieving immediately raise their crests and pour forth their blasphemies against God, when, in fact, they ought, on the contrary, to humble themselves under his hand.

But since God executes his judgments on the faithful, what can be expected by his ungodly despisers? If God’s vengeance be manifested in a dreadful manner with regard to the green tree, what will become of the dry wood? And the ungodly are like the dry wood. But as they are blind to God’s judgments, they petulantly deride his name whenever they see the Church afflicted, as though adversities were not the evidences of his displeasure, for he chastises his own children to show that he is the judge of the world. But, as I have already said, the ungodly so harden themselves in their stupor that they are wholly thoughtless.

The faithful, therefore, after having found God to be their deliverer, undertake his cause here; they do not regard themselves or their own character, but defend the righteousness of God. Such is this triumphant language: Who said, Where is now Jehovah your God? “I can really show that I worship the true God, who does not desert his people in extreme necessity. After he has assisted me, my enemy, who dared to rise up against God, now seeks hiding-places.”

She shall now, he says, be trodden under foot as the mire of the streets; and my eyes shall see her. What the Prophet declares in the name of the Church—that the unbelieving will be like mire—is connected with the promise we already noticed; for God so appears as the deliverer of his Church as not to leave its enemies unpunished.

God then, while he aids his own people, leads the ungodly to punishment. Hence the Church, while embracing the deliverance offered to her, at the same time sees the near ruin, which impends on all the despisers of God. But what is stated, See shall my eyes, ought not to be so taken as though the faithful exult with carnal joy when they see the ungodly suffering the punishment they have deserved; for the word to see is to be taken metaphorically, as signifying a pleasant and joyful sight, according to what it means in many other places; and since it is a phrase that often occurs, its meaning must be well known.

See then shall my eyes, that is, “I will enjoy looking on that calamity, which now impends over all the ungodly.” But, as I have already said, carnal joy is not what is intended here—the kind that exults intemperately—but rather that pure joy which the faithful experience on seeing the grace of God displayed and also his judgment. But this joy cannot enter our hearts until they are cleansed from unruly passions; for we are always excessive in fear and sorrow, as well as in hope and joy, unless the Lord holds us in, as it were, with a bridle. We will therefore only then be capable of this spiritual joy, of which the Prophet speaks, when we put off all disordered feelings, and God subdues us by his Spirit; only then will we be able to retain moderation in our joy. The Prophet proceeds—