John Calvin Commentary Micah 7:8

"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light unto me." — Micah 7:8 (ASV)

Here the Prophet assumes the character of the Church and repels a temptation, which proves very severe to us in adversities; for there is not so much bitterness in the evil itself as in the mockery of the wicked, when they petulantly insult us and deride our faith. And to noble minds, reproach is always sharper than death itself. Yet the devil almost always employs this artifice; for when he sees that we stand firm in temptations, he instigates the wicked and sharpens their tongues to speak evil of us and to wound us with slanders.

This is the reason why the Prophet directs his discourse now to the enemies of the Church. But as God calls the Church His spouse, and as she is described to us under the character of a woman, so also he compares here the enemies of the holy people to a petulant woman.

Therefore, just as when there is rivalry between two women, the one who sees her enemy oppressed by evils and adverse events immediately exalts herself and triumphs, so also the Prophet says concerning the enemies of the Church: they sharpened their tongues and vomited forth their bitterness as soon as they saw the children of God in trouble or nearly overwhelmed by adversities.

We now understand the Prophet's purpose, then: that he wished to arm us, as I have said, against the taunts of the ungodly, lest they prevail against us when God presses us down with adversities, but that we may stand courageously and, with composed and tranquil minds, swallow down the indignity.

Rejoice not over me, he says, O my enemy. Why not? He adds a consolation, for it would not be enough for one to repel with disdain the taunts of his enemy. Instead, the Prophet says here, Rejoice not, for if I fall, I shall rise; or, though I fall, I shall rise. And the passage seems to harmonize better when there is a pause after Rejoice not over me; and then to add, Though I fall, I shall rise; though I sit in darkness, Jehovah shall be a light to me. The Prophet means that the Church's situation was not hopeless.

There would be ample room for our enemies to taunt us, if it were not that this promise cannot fail us: seven times in the day the just falls, and rises again (Proverbs 24:16). How so? Because God puts His own hand under him. We now perceive the meaning of this passage.

For if God deprived us of all hope, enemies might justly deride us, and we would have to be silent. But since we are surely persuaded that God is ready to restore us again, we can boldly answer our enemies when they taunt us: “Though I fall, I shall rise. There is now no reason for you to triumph over me when I fall, for it is God’s will that I should fall, but it is for this purpose—that I may soon rise again. And though I now lie in darkness, yet the Lord will be my light.”

We therefore see that our hope triumphs against all temptations. And this passage shows in a striking manner how true is that saying of John—that our faith gains the victory over the world (1 John 5:4). For when sorrow and trouble take possession of our hearts, we shall not fail if this comes to our mind—that God will be our aid in the time of need. And when men vomit forth their poison against us, we should be equipped with the same weapons. Then our minds shall never succumb but boldly repel all the taunts of Satan and of wicked men. This we learn from this passage.

Now, from what the Prophet says, Though I fall, I shall rise again, we see what God would have us expect: even a happy and joyful deliverance at all times from our miseries. But on this subject, I will have to speak more fully a little further on. As to the latter clause, When I sit in darkness, God will be my light, it seems to be a confirmation of the preceding sentence, where the Prophet declares that the fall of the Church would not be fatal.

Yet some think that more is expressed: namely, that in the very darkness some spark of light would still shine. They then distinguish between this clause and the former one (which speaks of the fall and the rise of the faithful) in this manner: that while they lie, as it were, sunk in darkness, they shall not even then be without consolation, for God’s favor would always shine on them. And this seems to be a correct view, for no one can expect the deliverance of which the Prophet speaks unless he sees some light even in the thickest darkness and sustains himself by partaking, in some measure, of God’s goodness. A taste of God’s favor in distresses is aptly compared to light; as when one is cast into a deep pit, by raising his eyes upward, he sees the light of the sun at a distance. So also, the obscure and thick darkness of tribulations may not prevail so far as to shut out every spark of light from us and to prevent faith from raising our eyes upward, so that we may have some taste of God’s goodness. Let us proceed—