Micah 4:9-13 Now why `dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counselor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

Does God put more on us than we can bear? Many people say that, no, He doesn’t. The text they usually quote is:

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

It’s true that God says “God is faithful, Who will not {allow} you to be tempted above that which you are able”. This text is specifically addressing TEMPTATION to sin. God will not allow temptation to come to you greater than you can bear. When you read the context around 1 Corinthians 10:13 it becomes clearer. God speaks of Israel who fell in the wilderness. Israel “lust(ed) after evil things”. Had they looked to Jesus, they would not have fallen in the wilderness. Instead, Israel looked to her own resources, and “became examples for us, that we not lust after evil things as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).

Does God allow more to come our way than we can bear? Yes. God’s Son cried out on Calvary, “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). In His humanity, the Cross was more than He could, at that moment, bear.

Yes, He sometimes does do this. God doesn’t do this because He enjoys it, but because He wants us to take our burdens to Him.

Trials force us to acknowledge we desperately need our God. Trials force our prodigal hearts to return to the Lord that loves us.

God allowed more stress to fall on to the Apostles than they could bear. The Apostle Paul wrote:

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (ESV) For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

When God puts more stress on us than we can bear, it is to make us look to Him Who can save us. Israel had disobeyed God for some 490 years, so God was going to punish His child. God has told Israel that she would be conquered, and exiled into another strange land. When Israel heard this, the nation mourned.

God Questions Us When We Question Him

Micah 4:9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud?
is thy Counselor perished?
for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.

God asks His people a series of questions. Jesus often did this when He walked this earth. Israel is crying out like a woman in labor. God asks Israel,

• First, “why are you crying out aloud? Is there no King in thee?” Has God the King of Israel abandoned His people? Has someone come along and stolen Yahweh? “Is there no King in thee?”. God is the King of His people. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 47:6-7 (ESV) Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

No matter what comes our way, God is still the King. He is “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). The God Who is King of His people is faithful. Our God is ever faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13). In the midst of our trials, our God is still King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God tells Israel:

Micah 4:10 … for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

Jerusalem will fall. The people will have to leave the city, and go into exile into Babylon. This is bad news. But still, God knows all about it. God is still in control. Israel will go exactly where God sends them. Israel will stay in captivity exactly as long as God requires. But our God is still King of all. The Scripture says:

Proverbs 21:1 (ESV) The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; {God} turns it wherever he will.

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV) The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

The Moody Bible Institute resource, Today in the Word, notes of this section in Micah:

“God is imminently concerned that His people know and love Him, and He will go to great lengths to bring them into right relationship with Him.”

Illustrate: In 1 Samuel 30, David had one of the worst days of his life. He and his men rode to Ziklag, only to find that it had been destroyed by the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 30:3-4 (ESV) … when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.

They were in a utterly hopeless situation. They “wept until they had no more strength to weep”. When something this catastrophic happens people look around for someone to blame. Some blame God, but find little satisfaction in that, for God cannot be hurt by us feeble humans. But most find someone nearby to blame. The Amalekites are not accessible and, after all, we cannot hurt them.

Let’s blame David. That’s what the people did. The Bible says:

1 Samuel 30:6 (ESV) … David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul

What can David do to fix this situation? Did he mount a political campaign and try to win the people over to his side? Did David go about mollifying the upset people? No, but David did the best thing anyone of us can do.

“David strengthened himself in the Lord his God”.

David turned his eyes upon Jesus. He sought God, when that which was on him was more than he could bear. He asked God:

1 Samuel 30:8 (ESV) “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” {God} answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”

When David received his answer from God, he immediately demanded that his people move to follow God.

1 Samuel 30:9-10 (ESV) David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

David did not focus on placating the stragglers. Those who could not go on, did not go on. David continued moving with those who were focused on serving God, and left the rest behind. Were their “feelings hurt”? Probably. But David focused on doing God’s will until it was done, and pursued the enemy until “God’s will was done, on earth, as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

• The Second question God asks us: “is thy Counselor perished?” God is our Counselor, the Hebrew יָעַץ yâʻats, {pronounced yaw-ats}, which means “the one you consult for advise or counsel. The one who helps you plan.” The Prophet Isaiah said of God our Savior:

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Our God is a Wonderful Counselor. A devotional I often read is called Our Daily Bread . This quote comes from it:

“Long before the Child was born and the Son was given, Isaiah foretold that God was planning to send a Counselor for the brokenhearted people of the world. What is the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor? We see it fleshed out in a Person. We read of, reflect on, and appeal for help from the One “who became for us wisdom from God” (1 COR. 1:30). When we take all that we know about Christ, it adds up to a marvelous truth— He is the God who is a “Wonder of a Counselor.”

If we would be “instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12, προσκαρτερέω proskarteréō, [pros-kar-ter-eh’-o]), we would first seek out our God when trials come our way. Daniel often did this. Daniel survived first Babylonian Captivity, and excelled because he trusted in the Lord.

In Daniel chapter 6, the Prophet is still in exile, but now under a Medo-Persian King. Daniel is walking with God, and many enemies have gathered against him. Jesus told us that “the world will hate you, for it hated Me” (John 15:18). This is always true. King Darius appointed 120 princes to rule the Kingdom of Medo-Persia, and 3 Presidents to rule the 120 princes. Daniel was one of the Presidents!

This irritated the whole group! All of the people in power were Persians, but Daniel was a Jew, and up until recently a prisoner of war. How dare the King give Daniel the same blessing he gave to true citizens of the realm! So they began to plot against Daniel.

“King, make it a rule that no one can pray to or petition any god or man but YOU for thirty days. Whoever disobeys, throw them in the lion’s den!”

King Darius thought this was a great idea. He signed the decree (Daniel 6:9) into law. What did Daniel do?

Did he go to King Darius and request he change the rule?
Did he plead an exemption for the Jewish exiles?
Did Daniel keep praying, but hide himself?

No to all three. The Bible says:

Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

You know the story. Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den, and nothing happens to him. Daniel’s explanation is simple.

Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Beloved, the Bible says “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Our battle is with Satan and his forces of evil. The best way to handle the evil one is to remember to consult with God. To pray. To keep our eyes on Jesus. God tells Israel:

Micah 4:13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth

Our God reigns! Keep doing what God tells you to do, and trust in the Lord. He will see you through the valley. Gary Miller (2021) wrote this wonderful poem called “The Master Plan”. Let’s end with this.

Life is like a game of chess,
Yet different, you will see.
Pieces moved at the behest
Of God are you and me.

Unlike the chess pieces that we play,
Whose pieces aren’t alive:
They have no will; don’t push their way,
Nor for advantage strive.

We are alive, we are aware,
We struggle to submit.
“Not here”, we cry, “but over there
would be the better fit”.

At times we may not understand
Why He has placed us here,
For we can’t see the Master plan,
Our vision’s not that clear.

We must allow our Lord to move,
And trust the choice He makes.
For He sees all things from above,
And there are no mistakes.

May God draw us all closer to Him every day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and Amen!