Micah 1:11-12 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing. For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.

The truth is that, wherever we happen to live, God abides among us, and we ought render him honour and homage for our life, for the nourishment he provides, as well as for the place where we live. For the earth is God’s. But we are such miserable sinners that, instead of honouring God as we should, we dishonour God. Consequently, since we are unworthy of his benefits, God has to strip us of any previous good he granted us. That is what Micah is saying here: “Since you have not glorified God in accordance with the benefits that God has lavished upon you, of necessity he must take them away and leave you naked.”

Now  our Lord knows quite well how to keep his own unsettled, in order to teach them that in this world they will never find eternal rest, nor must they suppose that in this life they will discover their perfect peace. But Micah is speaking here of those whom God had uprooted from their intended homeland, because of their malice and rebellion. In that case, we too can learn his purpose is to who us that all those who decline to abide in God, but prefer to revel in their own affections and evil desires, deserve the torments that befall them.

Thus, inasmuch as God has revealed his will to us, we ought to stop haggling about this or that, as we are accustomed to do, because our nature is prone to err. The same holds true of unbelievers, whose unbelief prevents them from finding their rest in God. For they are constantly buffeted about, first here, then there, always going astray. But, on the contrary, our Lord says: “Here is your rest!” For he has given us his Word that we might place our assurance in him. Thus, if we fail to find our rest in him, we will be haunted forever by continual restlessness. Then, after being tossed to and fro for however long a time, when God finally has to act to bring us back, it comes  about only with a great struggle, since we will not submit willingly to him. This is why Micah speaks this way to the inhabitants of Shaphir.

----Sermon 4 on Micah.