I came across this in my Bible reading today:
For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place,
and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place. – Micah 1:3-4
This is a word of judgment from the Lord coming through the prophet Micah. This is one of the main roles of the prophets – to pronounce God’s judgment on sinful practices and heart attitudes. That’s not an easy job – and the prophets were sometimes killed for the bad news – it brings to mind the phrase, “don’t kill the messenger.” But the Israelites would do that very thing. No one likes bad news. But look at the power of the Lord here in connection to his demand for absolute allegiance and behaviors that reflect his character.
He will come down and the earth itself will do his will. The prophets could bring these words with excellent poetry, that the mountains will melt like wax before a fire. So it is with God’s power over all of his creation – of all nature but also over all human beings. It’s the responsibility of every human to bow down to the Lord our God. There is no exception for people who may think differently or want autonomy – it is not possible. All were made to praise him and to obey him. And if you don’t do that – look at what he can do. But this same God is full of mercy, he’s slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. So in repentance and trust in the Lord, the Lord forgives, embraces, redeems, and welcomes into eternity.