In April Make Mine Micah
Micah 1-King James Version
COMING JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL AND JUDAH
“The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which He saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple. For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under Him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. 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. O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.”
“Micah the Morasthite.” The city of Moresheth, also called Moresheth Gath was about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem on the border lands between Judah and the Philistines. This means that the prophet Micah was like the prophet Amos, a man from the country sent to the city to bring “the word of the Lord.”
We really don't know anything about Micah's background or call, but we do know that he had a strong sense of his own calling as a prophet, as he says later in The Book of Micah:
“But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.”
-Micah 3:8 (KJV)
“In the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.” This means that Micah ministered as a prophet some time between the years 739 B.C. (the start of the reign of Jotham) and 686 B.C. (the end of the reign of Hezekiah). Since Hezekiah was a noted reformer, we can surmise that the sin Micah confronted mainly concerns the time before the important reforms of Hezekiah as is well detailed in The Second Book of Kings.
“Concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.” The city of Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah. Micah looks to both the northern and southern kingdoms in his prophecy.
In Judah during this time, King Ahaz was a particularly evil ruler. In Israel, there were a succession of evil kings.
“The Lord cometh forth out of His place.” With vivid images, Micah sees the Lord descending from heaven to earth, and coming with judgment. If the mountains and valleys cannot stand before Him, what hope does sinful, rebellious man have?
“For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel.” This dramatic, powerful descent of the LORD is only because of the sins of His people.
It is easy to imagine that the people of Judah and Israel thought this was unfair. They looked around at the pagan nations surrounding them and saw that they were even more corrupt than themselves. Nevertheless, this principle stands:
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
-1 Peter 4:17 (KJV)
“I will make Samaria as an heap of the field.” Micah prophesies the coming judgment on Samaria, the capital city of Israel. This was fulfilled in 722 B.C. when Samaria fell to the Assyrians and was completely destroyed.
“The hires thereof shall be burned with the fire.” Micah combines the ideas of idolatry and spiritual adultery. Money spent on idols and their worship will be brought to nothing when the mighty army of the Assyrians destroys Samaria.
"Golden images, of such monetary value yet so spiritually and politically worthless, were constructed from the wages of cult prostitutes. The conquerors will break them up and use the money to repeat the same cycle. Only the heart of depraved man could worship gods like that!"
-W. Waltke
“I will wail and howl.” Micah can't prophesy in a dispassionate, detached way. When he sees judgment coming upon his people, it makes him “wail and howl” like the “dragons.”
Micah didn't just announce judgment and then yawn. He cared so deeply that he wept with God's people. The preacher's duty is more than to just announce judgment and to walk away. He has to care.
"Many who have rejected a Christian's logic have been won by his tears."
-C. Boice
“For her wound is incurable.” Our only incurable wounds are the ones we refuse to bring to God. With Him, all things are possible, but when we refuse to bring our sin to Him, then our wounds are incurable.
“Declare ye it not at Gath.” The city of Gath belonged to the Philistines, and it hurts Micah to think that the Philistines will rejoice at the pain of God's people.
“In the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.” Following to the end of the chapter, Micah uses puns and plays on words to talk about the judgment coming upon the cities of Judah. These towns are clustered in the Shephelah - the lowlands between the coastal region and the mountains of Judah.
Though Micah uses puns, this isn't about clever word games - it goes back to the ancient idea that a name isn't just your "handle" but describes - sometimes prophetically - your character and your destiny. In showing how the name of these cities is in some way a prophecy of their destiny, Micah shows how our character becomes our future.
“Beth Aphrah.” To Micah, Aphrah sounds like the Hebrew word for dust, so he told the citizens of Beth Aphrah to roll in the dust in anticipation of coming judgment.
“”Shaphir: The name of this town sounds like the word for beautiful. It won't be beautiful for long, and Micah warns the citizens of Shaphir to prepare for judgment.
“Zaanan:” The name of this town sounds like the Hebrew word for exit or go out. When the siege armies come, they won't exit at all - they will be shut up in the city until it falls.
“Beth Ezel.” The name of this town means the nearby city. When the army of judgment comes, it won't be near and helpful to any other city.
“Maroth.” The name of this town means bitterness, and when the army of judgment comes the citizens of Maroth will know plenty of bitterness.
“Lachish.” The name of this town sounds like the Hebrew word for to the horses. Lachish was an important fortress city, and they should go to the horses to fight, but ironically they will go to the horses to flee the army of judgment.
“Moresheth.” The name of this - Micah's hometown - sounds like the Hebrew word for betrothed. Here he speaks of giving the city wedding gifts as she passes from the rule of one "husband" (Judah) to another (the invading army).
“Aczib.” The name of this town sounds like the Hebrew word for deceitful or disappointing. This city will fall so quickly it will be a deception and a disappointment for Israel.
“Mareshah.” The name of this town is related to the Hebrew word for possessor or heir. The invading army will soon possess this city.
“Adullam.” The was the place of refuge for David when he fled from King Saul. It will again be a place of refuge for the high and mighty among Israel, when they are forced to hide out in Adullam.
-God bless!
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Micah 2- King James Version (KJV)
GOD'S SINFUL PEOPLE
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil. In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields. Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord. Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war. The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people. I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.”
-Micah 2 (KJV)
“Woe to them that devise iniquity.” All sin is bad before God, but premeditated sin is worse. Here Micah speaks plainly to those who “devise iniquity,” in this case, those who oppress others through their greed and covetousness.
“When the morning is light is ironic.” Typically thieves practice their work at night, under the cover of darkness. In the ancient world, law courts opened for business at morning light because the rising sun demonstrated light dispelling darkness. Micah sees the corruption of Israel's law courts and shows that they practice their theft and evil, when the morning is light,” when the courts open.
“Because it is in the power of their hand.” There are some sins we never commit because we are never put in a place where we can commit them. The real test comes when “it is in the power” of our hand to sin and we keep faithful to the Lord.
“Against this family do I devise an evil.” The people devised iniquity; God devised disaster upon them. In His justice, He gave them what they gave others.
“Neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.” Micah rebukes the pride among God's people and announces that in the evil time to come, the time of judgment coming on God's people, they will be brought low and will no longer “walk haughtily.”
“Turning away he hath divided our fields.” In the coming judgment - in particular, the judgment coming on Israel by the conquering Assyrian Empire - will leave their land in the possession of strangers.
“Prophesy ye not.” When God's prophets came to His people, they didn't receive it. They disregarded God's Word as mere prattle. As a result, God stopped sending prophets “(they shall not prophesy to them)”. Fortunately, God's people responded to Micah's warning before God stopped sending him, but it took a while.
Micah began his ministry in the reign of Jotham, but nobody listened. Then he prophesied during the reign of Ahaz, but nobody listened. Finally he prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah, and the leaders and the people repented. Micah didn't give up, even though results were slow in coming. Micah preached for anywhere between 16 and 25 years before there was any response.
“Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?” In their foolishness, the people of Israel thought that God was the problem. They needed to understand that there was no restriction on “the Spirit of the Lord;” instead they provided all the restriction.
"Do you not think, again, that we very much act as if the Spirit of the Lord were straitened when we only look for little blessings? I am very glad to see three hundred or four hundred persons in a year converted and added to this church, and this has long been the case; but if I ever imbibed the idea that this was all that might be done, I should be straitening the Spirit of God."
-C.S. Spurgeon
“Do not My words do good to him that walketh uprightly?” The key to their preservation in the midst of judgment was to stick tightly to God's words. When they reject God's words, they are left poor and destitute, both materially and spiritually.
“This is not your rest.” Micah exposes the lies of false prophets showing that they can never really give rest. The words of false prophets are defiled, and bring utter destruction instead of the peace, rest, and restoration of God's Word.
“If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie,” With judgment looming on the horizon, especially for the northern kingdom of Israel, there were false prophets who spoke of days of “wine and of strong drink,” giving false comfort and hope to a deceived people. These were the real "prattlers," not the true prophets of God, as they were falsely called by the ungodly in Micah's day. The only prophet they wanted was one to tell them there would be plenty of alcohol.
“I will surely assemble, O Jacob.” Though judgment was promised because of the great sin of God's people, they could not "out-sin" the grace and goodness of God. He still promises restoration to “the remnant of Israel.”
“They shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.” The remnant will not be few; there will be many people brought back to the Lord and His ways, “and the Lord on the head of them.”
“The Breaker.” We can see this as a more obscure, but no less precious messianic title of Jesus, “The Breaker.” In this office, he is the captain and leader of His people, advancing in front of His flock. How we need a Breaker, a trailblazer in our life!
-God bless!
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