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Micah 1-4
The Way
to World Peace
Psalm 111:1-10 Words and Works of Wisdom
1.“Praise Yah! I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation.2.Yahweh’s works are great, pondered by all those who delight in them.3.His work is honor and majesty. His righteousness endures forever.4.He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered. Yahweh is gracious and merciful.5.He has given food to those who fear him. He always remembers his covenant.6.He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.7.The works of his hands are truth and justice. All his precepts are sure.8.They are established forever and ever. They are done in truth and uprightness.9.He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. His name is holy and awesome!10.The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!"
Observations
111:1-5.Each phrase (two per verse) begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, making this “Hallelujah” (praise Yah!) psalm easier to remember. The psalmist praises God for His gracious works towards His people (those who fear Him), in fulfillment of His covenantal promises (hesed). Those who experience His blessings both praise Him, and ponder His works, to gain insight into His character.
111:6-9.
Not only God's works are praiseworthy, but so are His words.
111:10.
This last verse has three phrases for emphasis. Those who don't fear God, haven't even taken the first baby steps on the road to wisdom, and thus remain fools (choosing the wrong objectives for their lives, and the wrong means of living). Those who are wise (chose the right objectives and the right means of attaining them) wind up doing God's will and gain a good understanding of how God and our world work.
Application
Contemplate God's works to understand His character, and then choose the life objectives that will please Him.
Prayer
God, You are gracious and great, and do great things for Your people. May I be aware of all Your workings in my life, and praise You so others can appreciate You. Amen.
Proverbs 25:11-12 Wise Words and Ears
11.“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.12.As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient/listening ear.“Observation
25:11-12.Words can be ugly or beautiful. Words that are appropriate to the occasion, be it instruction, encouragement, reproof, praise, or the sounds of silence, are a delight. The wrong words, or the right words spoken at the wrong time, can be a disaster. When one combines wise words, even those that reprove or bring to light sin, with a receptive listener who really wants to know God's wisdom for their life, it is a thing of beauty.
Application
Understand the situation, so you can know what's appropriate, or don't say anything.
Prayer
God, please set a filter on my heart and on my mouth, so I only say what You want me to say; and help me have ears that seek out Your words and reproof. Thanks. Amen.
Micah 1-4 The Way to World Peace
A contemporary of Isaiah (cf. Isa 1:1), Amos, and Hosea, Micah prophesied to both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, from ~750-686 BC. Israel was taken into captivity in 722 BC by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, who invaded Judah in 701 BC (capturing 42 towns and 200,000 Judeans). 2Kings 18-19 give some background and God's payback. Micah cites the idolatry of the nation and focused on the injustice of the powerful toward others, both of which violated their covenantal obligations and led to their cursings. He lambasts the civil and religious leaders for failing in their function. But Micah isn't all doom and gloom. He gives the famous Messianic prophecy about Bethlehem (next post), 23 characteristics of the Millennial Kingdom in chapter 4 alone, and more in the latter chapters, when God will regather and rule over His people. The book tells both ancient and modern readers what God requires for His people to enjoy life as He intended:Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, to love hesed, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 1 Destruction for Idolatry
1.The word of Yahweh that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.2.Hear, you peoples, all of you. Listen, O earth, and all that is therein: and let the Lord Yahweh be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.3.For, behold, Yahweh comes forth out of his place, and will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.4.The mountains melt under him, and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like waters that are poured down a steep place.5."All this is for the disobedience of Jacob, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the disobedience of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Aren’t they Jerusalem?6.Therefore I will make Samaria like a rubble heap of the field, like places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down its stones into the valley, and I will uncover its foundations.7.All her idols will be beaten to pieces, and all her temple gifts will be burned with fire, and all her images I will destroy; for of the hire of a prostitute has she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute shall they return."8.For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will howl like the jackals, and moan like the daughters of owls.9.For her wounds are incurable; for it has come even to Judah. It reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.10.Don’t tell it in Gath. Don’t weep at all. At Beth Ophrah I have rolled myself in the dust...16.Shave your heads, and cut off your hair for the children of your delight. Enlarge your baldness like the vulture; for they have gone into captivity from you!Observations
1:1-7.Micah places his prophecy in the reigns mentioned in verse one, and indicates that it is for both the northern kingdom of Israel headquartered in Samaria, and the southern kingdom of Judah headquartered in Jerusalem. He sees God coming to tread down the high places (where sensuous pagan worship occurred). The disobedience of Jacob is the center of golden calf worship in Samaria. High places abounded around Jerusalem, home of the temple of the true God, who could come and destroy idols and idolaters.
1:8-16.
Micah mourns and laments for the inevitable coming judgment, and tells the inhabitants to do the same. Just like David didn't want the Philistines in Gath to gloat over Saul's and Jonathan's deaths (2Sam 1:20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.), Micah didn't want the enemies of the Lord to rejoice over Israel's destruction.
There are a lot of Hebrew word plays on the the theme of judgment and the names of the cities he mentions in the verses edited out, e.g. Beth Ophrah means “House of Dust.” You can look them up in a lexicon and decipher them, but it wouldn't make any difference in how you lived your life this week.
Application
Those who forsake God's word for pagan pleasures will be forsaken by God.
Prayer
Mighty God, You build up and tear down; You warn and justly judge; may I be receptive to Your warnings so that I can avoid Your judgment, and experience Your building up instead. Thanks. Amen.
Micah 2 Retribution and Restoration
1.Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil on their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.2.They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.3.Therefore thus says Yahweh: "Behold, I am planning against these people a disaster, from which you will not remove your necks, neither will you walk haughtily; for it is an evil time.4.In that day they will take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, saying, ‘We are utterly ruined! My people’s possession is divided up. Indeed he takes it from me and assigns our fields to traitors!’"5.Therefore you will have no one who divides the land by lot in the assembly of Yahweh.6."Don’t prophesy!" They prophesy. "Don’t prophesy about these things. Disgrace won’t overtake us."7.Shall it be said, O house of Jacob: "Is the Spirit of Yahweh angry? Are these his doings? Don’t my words do good to him who walks blamelessly?"8.But lately my people have risen up as an enemy. You strip the robe and clothing from those who pass by without a care, returning from battle.9.You drive the women of my people out from their pleasant houses; from their young children you take away my blessing forever.10.Arise, and depart! For this is not your resting place, because of uncleanness that destroys, even with a grievous destruction.11.If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies: "I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink"; he would be the prophet of this people.12.I will surely assemble, Jacob, all of you; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as a flock in the midst of their pasture; they will swarm with people.13.He who breaks open the way goes up before them. They break through the gate, and go out. And their king passes on before them, with Yahweh at their head.Observations
2:1-5. The evil do what they want because they can, there is no thought of God's purposes and loving their neighbor. Because the oppressors plan evil against those who are weaker than they are, God is planning evil against them for their greed and injustice. Their land and heritage, originally given by lot to His people, will be assigned to foreigners.2:6-12.
The people don't want to hear prophesy that corrects them and could spare them judgment. They just want talk of good times, and wine. But God's words do good to the blameless, and He will eventually regather and bless His sheep, under His leadership.
Application
If people loved God wholeheartedly, and their neighbor as themselves, there would not be idolatry nor injustice, and no cause for the pain of judgment.
Prayer
Lord, I want to be always receptive to Your truth, and direct my steps according to it, so I will reap the blessings of the blameless; show me how I am not walking in loyalty and love, and guide me in getting back on the path. Amen.
Micah 3 Lax Leadership Leads to Loss
1.I said, "Please listen, you heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Isn’t it for you to know justice?2.You who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones;3.who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.4.Then they will cry to Yahweh, but he will not answer them. Yes, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they made their deeds evil."5.Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, "Peace!" and whoever doesn’t provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:6."Therefore night is over you, with no vision, and it is dark to you, that you may not divine; and the sun will go down on the prophets, and the day will be black over them.7.The seers shall be disappointed, and the diviners confounded. Yes, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God."8.But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Yahweh, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his disobedience, and to Israel his sin.9.Please listen to this, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice, and pervert all equity.10.They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.11.Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on Yahweh, and say, "Isn’t Yahweh in the midst of us? No disaster will come on us."12.Therefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high places of a forest.Observations
3:1-7.Micah denounces the civil leaders who should have led the way in establishing justice and the religious leaders who used their position as the secular leaders did, for their own gain. He compares them to cannibals, eating up God's people. They prophesy peace to whomever enriches them, and plot war against those who don't. God will not answer them when they call, nor give revelation to the lying prophets. He warned them, but they refused. He will refuse them when they wail.
3:8-12.
In contrast to the hypocritical religious leaders who are full of greed and iniquity, Micah is full of the Spirit of Yahweh and power, to declare their sin. Because of the moral laxity and failure to fulfill their function of establishing justice and truth, God will destroy Zion.
Application
Self-centered leaders lead others astray, into judgment; Spirit-centered leaders lead others out of judgment into glory. Who are you leading, and where are you leading them?
Prayer
Great Shepherd, thanks for leading me to pleasant pastures beside still waters (even though we did have to go through the Valley of the Shadow of Death a number of times), energize me with Your Spirit and truth so I can help others avoid judgment and find joy. Amen.Micah 4 Worldwide Peace
1.But in the latter days, it will happen that a) the mountain of Yahweh’s temple will be established on the top of the mountains, and b) it will be exalted above the hills; and c) peoples will stream to it.2.Many nations will go and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and d) he will teach us of his ways, and e) we will walk in his paths." For f) out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem;3.and g) he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off. h) They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. i) Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more.4.But j) they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and k) no one will make them afraid: For the mouth of Yahweh of Hosts has spoken.5.Indeed all the nations may walk in the name of their gods; but k) we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.6."In that day," says Yahweh, l) "I will assemble that which is lame, and I will gather that which is driven away, and that which I have afflicted;7.and m) I will make that which was lame a remnant, and that which was cast far off a strong nation: and n) Yahweh will reign over them o) on Mount Zion p) from then on, even forever."8.You, tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, q) to you it will come, yes, the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.9.Now why do you cry out aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pains have taken hold of you as of a woman in travail?10.Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now you will go forth out of the city, and will dwell in the field, and will come even to Babylon. r) There you will be rescued. There Yahweh will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.11.s) Now many nations have assembled against you, that say, "Let her be defiled, and let our eye gloat over Zion."12.But they don’t know the thoughts of Yahweh, neither do they understand his counsel; for t) he has gathered them like the sheaves to the threshing floor.13.Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion; for u) I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs brass; and v) you will beat in pieces many peoples: and w) I will devote their gain to Yahweh, and their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.Observation
4:1-13.Micah gives 23 predictions (a-w) of what will happen “in the latter days” when God will regather His people, and plant them in Zion, as the preeminent nation during the Millennial kingdom. Then all nations will seek God's word in Jerusalem, and then there will be worldwide peace. But Micah also includes of a few prophecies about Israel going into captivity in Babylon, and being redeemed which will occur first. One could see a partial fulfillment of a few of the prophecies, but the vast majority await total completion “in the latter days.”
Application
God's word will be the rule in the future, so we might as well learn it now, and spare ourselves unnecessary pain.
Prayer
God who spoke the universe into existence, and who will melt it with a sigh, none of Your words will ever fail to be fulfilled; may I order my daily life by Your word, and my set my future hope on its total fulfillment. Amen.
Digging Deeper
God in a nutshell: God patiently tolerates sin, while graciously warning people to repent, until the tipping point is reached, and they slide inexorably into judgment. He hates idolatry, injustice, and leaders who don't lead the people into faithfulness and justice. He will judge sinners, but bless the blameless (nothing new here). He will one day fulfill all His promises, and Jerusalem will be the center of the world, to which all nations will come to hear His word, and worldwide peace will result.Us in a nutshell: We will be judged for what we do, whether good or evil, and be recompensed appropriately. Oppressors will be oppressed; those who lead others astray will be cursed in darkness. Those empowered by the Spirit of God will proclaim truth, and most will ignore it. Those who follow God's ways now, can experience a little bit of heaven on earth.