[MIC:1:1-6]; [MIC:2:1-2], [MIC:2:8-11]; [MIC:3:9-12]; [MIC:4:1-13]; [MIC:5:2]; [MIC:6:1-8]; [MIC:7:18-20].
Lesson 330 - Senior
Memory Verse
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).
Cross References
I God's Controversy with Israel
1. His judgements are pronounced, [MIC:1:1-6]. 2. The sins of the people are enumerated, [MIC:2:1-2], [MIC:2:8-11]. 3. Prophet, priest, and prince are taken to task, [MIC:3:9-12]; [JER:6:13-14]; [ISA:1:23]; [TIT:1:10].II The Revelation of God's Plans
1. A promise of the Millennium is given, [MIC:4:1-8]; [ISA:11:1-10]; [ISA:35:1-10]; [REV:20:1-4]. 2. The captivity of Judah and destruction of Zion's enemies are foretold, [MIC:4:9-13]. 3. A Ruler is to be born in Bethlehem, [MIC:5:2]; [MAT:2:5-6].III A Call to Repentance
1. God pleads with Israel, [MIC:6:1-8]; [ISA:1:18]. 2. He delighteth in mercy, [MIC:7:18-20]; [PS:103:8-18].Notes
Repentance
When the priests and false prophets wanted to put Jeremiah to death for prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem, some of the elders came to Jeremiah's defence by citing the similar prophecy of Micah. "thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest." The elders then asked: "Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? Did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them?" [JER:26:18-19]). How often we see God's judgements set aside when men repent of their sin and call upon Him! When wicked Nineveh repented God spared their city. It matters not how vile a man's sin might be, God is merciful to save him if he will only repent. Israel provoked God continually; but when in their distress they called upon God, He always had mercy upon them. The judgements of God await the sinner today, but mercy is offered to all those who will repent before it is too late.Judgement Pronounced
Micah comes forth with the stern announcement of God's judgements against sin, stating: "The LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth" [MIC:1:3]). With very plain speech he points out: "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?" These capitals of the country were also the headquarters for iniquity and idolatry. The fearless prophets of God have never failed to denounce sin nor tell where the blame lies. Samuel reproved Saul; Elijah pointed out Ahab as the troubler of Israel; and when David sinned, Nathan was there to say, "Thou art the man." Wickedness in the capital cities or among high officials does not escape the eyes of God, neither will the sins of a child go unpunished. The grasping landholder who cast the poor man out of the house in which his fathers dwelt, and evicted women and children from their homes; the soldier who took the clothes from innocent victims; the priests who taught for hire; the prophets who divined for money -" all these came under the observation of the prophet and the condemnation of God. Neither did the princes that abhorred judgement, and perverted all equity, escape.Parallel Conditions
Because of these sinful conditions Samaria was to be made "as an heap" and Zion "ploughed as a field." "Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon" [MIC:2:10]; [MIC:4:10]). Although Babylon had not risen to power and was not yet a threat unto Judah, God through Micah predicted the Babylonian as well as the Assyrian captivity. The greed, corruption, and violence that brought judgement to Israel run a close parallel to our own political and social conditions today. How shall we escape if we neglect God's remedy for sin? Just as surely as Samaria was levelled by the Assyrians, and Jerusalem ruined by the Babylonians, this land of ours will be wasted by the wrath of an angry God unless we as a nation repent of our wickedness.Tribulation and Restoration
Although Micah dealt with sin and judgement, his writings have a strong appeal for repentance, and a promise of restoration. He spoke of the time when the "daughter of Zion" would be delivered from Babylon, and said, "There the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies" [MIC:4:10]). His prophecies went beyond their return after seventy years of captivity, even down to a time yet to come when many nations shall be gathered against Zion to spoil her. "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" [MIC:4:12]). Then addressing Zion the Lord encourages them: "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" [MIC:4:13]). This impressive picture of throwing sheaves of wheat upon an ancient threshing floor and having the grain beaten out by the hoofs of the animals is no doubt referring to the day at the close of the Great Tribulation when God will "gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land" [JOE:3:2]). The great King of kings and Lord of lords, with a vesture dipped in blood, shall ride forth with the armies of Heaven upon white horses, and Zion's enemies shall be destroyed. (See [REV:19:14-21].) By living an overcoming Christian life now, you can be among the faithful who ride with Him in this white-robed army.Millennium
You can have a part in that kingdom, when Zion shall be the capital of the world for a thousand years, by being careful to serve Him in this present life. It will be worth the striving now in order to live in that day when the Lord "shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" [MIC:4:3]). This is the time for which "the whole creation groaneth" [ROM:8:22]); a time when "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped" [ISA:35:5]); and "the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose" [ISA:35:1]). Are you preparing yourself to have a part in that kingdom?Bethlehem
Micah speaks of the birthplace of this great Ruler: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel' whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting." Not only does Micah give the name of the town in which Jesus was to be born, but he also declares his eternal existence. When the wise men inquired of them, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" the chief priests and scribes answered, "in Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet" [MAT:2:2], [MAT:2:5]). These prophecies have been preserved through the years and have come down to us beautifully and accurately translated in the King James Version of the Bible.Mercy
God, who loved Israel and wanted them to enjoy the glorious privileges extended to them, pleaded with them to repent of their backslidings. "O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee?" [MIC:6:3]). Thus would the God of love reason with all those who have turned from the truth. It was not their offerings, their wealth, or the giving of their first-born that the Lord required, but only "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly" with Him. Sin brings separation from God, takes one's name out of the Book of Life and his place from God's eternal kingdom; but repentance in time will restore that which was lost. "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy" [MIC:7:18]).