Intro:
1. Kyle Yates, “It is good to find a worthy champion of the poor who has courage and power to deliver an effective message…His profound sympathy with the oppressed people came to life in unforgettable words.
His spirit burned with righteous indignation as he saw the rank injustice practiced
Upon his neighbors and friends. The poor peasant of Judah had a strong champion in this powerful young preacher from the country.”
2. We come to the 4th largest book of the Minor Prophets.
3. Introduction to the book of Micah.
Trans: Mic. 1:1
I. The Authority.
“The Word of the Lord that came to…” (Micah 1:1a) - þãÌÀáÇøÎýý , dĕbar [da-bar]
The word speaks of what Yahweh has said, “the Word of the LORD” occurring nearly 250 times in the Hebrew scriptures. Which Micah is writing came to him directly from God.
“ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21)
The word of Jehovah (ASV). The message was from Jehovah, and hence had divine authority. This was the usual claim of the Hebrew prophets (cf. Jon 1:1; Ob 1:1). Came to - In the sense of "directed to". Thus the word of Jehovah was directed to Micah, given to him to proclaim. Saw - i.e., with mental and spiritual vision, not necessarily with physical eyes. This verb means to see subjectively. Micah had spiritual understanding of the message he was to declare.”—Wycliffe Bible Commentary, The
“The Writing Prophets. The formula “The word of the Lord came” at the head of prophetical books (Hos. 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1) implies that the whole book is God’s word, with no distinction between the divine voice in the prophet and its written expression. The idea of revelation is present in the concept, and there is a transition to the understanding of the entire OT as God’s word. If this word is teaching, it has a dynamic aspect as blessing (Isa. 2:3; Amos 8:11-12) and constraint (Amos 3:8). The word is put on Jeremiah’s lips (Jer. 1:9). It is his joy and delight (15:16), but it also puts him under compulsion (20:7ff.). It is no idle dream, for even when clothed in vision, it is an irresistible force (23:29) which is known because it infallibly comes to pass (28:9). Clarity concerning it comes only with prayer either as self-subjection (15:10ff.) or intercession (42:7ff.). In Isa. 40ff. the word endures forever (40:8) and carries its fulfilment within itself, accomplishing its mission no less than the rain and snow (55:10-11). Coming from God, it is the effectual force which epitomizes all true prophecy.—Theological Dictionary of the New Testament - Abridged Edition
Trans: This book carries authority because it is God’s Word.
A Veritable Telegram from Heaven
A young man was once employed as clerk in a telegraph office in a town in England. In some way or other God led him to see that he was a sinner, and this caused him great distress of mind. The young man went to the office one morning greatly troubled, and praying the best he could.
The click of his machine told him a message was coming. He looked and saw that it was from Windermere up among the beautiful lakes. There was first the name and residence of the one to whom the dispatch was sent, and then followed these words from the Bible: "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), and "In whom we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7).
Then followed the name of the person sending it. This was a strange message to send by telegraph! The explanation of it was this: a servant girl living in the town was distressed about her sins; having a Christian brother she wrote to him of her condition, asking the question, "What must I do to be saved?"
The brother, being unable to write her at once, sent her the dispatch. The poor girl found her way to Jesus through the sweet words from her brother, and so did the young telegraph operator. This was a veritable telegram from Heaven to them both. God's word did the work.”
II. The Author.
“…to Micah of Moresheth” Mic. 1:1
“Micah came from Moresheth Gath (1:1, 14), modern Tell el-Judeidah, a rather imposing mound about 400 m (1,240 ft) above sea level in the foothills of southwestern Judah. It overlooked the undulating coastal plain to the west, dotted with fortified cities. About 35 km (22 miles) southwest of Jerusalem it was connected with a network of 'hedgehog' fortifications along the eastern edge of the foothills. These fortifications protected Jerusalem (on the spine of Judah's central ridge) from attacks mounted by invaders from the coastal highway connecting Egypt and Mesopotamia.”—New Bible Commentary
Micah means – “Who is like Jehovah?” The answer is no one!
Trans: I like the name – “Who is like Yahweh?” it reminded people that God stood alone.
“If you should say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?'-- 18 you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:” (Deut 7:17-18)
“4 The LORD is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the LORD our God, Who dwells on high, 6 Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?” (Psalms 113:4-6)
“The human mind, being created, has an understandable uneasiness about the Uncreated. We do not find it comfortable to allow for the presence of One who is wholly outside of the circle of our familiar knowledge. We tend to be disquieted by the thought of One who does not account to us for His being, who is responsible to no one, who is self-existent, self-dependent and self-sufficient.” —Quotable Tozer, The
Spirituality. God is spirit (not a spirit) who does not have corporeity or physical form (John 4:24). A body localizes, but God as spirit is everywhere; He cannot be limited. Although God does not have a body, He is nonetheless a substance but not material.
Spirituality goes further than simply identifying God as not having a body; it also means He is the source of all life. The prohibition of Exodus 20:4 was given because God does not have a physical form, hence, it is wrong to make any likeness of Him. The many references to God’s physical features (cf. Gen. 3:8; 1 Kings 8:29; Ps. 34:15; Isa. 65:2) are an-thro-po-mor-phisms (figurative language giving God human characteristics used to attempt to make Him understandable).
Self-existence. God’s self-existence means “He has the ground of His existence in Himself…God is independent in His Being, but also…He is independent in everything else; in His virtues, decrees, works, and…causes everything to depend on Him.”
Exodus 3:14 emphasizes His self-existence in His identification, “I AM WHO I AM.” The verb to be emphasize He has continual existence in Himself. John 5:26 further stresses that Father has life in Himself. An unborn child is dependent on its mother life; animals are dependent on their surroundings for life; trees and plants are dependent on sun and rain for life; every living thing is dependent someone or something else but God is independent and existent in Himself (Dan. 5:23; Acts 17:28)
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Immutability. Immutability “is that perfection of God by which He is devoid of all change, not only in His Being, but also in His perfections, and in His purposes and promises…and is free from all accession or diminution and from all growth or decay in His Being or perfections.”
Change is always for better or for worse, but since God is absolute perfection, improvement or deterioration are impossible for Him. Malachi 3:6 teaches the doctrine of immutability: “I, the Lord, do not change.” James 1:17 indicates there is no variation or shifting shadow with God.
There is change throughout the world from year to year but God does not change in His Person nor in His response to His creatures. The value of this doctrine is enormous: since God does not change, His love and His promises forever remain certain. For example, He will never change concerning His promise in John 3:16.
Holiness. The basic meaning of holiness is “set apart” or “separation” (Heb. qedosh; Gk. hagiazo). Many see holiness as the foremost attribute of all because holiness pervades all the other attributes of God and is consistent with all He is and does.
Several features are embraced in the holiness of God. It has a transcendent emphasis, indicating “He is absolutely distinct from all His creatures and is exalted above them in infinite majesty.” Exodus 15:11 explains that in His holiness God is without peer and awesome—revealed in the marvelous way He delivered Israel from the Egyptians.
Isaiah 57:15 describes His transcendence: He is “high and exalted” living on a “high and holy place.” It has an ethical emphasis, indicating “He is separate from moral evil or sin. ‘Holiness’ points to God’s majestic purity, or ethical majesty.” The foundation of this emphasis is Leviticus 11:44, 45, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Because God is morally pure, He cannot condone evil or have any relationship to it (Ps. 11:4-6). In His holiness God is the moral and ethical standard; He is the law. He sets the standard. —Moody Handbook of Theology, The 1 Pet. 1:13
Nobody is like God! Micah’s name reminded them of that!
Writer T. H. Watkins is in love with the unique region of the Southwest United States called the Four Corners. The Four Corners is the only place in the country where four states join at one point: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.
The region around that point is one of breathtaking beauty: graceful sand dunes, striking deserts, deep canyons, snow-covered mountains, fog-shrouded valleys, vertical rock, sandstone wedges jutting into the sky. It is a terrain so unusual in its character that those who explore there never weary of it.
Watkins writes in National Geographic that this area of 100,000 square miles is "endlessly various and fascinating in its forms…I have spent several years exploring this western landscape, driving its roads, flying over it, hiking into its canyons, camping along its rivers, soaking it up, taking it in, sometimes writing about it, most of the time just thinking about its warps and tangles of rock and sky. This is not an idle passion. It stems from a deeply held conviction that the Four Corners country has something essential to offer us…[there is noting quite like it].
III. The Authorities.
“…in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” (Micah 1:1)
Jotham The son and successor of Uzziah, or Azariah, king of Judah, B. C. 758. He appears to have been for some years regent before the death of Uzziah his leprous father, but ascended the throne at the age of twenty-five years, and reigned sixteen years in the fear of God. The history of his wise and prosperous reign, and of his useful public works, is found in 2 Kings 15:5,32,38; 2 Chronicles 26:21; 27:9. —A Dictionary of the Holy Bible
“Under Jotham, luxury reigned. His great ambition was to build palaces in Jerusalem and make the city impregnable. The fact tha the accomplished his goals at the expense of the poor peasants did not concern him at all.
Ahaz - Son of Jotham, and twelfth king of Judah. He ascended the throne at twenty years of age, and reigned sixteen years, 2 Kings 16:1,2,20. B. C. 738. He was distinguished for his idolatry and contempt of the true God; and against him many of the prophecies of Isaiah are directed, Isaiah 7.1-25. He made his own children pass through the fire to idols; he introduced the Syrian gods into Jerusalem, altered the temple after the Syrian model, and even closed it altogether. Having thus forfeited the aid of Jehovah, he met various repulses in battle with Pekah and Rezin; the Edomites revolted, and the Philistines harassed his borders. He turned yet more away from God in his distress, and sought aid from Pul, king of Assyria. This fatal step made him tributary to Pul, and to Tig-lath-pileser his successor. Ahaz was reduced to great extremities, in buying off the Assyrians; but became more infatuated still in idolatry, and dying in his impiety at the of thirty-six, was refused a burial with the kings his ancestors, 2 Chronicles 28:1-27.—A Dictionary of the Holy Bible Under Ahaz Judah was forced to pay tribute to Assyria…
Hezekiah - A pious king of Judah, succeeded his father Ahaz about 726 B. C., and died about 698 B. C. His history is contained in 2 Kings 18:12-21; 2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33. Compare Isaiah 36:1-38:22. His reign is memorable for his faithful efforts to restore the worship of Jehovah; for his pride and presumption towards the Assyrians; for the distractions of their invading host in answer to his prayer; for his sickness and humiliation, and the prolonging of his life fifteen years of peace. He was succeeded by the unworthy Manasseh.”—A Dictionary of the Holy Bible
The background: Micah prophesied from the time of Jotham (740-732 BC) to that of Hezekiah (715-686), a period when the Neo-Assyrian empire was rising to power (see chart on page 628). The determined Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (744-727) launched Assyria on an ambitious policy of imperial expansion. He assaulted Israel's coastal plain in 734 and annexed northern Israel in 733 (2 Ki. 16; 2 Ch. 28; Isa. 7-8). Shalmaneser V (726-722) attacked Samaria from 725 to 722, and it fell to Sargon II (721-705; 1:2-7; cf. 2 Ki. 17). Periodic rebellions by the nations in Syria-Palestine against the tributes imperial Assyria exacted from them kept them in a constant dread of Assyria's reprisals. The invincible and cruel Assyrians invaded the area in 721-720 and from 714 to 701. The last proved most devastating to Judah. Sennacherib (704-681) captured all of Judah's foothill fortifications. Only Jerusalem miraculously survived (1:8-16; 2:12-13; 2 Ki. 18-20; 2 Ch. 32; Isa. 36-39) because Hezekiah repented in response to Micah's preaching (Je. 26:18).—New Bible Commentary
IV. The Area.
Samaria - A city situated near the middle of Palestine, some six miles northwest of Shechem. It was built by Omri king of Israel, about 920 B. C., and named after Shemer the previous owner of the mountain or hill on which the city stood, 1 Kings 16.23,24. It became the favorite residence of the kings of Israel, instead of Shechem and Thirzah the former capitals. It was highly adorned with public buildings. Ahab built there a palace of ivory, 1 Kings 22:39, and also a temple of Baal, 1 Kings 16:32,33, which Jehu destroyed, 2 Kings 10:18-28. The prophets often denounced it for its idolatry, Isaiah 9:9 Ezekiel 16:46-63. It was twice besieged by the Syrians, 1 Kings 20:1-43; 2 Kings 6:24; 7:1-20. At length Shalmanezer king of Assyria captured and destroyed the city, and removed the people of the land, B. C. 720, 2 Kings 17:3-6; Hosea 10:5-7; Micah 1:1-6.—A Dictionary of the Holy Bible
Jerusalem – We have looked at the often.
These cities are the Capital cities – Samaria the capital of Israel, the Northern Kingdom and Jerusalem the capital city of Judah, the Southern Kingdom.
Con:
1. The most important thing to realize, is what we are about to study is the Word of God.
2. All of Israel’s problem stemmed from a reject of God’s Word.
Daniel Webster said, "If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper, but if we and our posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury our glory in profound obscurity."
And also let us remember that there is nobody like the God of the word…
Johnny Palmer Jr.
www.strugglingthruscriptures.ning.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/strugglingthruscriptures
