Micah 1

Study Guide 73: Micah GOD’ S OFFER OF PARDON Overview The Prophet Micah ministered to the Southern Kingdom, Judah. He lived in the time of Isaiah, during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (742-687 b.c.). His careful dating of his ministry lets us know this historical background of his words. Micah was respected in his own time, and King Hezekiah responded to his preaching (see Jeremiah 26:17-19). Though he lived in a time of religious revival, Micah’ s visions reveal that a time of dark judgment lies ahead for God’ s people before the dawn of a heavenly kingdom can come. The major thrust of Micah’ s message was against social sins that existed in both Israel (Samaria, Israel’ s capital) and Judah. He spoke against the greedy nobles who defrauded the poor of their land, and who were quick to evict widows. This social oppression was reflected in Micah’ s passionate call for a return to doing justice. There are many parallels in the messages of Isaiah and Micah, and the message of each can be seen in the other. For instance, compare:

MicahIsaiah Micah 1:9-16Isa_10:28-32 Micah 2:1-2Isa_5:8 Micah 2:6, Micah 2:11Isa_30:10 Micah 2:12Isa_10:20-23 Micah 3:5-7Isa_29:9-12 Mic 4:1Isa_2:2 Mic 4:4Isa_1:19 Micah 4:7Isa_9:7 Micah 4:10Isa_39:6 Micah 5:2-4Isa_7:14 Micah 5:6Isa_14:25 Micah 6:6-8Isa_58:6-7 Micah 7:7Isa_8:17 Micah 7:12Isa_11:11 Commentary It has always been a great temptation for the true believer to rely on his orthodoxy. We see it in our own time. In a New Mexico church a young ministerial intern found his marriage hurting. His wife left and returned to her parents’ home. The pastor called the young man in, and rather than offering support and help to repair the broken relationship, demanded his resignation. Unsatisfied by the letter of resignation that was submitted, the pastor rewrote the letter and sent his version out to the congregation over the young man’ s signature. He then insisted the intern simply disappear. There would be no farewells or good-bye gatherings. When the people began to probe and to ask why they had not had a chance to express appreciation for the young man’ s ministry, the pastor held an exorcism in the church, banning the devil who was manifesting himself in the “ critical spirit” of the people! Though this pastor’ s actions showed a total and calloused disregard for the deep need and the pain of the young couple, he could always justify his action. After all, wasn’ t he biblically “ right” ? The Pharisees operated on this same principle. Jesus was criticized — not for His miracles of compassion and healing, not for His capacity to touch unresponsive people and bring them into relationship with God — but because He did not wash His hands the way the Pharisees thought was “ right,” or because His disciples disregarded a tradition of men (not a word from God) and plucked ears of grain to eat as they walked through a field on the Sabbath. To the Pharisees, being “ right” was an excuse to justify any and all comment, however unloving it might be. We need to remember this tendency of the religious to justify themselves when we look at the Book of Micah. For Micah gave a prophetic warning — not to wayward Israel but to orthodox Judah!

Background Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah. He and Isaiah both prophesied to Judah, the Southern Kingdom, at the time when Israel was carried into captivity by the Assyrian king, Sargon II. Most date Micah’ s ministry around 730 to 700 b.c.These were tense days for Judah. Even though led by godly King Hezekiah, who worked wholeheartedly to bring revival, the Assyrian menace constantly loomed over little Judah. As was characteristic, Hezekiah’ s rule brought a form of revival, but it was superficial. It did not touch the hearts of the people. Yet the combined ministry of these three godly men — Micah, Isaiah, and Hezekiah — was used by God to pull His people away from the edge of judgment. The Assyrians did indeed invade Judah. Following Sargon’ s death, Sennacherib captured some 46 Judean cities (including most of those named by Micah in Micah 1:1-16), and according to Assyrian records shut up Hezekiah in Jerusalem “ like a bird in a cage.” But the city itself was delivered. Despite the continuing threat, God protected the remnant of His people. The incipient sin we see portrayed in the Books of Isaiah and of Micah had not yet matured. God would hold off judgment; His people would have yet another chance. Being “ right.” It is clear that even under the preaching of Micah and Isaiah the mass of Judah’ s population still did not grasp the reality of their situation. Hezekiah had initiated great religious reforms. Most people assumed that this ritual reformation was what had protected them from their enemies. This was one illusion the people of the Northern Kingdom never had. The Northern Kingdom was founded with a false religious system, with counterfeit worship centers at Bethel and Dan, where counterfeit priests offered counterfeit sacrifices before counterfeit altars on counterfeit holy days. The whole ritual of the nation’ s official faith was wrong. Yet even this unorthodox approach to Yahweh’ s worship was not the dominant faith in the days Assyria invaded. It was the worship of Baal and Asherah, with pagan excesses committed on every height of ground, which gave abundant evidence of Israel’ s religious apostasy. The social evils, the materialism, and the oppression which marked the society of the Northern Kingdom merely demonstrated the departure from God to which Israel’ s religion blatantly testified. With the reforms instituted by Hezekiah, Judah’ s religious observances could not be faulted. Her official faith — or state religion, if you will — was beautifully orthodox. The house of God had been cleansed, the priests sanctified for ministry. Jerusalem altars erected to heathen deities were destroyed and the commanded feasts and sacrifices observed. The ways of praise instituted by David were restored; psalms were again sung. Throughout the tribal lands of Judah and Ephraim and Manasseh, the pillars and altars to Baal were crushed and burned. The orthodox faith of the Old Testament was scrupulously observed, and Judah took great comfort in the notion that her faith was “ right.” The heart. Micah does not seem to have been impressed. Looking beneath the externals of ritual and form, Micah evaluated the heart of God’ s people and found it as perverse and ungodly as the heart of the men of the North: Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “ Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets. Micah 3:9-12Judah was placing its confidence in the outward orthodoxy of its ritual — just as many of us today place our confidence in the orthodoxy of our doctrine. But God demands more. Micah, in words that seem to echo Amos’ message to the people of the North, urged a return to God that would be demonstrated in a change of heart — a change of heart that would necessarily issue in a lifestyle of love and justice, of compassion and caring for their fellowmen as they walked close to God. With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8Orthodoxy is never enough. Being right with God will be expressed in godly and compassionate living. In a very real way, Micah is a book that speaks directly to us in our day. We are “ right” in our doctrine. We are “ right” in much of our practice. But our orthodoxy is an empty shell, a basis for even greater judgment, unless God’ s truth has warmed our hearts and moved us into relationships with individuals and with our society in which we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Have the following statements on the chalkboard as group members enter. Ask your members to choose the one statement which best sums the confidence a Christian can have in his or her personal relationship with God. We worship the right way. We believe what is true. We love kindness and justice. Discuss the choices and the reasons given for them. But do not express a personal position. Simply contrast Israel and Judah at this time in history, and move into the study. You may want to return to these statements later in the session.

Micah’ s Message Seen in the context of its time, Micah’ s message takes on special significance. We can see the structure of the book and message by tracing the following outline.

Outline I. Immediate National Judgment Coming A. Judgment announcedMic_1:2-5 B. Judgment describedMic_1:6-8 C. Judgment explained

1. As amputation of a diseased limbMic_1:9-16
2. As correcting of injusticeMic_2:1-13 II. Principles and National Purpose A. Sin will bring judgmentMic_3:1-12 B. Ultimate blessing sureMic_4:1-8 C. Scattering to come first4:9-5:1 D. Messiah to carry out God’ s planMic_5:2-15 III. Pardon for Individuals Proclaimed A. A plea to see God’ s sideMic_6:1-5 B. How to return to GodMic_6:6-8 C. The need for punishment6:9-7:6 D. The believer’ s experience
3. In time of judgmentMic_7:7-10
4. In terms of eternityMic_7:11-20We can trace the thoughts of this significant Old Testament book. Micah, identified in Micah 1:1 as a prophet who ministered in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, launched immediately into his message concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Judgment (Micah 1:2-5). Judgment was announced, as God was seen stepping out from His holy temple. To God both Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, and Jerusalem, capital and site of the temple in the South, were rebellious high places! Explanation (Micah 1:9-2:13). The explanation of the judgment was given under two figures. The first was a graphic analogy (Micah 1:9-16). Samaria’ s idolatry and rebellion were likened to a wound which would not heal. Instead, the wound filled with pus, and infection and inflammation spread. Finally, there was no recourse but to amputate the wounded limb and all the surrounding body that had been infected. According to Micah’ s description, the infection had spread to reach “ the very gate of My people, even to Jerusalem” (Micah 1:9). When the Assyrians came, the cities between the Northern Kingdom and Jerusalem would be taken too, “ for the transgressions of Israel were found in you” (Micah 1:13). The second picture seems to imply a set of balances (Micah 2:1-13). There is a point and counterpoint structure to the passage:

sin describedbalancing judgment Micah 2:1-2Mic_2:3-5 Micah 2:6-11Mic_2:12-13First, as in Amos, God focused attention on Judah’ s injustice, describing men who lie awake scheming to defraud their neighbors. Therefore, God said (Micah 2:3), calamity would come on the family of Judah, and the fields the oppressors plotted to gain would be distributed to “ apostates” — to a pagan people whom the victorious Assyrians would resettle in Israel. Second, Micah spoke of the reaction of the people to his prophetic ministry. They said, “ Do not prophesy” (Micah 2:6), and then they spoke out with their own versions of God’ s message. And this from people who “ strip off the rich robe from those who pass by” (Micah 2:8) and who evict widows! They were ready to listen to a drunkard, but would not hear the Word of the Lord. The result? God must balance their sin with judgment. I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. Micah 2:12Then, gathered together in the midst of their pastures, God Himself would lead a robber band to break in and drag them out and away. God is just. His holiness demands that the sin of His people be balanced by judgment. With the immediate fate described and justified, Micah turned to a restatement of the principles found earlier in God’ s Word. While God has committed Himself as the holy God to punish sin, He has also committed Himself to the ultimate good and blessing of His people. Review of sins (Micah 3:1-12). Graphically, Micah reviewed the sins that marred the lifestyle of God’ s people. He pictured their injustice as a brutal cannibalism (Micah 3:2-3) in which the very life of the poor was torn from them. He sketched the prophets as gross gluttons, always willing to cry, “ Peace,” and promise good news if their mouths were filled, but who were enemies of him “ who puts nothing in their mouths” (Micah 3:5, NASB). Gluttony, not God, was the source of their messages. Their leaders took bribes, the city was filled with violence, and yet because of the presence of the temple where their empty rituals were repeated, they “ lean upon the Lord” (Micah 3:11). The temple, polluted by their sins, would one day lie in ruin — and their empty hopes with it. God’ s holiness remains unchanged. Sin will be judged. God’ s promise (Micah 4:1-8). When the judgment came, it should not be interpreted as total repudiation. Looking ahead to the end of history, Micah conveyed God’ s promise that the whole world will come to Jerusalem to learn of God and His ways, and that in those days God Himself will rule. Implements of war will be reshaped to harvest the bounty of the earth, and all men will live in peace and plenty. Whatever comes, God will preserve a remnant of His people so that the time of promised blessing may be assured. Babylon (Micah 4:9-5:1). But the present was to be a time of agony when Judah would be displaced. The Exile of Judah would not be at the hands of Assyria, but of Babylon (Micah 4:10). From Babylon, God’ s people would be regathered. Scattering and regathering, scattering and regathering — this is the pattern of judgment which Israel and Judah will experience until God finally brings all His promises to pass. The Messiah (Micah 5:2-15). At this point Micah introduced the Messiah — the promised One on whose coming all the plans and purposes of God hinge. He would be born as a man in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), even though His “ goings have been . . . from everlasting” (KJV). When Messiah comes, He will shepherd His people, deliver the scattered remnant, destroy Israel’ s enemies, and change the heart of God’ s people to root out all that has been associated with their sin. Most of the Old Testament deals with the national experience of God’ s people. Judgments are announced on the Hebrew nation: promises tell of a national regathering. The corporate responsiveness or unresponsiveness of the nation as a whole is clearly the basis of God’ s dealing with His people. Often the question is raised: What about the individual? Didn’ t God care about individuals in Old Testament days? Was the godly person swallowed up in judgment that was determined because of national sin? Micah helped us to answer such questions, and to see that throughout history God has retained concern for the individual. In every age, God’ s overall working in history and society harmonizes with His love for each person. What, then, does God say to the individual who lives in an unjust society and whose experience is shaped by environment? God’ s perspective (Micah 6:1-5). The message to individuals began with a plea to realize that God did have a valid case against Israel. God had brought His people out of Egypt, ransomed them, gave leaders to guide them, protected and guarded them that they might “ know the righteous acts of the Lord” (Micah 6:5), i.e., that they might obey and experience all the good things which God would then be free to shower on them. But Israel had turned away, bored with God and His ways. The righteous person will see the situation from God’ s perspective, even when the judgment brings him personal affliction. God’ s requirements (Micah 6:6-8). What can the individual who recognizes the righteousness of God’ s cause do? “ He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Necessity of judgment (Micah 6:9-7:6). Reviewing again the sins of the society in which the just live, God pointed out that He must act to judge it. “ Can I justify wicked scales and a bag of deceptive weights?” (Micah 6:11, NASB) No, punishment must come. And when it does, the just in that society must undergo the same experience as the unjust. Believer’ s response (Micah 7:7-20). How then is the believer to respond in times of judgment? Micah gave two answers. First (Micah 7:7-13), suffering in such a time is to be expected. It is just. The individual does bear responsibility for his society (Micah 7:9). Yet during such a time of discipline the true believer will not lose hope in God: “ Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me” (Micah 7:8). Second (Micah 7:14-20), the believer takes comfort in his confidence in God’ s commitment to bring him good in the end. We think in terms of eternity; the godly Jew characteristically thought of a national restoration. In either case, God will do what He intends and bring us everlasting good. The sufferings of this time are not fit to be compared with the glory to come. So Micah concluded: Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as You pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago. Micah 7:18-20 Teaching Guide Prepare Meditate on Micah 6:8. What does it suggest that God yearns to see in the lives and character of your group members?

Explore

1. Tell the true story of the intern and pastor related at the beginning of this unit. Discuss: “ Was the pastor right or wrong? Did he or did he not have a biblical view of marriage? Is it possible to be ‘ right’ and ‘ wrong’ at the same time?”
2. Or, as your group members enter, place on the chalkboard the three ideas contained in “ link-to-life” above. Talk about them, and then contrast for your group the orthodoxy of Judah and the heresy of Israel.

Expand

1. Duplicate for your members the outline of Micah in the commentary. Divide into teams to explore the three major sections of the book, and to report back on key thoughts or verses there.
2. Or have group members paraphrase Micah 3:9-11, as if it were being written to a contemporary Christian congregation. What would Micah have to say to people of our day? You may want to select added short passages for this kind of modernizing paraphrase, which helps us sense the power of the prophet’ s words and their relevance to us today.
3. Or work through the book together, following the outline. You may want to make this a minilecture, or simply make sure that your group members discover the main points made by the prophet in each section.
4. Or compare the parallel verses in Isaiah and Micah (see list at beginning of study guide), and develop your own portrait of this orthodox but ungodly people.

Apply Return to the questions raised at the beginning of the group session. How might elements in each sentence be combined to present a view with which Micah would agree?