PROPHET OVERBOARD
MICAH
 Micah was an early pre-exilic prophet during the reigns
of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (see 2
Kings 15-20). This time period extends from about 735 to
700 B.C.
Micah, the Morasthite (from Moresheth near Gath,
about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem), was a
contemporary of Isaiah and his book is a miniature of
Isaiah’s.
Micah was Judaean like Isaiah; however, unlike
Isaiah, Micah was from a poor family in a small village
that came to the city of Jerusalem. Therefore, many of his
prophecies explore the injustices done to these people.
MICAH
 Micah is the prophet usually quoted at Christmas for
prophesying the birth of Christ while Isaiah is
remembered for the prophecy of the death of Jesus
(Isaiah 53).
 Isaiah was a well-educated man while Micah was a
man of the fields.
Micah means “Who is like Jehovah.”
Micah was a prophet to Judah, though he often
included Israel (the 10 tribes) and Samaria, its capital.
Micah is not a story, but a collection of prophecies
written as poetry.
Moresheth
Why Was Micah Written?
The Historical Purpose:
The Book of Micah shows God’s hatred of His people’s
passionless ritual and sin (6:7) and His offer of pardon to
them.
The Doctrinal Purpose:
Several important teachings are stressed including God’s
hatred of empty formal religion (6:7), His concern for social
justice (6:8), His pardoning grace (7:18), and His
faithfulness to His covenants (7:20).
The Christological Purpose:
This book presents Christ as the God of Jacob (4:2), the
Judge of the nations (4:3), and the Ruler in Israel who will
be born in the city of Bethlehem (5:2; Matt. 2:1-6).
To Whom Did Micah Write?
The LORD gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during
the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of
Judah. The visions Micah saw concerned both Israel
(Samaria) and Judah (Jerusalem); however, the primary
audience is Judah, since only three Southern kings are
mentioned in the address (1:1).
A large section of the Book of 2 Kings reveals much of
what happened during the reigns of the three kings to
whom Micah ministered.
Background to Micah’s Day
I. The Reigns of Two Kings in Judah: A Sharp Contrast
Between Righteousness and Wickedness – 2 Kings
15:32-16:20 (2 Kings 15:32-38; see 2 Chr. 27:1-9; 2 Kings 16:120; see 2 Chr. 28:1-27)
II. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 1) –
Assyria’s Invasion of Judah : A Man Who Trusted and
Held Fast to the Lord – 2 Kings 15:18-1-37
III. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 2) –
Judah’s Deliverance from Assyria: God’s Power to
Rescue His People – 2 Kings 19:1-37
IV. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 3) –
His Terminal Illness and Miraculous Healing: The
Power of Prayer and the Danger of Pride – 2 Kings
20:1-21
JOTHAM: A RULER WHO WORSHIPPED GOD
Background to Micah’s Day
AS INSTRUCTED
I. The Reigns of Two Kings in Judah: A Sharp Contrast
Between Righteousness and Wickedness – 2 Kings
15:32-16:20 (2 Kings 15:32-38; see 2 Chr. 27:1-9; 2 Kings 16:120; see 2 Chr. 28:1-27)
2 Kings 15:32-38 (The Message)
32-35 In
the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son
of Uzziah became king in Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he
became king and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name
was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. He acted well in GOD’s eyes, following in the
steps of his father Uzziah. BUT he didn’t interfere with the traffic to the
neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines; they continued, as popular as ever.
The construction of the High Gate to The Temple of GOD was his work.
36-38 The rest of the life and times of Jotham, the record of his work, is written
in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. It was during these years
that GOD began sending Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah to
attack Judah.
Background to Micah’s Day
I. The Reigns of Two Kings in Judah: A Sharp Contrast
Between Righteousness and Wickedness – 2 Kings
15:32-16:20 (2 Kings 15:32-38; see 2 Chr. 27:1-9; 2 Kings 16:120; see 2 Chr. 28:1-27)
2 Kings 16:1-20 (The Message)
1-4 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of
Jotham became king of Judah. Ahaz was twenty years old when he
became king and he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t
behave in the eyes of his GOD; he wasn’t at all like his ancestor David.
Instead he followed in the track of the kings of Israel. He even indulged
in the outrageous practice of “passing his son through the fire”—a truly
abominable act he picked up from the pagans GOD had earlier thrown
out of the country. He also participated in the activities of the
neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines that flourished all over the place.
AHAZ: A
RULER WHO to
LOOKED
FOR
A SAVIOR
Background
Micah’s
Day
OTHER THAN THE LORD
I. The Reigns of Two Kings in Judah: A Sharp Contrast Between
Righteousness and Wickedness – 2 Kings 15:32-16:20 (2 Kings
15:32-38; see 2 Chr. 27:1-9; 2 Kings 16:1-20; see 2 Chr. 28:1-27)
2 Kings 16:1-20 (The Message)
5 Then
Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel ganged up
against Jerusalem, throwing a siege around the city…7-8 Ahaz sent envoys to TiglathPileser king of Assyria with this message: “I’m your servant and your son. Come and
save me from the heavy-handed invasion of the king of Aram and the king of Israel.
They’re attacking me right now.” Then Ahaz robbed the treasuries of the palace and
The Temple of GOD of their gold and silver and sent them to the king of Assyria as a
bribe. 9 The king of Assyria responded to him. He attacked and captured Damascus.
He deported the people to Nineveh as exiles. Rezin he killed. 10-11 King Ahaz went to
meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria in Damascus. The altar in Damascus made a
great impression on him… Uriah the priest built the altar to the specifications that King
Ahaz had sent from Damascus. 12-14 The minute the king saw the altar he approached
it with reverence... But the old bronze Altar that signaled the presence of GOD he
displaced from its central place and pushed it off to the side of his new altar. 17-18 Then
King Ahaz proceeded to plunder The Temple furniture of all its bronze. Finally, he
removed any distinctive features from within The Temple that were offensive to the
king of Assyria.
Background to Micah’s Day
II. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 1) – Assyria’s Invasion of
Judah: A Man Who Trusted and Held Fast to the Lord – 2 Kings 18:1-37
2 Kings 18:1-37 (The Message)
1-4 In
the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz
began his rule over Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king
and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah
daughter of Zechariah. In GOD’s opinion he was a good king; he kept to the
standards of his ancestor David. He got rid of the local fertility shrines, smashed
the phallic stone monuments, and cut down the sex-and-religion Asherah groves.
As a final stroke he pulverized the ancient bronze serpent that Moses had made;
at that time the Israelites had taken up the practice of sacrificing to it—they had
even dignified it with a name, Nehushtan (The Old Serpent).
5-6 Hezekiah put his whole trust in the GOD of Israel. There was no king quite like
him, either before or after. He held fast to GOD—never loosened his grip—and
obeyed to the letter everything GOD had commanded Moses. And GOD, for his
part, held fast to him through all his adventures.
7-8 He revolted against the king of Assyria; he refused to serve him one more day.
And he drove back the Philistines…
Background to Micah’s Day
II. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 1) – Assyria’s Invasion of
Judah: A Man Who Trusted and Held Fast to the Lord – 2 Kings 18:1-37
2 Kings 18:1-37 (The Message)
9-11 In the fourth year of Hezekiah and the seventh year of Hoshea son of
Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked Samaria. He
threw a siege around it and after three years captured it… The king of
Assyria took Israel into exile and relocated them in Halah, in Gozan on the
Habor River, and in towns of the Medes.
12 All this happened because they wouldn’t listen to the voice of
their GOD and treated his covenant with careless contempt. They refused
either to listen or do a word of what Moses, the servant of GOD,
commanded.
13-14 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria
attacked all the outlying fortress cities of Judah and captured them. King
Hezekiah sent a message to the king of Assyria at his headquarters in
Lachish: “I’ve done wrong; I admit it. Pull back your army; I’ll pay whatever
tribute you set.”
Background to Micah’s Day
II. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 1) – Assyria’s Invasion of
Judah: A Man Who Trusted and Held Fast to the Lord – 2 Kings 18:1-37
2 Kings 18:1-37 (The Message)
14-16 The
king of Assyria demanded tribute from Hezekiah king of Judah—eleven tons
of silver and a ton of gold. Hezekiah turned over all the silver he could find in The
Temple of GOD and in the palace treasuries... Hezekiah even took down the doors of
The Temple of GOD and the doorposts that he had overlaid with gold and gave them to
the king of Assyria.
17 So the king of Assyria sent his top three military chiefs… with a strong military force
to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem... 18 They called loudly for the king... 28-32 …he stepped
forward and spoke in Hebrew loud enough for everyone to hear, “Listen carefully to the
words of The Great King, the king of Assyria: Don’t let Hezekiah fool you; he can’t save
you. And don’t let Hezekiah give you that line about trusting in GOD, telling you,
‘GOD will save us—this city will never be abandoned to the king of Assyria.’ Don’t listen
to Hezekiah—he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Listen to the king of Assyria—
deal with me and live the good life; I’ll guarantee everyone your own plot of ground—a
garden and a well! I’ll take you to a land sweeter by far than this one, a land of grain
and wine, bread and vineyards, olive orchards and honey. You only live once—so live,
really live! 32-35 “No. Don’t listen to Hezekiah. Don’t listen to his lies, telling you
‘GOD will save us.’ Has there ever been a god anywhere who delivered anyone from
the king of Assyria?
Background to Micah’s Day
III. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 2) – Judah’s Deliverance
from Assyria: God’s Power to Rescue His People– 2 Kings 19:1-37
2 Kings 19:1-37 (The Message)
1-3 When
Hezekiah heard it all, he too ripped his robes apart and dressed himself in rough
burlap. Then he went into The Temple of GOD. He sent Eliakim, and the senior priests, all of
them dressed in rough burlap, to the prophet Isaiah… They said to him, “A message from
Hezekiah: ‘This is a black day, a terrible day—doomsday! 6-7 Isaiah answered them, “Tell
your master, ‘GOD’s word: Don’t be at all concerned about what you’ve heard from the king
of Assyria’s bootlicking errand boys—these outrageous blasphemies. Here’s what I’m going
to do: Afflict him with self-doubt. He’s going to hear a rumor and, frightened for his life,
retreat to his own country. Once there, I’ll see to it that he gets killed.’” 8-13 …Then
Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah king of Cush was on his way to fight against him. So he
sent another envoy with orders to deliver this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: “Don’t let
that god that you think so much of keep stringing you along with the line, ‘Jerusalem will
never fall to the king of Assyria.’ 14-15 Hezekiah took the letter from the envoy and read it. He
went to The Temple of GOD and spread it out before GOD. And Hezekiah prayed—oh, how
he prayed! 35 And it so happened that that very night an angel of GOD came and massacred
185,000 Assyrians. When the people of Jerusalem got up next morning, there it was—a
whole camp of corpses! 36-37 Sennacherib king of Assyria got out of there fast, headed
straight home for Nineveh, and stayed put. One day when he was worshiping in the temple
of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer murdered him and then escaped
to the land of Ararat.
Background to Micah’s Day
IV. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 3) – His Terminal Illness
and Miraculous Healing: The Power of Prayer and the Danger of
Pride – 2 Kings 20:1-20
2 Kings 20:1-20 (The Message)
1
Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
paid him a visit and said, “Put your affairs in order; you’re about to die—you haven’t
long to live.” 2-3 Hezekiah turned from Isaiah and faced GOD, praying:
Remember, O GOD, who I am, what I’ve done!
I’ve lived an honest life before you,
My heart’s been true and steady,
I’ve lived to please you; lived for your approval.
And then the tears flowed. Hezekiah wept.
4-6 Isaiah, leaving, was not halfway across the courtyard when the word
of GOD stopped him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, prince of my people, ‘GOD’s word,
Hezekiah! From the God of your ancestor David: I’ve listened to your prayer and
I’ve observed your tears. I’m going to heal you. In three days you will walk on your
own legs into The Temple of GOD. I’ve just added fifteen years to your life; I’m
saving you from the king of Assyria, and I’m covering this city with my shield—for
my sake and my servant David’s sake.’”
Background
to
Micah’s
Day
HEZEKIAH: A RIGHTEOUS RULER WHO
IV. The Righteous Reign of Hezekiah (Part 3) – His Terminal Illness and
BECAME
Miraculous Healing:
The Power PRIDEFUL
of Prayer and the Danger of Pride – 2
Kings 20:1-20
2 Kings 20:1-20 (The Message)
12-13 Shortly
after this, Merodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan king of Babylon,
having heard that the king was sick, sent a get-well card and a gift to Hezekiah.
Hezekiah was pleased and showed the messengers around the place—silver, gold,
spices, aromatic oils, his stockpile of weapons—a guided tour of all his prized
possessions. There wasn’t a thing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah didn’t
show them.
14 And then Isaiah the prophet showed up: “And just what were these men doing
here? Where did they come from and why?”
Hezekiah said, “They came from far away—from Babylon.”
15 “And what did they see in your palace?”
“Everything,” said Hezekiah. “There isn’t anything I didn’t show them—I gave them
the grand tour.”
16-18 Then Isaiah spoke to Hezekiah, “Listen to what GOD has to say about this: The
day is coming when everything you own and everything your ancestors have passed
down to you, right down to the last cup and saucer, will be cleaned out of here—
plundered and packed off to Babylon. GOD’s word! Worse yet, your sons, the
progeny of sons you’ve begotten, will end up as eunuchs in the palace of the king of
Babylon.”
Basic Outline of Micah
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 –
3:12
A.
B.
C.
The Pronouncement of Judgment, 1:1-16
The Cause of the Judgment: A Corrupt Society, 2:1-13
The Cause of the Judgment: A Corrupt Leadership, 3:112
II. The Promise of a Future Great Hope: The
Messiah’s Kingdom – 4:1-5:15
A.
B.
The Hope for the Messiah’s Kingdom, 4:1-13
The Coming Ruler of God’s Kingdom: The Messiah, the
Lord Jesus Christ, 5:1-15
III. God’s Case Against His People and His
Great Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
A.
B.
God’s Case Against His People, 6:1-16
The Corruption of Society and God’s Great Promise of
Salvation, 7:1-20
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
A.
The Pronouncement of Judgment, 1:1-16 (The Message)
GOD’s Message as it came to Micah of Moresheth. It came during the reigns of
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. It had to do with what was going on in
Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Listen, people—all of you.
Listen, earth, and everyone in it:
The Master, GOD, takes the witness stand against you,
the Master from his Holy Temple.
3-5 Look, here he comes! GOD, from his place!
He comes down and strides across mountains and hills.
Mountains sink under his feet,
valleys split apart;
The rock mountains crumble into gravel,
the river valleys leak like sieves.
All this because of Jacob’s sin,
because Israel’s family did wrong.
You ask, “So what is Jacob’s sin?”
Just look at Samaria—isn’t it obvious?
And all the sex-and-religion shrines in Judah—
isn’t Jerusalem responsible?
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
6-7 “I’m
A.
The Pronouncement of Judgment, 1:1-16 (The Message)
turning Samaria into a heap of rubble,
a vacant lot littered with garbage.
I’ll dump the stones from her buildings in the valley
and leave her abandoned foundations exposed.
All her carved and cast gods and goddesses
will be sold for stove wood and scrap metal,
All her sacred fertility groves
burned to the ground,
All the sticks and stones she worshiped as gods,
destroyed.
These were her earnings from her life as a whore.
This is what happens to the fees of a whore.”
8-9 This is why I lament and mourn.
This is why I go around in rags and barefoot.
This is why I howl like a pack of coyotes,
and moan like a mournful owl in the night.
GOD has inflicted punishing wounds;
Judah has been wounded with no healing in sight.
Judgment has marched through the city gates.
Jerusalem must face the charges.
Romans 1:18-32; 1
Colossians 6:9-10;
Galatians 5:19-21;
Ephesians 5:36; 1
John 5:21; Rev.
21:8)
Citizens of the
world TODAY,
God warns us ALL:
idolatry or any form
of false worship will
doom us. The
unrepentant
idolater will not
inherit the kingdom
of God.
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
A.
10-16 Don’t
The Pronouncement of Judgment, 1:1-16 (The Message)
gossip about this in Telltown.
Don’t waste your tears. Gath (Philistines)
In Dustville,
Beth Ophrah, Saphir,
roll in the dust.
Zaanan, Beth Ezel
In Alarmtown,
the alarm is sounded.
The citizens of Exitburgh
will never get out alive.
Lament, Last-Stand City: Maroth, Jerusalem
There’s nothing in you left standing.
The villagers of Bittertown
wait in vain for sweet peace.
Harsh judgment has come from GOD
and entered Peace City.
All you who live in Chariotville,
get in your chariots for flight.
Lachish
You led the daughter of Zion
into trusting not God but chariots.
Similar sins in Israel
also got their start in you.
Go ahead and give your goodbye gifts
Meresheth
Gath, Aczib
to Good-byeville.
Miragetown beckoned
but disappointed Israel’s kings.
Inheritance City
has lost its inheritance.
Mareshah
Glorytown
has seen its last of glory.
Shave your heads in mourning
over the loss of your precious
towns.
Go bald as a goose egg—they’ve
gone
into exile and aren’t coming
back.
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
A.
The Pronouncement of Judgment, 1:1-16 (The Message)
Judah and Jerusalem were condemned
because they allowed the cancer of Samaria’s
sin to infect them. God’s Word is clear: we
must not follow evil examples or participate in
the wicked behavior of this world.
Acts 2:40; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 2
Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Timothy 2:4; Hebrews 4:11;
Hebrews 11:24-25; 2 Peter 3:17; 1 John 2:15-16;
Exodus 23:2; Leviticus 20:23; 2 Kings 17:15; Psalm
1:1; Proverbs 22:24-25; Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:18
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
B.
The Cause of the Judgment: A Corrupt Society, 2:1-13
(The Message)
1-5 Doom
to those who plot evil,
who go to bed dreaming up crimes!
As soon as it’s morning,
they’re off, full of energy, doing what they’ve planned.
They covet fields and grab them,
find homes and take them.
They bully the neighbor and his family,
see people only for what they can get out of them.
GOD has had enough. He says,
“I have some plans of my own:
Disaster because of this interbreeding evil!
Your necks are on the line.
You’re not walking away from this.
It’s doomsday for you.
Mocking ballads will be sung of you,
and you yourselves will sing the blues:
‘Our lives are ruined,
our homes and lands auctioned off.
They take everything, leave us nothing!
All is sold to the highest bidder.’”
And there’ll be no one to stand up for you,
no one to speak for you before GOD and his jury.
Sin #1:
Planning and
Plotting Evil
Sin #2:
Coveting and
Stealing from
Others
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
B.
The Cause of the Judgment: A Corrupt Society, 2:1-13
(The Message)
Get out of here, the lot of you.
6-7 “Don’t preach,” say the preachers.
You can’t take it easy here!
“Don’t preach such stuff.
You’ve polluted this place,
Nothing bad will happen to us.
and now you’re polluted—
Talk like this to the family of Jacob?
ruined!
Does GOD lose his temper?
Sin #3:
If someone showed up with a
Is this the way he acts?
Persecuting
Isn’t he on the side of good people? God’s True good smile and glib tongue
and told lies from morning to
Doesn’t he help those who help
Prophets
night—
themselves?”
‘I’ll preach sermons that will tell
8-11 “What do you mean, ‘good people’!
you
You’re the enemy of my people!
Sin #4:
how you can get anything you
You rob unsuspecting people
Hostile
want from God:
out for an evening stroll.
and
More money, the best wines . . .
You take their coats off their backs
Violent
you name it’—
like soldiers who plunder the
you’d hire him on the spot as
defenseless.
your preacher!
You drive the women of my people
out of their ample homes.
Sin #5:
Sin #6:
You make victims of the children
Following
and leave them vulnerable to violence Abusing Women
and Children
Deceitful Prophets
and vice.
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
B.
The Cause of the Judgment: A Corrupt Society, 2:1-13
(The Message)
12-13 “I’m
Verse 12:
calling a meeting, Jacob.
The Lord
I want everyone back—all the survivors of Israel.
would be a
I’ll get them together in one place—
Shepherd to
like sheep in a fold, like cattle in a corral—
His people
a milling throng of homebound people!
Then I, GOD, will burst all confinements
and lead them out into the open.
Verse 13a:
They’ll follow their King.
The Lord
I will be out in front leading them.”
would be a
“Breaker” to
Verse 13b:
His people
The Lord would
be the people’s
King
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
C.
1-3 Then
The Cause of the Judgment: A Corrupt Leadership, 3:1-12
I said:
“Listen, leaders of Jacob,
leaders of Israel:
Don’t you know anything of
justice?
Haters of good, lovers of evil:
Isn’t justice in your job
description?
But you skin my people alive.
You rip the meat off their
bones.
You break up the bones, chop
the meat,
and throw it in a pot for
cannibal stew.”
4 The
time’s coming, though, when these same
leaders
will cry out for help to GOD, but he won’t listen.
He’ll turn his face the other way
because of their history of evil.
Here is GOD’s Message to the prophets,
the preachers who lie to my people:
“For as long as they’re well paid and well fed,
the prophets preach, ‘Isn’t life wonderful! Peace to
all!’
But if you don’t pay up and jump on their bandwagon,
their ‘God bless you’ turns into ‘God damn you.’
Therefore, you’re going blind. You’ll see nothing.
You’ll live in deep shadows and know nothing.
The sun has set on the prophets.
They’ve had their day; from now on it’s night.
Visionaries will be confused,
experts will be all mixed up.
They’ll hide behind their reputations and make lame
excuses
to cover up their God-ignorance.”
I.
God’s Warning of Coming Judgment – 1:1 – 3:12
C. The Cause of the Judgment: A Corrupt Leadership, 3:1-12
8 But me—I’m filled with GOD’s power,
filled with GOD’s Spirit of justice and strength,
Ready to confront Jacob’s crime
God demands
and Israel’s sin.
9-12 The leaders of Jacob and
justice and
the leaders of Israel are
righteousness
Leaders contemptuous of justice,
from His
who twist and distort right living,
Leaders who build Zion by killing people,
people, even
who expand Jerusalem by committing crimes.
more so from
Judges sell verdicts to the highest bidder,
His leaders
priests mass-market their teaching,
prophets preach for high fees,
and ministers
All the while posturing and pretending
dependence on GOD:
“We’ve got GOD on our side.
He’ll protect us from disaster.”
Because of people like you,
Zion will be turned back into farmland,
Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble,
and instead of the Temple on the mountain,
a few scraggly scrub pines.
II. The Promise of a Future Great Hope: The
Messiah’s Kingdom – 4:1-5:15
A.
1-4 But
The Hope for the Messiah’s Kingdom, 4:1-13
when all is said and done,
GOD’s Temple on the mountain,
Firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains,
towering above surrounding hills.
People will stream to it
and many nations set out for it,
Saying, “Come, let’s climb GOD’s mountain.
Let’s go to the Temple of Jacob’s God.
He will teach us how to live.
We’ll know how to live God’s way.”
True teaching will issue from Zion,
GOD’s revelation from Jerusalem.
He’ll establish justice in the rabble of nations
and settle disputes in faraway places.
They’ll trade in their swords for shovels,
their spears for rakes and hoes.
Nations will quit fighting each other,
quit learning how to kill one another.
Each man will sit under his own shade tree,
each woman in safety will tend her own garden.
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says so,
and he means what he says.
5
Meanwhile, all the other people
live however they wish,
picking and choosing their
gods.
But we live honoring GOD,
and we’re loyal to our God
forever and ever.
6-7 “On that great day,” GOD says,
“I will round up all the hurt and
homeless,
everyone I have bruised or
banished.
I will transform the battered into a
company of the elite.
I will make a strong nation out
of the long lost,
A showcase exhibit of GOD’s rule
in action,
as I rule from Mount Zion, from
here to eternity.
II. The Promise of a Future Great Hope: The
Messiah’s Kingdom – 4:1-5:15
A.
8 “And
The Hope for the Messiah’s Kingdom, 4:1-13
you stragglers around Jerusalem,
eking out a living in shantytowns:
The glory that once was will be again.
Jerusalem’s daughter will be the
kingdom center.”
9-10 So why the doomsday hysterics?
You still have a king, don’t you?
But maybe he’s not doing his job
and you’re panicked like a woman in
labor.
Well, go ahead—twist and scream,
Daughter Jerusalem.
You are like a woman in childbirth.
You’ll soon be out of the city, on your
way
and camping in the open country.
And then you’ll arrive in Babylon.
What you lost in Jerusalem will be
found in Babylon.
GOD will give you new life again.
He’ll redeem you from your enemies.
11-12 But
for right now, they’re ganged up
against you,
many godless peoples, saying,
“Kick her when she’s down! Violate her!
We want to see Zion grovel in the dirt.”
These blasphemers have no idea
what GOD is thinking and doing in this.
They don’t know that this is the making
of GOD’s people,
that they are wheat being threshed, gold
being refined.
13 On your feet, Daughter of Zion! Be
threshed of chaff,
be refined of dross.
I’m remaking you into a people invincible,
into God’s juggernaut to crush the godless
peoples.
You’ll bring their plunder as holy offerings
to GOD,
their wealth to the Master of the earth.
II. The Promise of a Future Great Hope: The
Messiah’s Kingdom – 4:1-5:15
B.
The Coming Ruler of God’s Kingdom: The Messiah, the
Lord Jesus Christ, 5:1-15
But for now, prepare for the worst, victim daughter!
The siege is set against us.
They humiliate Israel’s king,
slapping him around like a rag doll.
2-4 But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
home to the family of Israel.
He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by GOD’s
strength,
centered in the majesty of GOD-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
for the whole world will hold him in respect—
Peacemaker of the world!
5-6 And
if some bullying Assyrian
shows up,
invades and violates our land,
don’t worry.
We’ll put him in his place, send
him packing,
and watch his every move.
Shepherd-rule will extend as far
as needed,
to Assyria and all other Nimrodbullies.
Our shepherd-ruler will save us
from old or new enemies,
from anyone who invades or
violates our land.
II. The Promise of a Future Great Hope: The
Messiah’s Kingdom – 4:1-5:15
B.
7 The
The Coming Ruler of God’s Kingdom: The Messiah, the
Lord Jesus Christ, 5:1-15
purged and select company of
Jacob will be
like an island in the sea of peoples.
They’ll be like dew from GOD,
like summer showers
Not mentioned in the weather forecast,
not subject to calculation or control.
8-9 Yes, the purged and select company of
Jacob will be
like an island in the sea of peoples,
Like the king of beasts among wild beasts,
like a young lion loose in a flock of
sheep,
Killing and devouring the lambs
and no one able to stop him.
With your arms raised in triumph over your
foes,
your enemies will be no more!
10-15 “The
day is coming”
—GOD’s Decree—
“When there will be no more war. None.
I’ll slaughter your war horses and
demolish your chariots.
I’ll dismantle military posts
and level your fortifications.
I’ll abolish your religious black markets,
your underworld traffic in black magic.
I will smash your carved and cast gods
and chop down your phallic posts.
No more taking control of the world,
worshiping what you do or make.
I’ll root out your sacred sex-and-power
centers
and destroy the God-defiant.
In raging anger, I’ll make a clean sweep
of godless nations who haven’t listened.”
III. God’s Case Against His People and His Great
Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
A.
1-2 Listen
God’s Case Against His People, 6:1-16
now, listen to GOD:
“Take your stand in court.
The charges God
If you have a complaint, tell the mountains;
brought against His
make your case to the hills.
And now, Mountains, hear GOD’s case;
people:
listen, Jury Earth—
For I am bringing charges against my people.
1. They thought God’s
I am building a case against Israel.
Word was a burden
3-5 “Dear people, how have I done you wrong?
2. They forgot God’s
Have I burdened you, worn you out? Answer!
love and neglected
I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt;
His salvation
I paid a good price to get you out of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you—
and Aaron and Miriam to boot!
Remember what Balak king of Moab tried to pull,
and how Balaam son of Beor turned the tables on him.
Remember all those stories about Shittim and Gilgal.
Keep all GOD’s salvation stories fresh and present.”
III. God’s Case Against His People and His Great
Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
A.
6-7 How
God’s Case Against His People, 6:1-16
Verses 6-7: Micah
can I stand up before GOD
exposed the foolishness
and show proper respect to the high God?
and sinfulness of the
Should I bring an armload of offerings
people’s beliefs and
topped off with yearling calves?
behavior with 3
Would GOD be impressed with thousands of rams,
with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
questions
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
my precious baby, to cancel my sin?
Verse 8: The people
8 But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
rejected the
what GOD is looking for in men and women.
teachings of God’s
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
Holy Word (act justly,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
love mercy, walk
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
humbly with God)
take God seriously.
9 Attention! GOD calls out to the city!
If you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen. Verse 9: The people ignored
and denied God’s
So listen, all of you!
This is serious business.
disciplined; they refused to
heed His warnings
III. God’s Case Against His People and His Great
Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
A.
10-16 “Do
God’s Case Against His People, 6:1-16
you expect me to overlook obscene wealth
you’ve piled up by cheating and fraud?
Verses 10-16:
Do you think I’ll tolerate shady deals
Judgment is
and shifty scheming?
pronounced:
I’m tired of the violent rich
bullying their way with bluffs and lies.
ruin, economic collapse,
I’m fed up. Beginning now, you’re finished.
judged because of
You’ll pay for your sins down to your last cent.
wickedness and idolatry
No matter how much you get, it will never be enough—
hollow stomachs, empty hearts.
No matter how hard you work, you’ll have nothing to show for it—
bankrupt lives, wasted souls.
You’ll plant grass
but never get a lawn.
You’ll make jelly
but never spread it on your bread.
You’ll press apples
but never drink the cider.
You have lived by the standards of your king, Omri,
the decadent lifestyle of the family of Ahab.
Because you’ve slavishly followed their fashions,
I’m forcing you into bankruptcy.
Your way of life will be laughed at, a tasteless joke.
Your lives will be derided as futile and fake.”
III. God’s Case Against His People and His Great
Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
B.
1-6 I’m
The Corruption of Society and God’s Great Promise of
Salvation, 7:1-20
overwhelmed with sorrow!
sunk in a swamp of despair!
I’m like someone who goes to the
garden
to pick cabbages and carrots and corn
And returns empty-handed,
finds nothing for soup or sandwich or
salad.
There’s not a decent person in sight.
Right-living humans are extinct.
They’re all out for one another’s blood,
animals preying on each other.
They’ve all become experts in evil.
Corrupt leaders demand bribes.
The powerful rich
make sure they get what they want.
The best and brightest are thistles.
The top of the line is crabgrass.
But no longer: It’s exam time.
Look at them slinking away in
disgrace!
Don’t trust your neighbor,
don’t confide in your friend.
Watch your words,
even with your spouse.
Neighborhoods and families are
falling to pieces.
The closer they are—sons,
daughters, in-laws—
The worse they can be.
Your own family is the enemy.
Verses 1-6:
The people are
spiritually impoverished
III. God’s Case Against His People and His Great
Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
B.
7 But
The Corruption of Society and God’s Great Promise of
Salvation, 7:1-20
me, I’m not giving up.
I’m sticking around to see
what GOD will do.
I’m waiting for God to make things right.
I’m counting on God to listen to me.
8-10 Don’t, enemy, crow over me.
I’m down, but I’m not out.
I’m sitting in the dark right now,
but GOD is my light.
I can take GOD’s punishing rage.
I deserve it—I sinned.
But it’s not forever. He’s on my side
and is going to get me out of this.
He’ll turn on the lights and show me his
ways.
I’ll see the whole picture and how right
he is.
And my enemy will see it, too,
and be discredited—yes,
disgraced!
This enemy who kept taunting,
“So where is this GOD of yours?”
I’m going to see it with these, my
own eyes—
my enemy disgraced, trash in the
gutter.
Verses 7-10:
The prophet remains
hopeful
III. God’s Case Against His People and His Great
Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
B.
The Corruption of Society and God’s Great Promise of
Salvation, 7:1-20
14-17 Shepherd, O GOD, your people with
11-13 Oh, that will be a day! A day for
your staff,
rebuilding your city,
your dear and precious flock.
a day for stretching your arms,
Uniquely yours in a grove of trees,
spreading your wings!
centered in lotus land.
All your dispersed and scattered
Let them graze in lush Bashan
people will come back,
as in the old days in green Gilead.
old friends and family from faraway
Reproduce the miracle-wonders
places,
of our exodus from Egypt.
From Assyria in the east to Egypt in
And the godless nations: Put them in
the west,
their place—
from across the seas and out of the
humiliated in their arrogance,
mountains.
speechless and clueless.
But there’ll be a reversal for everyone
Make them slink like snakes, crawl like
else—massive depopulation—
cockroaches,
because of the way they lived, the
come out of their holes from under
things they did.
their rocks
And face our GOD.
Verses 11-17:
Fill them with holy fear and trembling.
Restoration, Deliverance
III. God’s Case Against His People and His Great
Promise of Salvation – 6:1-7:20
B.
The Corruption of Society and God’s Great Promise of
Salvation, 7:1-20
18-20 Where
is the god who can compare with you—
wiping the slate clean of guilt,
Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear,
to the past sins of your purged and precious people?
You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long,
for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most.
And compassion is on its way to us.
You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing.
You’ll sink our sins
to the bottom of the ocean.
You’ll stay true to your word to Father Jacob
and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—
Everything you promised our ancestors
from a long time ago.
Verses 18-20:
The Promise of Salvation