An Overview of the book of Micah

Lesson 33

KEY VERSE:  MICAH 2:1-2   “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.”

THEME:         Micah denounced the social sins of his day.  He felt keenly the social evils. He saw the unfair treatment of the poor by the rich. He felt that these sins cried up to Heaven.

No class was free from corrupting influences; princes, priests and people alike were all affected.

DATE:     Micah wanted the people to know that every cruel act to one’s fellow man was an insult to God.

Micah prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah  (1:1)

He was a contemporary of Isaiah in Judah and Hosea in Israel  (Isaiah 1:1; Hosea 1:1)

The Northern Kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity during Micah’s lifetime. He lived between 758-700 B.C.

WRITER:       MICAH

– Micah was a representative of the common people.

– He was called “The Country Preacher,” in contrast to Isaiah, who was “The Court Preacher.”

Micha’s prophecy is like many Old Testament prophecies.

– It covers, not only the context of his day, but also the context of the Day of the Lord.

– He sees far into the future and speaks of the “last days.”  (4:1)

– He vividly describes the restoration, which is future, even to us.

– Both comings of the Messiah are foretold.

– Micah closes his prophecy with a passionate plea for repentance.

THEME:  “The Wretched State of All Israel Because of Her Sin and the Wonderful Deliverance to be Brought Through Christ.”

INTRODUCTION:  Micah’s prophecy contains a number of obscure passages that are somewhat difficult to understand.  However, his book is a pre-captivity book announcing to the people the judgment to come and letting them know that there is no way they can avoid it.  His is one of those books that lament the state of Israel, but remind her that she has gone too far to be cured.  Micah is called the “Morasthite,” that is, “a man of Moreshah.”  In Micah 1:14, he calls it “Moresheth-gath.”  Later it is called “Mareshah.”  He was born in the town of Moresheth, which was located in Palestine, on the Philistine border, about twenty-five miles south of Jerusalem.

Micah directed his preaching about Israel and Jerusalem to the world. Micah exposed the idolatry of the religious leaders and the covetousness of the public officials. Greedy bankers and judges confiscated property unjustly (2:1-3; 3:8-12), the religious leaders were apostates (3:5-11; 5:12-15), and the businessmen attained wealth deceitfully (6:10-12).

Micah is cited by the leaders of Jerusalem in the days of Jeremiah, a hundred years later, as an example of one who had prophesied against Israel, but he was not apprehended by the godly King Hezekiah.  This is found in Jeremiah 26:16-19.

Let us notice the outline of Micah and his pronouncement of doom.

IDOLATRY. Read Micah 1:5-7.  This tells us of the graven images and idols of every kind that were to be beaten to pieces later and burned in the fire and that shall not abide in the day of Jehovah’s fury.  (Teacher, talk to the class about idols.  An idol is anything that comes before God.  Discuss with the class different things that can come before God as idols in a child’s life.)

MICAH TELLS ISRAEL THAT “HER WOUND IS INCURABLE.” See Micah 1:9.  God has pronounced His judgment upon those that bear His name.  There is no way that God will withhold His hand of judgment.  There does come to a person a point of no return when he goes so far into sin.  Isaiah 55:6a tells us, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found,” implying that there is a day when a person can seek the Lord when He cannot be found.  In Genesis 6:3a the Lord says, “My spirit shall not always strive with man.”  Hosea 4:17 tells us, “Ephraim is joined to idols:  let him alone.”  Three times in Romans 1 God gives someone up to judgment.  There comes a time when a person is so far in sin he has lost his conscience.  (Teacher, warn the pupils to turn from their sins while there is the possibility of turning.  Teach them to return to God while they can, before God loses His patience and before their consciences are seared.)  Such was the case with Israel and such was the message of Micah to God’s people.

MICAH WAS A CONTEMPORARY OF ISAIAH.  He came to the front a little later than Isaiah but was with him in the greater part of his ministry.  This is very interesting.  Isaiah, of course, was the great light for God in this day, but God also needed little lights like Micah.  (Teacher, remind the pupils that God needs His preachers, His pastors and His evangelists, but He also needs little lights; He needs each of us to shine in his own place.  Some lights shine like the moon and the sun, but God needs millions of stars.  Read Genesis 1:16-18; Daniel 12:3.)

MICAH PRONOUNCED JUDGMENT ON DIFFERENT CITIES.  In Micah 1:9-16, we find these cities listed.  The names of these cities are significant.

1. He pronounced judgment on Beth-le-aphrah. Micah 1:10.  “Aphrah” means “roll in the dust.”  God is simply saying, “It does no good to roll in the dust now; it is too late to repent.”  The Bible speaks about Esau.  Esau sought repentance but could not find it.  God is saying that it is too late—judgment is coming; rolling in the dust will do no good!
2. He pronounced judgment on Saphir. Micah 1:11.  “Saphir” means “the fair and the beautiful.”  When judgment comes, beauty is of no avail.  One’s beauty will not help, for God has pronounced His judgment!
3. He pronounced judgment on Zaanan. Micah 1:11.  “Zaanan” means “the place of flocks and wealth.”  Wealth will do no good when God’s judgment comes.  It does not impress God.
4. He pronounced judgment on Beth-ezel. Micah 1:11.  “Beth-ezel” means “the house at hand” or “the house of a halting place.”  This would be what we would call a “halfway house,” or a motel halfway between the origin and the destination, a place for travelers to stop on the way to the city of the king.  It represents comfort and leisure.  God’s judgment was coming to those who were too comfortable, too leisurely, and lived in too much luxury.
5. He pronounced judgment on Maroth. Micah 1:12.  “Maroth” means “bitterness.”  All of this was to no avail.  The judgment of God was going to come, and there was no way to stop His judgment.  Such is the story of the book of Micah.

CONCLUSION:  Teacher, dwell at length on the danger of people staying too long in sin.  Discuss the importance of not going into sin at all, but by all means, discuss the danger of staying too long.  Plead with the class members who are in sin to turn from it before the conscience is seared and before it is too late to return.

INDIVIDUAL LESSONS FROM MICAH

Micah 2:2    And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

This is a common evil by bankers and political officials in a society based upon credit and a fractional reserve (Nehemiah 5:1-2; Prov. 28:8; Ezek. 22:12-13; 1 Tim. 6:10; James 5:1-6).

Micah 2:3    Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

Doctrinally, the evil time refers to the Tribulation when the Antichrist and his workers of iniquity fraudulently steal from the poor and needy (Psalm 64:1-6; 94:20; James 2:5-6; 5:1-6). Historically, this family was imitated by the House of Rothschild (Lev. 6:4; 19:13; 25:23).

Micah 3:1-4    And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?

2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

At the destruction and death of a nation the political leaders and judges enrich themselves through corruption, deceit, extortion, and fraud (1 Sam. 8:1-3; Psalm 58:1-5; 64:1-6; Eccl. 3:16; James 5:4). Judges and lawyers do not seek justice; they seek convictions through deception. The Antichrist will literally fulfill this prophecy through human sacrifices and blood offerings of Jewish believers (Ps. 14:4; 16:4; 53:4; 79:1-4; Isaiah 6:13; Rev. 6:9-11; 20:4).

Micah 3:5-6    Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.

6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.

The religious leaders who will promote the Antichrist will claim to have the apostolic gifts and apostolic succession (2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2 Thess. 2:9). False prophets are characterized by a positive message of a worldly peace (Romans 16:17-18). The diviners are characterized by a mixture of Spiritism and half-truths (1 Samuel 28:8; Ezek. 13:9). The word seer indicates some prophets with the old Book and the old ways are involved with this apostasy because the word seer was archaic during the time of Samuel (1 Sam. 9:9; 1 Kings 13:18; Rom. 1:18).

Micah 4:1-3    But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord  shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord  from Jerusalem.

3 And he 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.

The Lord Jesus Christ will rule over the whole earth from Jerusalem for 1000 years after the Tribulation (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14; Rev. 20:1-6). The Lord will restore the nation of Israel physically and politically in the land of Palestine (Heb. 8:8-12).

Micah 5:1    Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

Micah prophesied of the historical invasion of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19), but many truths of the Tribulation and the Antichrist are also revealed (the Assyrian – Isaiah 10:5-9).

Micah 5:2    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 of old, from everlasting.

The Lord Jesus is the only one in the history of mankind who named the place of His birth before He was born. The Lord also foretold the manner, place, and time of His birth by the prophets (Isaiah 7:14; Dan. 9:24-26; Matt. 2:1-6). Jesus also foretold of the manner, place, and time of His death and resurrection (Isaiah 50:5-9; 53:1-12; Matt. 16:21-22; John 13:19; 14:29).

No religious founder or leader in the history of the universe has been able to compete with the authenticity and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the ONLY true Saviour of the lost souls of men (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12; 1 Timothy 4:10; Rev. 19:10).

Micah 5:2    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 of old, from everlasting.

This is another example of the two Advents of the Lord Jesus placed together (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 9:6-7; 61:1-2; Jer. 23:5-6; Luke 4:16-21; 1 Peter 1:10-11). Jesus Christ will rule Someday from Jerusalem (Joel 3:17-21; Zech. 9:9; Luke 1:30-33; Acts 2:30).

Micah 5:10-15    And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord , that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

Destruction, misery, and vengeance are planned for the children of Israel before their final restoration (Isaiah 43:2; Mal. 3). Their military will be defeated; their cities will be completely destroyed (Jud. 5:4-8; Lam. 4:18); and their idolatry and witchcraft will be decimated.

Micah 6:6-8    Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 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?

The characteristics of the duty of man and the spiritual truths of life and service can be applied to all. Justice and judgment reveal the holiness of God (Psalm 89:14). The mercy and grace of God reveal the pure love of the Lord (Rom. 5:5-10; Eph. 4:32). True fellowship with God occurs when a man humbles himself to walk in the Commandments of the word of God Ps. 119:1; John 14:23; 1 John 1:3-7).

Micah 7:1-2    Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.

2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

A post tribulation rapture of the saints of the Tribulation will complete the three parts of the first resurrection. This is compared to the gleanings of the harvest (Deut. 16:16; Job 19:26; Isaiah 26:19-21; Ezek. 37:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:23-24; Rev. 20:4). This may occur about 30-40 days before the second coming of the Lord Jesus and his army. The passage describes the blood-thirsty and wicked people who will be in control of the earth. The common saying, that about wraps it up, closes out an event of the dominion of the kingdom of heaven by the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; Rom. 11:25-27; Rev. 11:1-2). The Lord Jesus will destroy the world kingdoms and will establish the greatest kingdom on earth (Isaiah 9:6-7; Rev. 11:15-19).

Micah 7:14-16    Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.

16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

The blessing of the manna in the book of Exodus will be repeated for the Jews during the Great Tribulation (Ex. 16:15; Ps. 74:13-14; 105:40; Luke 4:1-4; Rev. 12:6, 14). The books of Exodus and Deuteronomy record history and prophecy because Moses was a prophet.

Micah 7:16-17    The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.

The wicked and powerful elite plan to live in huge underground tunnels and bomb shelters to hide from the chaos and destruction of their devious plans. The pagan Bible of the Insiders, Atlas Shrugged, wrote of massive underground shelters and Connells for these evil people, but the earthquakes of the tribulation will scare them from remaining in the shelters (Zech. 5:8; Jude 6-7; Rev. 6:12-17). No one can hide from God!

Micah 7:18-20    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.

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. 

The Lord Jesus Christ took the sins of mankind upon Himself at Calvary (2 Cor. 5:21) and deposited the sins of mankind in hell when He was in the heart of the earth. The Lord Jesus will also pardon the sins of the nation of Israel and establish an earthly kingdom according to the everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 15:18-21; 17:19; Ps. 105:10; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 37:26; Dan. 9:24; Rom. 11:25-28; Heb. 8:8-12).

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