Post by Lee on Dec 5, 2014 2:48:55 GMT
Micah 1:1—Micah prophesied in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, some time in the 50 years between 750 and 700 BC—nearly 3000 years ago, half way back to Adam. He prophesied concerning Samaria and Jerusalem: Israel and Judah.
Millions, yea, billions of people have come and gone since the days of Micah. All are forever perished and forgotten, but he remains with us in the eternal record. Why? Because, in his brief passing day, he had the wisdom to cast off the world and cast in his lot faithfully and wholeheartedly with the things of eternity; while they—the forgotten billions—chased the infantile "pleasures" of the present.
Jotham and Hezekiah were good kings—two of the best. Ahaz—in between—son of Jotham and father of Hezekiah, was one of the most wicked and corrupt. Jotham is a strange and shadowy figure. He did right before God; nothing adverse is recorded concerning him; he was a great builder—he "built cities and castles and towers." He was a great conqueror. He became mighty, it is recorded, because he "prepared his ways before the Lord his God." But so little is recorded concerning him—no personal details at all (2 Kg. 15:32-38; 2Ch. 27). Though he was personally among the best of the kings, we are told that in his reign "the people did yet corruptly" (2 Ch. 27:2). This is the sad key to many things— "The people did yet corruptly." How unnecessarily sad! That the people, blessed with so many blessings—shown the way of wisdom—should be so stupid! They did not think they were corrupt. They were offended at the suggestion. "What do we do wrong?" they often said, as reported by the
prophets. They just acted naturally, like natural people, and everything they did seemed perfectly all right to them. But everything outside the narrow spiritual way of life is corruption and death.
Hosea and Isaiah were already prophesying when Micah began in the reign of Jotham. They had been prophesying since the previous reign of Uzziah, Jotham's father. Amos had been, too, but his ministry was now ended. It was a period of crisis, and of great prophetic activity. The end of Israel's kingdom was at hand, and Judah came perilously close to destruction also, but was saved by Hezekiah's faith.
We learn from Jer. 26 that Micah was very instrumental in helping to bring about the reforms under Hezekiah which temporarily saved Judah from annihilation. It is Micah's ch. 3 that Jeremiah mentions as influencing the people of Judah— "Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps" (v. 12). 800 years later, in its final desolation under Titus, Zion actually and literally was ceremoniously plowed by the Roman soldiers, as a mark and symbol of its complete and permanent destruction. And when the walls were later rebuilt, the city moved northward and the original hill of Zion was left outside, so that ever since it has remained open fields—current aerial photographs still show it so.
There are two great lessons in Micah for us—as timely today as the day they were written—a lesson of warning and a lesson of hope.
1)—Sin WILL be punished. There is no outwitting or out maneuvering God. He has said, very simply and clearly, that obedience and spirituality will bring happiness and life; disobedience and fleshliness will bring sorrow and death. It is so very simple and very conclusive, so tragically confirmed by all human history, especially Israel's; yet so few seem to get the point. Most allow themselves to be deceived by the subtlity of the flesh, and feel that they can, in their own special case, please the flesh and still have God's treasures. Why are "intelligent" people who should know better SO stupid about this one thing—the most important of all? Because they don't make the EFFORT—they don't see the NECESSITY—of getting these prophecies, this Word of God, sharply enough into their minds and COnSCiOUSneSS— "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." —and Faith is the one thing we've got to have more of than anything else if we are to have any hope of overcoming. Faith is the wisdom and the power to put first things FIRST, and keep them there.
And:2)— The glorious end of all things WILL be accomplished, and all present things, good and bad are working toward that end. As we stand back and view the great sweep of history, and as—with the slow passage of time—these once terrible calamities fall into their proper perspective in the plan of God, we are assured, and we
realize, that all is for a wise purpose. The people of God suffer and struggle now for their own good and training. The wicked prosper because they do not matter. This is their passing day. Let them have it to the full. The Assyrians prospered while Israel suffered. The Assyrians are gone forever, but Israel continues still.
"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 nation of Israel and its long history is the type of each individual. Here on a vast scale written across the pages of history, God manifests and reveals His way with those who are called according to His purpose: trying, disciplining, developing, sometimes terribly punishing, but finally—for the true remnant that endures
all in faith—blessing and purifying and perfecting. V.2: "Hear all people". This call is for us. We do well to give heed. It is said that those who ignore the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.
Vs. 3-4: The Lord cometh forth in terrible judgment, melting the mountains and tearing the valleys. It is a symbol of tremendous destruction and upheaval. Israel's world was coming to a violent end, and soon the scene will be repeated on a worldwide scale. Only those who in wisdom have chosen the merciful chambers of the Lord
will escape.
Vs. 6-7: Samaria shall be utterly destroyed. And so it was, soon after. After the bitter sufferings of a 3-year siege, its inhabitants were driven away in chained, naked gangs as slaves. These were just ordinary people, doing ordinary things, pleasing themselves, ignoring God's commands.
The rest of the chapter is the similar coming judgment on Judah. Judah witnessed Samaria's dreadful end,but heeded not the lesson.
Rene -1972 Berean P 14
Millions, yea, billions of people have come and gone since the days of Micah. All are forever perished and forgotten, but he remains with us in the eternal record. Why? Because, in his brief passing day, he had the wisdom to cast off the world and cast in his lot faithfully and wholeheartedly with the things of eternity; while they—the forgotten billions—chased the infantile "pleasures" of the present.
Jotham and Hezekiah were good kings—two of the best. Ahaz—in between—son of Jotham and father of Hezekiah, was one of the most wicked and corrupt. Jotham is a strange and shadowy figure. He did right before God; nothing adverse is recorded concerning him; he was a great builder—he "built cities and castles and towers." He was a great conqueror. He became mighty, it is recorded, because he "prepared his ways before the Lord his God." But so little is recorded concerning him—no personal details at all (2 Kg. 15:32-38; 2Ch. 27). Though he was personally among the best of the kings, we are told that in his reign "the people did yet corruptly" (2 Ch. 27:2). This is the sad key to many things— "The people did yet corruptly." How unnecessarily sad! That the people, blessed with so many blessings—shown the way of wisdom—should be so stupid! They did not think they were corrupt. They were offended at the suggestion. "What do we do wrong?" they often said, as reported by the
prophets. They just acted naturally, like natural people, and everything they did seemed perfectly all right to them. But everything outside the narrow spiritual way of life is corruption and death.
Hosea and Isaiah were already prophesying when Micah began in the reign of Jotham. They had been prophesying since the previous reign of Uzziah, Jotham's father. Amos had been, too, but his ministry was now ended. It was a period of crisis, and of great prophetic activity. The end of Israel's kingdom was at hand, and Judah came perilously close to destruction also, but was saved by Hezekiah's faith.
We learn from Jer. 26 that Micah was very instrumental in helping to bring about the reforms under Hezekiah which temporarily saved Judah from annihilation. It is Micah's ch. 3 that Jeremiah mentions as influencing the people of Judah— "Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps" (v. 12). 800 years later, in its final desolation under Titus, Zion actually and literally was ceremoniously plowed by the Roman soldiers, as a mark and symbol of its complete and permanent destruction. And when the walls were later rebuilt, the city moved northward and the original hill of Zion was left outside, so that ever since it has remained open fields—current aerial photographs still show it so.
There are two great lessons in Micah for us—as timely today as the day they were written—a lesson of warning and a lesson of hope.
1)—Sin WILL be punished. There is no outwitting or out maneuvering God. He has said, very simply and clearly, that obedience and spirituality will bring happiness and life; disobedience and fleshliness will bring sorrow and death. It is so very simple and very conclusive, so tragically confirmed by all human history, especially Israel's; yet so few seem to get the point. Most allow themselves to be deceived by the subtlity of the flesh, and feel that they can, in their own special case, please the flesh and still have God's treasures. Why are "intelligent" people who should know better SO stupid about this one thing—the most important of all? Because they don't make the EFFORT—they don't see the NECESSITY—of getting these prophecies, this Word of God, sharply enough into their minds and COnSCiOUSneSS— "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." —and Faith is the one thing we've got to have more of than anything else if we are to have any hope of overcoming. Faith is the wisdom and the power to put first things FIRST, and keep them there.
And:2)— The glorious end of all things WILL be accomplished, and all present things, good and bad are working toward that end. As we stand back and view the great sweep of history, and as—with the slow passage of time—these once terrible calamities fall into their proper perspective in the plan of God, we are assured, and we
realize, that all is for a wise purpose. The people of God suffer and struggle now for their own good and training. The wicked prosper because they do not matter. This is their passing day. Let them have it to the full. The Assyrians prospered while Israel suffered. The Assyrians are gone forever, but Israel continues still.
"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 nation of Israel and its long history is the type of each individual. Here on a vast scale written across the pages of history, God manifests and reveals His way with those who are called according to His purpose: trying, disciplining, developing, sometimes terribly punishing, but finally—for the true remnant that endures
all in faith—blessing and purifying and perfecting. V.2: "Hear all people". This call is for us. We do well to give heed. It is said that those who ignore the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.
Vs. 3-4: The Lord cometh forth in terrible judgment, melting the mountains and tearing the valleys. It is a symbol of tremendous destruction and upheaval. Israel's world was coming to a violent end, and soon the scene will be repeated on a worldwide scale. Only those who in wisdom have chosen the merciful chambers of the Lord
will escape.
Vs. 6-7: Samaria shall be utterly destroyed. And so it was, soon after. After the bitter sufferings of a 3-year siege, its inhabitants were driven away in chained, naked gangs as slaves. These were just ordinary people, doing ordinary things, pleasing themselves, ignoring God's commands.
The rest of the chapter is the similar coming judgment on Judah. Judah witnessed Samaria's dreadful end,but heeded not the lesson.
Rene -1972 Berean P 14