Bible Study Guide– Book of Micah

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Background on Micah

Little is known about the prophet Micah beyond what can be learned from the book itself and from Jer 26:18. Micah was from the town of Moresheth (1:1), probably Moresheth Gath (1:14) in southern Judah. The prophecy attests to Micah’s deep sensitivity to the social ills of his day, especially as they affected the small towns and villages of his homeland.

Geography of Obadiah

Timeline of Micah

Micah prophesied during “the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah” (1:1). We know that Jotham began a co-regency with his father Uzziah (Azariah) in 750 B.C. and he assumed sole authority when his father died in 739 B.C. (The year Isaiah was called as a prophet). Hezekiah began ruling with his father Ahaz in 735 B.C. and he assumed sole authority when his father died in 715 B.C. Hezekiah continued his reign until 686 B.C. Thus Micah's ministry extended no longer than 750-686 B.C. The time can possibly be narrowed a little more because of the internal chronological markers.

·  First, the fact that Micah did not mention Uzziah would imply that he had already died and that Jotham was ruling alone as king. This would place Micah after 739 B.C.

·  Second, he began prophesying before the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. because at one point he pictured Samaria's future fall (1:6-7).

·  Third, Micah's prophecies extended to Assyria's invasion of Judah in 701 B.C. because he recorded the distress accompanying that invasion (1:10-16;5:6).

·  Fourth, Micah also intimated that Judah would go into exile in Babylon, Merodach-baladan in 701 B.C. (4:10;cf. Isa 39:1-8)

Thus Micah's ministry could be assigned generally to a time between 735 and 700 B.C

Several significant historical events occurred during this period:

1.  In 734–732 b.c. Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria led a military campaign against Aram (Syria), Philistia and parts of Israel and Judah. Ashkelon and Gaza were defeated. Judah, Ammon, Edom and Moab paid tribute to the Assyrian king, but Israel did not fare as well. According to 2Ki 15:29 the northern kingdom lost most of its territory, including all of Gilead and much of Galilee. Damascus fell in 732 and was annexed to the Assyrian empire.

2.  In 722–721 Samaria fell, and the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria.

3.  In 712 King Sargon II of Assyria captured Ashdod (see Isa 20:1 and note).

4.  In 701 Judah joined a revolt against Assyria and was overrun by King Sennacherib and his army, though Jerusalem was spared.

Micah’s Message

I. As Micah proclaims the judgment of the Lord on the sins of the people,

II. He points the people

a) back to Bethlehem and the Prince of Peace. There is forgiveness, there is comfort, there is God's power to live righteously;

b) back to ethical righteousness This is one of the cardinal virtues of permanent religion. The other two are turning from sin and turning to the Lord for forgiveness and salvation.

Like Hosea, Micah taught that religion and ethics are inseparable. Hosea 6:6.

***** Notes To Be Considered In Your Bible Study Of The Book Of Obadiah*****

(Use Them Only As Thoughts; Not A Direct Translation Of God’s Word)

Chapter 4

With chapter three concluded, the threat of Judgment has reached its climax. Some liberal teachers have some big problems with what comes next in chapters 4-5. They feel chapters 4 and 5 were added much later by another author. They argue that since Micah preached the Law in chapters 1-3 he can not preach the Gospel or hope in chapters 4-S. As one such teacher has put it "Indeed it contradicts Micah's preaching altogether.” How do we deal with this issue.

We can say that yes the Law "contradicts" the Gospel. They are on two sides of the same coin which is God's Word. However, both come from God, both are needed, both are true. The Law says all have sin, there is no hope, God is angry with sin. The Gospel says, there is hope, God is at peace, sin is forgiven you for Jesus' sake. Chapters 4-5 give us a living hope which comes from God. Chapters 4-5 announce the purest salvation to come. In short here the glory of the New Testament Church is foretold.

4:1-7 "Zion will be lifted up in glory through heathen nations joining it.”

4:1-5 "The Glorification Of Zion"

Looking way into the future, Micah aces a time in which God's kingdom will be a universal kingdom in which God will rule over all the earth. We see this also in Isaiah 2:2-5

Micah starts with the words "in the last days" which is a reference to New Testament times. It can also refer to "the last day" which is Judgment day.

As Christians we know that since Jesus Christ has died and come back to life again we are now living in "the last time" of the world. Because the work of Jesus has happened in time and space we can say that all the great works of God for the salvation of men has been concluded, or has been completed. The only great event yet to come is Judgment Day.

The temple hill which will rise above the mountains is not actually a physical place. It is to be seen as the place God reveals Himself to men, namely, in His Word.

Before God "poke to men from mountains...e.g. Mt. Sinai, Mt. Moriah, Mt. Zion. Now, God comes to us through His Word. Today, the church is our mountain, our Jerusalem, the temple hill, the house of the Lord. This New Testament Church outranks that of the Old in power and glory. This kingdom of the Church will be established and remain firm and immovable. (cf. Hebrews 12:28; 1 Timothy 3:15; Luke 1:33)

4:4-5 What type of peace is Micah speaking of here? A world peace. In 1964, on the occasion of the first visit of a Roman Catholic Pope to the Holy Land, the president of the state of Israel greeted Pope Paul VI with the words of verse 5. Is this the type of peace and comfort we should be looking for? Of course not. What is spoken of here is a united Church where Christ remains as head. We find that peace is in Christ now, it will be fully experience in heaven.

4:6-13 The Dominion of Zion is Foretold. Through Travail to Triumph.

The glory of the latter days is not yet; the way to glory leads through agony so intense that "the daughter of Zion" must "groan like a woman in travail; without a king to protect her, with no counselor to guide her.” She shall have to travel the lone miles of the open country into the land of her exile.

The suffering of travail is suffering for a purpose and in hope; out of the deepest depths of her suffering, there, the Lord will redeem her from the hand of her enemies. He will be the victory and His the glory of redeeming love. (verse 10)

The enemies of Zion, who have attacked Zion’s God in their attack upon her (verse 11) shall receive their due reward. They shall be gathered as sheaves to the threshing floor, and God's people shall become an ox with a hoof of bronze to thresh them out.

This will be no personal, triumph on Zion’s part. The spoils of victory (their gain) will be devoted to the Lord who has, in redemption and Judgment, manifested Himself as the Lord of the whole earth and given the victory. He will be their glory (verses 12-13)

Chapter 5 The Ruler From Little Bethlehem and The Renewed People Of God

5:1-6 "The Ruler and Deliverer from Little Bethlehem"

5:1 The situation could be that of 701 BC when Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem. (cf. 2 Kings 18:13-19; Isaiah 36-37)

5:2 Ephrathah is the name of the clan of Judah, to which David belonged. Bethlehem is the town in which the clan lived. Micah's words are used in Matthew’s Gospel as fulfilled by the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was not "little" in God's eyes. According to Micah and Matthew "oh little town of Bethlehem" stands in contrast with "mighty Jerusalem" as the place where the Messiah will be born. (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:27, 29)

5:3 The birth of the Messiah as a child of "mysterious parentage" will bring the return of the remnant. (cf. Isaiah 7:3, 10-17)

5:5 Assyria as the world power threatening Judah in Micah's day in a passage oriented toward the undefined Messianic future the Assyrian becomes a symbol of all hostile powers. Only the Messiah can protect us from them.

5:6 Nimrod is the founder of Babylon, here we are seeing the whole Babylonian-Assyrian empire as one unit of power. They can not hold up against the power of God.

5:7-9 "The People of God as a Blessing and a Curse Among the Nations.”

Under the Ruler from Bethlehem the people shall be blessed; and they shall be a blessing to many peoples. They shall be a blessing is the promise given to Abraham (Genesis 12:2). However, since they are God's own blessing and since man opposes God's blessing, (because of sin) they shall also be a curse among the nations (Genesis 12:3). This same people which is called "dew from the Lord" is also called a devouring lion (verse 8) and an invincible nation which is triumphant over its enemies (verse 9)

5:10-15 "God's Purifying Judgment on His People"

The nation which the prophet has indicted so harshly in chapters 1-3 is not yet a people prepared to receive and impart the blessing of God. It cannot be trusted to be God's instrument.

Before it can become a "blessed dew from the Lord" or "the lion of His Judgment" it must itself be purged by His Judgment. Purged it shall be; the Lord will cut off from it all the devices by which men seek to secure themselves and assert themselves apart from God, whether they be political (horse, chariots, cities, and strong holds) or religious (sorceries, soothsayers, images, pillars). Before Israel can be blessed and become a blessing, she must be taught to walk humbly with her God.

Chapter 6 "The Road Back To God"

We now come to the third part of Micah's book. In chapters 1-3 we see nothing but Law and condemnation, and threats from God. Chapters 4-5 are almost entirely words of promise for those who have faith in God's promises. In chapters 6-7 both ideas of threat and promise can be found.

In these two chapters we also see God's plan for salvation. Through their ingratitude towards God's goodness and through their disobedience towards His commandments they are drawing God's punishment down upon themselves. Yet the people are also shown that through heartfelt repentance they can obtain the promise of salvation. In this chapter (chapter 6) we see God's call to repentance as well as His threat to those who do not turn from their sin.

6:1-2 The first two verses form the introduction. The people arraigned in God's court, the Lord shows them their sin, especially their shameful ingratitude towards God's benefits.

6:3-5 Here the people are arraigned in court. At the same time we find the Lord's indictment included as well as His formal charge of "guilty" against Israel.

6:6-8 Israel cannot deny that they have received tremendous blessings from God, but they must also blush with shame over their glaring ingratitude. The people must admit that with such thankless behavior they have committed apostasy against the Lord.

Realizing their deep fall, the people in verses 6-7 implore to the Lord, asking what they can do to recover the Lord's favor.

Micah in verse 8 shows that works of sinful men are insufficient to appease the wrath of God. All of man's own efforts to win back God's favor are in vain.

6:9-16 The contents of these verses is this: Since there is no practice in those virtues, mentioned in verse 8, such as Justice and honesty towards the neighbor, love and mercy toward the poor and lowly, and no humility before God, it is for that reason that the Lord must threaten and punish them.

In verse 9 the reproof of the people by the Lord begins. Verses 10-12 mention the principal sins, and these are reproved in verses 13-16. God traces their punishment back to their sins.

Chapter 7 "Divine Absolution"

Chapter 7 contains a prayer for repentance and the promise of God's forgiveness which is to follow. After the Lord's threats have been set forth in chapter 6 the prophet Micah gives an answer in the name of the Lord. His answer is the penitential prayer of verses 1-6

7:1-6 In this prayer Micah confesses and laments the deep corruption of his people, and admits that God's visitation is most necessary.

7:7-13 The prophet expresses the confident hope in the name of his people that the Lord will again allow the light of His grace to shine upon His chastened people. Their enemies shall not triumph over them, but rather they shall be punished by God.