Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 5:1-15.  Let’s go!

Micah 5:1-5 (NIV) 
1  Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod.
2  “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
3  Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.
4  He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
5  And he will be their peace…

On verses 1-5a:  Here Micah sees a dichotomous, two part vision: on one hand he sees Israel being besieged and struck by its enemies (v1).  On the other hand, Micah also sees that out of Bethlehem is coming a very special ruler for Israel, one “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (v2).  Micah is talking about the Messiah (Saviour King) that he sees coming.  “Until the time when she who is in labor gives birth” (v3), meaning until this Messiah is born, Israel will be abandoned and without a shepherd.   

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 4:1-13.  Let’s go!

Micah 4:1 (NIV) 
1  In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
 
On verse 1:  In verses 1-8 Micah is describing what will happen “in the last days” (v1), meaning the time when Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom.  Here in verse 1 Micah prophesies about the day that “the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains…raised above the hills, and people will stream to it.” (v1)  In other words, Micah is prophesying of the day when the worship of the Lord takes first place and centre stage in people’s hearts. 

What can we learn from this?  Right now you may be facing a mountain in your life, or maybe even multiple mountains, but no matter what always give first place and centre stage to the Lord.  Let your worship of God and your intimacy with Him always be your number priority.  For when you fix your eyes on Jesus, when you remember that His greatness no one can match, then you can say to whatever other mountain you may be facing, “You’re not so big after all.  For my God is greater.” 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 3:1-12.  Let’s go!

Micah 3:1-4 (NIV) 
1  Then I said, “Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice,
2  you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones;
3  who eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?”
4  Then they will cry out to the LORD, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.

On verses 1-4: God wants leaders to “embrace justice” (v1), but instead Micah finds that the leaders of Jacob (another name for Israel) “hate good and love evil” (v2).  Micah uses cannibalistic imagery to describe how Israel’s leaders take advantage of and abuse the people (v3).  Micah says that because of their evil ways, the Lord will not listen to them when they cry out (v4).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

Micah 2:1-5 (NIV) 
1  Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.
2  They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance.
3  Therefore, the LORD says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.
4  In that day men will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: ‘We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.'”
5  Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot.

On verses 1-5:  God plans disaster (v3-5) for those who plan disaster against others (v1-2).  Move over Captain America and Iron Man.  The ultimate avenger is Yahweh who says, “It is mine to avenge.  I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19)

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Micah.  Written by a prophet called Micah (short for “Micaiah” meaning “who is like Yahweh”), this book prophesies about the destruction of Israel (the northern kingdom) at the hands of the Assyrians and the takeover of Judah (the southern kingdom) by the Babylonians, but also points to the day when both Israel and Judah would be restored.  Micah himself was from Moresheth, a town in the southern kingdom of Judah who ministered as a prophet in Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.  This suggests that Micah’s ministry – and this book – took place between 750 and 686 B.C.

Today’s passage is Micah 1:1-16.  Let’s go!

Micah 1:1 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah–the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

On verse 1:  Samaria was the capital city of Israel (the northern kingdom) and Jerusalem was the capital city of Judah (the southern kingdom).  When Micah refers to Samaria, here he means the entire kingdom of Israel.  When he refers to Jerusalem, he means the entire kingdom of Judah.