{"id":8996,"date":"2020-05-01T20:00:09","date_gmt":"2020-05-02T03:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=8996"},"modified":"2020-04-26T17:39:13","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T00:39:13","slug":"micah_1_1-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/micah_1_1-16\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sin That Derailed Us and The Son That Redeemed Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

Micah 1:1-16 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today we begin the book of Micah.\u00a0 Written by a prophet called Micah (short for \u201cMicaiah\u201d meaning \u201cwho is like Yahweh\u201d), 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 This suggests that Micah\u2019s ministry \u2013 and this book \u2013 took place between 750 and 686 B.C.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Micah 1:1-16.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/em><\/p>\n

Micah 1:1 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah–the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 1:\u00a0 Samaria was the capital city of Israel (the northern kingdom) and Jerusalem was the capital city of Judah (the southern kingdom).\u00a0 When Micah refers to Samaria, here he means the entire kingdom of Israel.\u00a0 When he refers to Jerusalem, he means the entire kingdom of Judah.<\/p>\n

Micah 1:2-4 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it, that the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0may witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Look! The\u00a0LORD\u00a0is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 2-4:\u00a0 The picture Micah sees is of a God who is awesome in power, who changes the landscape when He appears \u2013 mountains melting and valleys splitting apart (v4).\u00a0 Truly God is powerful and awesome beyond our imagination.\u00a0 Yet how ironic and incredible it is that when Jesus the Son of God appeared on earth centuries later, instead of causing mountains to melt and valleys to split, Jesus chose to appear as harmless and helpless as a newborn baby.<\/p>\n

Micah 1:5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All this is because of Jacob’s transgression, because of the sins of the house of Israel. What is Jacob’s transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah’s high place? Is it not Jerusalem?<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 5:\u00a0 What is God\u2019s reason for showing up on earth, according to Micah?\u00a0 It is because of \u201cJacob\u2019s transgression, because of the sins of the house of Israel\u201d.\u00a0 In other words, Micah pictures God as coming to judge Israel (represented by Samaria) and Judah (represented by Jerusalem).\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0 God is not indifferent to our sin.\u00a0 God is holy and just and must do something about sin.<\/p>\n

Micah 1:6-9 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go about barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and moan like an owl.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For her wound is incurable; it has come to Judah. It has reached the very gate of my people, even to Jerusalem itself.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 6-9: \u00a0In verses 6 to 7, Micah talks about how Israel the northern kingdom will be judged, while in verses 8-9 a grieving Micah describes how his own home county of Judah will be judged.<\/p>\n

Micah 1:10-15 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Tell it not in Gath;\u00a0weep not at all.\u00a0In Beth Ophrah\u00a0roll in the dust.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Pass on in nakedness and shame,\u00a0you who live in Shaphir.\u00a0Those who live in Zaanan\u00a0will not come out.\u00a0Beth Ezel is in mourning;\u00a0its protection is taken from you.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Those who live in Maroth writhe in pain,\u00a0waiting for relief,\u00a0because disaster has come from the\u00a0LORD,\u00a0even to the gate of Jerusalem.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You who live in Lachish,\u00a0harness the team to the chariot.\u00a0You were the beginning of sin\u00a0to the Daughter of Zion,\u00a0for the transgressions of Israel\u00a0were found in you.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore you will give parting gifts\u00a0to Moresheth Gath.\u00a0The town of Aczib will prove deceptive\u00a0to the kings of Israel.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I will bring a conqueror against you\u00a0who live in Mareshah.\u00a0He who is the glory of Israel\u00a0will come to Adullam.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 10-15:\u00a0 In verse 10, when Micah says \u201cTell it not in Gath\u201d, Micah is recalling what King David said when he found out that his predecessor Saul had been killed by the Philistines: \u201cTell it not in Gath\u201d (2 Samuel 1:20) means \u201cdon\u2019t tell Israel\u2019s enemies about the shame that Israel has experienced\u201d, Gath being a major enemy city.<\/p>\n

In the rest of verse 10 until verse 15, Micah uses poetic language and clever word plays to describe how various towns in Judah will be in mourning and shame because of the destruction that they will eventually face.\u00a0 For example:<\/p>\n