{"id":9075,"date":"2020-05-03T20:00:21","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T03:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=9075"},"modified":"2020-05-04T00:51:59","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T07:51:59","slug":"micah_2_1-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/micah_2_1-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Whom You Listen To Affects How You Live"},"content":{"rendered":"

Micah 2:1-13 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Micah 2:1-13.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Micah 2:1-5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Woe 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.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: “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.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In 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.'”
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0to divide the land by lot.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-5:\u00a0 God plans disaster (v3-5) for those who plan disaster against others (v1-2).\u00a0 Move over Captain America and Iron Man.\u00a0 The ultimate avenger is Yahweh who says, \u201cIt is mine to avenge.\u00a0 I will repay.\u201d (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19) \u00a0So if you have been intentionally hurt by others and are tempted to get revenge, remember that you have the ultimate avenger on your side, who promises that justice will be served without you needing to get your hands dirty.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Micah 2:6-7 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say. “Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us.”
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Should it be said, O house of Jacob: “Is the Spirit of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0angry? Does he do such things?” “Do not my words do good to him whose ways are upright?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 6-7:\u00a0 Throughout Israel\u2019s history there were God\u2019s prophets and false prophets.\u00a0 God\u2019s prophets spoke a message imploring the people to return to God and to live justly before Him.\u00a0 In contrast, false prophets would only prophesy things that the people wanted to hear.\u00a0 Here in verse 6 apparently there were some false prophets who opposed Micah\u2019s message, telling him not to prophesy about Israel\u2019s coming destruction (v6) and questioning whether God would ever be angry with His people or discipline them (v7).\u00a0 Micah responds to this criticism by saying \u201cDo not my words do good to him whose ways are upright\u201d (v7b); to paraphrase Micah, \u201conly those who are truly following the Lord would see the benefit of my message\u201d.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Since there are true prophets and false prophets, be discerning about the kind of people you listen to.<\/strong>\u00a0 Remember the test given in 1 John 4:1-3 which says:<\/p>\n

1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

In other words, an important test is: does the person speaking acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God appearing in the flesh, dying for our sins and rising again?\u00a0 Does the person speaking \u201cdo good to him who is upright\u201d (v7), that is, does the person speaking honour Jesus Christ, the one true upright one, and do good to His name?<\/p>\n

Micah 2:8-11 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Lately my people have risen up like an enemy. You strip off the rich robe from those who pass by without a care, like men returning from battle.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You drive the women of my people from their pleasant homes. You take away my blessing from their children forever.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-11:\u00a0 Here Micah rebukes the people of Israel for rising up \u201clike an enemy\u201d (v8).\u00a0 Just like our enemy Satan\u2019s agenda is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), the people of Israel were abusing and stealing from passers by (v9), driving women out of their homes and taking blessings away from their children (v9).<\/p>\n

So when Micah says \u201cget up, go away!\u00a0 For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy\u201d (v10), Micah is effectively saying to the Israelites, \u201cYou might as well leave this land now and go into exile, for your unjust actions have defiled this land that God has given you.\u201d\u00a0 Micah affirms that the people of Israel only want to hear prophesies about their comfort, pleasure and prosperity, saying that a liar and deceiver (like Satan our enemy) who prophesies plenty of wine and beer for them would be the perfect prophet for them (v11).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How you live is very much determined by whom you choose to listen to.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you listen to the Lord and the people He sends to speak to you, your life will reflect God\u2019s justice, peace and hope.\u00a0 If you listen not to the Lord but to someone who is an enemy of God, you\u2019ll live like the enemy of God too.\u00a0 So much depends on who you listen to.<\/p>\n

Micah 2:12-13 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0at their head.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 12-13:\u00a0 Here God in His mercy promises that after the Assyrians have invaded Israel, there will be a remnant of Israelites that God will preserve, bless and restore (v12).\u00a0 How will He accomplish this?\u00a0 In verse 13 we learn that leading the charge is \u201cOne who breaks open the way\u201d and who \u201cwill go up before them\u201d so that \u201cthey will break through the gate\u201d of their captivity and go out.\u00a0 This \u201cking\u201d will \u201cpass through before them\u201d, with \u201cthe Lord at their head\u201d.\u00a0 Who is Micah referring to in verse 13?\u00a0 He is talking about the Messiah, the Christ, whom God would send and who would make Israel\u2019s salvation, restoration and rescue possible.\u00a0 Ultimately verse 13 is a powerful picture pointing to Jesus, who breaks open the way and goes up before us so that we can break through and be free.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus is our king who passes before us, leads us and makes our restoration possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus, thank You for being my ultimate avenger, the One who breaks open the way, who goes before us, and who leads us to hope and restoration again.\u00a0 Since how I live is heavily dependent on whom I listen to, may I listen to those who love and honour You.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Micah 2:1-13.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Micah 2:1-5 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Woe 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.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0Therefore, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: “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.
\n4\u00a0\u00a0In 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.'”
\n5\u00a0\u00a0Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0to divide the land by lot.<\/p>\n

On verses 1-5:\u00a0 God plans disaster (v3-5) for those who plan disaster against others (v1-2).\u00a0 Move over Captain America and Iron Man.\u00a0 The ultimate avenger is Yahweh who says, \u201cIt is mine to avenge.\u00a0 I will repay.\u201d (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9075"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9078,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9075\/revisions\/9078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}