The Book of Micah
Leader’s Study Guide
Human Author: Micah
Divine Author: God the Holy
Spirit
Date of Writing: c. 735-700
BC
Key Thought: Denunciation of
sin
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
~*~
Introduction
The book begins
with the wretched estate of
MICAH 1
First Division Micah 1-2
Judgment upon
1 The word of the LORD that
came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of [the good king] Jotham [750-732
BC], [the evil king] Ahaz [735-732 BC], and [the godly king] Hezekiah
[715-686], kings of
1:1 Micah is called “the Morasthite”,
which means a man of Moreshah, a town located to the south west of
2 Hear, all ye people;
hearken, O earth [land], and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD [Adonai
Jehovah] be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
1:2 Hear, all ye people. All of
1:2 from His holy temple. The memory of the tabernacle
in the wilderness is involved (Lev. 1:1) when the voice of Jehovah could be
heard from the sanctuary setting forth the holiness that characterized the
people in whose midst He dwelt. Now the Lord speaks from the sanctuary to
condemn those who have violated His Word. He is a witness against His own
people.
3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
1:3-4 From His secret dwelling place the Lord
God has come forth to consider the spiritual state of
5 For the transgression
[rebellion] of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of
1:5 The particular transgression of the
nation involved spiritual adultery due to apostasy or a turning away from the
Law of the Lord. The nation has embraced the worship of other gods displayed in
the creation of high places of worship.
6 Therefore I will make
Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I
will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover
[uncover] the foundations thereof.
1:6 Because the people would not repent and
destroy the false idols God will judge the nation and destroy the false relics
Himself. Samaria will become a place of desolation and will be made to look
like a destroyed vineyard.
7 And all the graven images
thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires [temple gifts] thereof
shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate:
for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to
the hire of an harlot.
1:7 hires. The hires or gifts
representing Jerusalem’s wages of sin by endorsing sacred temple prostitution
shall be burned with fire after the graven idols are destroyed.
8 Therefore I will wail and
howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons
[jackal], and mourning as the owls.
1:8 I will. This is either the
language of anguish of Micah as he identifies himself with the sorrows of
Samaria or it will be the language of the people following the judgment soon to
come, c. 722 BC.
Judgment Upon Judah 1:9-16
9 For her wound is
incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people,
even to Jerusalem.
1:9 her wound. There comes a time when
there is no stopping the hand of divine judgment. While grace is long suffering
discipline will come, it must come. The attribute of love in the heart of God
must not be stressed to rob Him of His holiness and justice. Sin is like a
spreading pestilence. While it may start in Samaria it moves to the gates of
Jerusalem.
10 Declare ye it not
at Gath [lit. winepress, one of the
five major cities of the Philistines], weep ye not at all: in the house of
Aphrah [lit. Beth-Aphrah, house of dust]
roll thyself in the dust.
1:10. tell it not in Gath. Gath was a
city of the Philistines. It was a shame the enemies of the Lord had to know of
the deplorable spiritual condition of the covenant people.
1:10 Aphrah. Playing upon the name the
prophet declares the people of the city of dust should roll themselves in the
dust as an act of repentance.
11 Pass ye away, thou
inhabitant of Saphir [lit. beautiful, fair, a Judean town located 3 ½ miles SE
of Ashdod], having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan [lit. their flock] came not forth in the
mourning of Beth-ezel [lit. a place near];
he shall receive of you his standing.
1:11 In city after city the judgment of God
was assured. Saphir, the fair would become Saphir the shameful. Zaanan the
place of the flocks would be given over to genocide. Beth-ezel, a half way
house, would no longer receive travelers.
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth [lit. bitterness, located in the W part of Judah near Jerusalem] waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
1:12 Death and devastation continue
throughout the land. At Maroth, people hoped for the best and received the
worse. Evil rolled like a flood to the gates of Jerusalem.
All of this sorrow came from the Lord. It is
a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God who is angry.
13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish [a fortified royal city in the lowlands of Judah located thirty miles SW of Jerusalem], bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
1:13 the beginning of sin. Every
expression of evil has a point of origin. There is a spot in which the soul
decides to sin. Micah charges the origin of evil to be in Lachish. When the
Lord sends judgment to Lachish the people will try but cannot escape.
14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath [lit. possession of Gath, either the hometown or resident of the prophet Micah]: the houses of Achzib [lit. falsehood, a town in Asher, which was not subdued by the Israelites, Josh. 19:29] shall be a lie [snare] to the kings of Israel.
1:14 Any attempt to form a political alliance
with the Philistines will be to no avail. Local chieftains will only prove to
be a snare to the interests of Israel. Those who are in the flesh cannot please
God nor can they be trusted.
15 Yet will I bring an heir
[conqueror] unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah [lit. chief place, a fortified city of Judah]: he shall come unto
Adullam [lit. refuge, retreat, a lovely city located SW of Bethlehem] the glory
of Israel.
1:15 Sin or the servant of sin destroys
beauty. It causes lovely places to be wasted.
16 Make thee bald [shave],
and poll [mourn] thee for thy delicate children [lit. sons of your delight]; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they
are gone into captivity from thee.
1:16 The mothers of Israel in particular must learn
to mourn if not for their sins at least because of them. Expressions of sorrow
would include the shaving of the head and for good reason, the children will be
taken into captivity.
Questions and Answers on Micah 1:1-7
1. What is the time period for
the prophecy of Micah?
Answer. The date of his prophecy is
in the reigns of three kings of Judah—Jotham [the good king, 750-731 BC], Ahaz
[an evil king, 743-715 BC], and Hezekiah [a good king, 728-686 BC].
2. To whom was the message of
Micah directed?
Answer. The prophet addresses his
message to Samaria and Jerusalem. Samaria was the capitol of the Northern
Kingdom called Israel while Jerusalem was the capitol of the southern kingdom
of Judah.
3. What has brought forth the
judgment of God?
Answer. Idolatry and sexual immorality has brought
forth the judgment of God according to Micah 1:7.
4. What will the wages of sin
always be?
Answer. The
wages of sin is death.
5. What is the prophet Micah’s
response to the knowledge that judgment is coming upon his nation?
Answer. Micah is greatly distressed
with the news that judgment will soon fall upon Israel. He says that he will
howl like a wounded animal and walk around without clothing in mourning.
6. What is the prophet Micah’s
response to the knowledge that judgment is coming upon his nation?
Answer. Micah is greatly distressed
with the news that judgment will soon fall upon Israel. He says that he will
howl like a wounded animal and walk around without clothing in mourning.
7. Whom should the Christians
lament in the spirit of the prophet Micah?
Answer. We ought to lament the
punishments of sinners as well as the sufferings of saints in this world; the
weeping prophet did so (Jer 9:1); so did this prophet.
8. List the twelve cities that
Micah mentions in 1:8-16.
Answer. Micah speaks of Jerusalem, Gath, Aphrah
[Ophrah (?)], Saphir, Zaanan, Beth-Ezel, Maroth, Lachish, Moresheth-Gath,
Achzib, Mareshah and Adullam.
9. What is said to come down
from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem?
Answer. The sovereignty of God extends over evil or
calamity. A distinction must be recognized between moral evil which is the
transgression of the Law and physical evil which is the outworking of the
transgression of the moral law. .
10. Who should expect to be
first in the punishment when the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
sin?
Answer. Those that help to bring sin into a country do but thereby prepare for
the throwing of themselves out of it. Those must expect to be first in the
punishment who have been ringleaders in sin.
Personal Application and Reflection
1. Does it matter where the
money or gifts come from that are given to the Lord?
2. Whom should the Christians
weep over in the spirit of the prophet Micah?
3. Who should expect to be
first in the punishment when the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
sin?
4. What are some modern day
examples of great cities being destroyed by the ravages of God’s judgment?
5. When you are in mourning,
what do you do to express deep grief?
Micah 1: 3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth
out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the
earth.
MICAH 2
Introduction
Commenting upon Micah 2 Dr. H. A. Ironside
noted when people do not walk in gospel obedience to revealed truth they lose
the power to distinguish truth from error, and may, “under the deadening
influence of the deceitfulness of sin, do the most outrageous things, and
calmly announce that they were for the glory of God; yea, and be deeply grieved
if their high pretensions are not recognized and bowed to” (Notes on the Minor
Prophets).
Upon
cruel oppressors (2:1-11)
1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When
the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their
hand.
2:1 Woe. In Scripture the word “woe”
speaks of great judgment and grief. God is a God of mercy but He is also
absolute holiness and will not let the guilty go unchallenged or unpunished.
Those who devise iniquity in their hearts and engage in sexual misconduct upon
their beds will know a day of divine visitation. Eagerly do the wicked rise
early to fulfill the imaginations of their hearts because they know they have
the power to hurt others.
2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses,
and take them away: so they oppress [defraud] a man and his house, even
a man and his heritage.
2:14 The characteristics of the wicked are listed:
covetousness, violence, fraud and deception and the stealing of a person’s
inheritance.
3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I
devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go
haughtily: for this time is evil.
2:3 To the same degree the wicked had sown no mercy
to others so the Lord would show the people no mercy. Their former pride and
haughtiness against accountability would not save them.
4 In that day shall one take up a parable [taunting song] against you,
and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We
be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he
removed it from me! Turning away he hath divided our fields.
5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.
2:4-5 In that day. In the day of divine
judgment God promised lamentations and mourning would succeed the careless
songs of sinners. Their fields would be divided among strangers to the point
that none would be left with authority to “cast a cord” or divide the
land and measure it off to place the landmarks accurately.
6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they
shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
2: 6 Those who are the object of God’s
impending judgment do not want to hear they are in trouble with the Lord. In an
attempt to silence their conscience they silence the messenger of God calling
for repentance. They do not want to be made to feel shame.
Special Note
2:6 An alternative translation of this verse
would make the passage to mean that God stops any more prophetic words of
warning from being uttered lest the people feel shame and repent (see Matt.
13:13-15).
7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened [angry]? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
2:7 In the matter of administering a righteous
judgment God declares He is not unreasonable. His words minister good to anyone
who walks uprightly. If people repent God shows mercy. God is more willing to
save than individuals are willing to be saved. But the problem is the heart.
The heat is deceitful and desperately wicked. It can become emotionally harder
than stone and so will not respond to words of warning or grace.
8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe
with the garment from them that pass by securely [peaceably] as men averse
[returning] from war.
2:8 Professing people of the covenant can act as
enemies of the Cross. It is imperative that any true profession of faith be
manifested by good works, not acts of violence and robbery indicated by
stripping off the costly outer robes from those that pass by. The integrity of
the church is lost when individuals believe salvation brings no change in
behavior.
9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses;
from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.
2:9 Women were the objects of abuse and injustice as
well as men. Widows were left without legal protection. They were forced from
their homes. Mother and child were thrown into the streets by unscrupulous
creditors.
10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest:
because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore
destruction.
2:10 The Lord calls His people to depart from
every expression of evil. Holiness not haughtiness in sin is to characterize
the Christian. The believer is to flee fornication and not rest in the company
of the profane. To do so is to be polluted and then destroyed. Self destruction
comes by provoking God. The judgment will be as severe as the transgression.
11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
2:11 False prophets promising ease to God’s people
in time of judgment have consistently plagued the church. In the modern era, in
1830, a popular teaching was introduced into American theology promising the
church would escape great tribulation. The Bible teaches the opposite. Acts
14:22 “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Unfortunately, those who preach ease to God’s
people are accepted as true prophets.
Upon a remnant (2:12-13)
12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather
the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the
flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude
of men.
13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.
2:12-13 The principle of abounding grace in the
midst of abounding sin is brought forth in the closing verses. Despite severe
judgment God will remember to have mercy. The church will be assembled as a
remnant is kept
according to the election of God. Like sheep in a
pen, like a flock in a pasture the elect
will be gathered. Then, a divine Breaker will be sent to help the sheep escape
bondage. He will set the captive free. Next, in marvelous grace the
Messiah shall lead His sheep from glory to glory and
they shall rejoice.
“Rejoice, ye people, homage give,
To God with voice of triumph sing;
He ruleth in dread majesty,
The great, the universal King.
He putteth nations under us
And maketh us triumphant stand;
He giveth for our heritage
His promised rest, a goodly land.
God hath ascended with a shout,
Jehovah with the trumpet’s sound;
Sing praise to God our King,
sing praise,
Yes, let His glorious praise abound.
Our God is King of all the earth,
With thoughtful heart
His praise make known;
O’er all the nations God doth reign,
Exalted on His holy throne.
To praise and serve our cov’nant God
The princes of the earth draw nigh;
All kingly pow’rs belong to Him,
He is exalted, God most high.”
Thomas Williams, 1789
~:*~
Questions and Answers on Micah 2
1. What does the word “woe”
signify?
Answer.
In Scripture the word “woe” speaks of
great judgment and grief. God is a God of mercy but He is also absolute
holiness and will not let the guilty go unchallenged or unpunished.
2. What are the characteristics
of the wicked?
Answer.
2:14 The characteristics of
the wicked are listed: covetousness, violence, fraud and deception and the
stealing of a person’s inheritance.
3. What do people do when they
do not want to listen to the voice of God?
Answer.
In an attempt to silence their conscience they
silence the messenger of God calling for repentance. They do not want to be
made to feel shame.
4. What do false prophets
promise?
Answer.
False prophets promise ease
to the people of God.
5. What is the principle of
abounding grace?
Answer.
In the midst of judgment God will show mercy.
1. Is it possible for a genuine
Christian to become the enemy of God? Why or why not?
2. Define holiness.
3. Based on failed predictions
and teaching contrary to the historic faith can you identify any modern day
false prophets?
4. What are your thoughts about
the concept of the church being taken out of the world during a time of great
tribulation? What biblical evidence is used for this teaching? Are the passages
appealed to valid? Explain.
5. Do you know individuals who
could be characterized as an “enemy of the cross”? What have they said
or done to deserve this characterization?
Micah 2: 1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.
MICAH 3
Second Division
Micah 3-5
1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the
house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?
3:1 heads of Jacob. The gospel calls all men
to repentance including princes (verses 1-4) along with priests and prophets
(5-8).
2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from
off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
3:2 In the soul of the unrighteous there are
deep emotions of intense joy and pleasure for the sins of the flesh are loved.
There is also deep hatred of good and resentment of any call to repentance.
Every person must be self conscious of the emotions in the heart.
3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
3:3 When individuals of wealth and position
lose respect for the common people they are treated with distain and exploited.
The masses become little more than meat for the fleshpots of the privileged. A
quote is attributed to Pope Leo X of the Reformation era,
“What a profitable thing this myth about
Jesus Christ has been to us!”
4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will
even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill
in their doings.
3:4 While God is longsuffering not willing that any
should perish, perish many do because they abuse the goodness of God for His
death. Then the hour comes when God is needed. Individuals cry but the heavens
are as brass. God stops listening to the wicked and will even “hide His face
from them”.
5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err [go wrong], that bite [do harm] with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.
3:5 While the princes rule and abuse people by the
power of their position the priests cause the people to err by perverting the
Word of God. The priests offer a false peace while preparing hearts to war
against God through the will to power and the promise of personal pleasure.
6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a
vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun
shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
3:5 God’s judgment upon the church is to remove
spiritual fellowship with Himself and then take away doctrinal understanding
thereby plunging souls further into darkness. Those who serve not the Lord
Jesus Christ but their own appetites and by good works and fair speeches
deceive the hearts of the simple give people a heavenly way to go to hell with
a religion without righteousness (Rom. 16:18).