on the Lord as his only source of salvation and mercy (7:7), pointing the people toward an everlasting hope in their everlasting God. 2:1, 2. The book of Micah is a Prophetic Oracle. Someone who does so runs away from a God-given assignment, so to speak. Jehovah’s word always comes true. Surrounding Micah’s prophecy of Jesus’s birth is one of the most lucid pictures of the world’s future under the reign of the Prince of Peace (5:5). 1:17; 2:10; 4:6. Because they lived in a rugged region of high mountains and deep ravines that offered excellent strategic advantages, the Edomites may presumptuously have deceived themselves into feeling safe and secure. Micah exposes the sins of Israel and Judah, foretells the desolation of their capitals, and promises restoration. Rather, these expressions pertain to individuals out of all the nations who have become Jehovah’s worshippers. “Jehovah is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works.”—Psalm 145:9. (John 10:16) What a privilege it is to share in this work, which brings true refreshment to others! events have not yet occurred, we look forward to the millennial kingdom at some undetermined time in the future. The Edomites serve as a warning example to those who gloat over the difficulties that God’s servants may encounter. Your browser does not support JavaScript. “THE vision of Obadiah.” (Obadiah 1) These words begin the Bible book of Obadiah. Micah then proclaims God’s restoration and salvation to His people, “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? Instead, we do it out of habit. Then chapter five Micah miraculously predicts the birthplace of the Messiah in Bethlehem. shortly before the Northern Kingdom’s fall in 722 B.C. In this sequence, God reminds the people of His good works on their behalf, how He cared for them while they cared only for themselves. 1:1, 2; 3:10. Sign up to receive e-mail from Insight for Living Ministries. Jehovah renders judgment and sets matters straight respecting them in a spiritual way. By the fourth century B.C.E., Edom’s territory was inhabited by the Nabataeans, and the Edomites had to take up residence in the southern part of Judea, the area of the Negeb that later came to be known as Idumea. that better resembles the harmonious millennial kingdom to come. © 2020 Insight for Living Ministries. Please note, our website requires JavaScript to be supported. Samaria was devastated by the Assyrians in 740 B.C.E.—during Micah’s lifetime. vs 8, 9, 15. Jehovah’s mercy is not limited to one nation or race or to a special group of people. In 607 B.C.E., when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, the Edomites “stood off on the side” and allied themselves with the invading “foreigners.”—Obadiah 10, 11. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Micah, which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses. Are his requirements too severe? Micah stated in his introduction to the book that he prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah, failing to mention the simultaneous string of dishonorable kings that closed out the northern kingdom of Israel. Instead, like Micah, we need to “show a waiting attitude for [our] God.”. Also in verse 2, he teaches that the Messiah is an infinite Savior, from everlasting, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. 2:1, 2, 9, 10. We should imitate Jehovah God and be kind and compassionate even to those who are hard to get along with or are spiritually weak. In Judah at this time, good kings and evil kings alternated with each other, a pattern seen in the reigns of Jotham (good, 2 Kings 15:32–34); Ahaz (evil, 2 Kings 16:1–4); and Hezekiah (good, 2 Kings 18:1–7). 2:12—When was the prophecy about ‘collecting the remaining ones of Israel’ fulfilled? Yes. 7:18, 19. Then chapter five Micah miraculously predicts the birthplace of the Messiah in Bethlehem. 3:8. Those who fight against God and his people “will have to be cut off to time indefinite.” (Obadiah 10) However, Jehovah’s anger can be turned back by our heeding the divine warning and ‘turning back from bad ways.’ (Jonah 3:10) “In the final part of the days,” that is, during these “last days,” true worship is being exalted above all false religion and obedient ones are streaming to it. Our commission to preach the good news, which includes judgment messages, can be fulfilled only if we are strengthened by Jehovah’s holy spirit. If the latter was the case, his words would have aroused even greater curiosity about his message. 4:1-4—“In the final part of the days,” how does Jehovah “render judgment among many peoples, and set matters straight respecting mighty nations”? Chuck has a way of saying it the way it is! God also “appointed a bottle-gourd plant, that it should come up over Jonah, in order to become a shade over his head, to deliver him from his calamitous state.” Jehovah’s present-day worshippers can trust in their God, and in his loving-kindness, to safeguard and deliver them.—Psalm 13:5; 40:11. Where does the injustice dwell in your own life? I will pour her stones, into the valley and will lay bare her foundations”. God’s people stand trial before their Creator for turning away from Him and from others (6:1–7:20). How dangerous it would be for us to claim to serve God but seek first riches rather than “the kingdom and his righteousness.”—Matthew 6:33; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10. Because these Much of Micah’s book revolves around two significant predictions: one of judgment on Israel and Judah (Micah 1:1–3:12), the other of the restoration of God’s people in the millennial kingdom (4:1–5:15). Let’s allow the words of Micah to break us out of our apathy about extending justice and kindness to others and press on toward a world Jonah may already have known the Assyrian language, or he may have miraculously received the ability to speak it. 3:4—Did Jonah have to learn the Assyrian language in order to preach to the Ninevites? Jehovah hears the prayers of his servants and pays attention to their entreaties.—Psalm 120:1; 130:1, 2. But Jehovah’s judgments are inescapable. No. (Micah 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1) May we therefore be determined to “walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.”—Micah 4:5. Micah’s impassioned plea for God’s chosen people to repent will cut many of us to the quick. Continue ‘Walking in the Name of Jehovah’. shortly before the Northern Kingdom’s fall in 722 B.C. • In chapters 6-7, Micah declares what God requires of men, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”, (6:8). (2 Chronicles 36:19) As prophesied, the Messiah was born in “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” (Matthew 2:3-6) Jehovah’s prophetic word never fails. Structure. The prophet Micah wrote it 742-686 B.C. The prophet reveals nothing about himself except his name in the book that he composed in 607 B.C.E. Another possibility is that he delivered his succinct message in Hebrew, with someone interpreting for him. This Messianic prophecy assures us that when God’s people come under attack by their enemies, “seven [representing completeness] shepherds” and “eight dukes”—a considerable number of capable men—are raised up to take the lead among Jehovah’s people. In ancient times, Nineveh was likely understood to include other settlements stretching from Khorsabad in the north to Nimrud in the south. All that Jehovah asks of his worshippers is that they ‘exercise justice, love kindness, and be modest’ in walking with their God.