HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1189
M ICAH 1
page 819
ticularly those popularized by the media—we face the same problems as the people of
Micah’s day. Lulled to sleep by our apparent affluence, we are blind to the destructive
forces that threaten our personal lives and our entire society. Our greatest threat is perhaps no longer from the outside but from within. Erosion of virtues and values may undo
us more effectively than all the armies on earth.
Micah’s message is still fresh and relevant. His is a call for repentance, cleansing, and
forgiveness. Worship God, not personalities. Live a holy life rather than trying to imitate
the rich and famous. Decide to be part of God’s remnant that remains faithful to him
when the rest of society has turned away. Be one of the few who will pass along a spiritual heritage to future generations. If God is not at work in us, he is at work elsewhere.
Decide to be one of the faithful in whom God works.
Key verses in Micah
2:7 If you would do what is
right, you would find my words
comforting.
3:1 “Listen, you leaders of Israel!
You are supposed to know right
from wrong.”
among all the people of Judah. Yet
a ruler of Israel, whose origins are
in the distant past, will come from
you on my behalf.
6:8 No, O people, the Lord has
told you what is good, and this
is what he requires of you: to
4:5 Though the nations around us do what is right, to love mercy,
follow their idols, we will follow the and to walk humbly with
Lord our God forever and ever.
your God.
5:2 But you, O Bethlehem
Ephrathah, are only a small village
7:7 As for me, I look to the Lord
for help. I wait confidently for
1
The Lord gave this message to Micah of
Moresheth during the years when Jotham,
Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The
visions he saw concerned both Samaria and
Jerusalem.
Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem
2 Attention! Let all the people of the world
listen!
Let the earth and everything in it hear.
The Sovereign Lord is making accusations
against you;
the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.
3 Look! The Lord is coming!
He leaves his throne in heaven
and tramples the heights of the earth.
4 The mountains melt beneath his feet
and flow into the valleys
like wax in a fire,
like water pouring down a hill.
5 And why is this happening?
Because of the rebellion of Israel*—
yes, the sins of the whole nation.
Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion?
1:5 Hebrew Jacob; also in 1:5b. The names “Jacob” and
“Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament,
referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes
to the nation.
God to save me, and my God will
certainly hear me.
7:16 All the nations of the world
will stand amazed at what the
Lord will do for you.
7:18 Where is another God like
you, who pardons the guilt of the
remnant, overlooking the sins of his
special people? You will not stay
angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing
unfailing love.
Samaria, its capital city!
Where is the center of idolatry in Judah?
In Jerusalem, its capital!
6
7
8
9
“So I, the Lord, will make the city of
Samaria
a heap of ruins.
Her streets will be plowed up
for planting vineyards.
I will roll the stones of her walls into the
valley below,
exposing her foundations.
All her carved images will be smashed.
All her sacred treasures will be burned.
These things were bought with the money
earned by her prostitution,
and they will now be carried away
to pay prostitutes elsewhere.”
Therefore, I will mourn and lament.
I will walk around barefoot and
naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
For my people’s wound
is too deep to heal.
It has reached into Judah,
even to the gates of Jerusalem.