(Walking Right with God Pt. 2 by Pastor Ben)
Responding to God's Sentence

[Micah 1:8-16]

Just to give a little background information about the Book of Micah since the recent sermons touch on this book (coped from the Bible Study notes during December):

Author, place and date of writing
The author of this book, Micah, tells us that he was from Moresheth (1:1), a village in the Shephelah of Judah also known as Moresheth Gath (1:14). We know virtually nothing else about him, although he is one of the few Old Testament prophets to be cited by name in another's writings (Jeremiah 26:18, citing Micah 3:12). This signifies that Micah's book was recognized as canonical by the time of Jeremiah's ministry. In addition, Habakkuk 2:12 is a modification of Micah 3:10, and 4:2-3 is almost identical to Isaiah 2:2-4, although in this case we cannot be sure whether the oracle originated with Micah or with Isaiah.

Today some scholars believe that only part of the book of Micah came from the prophet himself and that the rest is secondary. The prophecies of judgment in particular are thought to be authentic, wit the more optimistic predictions - those that promise salvation for Judah - coming from some other prophet. This approach to the text, which is founded on the premise that a given prophet had only a single, uncomplicated message, is misguided and simplistic.

Micah 1:1 informs the reader that Micah preached during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. This would place his ministry during the second half of the eighth century B.C., making him a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos and Hosea.

Audience
Micah ministered primarily to the southern kingdom of Judah, but he also addressed the northern kingdom of Israel and predicted the fall of Samaria (1:6), which took place in 722 B.C. His message was aimed in particular at greedy and oppressive landowners (2:1-5) who supported Israel's corrupt political and religious leaders who had led the nation into moral decay.

Cultural facts & highlights
......... Micah condemned the sin of Judah and anticipated divine judgment against the nation (3:1-4; 4:10a), yet he also forecast her ultimate triumph over all the other nations on Earth (4:10b-13). Even in this Micah was not simply a patriotic Jew looking forward to victory over the Gentiles; to the contrary, he expected Israel in the long term to be a blessing to all the other nations (4:2-3). In short, Micah was advancing a theology to deal with the current dilemma of the chosen people of God and the house of David falling under judgment. Far from implying the failure of the covenant promises, this very judgment would be the means by which God would fulfill those covenants.

1) Be deeply burdened by sin and its consequences (v8-9)
- Romans 9:2-3(cev) "my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people."
- God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.
- Be worried and brokenhearted not just about our own sins, but also the sins of others, just as Micah mourns over the invasion of the cities in Judah, his homeland.
- Know that the consequence of sin is death and feel sorrowful for people who continue to sin.
- Hate sin!

2) Call people to prayerfully seek God's mercy (v10-16)
- ask people around us to recognise the sins in their lives and turn back to God
- the expression of the verses are ironies to the names of the cities mentioned in them (see the Bible appendix)
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NCV) "The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death."
- Embrace Godly sorrow and not worldly sorrow!

Lessons from the Prophecies:
a) God's judgment is always just and righteous and appropriate
- Jesus loved sinners but He confronted their sins nevertheless
b) Speak the truth in love
- we love people therefore we want to tell the truth about people to them!
c) Sin brings destruction to our loved ones (v16)
- shaving = mourning
- take evil seriously because all evil will be judged
- understand holiness and become even more evangelistic to the people around us who have yet encounter God!

-JX

Labels: sharings (: