Burunche’s Blog

“Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.”

All this time, the Israelites have been taking the One True Living God for granted, thinking they can play loose and free with the Creator of the Universe while they enjoy pagan rituals and feasts. The citizens of both Israel and Judah have been engaging enthusiastically in Ishtar worship, cherishing little house gods, teraphim, and enjoying drunken orgies during fertility cult rites. And all this time, God has continued to wait patiently for His people to come to their senses. The message of this chapter is that God is finished waiting.

Evidently, after bearing Hosea three children, Gomer has gotten bored staying at the house. After all, prior to marrying Hosea, Gomer received all kinds of attention from handsome men who brought her lavish gifts. As a prostitute, Gomer is used to having a lot of sex on a daily basis; she’s the original party girl. Now Gomer is trapped in a home with three small children and a husband who insists on observing  traditional Jewish religious rituals. Frankly, Gomer is freaking out and cannot wait to leave at the first opportunity.

But things haven’t worked out quite the way Gomer has anticipated. Evidently, the man with whom Gomer has taken off is neglecting her and treating her like a slave. Hosea is able to buy Gomer back for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley, but there’s a catch. Now Hosea tells Gomer that they are going to live in the same house but that she will no longer engage in prostitution. Gomer’s favors will be exclusively for Hosea.

God wants the Israelites to know that a time is coming when they will have to do without all their religious props. “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.”

There is a popular saying that “You never miss the water till the well runs dry.”God knows full well that unless the Jews lose all the religious trappings on which they have depended, they are never going to return to Him. As long as there is a king or prince, as long as there are sacrifices, pillars, ephods, teraphim, sacred groves, etc., the Jews are going to cling to their religious pretenses. Only when all these things have been stripped away for generations will the Jews be willing to realize that the God of Israel is the One who can satisfy and provide. Ironically, it is during the time of exile that the Jews begin to seriously study the Mosaic Law and to observe the laws they have previously ignored.

Centuries earlier, God already knew what was going to happen. Deuteronomy 32 contains the Song of Moses, a prophetic song that God wanted the Israelites to teach their children for all generations. Deuteronomy 32:15-21 says this: “Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, they became heavy and sleek. They abandoned the God who made them and rejected the Rock their Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to false ods, which are not God—gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. The Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. “I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.”

APPLICATION: When I was a kid, we had a silly game in which one child would hold up a finger and proclaim that he or she was invisible to all those around. It is amazing that people persist in thinking that the Creator of the universe is either deaf or blind and that He does not know our thoughts or desires. God not only knows everything and sees everything, but God also knows what will happen in the future. God knows the end from the beginning, hence the prophetic Song of Moses. God commanded the Israelites to teach that song to their children to warn them of the consequences of failing to follow God; however, they failed to do so.

In total obedience, Hosea has not only married a prostitute and fathered three children by her, but when she has run off, he has bought her back to his home. God has ordered Hosea to do these things to demonstrate to the Israelites and to subsequent generations that He is willing to forgive and restore, even when people have sinned.    

1 John 1:8-10 reminds us, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Confessing our sins is both the easiest and the hardest thing we can do. The difficult part is facing the fact that we are sinners and confessing our faults. But once we are willing to acknowledge our sins and to tell God about them, God forgives us. It only remains for us to repent, turning away from our sins and refusing to repeat them.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be willing to confess our sins, knowing that You are willing to forgive us and help us keep from repeating them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Israel Punished and Restored

“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ “Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. Otherwise I will strip her naked and make her as bare as on the day she was born;  I will make her like a desert, turn her into a parched land, and slay her with thirst. I will not show my love to her children,  because they are the children of adultery.

Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’ Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’ She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold—which they used for Baal.

“Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready.  I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her naked body. So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands. I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals. I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,” declares the Lord.

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor [Achor means trouble.] a door of hope. There she will respond [Or sing] as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.  “In that day,” declares the Lord,  “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master. [Hebrew baal]’ I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground.  Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord. “In that day I will respond,” declares the Lord—“I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ (Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah)I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’(Hebrew Lo-Ammi ); and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

God has blessed Israel abundantly, just as He has promised through Moses and other prophets. Fruit, vegetables, grain, livestock-the Israelites have it all. And God has ordained set feasts during which the Israelites are to offer the best of their produce and livestock. But something has gone terribly wrong! Despite the fact that God has delivered the Israelites from slavery and has established them in their own land, the Israelites are saving their best to offer to idols and giving God leftovers. Now God is about to withdraw His blessings.

“Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’ Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’ She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold—which they used for Baal.”

“Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready.  I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her naked body. So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands. I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals. I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,” declares the Lord.

God knows that unless He allows the Israelites to suffer the results of their idolatry, they will never change. God is about to practice tough love with a vengeance! But there is still hope. ““Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor [Achor means trouble.] a door of hope.” “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.” God is just and cannot overlook the sins of Israel and Judah. But God is also merciful and is already planning a glorious restoration. God plans to turn trouble into hope and is already looking forward to the day when the Israelites will truly serve Him.

APPLICATION: Who among us does not need hope? Hope is what we long for and live for. Without hope, most of us would simply give up. And who among us does not sin? If we are honest, we realize that we fall far short of God’s righteousness, holiness, and purity. No matter how hard we try, we simply can’t help ourselves. But God can. The message of this chapter of Hosea is simple: God is in the restoration business big – time and we qualify. All we have to do is to confess that we are sinners in need of a Savior and God will help us. 1 John 1:8-10 tells us “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

God chose Gomer the prostitute as a wife for His prophet Hosea to graphically demonstrate that nobody is beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness or redemption. While we might not have practiced prostitution, how many of us gossip? How many of us are tempted to “fudge” our expense accounts? How many of us tell convenient lies to avoid having to stand for the truth? God does not grade on a curve; all sins are equally wrong and evil in the sight of a Holy God. But God is in the clean up business; all we have to do is to ask.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have sinned by what we have done and by what we have not done. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have deliberately violated Your Word. Lord, forgive us and clean us. Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die for our sins. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

APRIL 28, 2023 IF GOD ASKS YOU TO DO THE UNTHINKABLE, WILL YOU DO IT? HOSEA 1:1-11 WHAT IF GOD ORDERS YOU TO MARRY A PROSTITUTE ?

Hosea’s Wife and Children

“This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel. When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.”

So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, (Jezreel means God sows) for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, (Lo-ruhamah means she has not received mercy.) for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them. Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”

After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, (Lo-ammi means not My people.) for you are not My people, and I am not your God. (Hebrew “I am not yours.”)

Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ (Cited in Romans 9:26) Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.(God sows.)”

The Amplified New King James has this to say about Hosea: “Hosea was the son of Beeri and apparently was a citizen of the northern kingdom, which he commonly refers to as Ephraim. From the content of his book it is reasonable to conclude that he began his ministry before King Jeroboam II died in 753 B.C. and may have published his messages in Judah shortly before the fall of Samaria in 722-721 B.C. Hosea’s ministry overlapped that of Amos, who also began his prophetic activity during the reaign of Jeroboam.

The Bible says many things about prostitutes, none of them good. Proverbs 23:27-28 says, “For a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well. Like a bandit she lies in wait, and multiplies the unfaithful among men.” “For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell” (Proverbs 5:3-5 NKJV).

God has always been very careful  in advising holy men and women on those whom they should marry. Why then would God deliberately order one of his prophets to marry a prostitute? What a shocking and horrible act for a man of God! Certainly no modern prophet would even consider doing such a thing. Most modern prophets imagine themselves standing before large cheering audiences while they proclaim “Thus says the Lord” in ringing tones. And that’s precisely where God’s idea of prophecy and man’s diverge in vastly different directions.

It’s quite likely that Hosea had grown up anticipating that he would marry a lovely young lady with a voice like a dove and a sweet true spirit. Hosea anticipated that no matter how difficult things would be outside his home, home life with such a wife would be a quiet haven of comfort and peace. Never in Hosea’s wildest dreams would he have considered marrying a prostitute. It’s quite possible that Hosea may already have had his eye on a suitable young lady when God stopped him and ordered him to marry Gomer.

Gomer was the daughter of Diblaim and was one of the most flagrant prostitutes in town. Gomer kept a  luxurious establishment to which she lured any man randy enough to come after her. Whenever there was a festival or a harvest, Gomer was always there, enticing young men to prove their manhood with her. The day God ordered Hosea to take Gomer as his wife, Hosea must have looked heavenward and asked, “SAY WHAT????”

God’s problem was that the Israelites had broken their covenant relationship with Him. Forsaking righteousness, peace, holiness, and purity, the Israelites had plunged into idolatry of every sort. No idol or pagan god was too horrible for the Israelites to worship. In such circumstances, how could God possibly get these people to wake up and listen to him? God chose Hosea to do the unthinkable because God knew Hosea’s heart and mind and knew that Hosea would obey Him no matter what.  

Hosea obeyed God and married Gomer. Gomer bore Hosea three children, Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, and Lo-Ammi. Forget pouring over books of baby names! God Himself named these three children. “Jezreel” means “God sows.” Concerning Jezreel, God said, “Name him Jezreel, (Jezreel means God sows) for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” Breaking someone’s bow demonstrated that a conqueror had broken the power of the conquered.

Hosea’s second child was Lo-ruhamah, about whom God said, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, (Lo-ruhamah means she has not received mercy.) for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them. Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”

Hosea’s third child was Lo-Ammi.“Name him Lo-ammi, (Lo-ammi means not My people.) for you are not My people, and I am not your God. (Hebrew “I am not yours.”) Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ (Cited in Romans 9:26) Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.(God sows.)”

APPLICATION:  These studies in Hosea are entitled “If God asks you to do the unthinkable, will you do it?” There are many self-styled prophets throughout the world but relatively few whom God has actually appointed. The reason is simple: God’s will for your life may cost you grief and pain. Many times, obedience can hurt. In Hosea’s case, his obedience likely cost him his standing in the community. Assuming Hosea’s parents or other family members were still alive, what must they have thought? What about Hosea’s associates in the temple? Hosea may well have become a social outcast, a laughingstock, and an object of scorn in his community.

In 1958 God called a skinny young Assemblies of God preacher ministering in a small town in Pennsylvania to go to New York City to work with gang members. David Wilkerson was perhaps one of the most unlikely people for such a task. Wilkerson had never been to New York and had no experience whatsoever with gangs. But Wilkerson and his wife were people of great faith, and God blessed that faith. The story of Wilkerson’s early ministry is told in the book The Cross and the Switchblade.

At the time the Wilkersons moved to work in New York City slums, many other preachers were going into the rapidly expanding suburbs where church members were wealthy and finances were no challenge. In the beginning, there may have been many people who mocked the Wilkersons. But before David Wilkerson died, he saw his ministry expand in many directions, including Times Square Church and Teen Challenge. Wilkerson’s books, videos, and speaking engagements encouraged innumerable Christians to leave their comfort zones and enter the work to which God was calling them.

As we consider Hosea and his messages, you need to ask yourself if you are fulfilling God’s call for your life. Has God been calling you to do something uncomfortable, something difficult? Have you been arguing with God that you have no qualifications and that He really should call someone else? Before you go much further with that argument, remember David Wilkerson-no experience, no resources, nothing except the naked call of God on his life. And yet God used David Wilkerson to transform millions of lives. What miracles might God do through you?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be willing to be available whenever you call us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Having considered Micah, we are now turning to study the remaining eleven minor prophets. I must apologize to readers who might wonder why I embarked on a study of one minor prophet before introducing all of them. When I write these Bible studies, I ask God where He wants me to go and then analyze the book that God indicates. I am not working sequentially through the Old Testament. Only God knows the human heart and only God knows the words readers need at a particular moment.

For an excellent explanation of the Minor Prophets, I am copying information from https://clearcreek.org “Four Truths About the Minor Prophets” by Yancey Arrington. The full article can be read at:  https://clearcreekresources.org/2020/06/02/four-truths-about-the-minor-prophets

“There are four major prophets in the Old Testament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They are called major because of their length. Fun fact: these books are also ordered together in our English Bibles with only Lamentations stuck in the middle. Thus, the minor prophets, twelve books in all, are named so because they are comparatively short, not because they are of lesser importance.

The major and minor prophets are collectively known in the Hebrew Bible as the Latter Prophets (or Writing Prophets, because they authored their own works). This is because they came later in Israel’s history, as opposed to the earlier books of Joshua, Judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings. These books are referred to as the Former Prophets.

 The prophetic books aren’t all prophecy. To read any of the minor prophets is to find books composed of different genres of literature in addition to prophetic material. These writings also contain genres such as narrative, apocalyptic, wisdom, poetry, songs, and even sermons. This means that in interpreting these books well we must have different rules for reading different styles of writing. That may sound challenging but it’s worth it because it allows us to better understand the books as they were originally given.

The prophecies in the minor prophets aren’t always about our future. One of the most common misconceptions about the prophetic books is that the prophecies therein are entirely about the days and times still awaiting modern folks. We need to remember that those prophecies were meant for the original audience thousands of years ago. Many of those prophecies, while yet to be fulfilled in the future for them, actually came to pass centuries ago for us. Scholars Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart point out in their co-authored book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (page 166),that less than 2 percent of Old Testament prophecy has to do with Jesus, less than 5 percent deal with the New Covenant age (e.g., the age we currently reside), and less than 1 percent concerns events yet to come.

Prophets didn’t just spend time foretelling the future. It is true that part of a prophet’s role was to foretell the future. The most popular Hebrew name for prophets was nabi which meant “called” and very likely was tied to the fact that these individuals were “called” by God and also “called out” to the people on God’s behalf. But prophets had additional functions central to their role. One helpful way to see this is in the difference between forthtelling and foretelling.

We rightfully think of the prophets as foretellers of the future. However, the prophets spent a lot of their time forthtelling. As scholar Sidney Greidanus notes, the prophets “uncover and point out the idolatry, the corruption, the injustice that exists under the veneer of religiosity, and they call for a radical change” in God’s people (The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text, 230). Essentially, the prophets are God’s covenant enforcement mediators for ancient Israel. Much of reading the minor prophets is to see text after text not of a prophet predicting the future but calling Israel to be faithful to God’s ways in the present.”

APPLICATION: There’s a comic strip entitled “It’s all about you.” One of the main characters in the strip is a self-centered office worker who feels that everyone else around him exists to meet his needs. Many times, we approach Scripture with the same attitude as this man: we expect Scripture should meet our immediate needs and speak to our particular situation. If we do not get what we desire out of a piece of Scripture, we are ready to give up immediately. Now God does use His Word to speak to us; however, we are missing a great deal if we refuse to look at the setting in which the prophecies were originally given.

Prophets are called to warn and admonish as well as to foretell future events. Although the circumstances varied, most of the Old Testament prophets spent much of their time warning the nations of Israel and Judah of coming destruction if they failed to return to serving the Lord faithfully.

Morals were deteriorating. Families were falling apart, as indicated by Micah’s lament in Micah 7. Worship services at the temple had lost much of their meaning and had become mere rituals. Rather than bringing choice animals for offerings, worshipers were bringing in the lame and the maimed, something God had expressly forbidden them to do. Forsaking the One True Living God, the Jews were now serving every pagan deity going, including Molech, a demon that demanded child sacrifices.

When a society is willing to approve the killing of the innocent and vulnerable, it has lost much of its moral compass. It is against this setting that we should consider the remaining Minor Prophets. But we must remember that in God’s economy, there are no “minor” or “major” events or individuals. Jesus told his disciples that God even took note when a sparrow would die.

Why should the preservation of the Minor Prophets encourage each one of us? Most of us live lives of obscurity. The existence of these books of prophecy graphically demonstrate that God has thought so much of the words He gave these men that He has preserved them forever. The faithful example of these men can inspire us to be faithful as well, knowing that we serve a God who is eternally faithful.

PRAYER: Father God. Thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remain faithful even when things are difficult, knowing that others have undergone far worse trials than we have. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 “Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires. The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands—the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire; so they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; the day of your watchman and your punishment comes; now shall be their perplexity.

Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household. Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Israel’s Confession and Comfort

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness. Then she who is my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will see her; now she will be trampled down like mud in the streets.

In the day when your walls are to be built, in that day the decree shall go far and wide. In that day they shall come to you from Assyria and the fortified cities, from the fortress to the River, from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain. Yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deeds.

God Will Forgive Israel

Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock of Your heritage, who dwell solitarily in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in days of old. “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders.” The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall put their hand over their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent; they shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of You.

Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.

Poor Micah! Not only is he surrounded by people who want nothing to do with his message, but these people are also traitors to everyone around them. “The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands—the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire; so they scheme together.”

Traditionally, princes and judges are to be men of integrity, but not in Micah’s Judah. Every man has his price and it is every man for himself. But not only are public officials hideously corrupt; even friends and family members are equally culpable. “Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.” The Jewish home which is to be a haven of peace has become a nest of cobras.

According to Mosaic law, sons who dishonor their parents can be subjected to being stoned to death. Culturally, family members are expected to stick together and to honor one another. But society is now deteriorating to such an extent that nobody can be trusted, not even children or spouses. Micah knows there is only one person whom he can trust. “Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”

God will not be mocked, and is promising through Micah that His people will be punished. “Yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deeds.” But God is also promising that a time will come when He will restore the fortunes of Israel and will bring revival and salvation. “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.”

APPLICATION: Reading today’s headlines, we can very easily identify with Micah. In America, an allegedly righteous Supreme Court justice has gained attention for accepting a luxury vacation from a rich political supporter. There are questions about several prominent politicians and their families. Righteousness seems to be a forgotten and disdained virtue. Being BAAAAD! is the order of the day.

Blessedly, we can worship the same God who has given Micah these encouraging words. Their message is just as relevant for us as it was for those in Micah’s day. ““Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Face it, none of us is truly righteous. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins, laying down His life on Calvary as the perfect blood sacrifice. If we accept what Jesus has done for us, confess our sins, and acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord, then we are free from fear. Jesus has paid our sin debt. Truly, our sins have been cast into the depths of the sea. Let us pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins. We confess that we are sinners and that we cannot earn our way into heaven. We thank You that Jesus has paid our sin debt. Thank You that if we believe in You and in what Jesus has done for us, we are free from our sins and we receive Your gift of eternal life. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Case against Israel

“Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment, you enduring foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against His people, and He will argue it against Israel: ‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”

With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

 The Punishment of Israel

The voice of the LORD calls out to the city—and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name—“Heed the rod and the One who ordained it. Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed? Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights? For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths. Therefore I am striking you severely, to ruin you because of your sins. You will eat but not be satisfied, and your hunger will remain with you.

What you acquire, you will not preserve; and what you save, I will give over to the sword. You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread grapes but not drink the wine. You have kept the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their counsel. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of the nations. ”

God has a case against His people Israel and He is coldly furious. “‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt and God delivered them, wiping out one of the greatest armies in the Middle East in the process. Then God led the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years and protected them all that while. When Balak king of Moab engaged the pagan prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites, God turned those curses to blessings instead. God protected the Israelites and gave them the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But God also commanded the Israelites to worship and obey Him and nobody else. Instead of following God’s commandments, the Israelites took up the religious practices of the tribes whom God had expelled before them, covering their idolatry with a thin veneer of Jewish religious practices.

Once Joshua had conquered the Promised Land, the Israelites began looking around and copying local religious practices; however, the rot really began setting in when King Solomon took hundreds of wives and concubines, many of whom were idolaters. These women demanded their own shrines and Solomon filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with those shrines. When the kingdom split, Jeroboam established his own altars and his own religion to prevent his people from going to Jerusalem. As time went on, Omri, the father of Ahab, became ruler over the northern kingdom and promoted full-bore idol worship. Ahab married Jezebel, a priestess of Baal, and further promulgated every form of idolatry possible.

We copy what we worship. If we worship the One True Living God, we will take on His characteristics. But if we worship horrible demons that demand child sacrifice and fertility rites, we lose our moral compasses and our lives will show the results. “Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed? Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights? For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths…. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of the nations. ”

God has been watching as the citizens of both kingdoms have moved increasingly further away from Him, and now God is fed up! God is sending Micah to issue a stern warning: repent or lose everything. But it appears that nobody is listening. And we hear the cry of God’s heart: “He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”  All God wants is righteousness, but none of His children hear this plea.

APPLICATION: We have a furry creature that rules our household. Mr. Cat demands specially – prepared cat food at certain times and reserves the right to go out at any moment if something fails to please him. Mr. Cat is not a purring snuggle kitty; pet him for too long and you might get scratched or bitten. We both love this furry tyrant; however, it is my husband who makes the cat food and takes the most care of him. Is our cat grateful? Hah! Dogs have masters, but cats have servants, and our cat certainly feels that we exist to take care of him. Sadly, our cat’s attitude towards us reflects the way many people regard God; they feel God is there to serve them and they should not have to heed His commands or walk in His ways.

Unfortunately, many of the people in Micah’s day felt God was there to serve them but felt no obligation to be faithful to Him first. Neglecting the fact that God had delivered the Israelites despite all their flaws, these people believed they could do anything and then offer a few animals and square things with God. For the citizens of both kingdoms, God had become a type of super-deity who could be propitiated with the proper rituals. What a tragic mistake!

As we consider this chapter, we must ask ourselves how we measure up against God’s standard.
“He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Are we acting justly? Do we love mercy? Are we walking humbly with our God? We are the only ones who can answer those questions. But take care! Your answers have eternal consequences.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 

A Ruler from Bethlehem (Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7)

Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. (Cited in Matthew 2:6) Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel. He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God.

And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. And He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land and tramples our citadels. We will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. And they will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the blade drawn. So He will deliver us when Assyria invades our land and tramples our citadels.

The Remnant of Jacob (Micah 2:12-13)

Then the remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind. Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, with no one to rescue them. Your hand will be lifted over your foes, and all your enemies will be cut off.

“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots. I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds. I will cut the sorceries from your hand, and you will have no fortune-tellers. I will also cut off the carved images and sacred pillars from among you, so that you will no longer bow down to the work of your own hands. I will root out the Asherah poles from your midst and demolish your cities. I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”

Ever wonder where the priests and scribes of Jerusalem got the information to give to the wise men as they were searching for the baby Jesus? Micah 5:2 is the source. Several centuries before Jesus will be born, God is already providing the information for the wise men to find him. But there’s a lot more to Chapter 5 than just that promise.

The rest of Chapter 5 describes a time when Messiah will come and shepherd his people. But before Messiah comes, all the cities, the strongholds, the sorceries, the fortune-tellers, the carved images and sacred pillars and Asherah poles will be demolished. God promises to remove horses, to wreck chariots, and to devastate cities. For centuries, God has watched as the Jews have wandered further and further away from His truth. Make no mistake! God is neither deceived nor mocked. When those who should be serving Him turn to idolatry and sooth-saying, God is not pleased and His divine wrath begins to accumulate. “But,” you ask, “I thought God was a God of forgiveness.” True. When people sincerely repent, then God will forgive. But the Jews of Micah’s day are not giving any indication of repentance; instead, they are simply pursuing idols even more fervently than ever. Proverbs 19:16 tells us, “He who keeps the commandment of the Lord keeps his own life, but he who despises His ways shall die.”

How furious is God with the unspeakable practices of idolatry? Jeremiah 8:1-3 gives us the answer:

“‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground. Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the Lord Almighty.’”

Each time a ruler of Israel or Judah bows to a demon, God sees. Each time a wailing infant is thrown into the arms of the red-hot Molech statue as a live burnt offering, God hears those cries. Each time these people oppress the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the aged, God is listening to their groans of agony.

APPLICATION: How different are we from the Jews of Micah’s day? True, we have organizations that help care for those in need, but what do we do as individuals? Do we beg God to show us the needs around us, or do we turn away, ignoring anything that would drag us out of our comfort zones?

What do we truly worship? God? A football or baseball team? A musician or movie star? An “influencer” on social media? How far are we willing to go in our acts of worship? Recently, Pastor Charles Stanley and George Verwer went to be with the Lord. Charles Stanley was not only a highly successful pastor but also the founder of In Touch Ministries, a group that beamed programs on radio, TV, and social media throughout the world, and the author of numerous books. George Verwer was the Founder of Operation Mobilization, a missionary organization working throughout the world. Both these men served God faithfully for many years; now they are rejoicing in His presence. Only God gives eternal benefits; nothing else can do that.  

May we allow God to break our hearts with the things that break His! And may we truly worship Him in spirit and in truth.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Mountain of the House of the LORD (Isaiah 2:1-4)

“In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor will they train anymore for war. And each man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken. Though each of the peoples may walk in the name of his god, yet we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

The Restoration of Zion (Zechariah 8:1-23)

“On that day,” declares the LORD, “I will gather the lame; I will assemble the outcast, even those whom I have afflicted. And I will make the lame into a remnant, and the outcast into a strong nation. Then the LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever. And you, O watchtower of the flock,

O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion—the former dominion will be restored to you; sovereignty will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.” Why do you now cry aloud? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!

But now many nations have assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let us feast our eyes on Zion.” But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD or understand His plan: that He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.”

At first, this chapter seems confusing. God makes wonderful promises about a future time when the House of the Lord will be established and all nations will flock there. This future time will be a time of peace in which each man will sit quietly under his vine and his fig tree “with no one to frighten him.” At the same time, God is warning the Jews that they will be carried off to Babylon. But wait! God is also promising that those in captivity will be delivered and will be brought back. God is also promising that eventually, the Jews will conquer many people and will “devote their gain to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.”

The fundamental problem is the Jews themselves. Were the Jews to repent, there would be no need for them to be carried off into captivity in Babylon. But most of the Jews, including the judges and the rulers, are playing religious games. These highly educated people have deluded themselves into believing that they can court any pagan deity they choose and still enjoy protection from the God of Israel. Later, God will use the prophet Jeremiah to rebuke such foolish people for rejecting Him, the Source of living water, to carve empty leaking cisterns instead. God has warned the Israelites many times that if they forsake Him, they will lose their nation and become slaves in another country.

APPLICATION:  Currently, some friends are touring Israel with what’s called a “Birth of a Nation” tour. The tour visits many of the sites most important in the founding of the State of Israel. Years ago, one friend from my parents’ generation told me that it was the return of the Jews to Israel and the founding of Israel as a nation that led to her conversion as she witnessed Biblical prophecy coming true. But there are many prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled. Although there are many Jews who believe in the God of Israel, there are also many others who have rejected God entirely. Israel continues to be bombarded by hundreds of missiles daily. The promised time of peace has yet to arrive.   

We live in a world of miracles. As I am writing this, the wind is switching directions and in a few minutes it will begin raining. Our farmers have begun plowing and will soon plant, hoping for a variety of crops. Sadly, some of the people in our area believe only in local deities and are willing to make sacrifices. Several years ago, I cared for a handsome five-year-old boy who suffered terrible burns when his mother attempted to sacrifice him so that the farming season would be successful. “Horrible!” you say. But is such a practice any more horrible than the ancient Israelites sacrificing live children to Molech? Or proponents of “post-birth abortion” arguing that healthy live babies can be slaughtered? When we sink so low that we are willing to murder innocent infants, we destroy the willingness of society to protect even older children. Morals are caught as much as being taught, especially in this age in which many people get their values from social media. Weapon control will not prevent disasters in schools; only revival and the return of regard for the sanctity of human life will accomplish that.

The Book of Micah is a short book with a great deal to say and much to think about. As we continue to study Micah, let us ask God to show us what He wants us to learn.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to realize that Your Words are timeless and just as applicable for us today as for the ancient Israelites. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Rulers and Prophets Condemned

“Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice? You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot, like meat in a kettle.” Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.

This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths: Therefore the night will come over you without visions, and the darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and pervert all that is right, who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.” Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.”

Poor Micah! On the one hand, he knows what God wants him to say; but on the other, he might be horrified at the graphic descriptions God is giving. “You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot, like meat in a kettle.” God is revolted by the behavior of the rulers who are victimizing His people. And there is more.

““As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths: Therefore the night will come over you without visions, and the darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”  God is equally revolted by the false prophets who have been engaging in soothsaying for payment. Who knows where these people have been getting their answers because God has certainly not been giving them information. These people have been listening to demons, but now God has silenced the demons.

The Holy Spirit has filled Micah with His power to declare God’s truth without fear. Despite all the evil these men have done, they still cherish the idea that God is going to protect them. “Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.” Talk about being out of touch with reality!

APPLICATION: Read news headlines from any country, and it sounds like the same thing that Micah is protesting. Corrupt rulers and judges, deceiving prophets that will say anything to tickle people’s ears, soothsayers, diviners, fortune tellers – little has changed in nearly three millenia.

What is so tragic about the nations of Israel and Judah is that all the time things have been deteriorating, they have been assuring themselves that God will continue to bless and protect them! But God knows exactly what has been happening and God knows all those responsible. Blessedly, there are still those who know the Lord who have the courage to speak out against abuses. May we keep interceding for the righteous whom God sends to us.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for those whom you have sent to warn and to encourage us. Please protect Your messengers and their families and give us listening ears. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Woe to the Oppressors

“Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands. They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance. Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I am planning against this nation a disaster from which you cannot free your necks. Then you will not walk so proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. In that day they will take up a proverb against you and taunt you with this bitter lamentation: ‘We are utterly ruined; He has changed the portion of my people! How He has removed it from me; He has allotted our fields to traitors!’” Therefore, you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot.

Reproof of False Prophets (Ezekiel 13:1-23)

“Do not preach,” they preach. “Do not preach these things; disgrace will not overtake us.” Should it be said, O house of Jacob, “Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient? Are these the things He does?” Do not My words bring good to him who walks uprightly? But of late My people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from unsuspecting passers-by like men returning from battle. You drive the women of My people from their pleasant homes. You take away My blessing from their children forever.

Arise and depart, for this is not your place of rest, because its defilement brings destruction—a grievous destruction! If a man of wind were to come and say falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be just the preacher for this people!

The Remnant of Israel (Micah 5:7- 15)

I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the midst of its pasture—a noisy throng. One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate, and go out by it. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD as their leader.”

To understand how horrific these prophecies are, we must refer back to the tenets God gave Moses concerning the ownership of land among the tribes. When Joshua parceled out land to the various tribes, certain pieces of land were assigned to tribes and to families. Land ownership was hereditary, and it was such a serious business that if a man had no sons, his daughters were to inherit the land and to marry within their tribe so that the land would not pass out of the tribe. Land that was sold was to be returned when the year of Jubilee came. One of the terrible sins King Ahab committed was to seize the ancestral lands of Naboth, simply because he wanted a vegetable garden next to the palace, and to have Naboth murdered.

“Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands. They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.” Unfortunately, there are many people who have copied Ahab’s example, and are seizing ancestral lands, even turning people out of their homes. God will not ignore such behavior; eventually, these monsters will lose their land permanently to invaders. Some of these people are even striping unsuspecting passers-by and driving women and children from their homes. “Do not My words bring good to him who walks uprightly? But of late My people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from unsuspecting passers-by like men returning from battle. You drive the women of My people from their pleasant homes. You take away My blessing from their children forever.”

There are also false prophets who are trying to get Micah to stop prophesying because he speaks out against the abuses of the corrupt rich. “If a man of wind were to come and say falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be just the preacher for this people!”

In the midst of this chaos, God still has a remnant of people who fear Him and worship Him. God is promising that He will preserve those who fear Him. “I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel.”

APPLICATION: Sometimes when things are falling apart around us, we wonder if God really is paying attention. That’s certainly how Micah must feel. Rich people are seizing land, putting even the most vulnerable groups out of their homes, and stealing anything that isn’t red hot or nailed down.  To make matters even worse, there are self-styled prophets doing everything they can to shut Micah up! Many of these prophets may be making a great deal of profit from being a prophet, despite God’s warnings regarding the dangers of pretending to be a prophet.

Deuteronomy 18:20 tells us, “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” Even though these scriptures have been available for hundreds of years, these would – be prophets are behaving as if God is blind or deaf or both.

Today, there are still self-styled prophets, just as there were in Micah’s day. Why does God allow such practices? God gives wrong-doers multiple chances to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 

How can we sort out false prophets from real ones? False prophets are generally eager to collect money for their prophecies. Such prophets may also be manipulative and make unrealistic promises. One test of a prophet is whether or not the prophecies come true. Another test is whether or not the prophecies line up with Scripture. Yet another test is the humility of the prophet. True prophets realize that prophecies come from God while pretenders generally take credit for everything.

As we continue to study Micah, we will learn more about the life of a prophet. We can praise God that there are true prophets and that Micah, Isaiah, and others are sterling examples. May God guide us so that we will not be deceived by imitations!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to hear Your voice clearly and to trust that You can guide us and that You do not play games with Your children. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.