The second message begins with the word "hear." The last message was almost all judgment with a little bit of hope. This one contains a two-to-one ratio of hope to judgment. Things are looking up!
Micah 3 contains the judgment that is specifically directed at the leaders of Israel and Judah who hated good and loved evil which was the opposite of what they were supposed to do (Amos 5:15)! They left the people helpless by unfair actions, bribery (3:11; 7:3), theft (2:8), oppression (3:9), and bloodshed (3:10; 7:2). These leaders were a far cry from God's ideal for leaders described in Exodus 18:21 as "able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness." Micah proclaimed destruction on the nation because of the sin of the leaders who were leading the people into wicked behavior. This destruction would happen in 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army attacked the city (2 Kings 25).
Micah 4-5 foretells a future time when God will reign over His perfect kingdom. Micah 4:1-3 is very similar to Isaiah 2:2-4 which should not be surprising since the same God was speaking through both of them at the same time! The coming kingdom will have a temple that is prominent in the world (4:1a), people of the world will be attracted to Jerusalem (4:1b), it will be the place of instruction for the world (4:2a), revelation will go forth from there (4:2b), the Lord will be the judge of Jerusalem (4:3a), there will be no more war (4:3b), Israel will dwell in peace (4:4), they will be spiritually sensitive to God (4:5), Israel will regather (4:6), they will be made strong (4:7), and Jerusalem will have dominion (4:8). Yet before all this could happen, they would be exiled to Babylon but return and face nations gathering against them.
The Scarlet Thread of Redemption
The Scarlet Thread of Redemption
The most important thing in Micah 5 is the prediction of the birth of a ruler who would come out of little Bethlehem (5:2) whose greatness would reach to the ends of the earth (5:4), and He would be their peace (5:5, see also John 14:27). Of course, this is a prophecy about Jesus, who was from "long ago"!
In addition to these things, Christ will destroy Israel's enemies, purge Israel of false worship, and will execute vengeance on the nations who refuse to obey the Lord.
REFLECTION and APPLICATION (from 2009)
Leadership is a big responsibility, and Israel and Judah's leaders failed miserably.
What are the characteristics of a good leader? We can learn so much from some of the people we have already studied in the Bible Book Club: Abraham, Moses, Joseph, David, Elijah, and Elisha. We will also learn about Ezra and Nehemiah later this year.
They were not perfect, but they looked out for the welfare of their people and did not exploit them like the leaders of Israel and Judah in Micah's day. Also, good and godly leaders look to God and turn their people back to God.
They were not perfect, but they looked out for the welfare of their people and did not exploit them like the leaders of Israel and Judah in Micah's day. Also, good and godly leaders look to God and turn their people back to God.
We all have leadership roles: in the home, at work, and at church. Take some time to evaluate your leadership today. What can you learn from the good and bad examples of leadership in the Word of God?
I recently came across a book on leadership by a man I really respect called:
The Perfect Leader by Kenneth Boa
I just listened to the first two chapters on my Kindle last night, and it is fast becoming one of my favorite books on leadership!
I also like these books:
Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Chambers
I also like these books:
Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Chambers
Spiritual Leadership by Henry and Richard Blackaby
The Making of a Leader by J. Robert Clinton
(Clinton's book is the one I used to create the Timeline Reflections Handout that I have recommended several times in the Bible Book Club.)
PRAYER
Lord, give us the grace to lead in ways that point people to You. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
6 comments:
Today I focused on Micah 5:5- specifically "This One will be our peace." When I began my quiet time, I was anything but peaceful because of something that had occurred over the weekend and was still plaguing my thoughts. So this reference to Jesus Christ being our peace struck me. I just reflected on letting Him be my peace and looked up the word in Strongs. I saw it was the word "shalowm" - defined as completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. I especially loved thinking about "completeness" in Christ. My application is to make sure that in the middle of difficult circumstances I stop and turn to my Prince of Peace- and receive the peace He has offered and provided (Isaiah 9:6, John 14:27). Also a great word study I want to look more at on Precept Austin on "shalowm"- thanks for this resource, Carol!
Kind of intimidating putting my thoughts out there!! :) I really love your study notes! They help so much!
Awesome application!
I wondered, do you use the Inductive Bible Study markings when you are doing Bible study- with the symbols and everything?
Elizabeth
When I am just reading, no. But if I am doing actual Bible Study on a book, I do make the markings, but I do my own rather than necessarily taking the suggestions from Precept. I make it my own. :) I usually do it on a "Observation Worksheet" that comes with the Scripture double spaced. I do have a New Inductive Study Bible that I have marked in, but I prefer not to .
Some people do not like doing the markings, and I encourage them to do what is best for you. It isn't graded.
:) I had experimented with marking the text a couple months ago - I liked how it got me to really slow down and notice each word. However, I found also that I was so busy trying to figure out which mark to make that i would get sidetracked! Maybe that is where having my own markings would help-
I guess it is just a matter of time and practice!
I had an opportunity to really live into my leadership from 2020-2022. I led a major project creating resources and podcasts on Abiding for an organization. I am so glad I did it. I grew, and I have all these resources that I can post on the Bible Book Club and give to my directees and the directors I supervise!
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