Introduction: Does everyone need hope? The obvious answer is, “yes.”
But, hope is a funny thing. You don’t need hope if you are satisfied
with how things are now. In Revelation 3:16 God says He wants to spit
out lukewarm people. God prefers us to be hot or cold. Does that mean
that God wants to spit out people who don’t need hope? Recall that
last week God sent the worm that killed the plant that gave Jonah
shade? Would God send “worms” into our life to put us in a posture
where we needed hope? If so, what kind of hope does God offer? Let’s
dive into our study of the book of Micah and find out!
- The Punishment Prophecy
- Read Micah 1:1. Who is the prophet? (Micah.)
- What is the subject of his prophecy? (God gave him a
vision about the future of Jerusalem and Samaria.) - Read Micah 1:2-5. Wait a minute! We learned in previous
lessons that Judah consisted of the two southern tribes
and Israel the northern ten tribes. Jerusalem was in
Judah. Why is Judah being punished for the sins of Israel?
(Israel has already been conquered by Assyria. Micah now
lumps Judah and Israel together. Consider that he refers
to “Jacob’s transgression,” and Jacob is the father of the
sons who became the twelve tribes which made up both Judah
and Israel.) - Read Micah 2:3-4. What seems to be the worst of the
punishment? (The taunting, the ridicule. We have all had
unfortunate things happen in life. Our misfortune is eased
by friends putting their arms around us to comfort us. It
is easier if people are sympathetic. Here, those
suffering are being taunted by others.) - Why would God allow that? God is a God of love! (We
have some clues. God says “you cannot save
yourselves.” In the next section we are going to
study the nature of their sins. We will see that they
put their trust in themselves, either through the
idols that they had made or through a rigged justice
system. It is false pride and God strips it away.) - Read Micah 2:5. Remember in verse 4 the problem was that
the people lost their land, and undeserving people
(traitors) got it. What does it mean to “divide the land
by lot?” (Read Proverbs 16:33. Casting lots was a way to
determine God’s will. It was a way for God to lead.
Instead of God dividing the land among His people, now the
enemies of God’s people will make that decision.) - The Sin Problem
- Read Micah 2:6-7. What do other prophets predict? (They
say bad things will not happen to the people. God does not
get angry and He does not do such things.) - Have you heard people say that judgment is
inconsistent with a loving God? God’s loving nature
does not allow for punishment? (Part of the sin
problem for these people is their attitude: they did
not believe that God would execute judgment on them.) - Re-read Micah 2:7. What answer about judgment does God
give in the last part of verse 7? (God distinguishes
between those who are good and those who are evil. We
know from the book of Job and from our experiences in life
that bad things sometimes happen to good people. But, we
also know that bad things happen more often to bad
people.) - Read Micah 2:8. Often God warns about the rich abusing the
poor. What is happening to the rich here? (God’s people
are stealing from the rich.) - How does God view abusing the rich? (Those who do
this are enemies of God.) - Read Micah 2:9. What other evil are these people doing?
(They drive women and children from their homes. They
deprive these people of the blessings God has given to
them.) - This touches on a current public policy issue in a
number of countries. People who are not rich argue
that the rich should be taxed at a very high rate
simply because they can afford it. What do these
verses teach us about that? (God is against
injustice. If the rich steal from the poor, God is
against it. If the poor steal from the rich, God is
against it. God says “do not take My blessings” from
other people.) - Read Micah 2:10. What is God’s word about the future?
(God’s people have to leave. They have defiled and ruined
the land. They have to go.) - God says to His people, if you trust in other gods, if you
mistreat others, judgment is coming whether you believe in
it or not. Will these people need hope? (Yes, when our
sins result in judgment, we become very aware of our need
for hope. Let’s look at hope next.) - Greatest Hope
- Read Micah 5:1. Has judgment started? (Yes!)
- Read Micah 5:2. What hope do we have here? (This is a
prophecy about Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem!) - Do you doubt that Jesus existed? Do you doubt that He
is God? Consider Micah’s prophecy which pinpointed
the place of His birth! - Can you understand why Jesus’ disciples thought that
He would overthrow the Romans and rule Israel? - How do you understand the “will be Ruler over
Israel” statement? (This must be a reference to
the Second Coming, since Jesus did not “rule”
in a traditional sense during His life here.) - Read Micah 5:3. Who is the “she who is in labor gives
birth?” (Mary, mother of Jesus. This predicts the way in
which God becomes human and lives among us.) - Why is Israel abandoned until then? (As we saw
before, God’s people failed Him. Despite their
unfaithfulness, God launched His heroic rescue plan.
This gives hope!) - Read Micah 5:4. Jesus is predicted to be like a shepherd.
How does that encourage hope? (A shepherd protects. This
protection comes in a God-level of strength, and gives us
the ultimate security.) - Read Micah 5:5-6. I’m sure that the scholars of Jesus’
time considered these texts and wondered how they related
to Jesus’ incarnation. Perhaps Jesus’ disciples thought
that they were the seven to fifteen under-shepherds/leaders. How do you think these verses relate?
(This seems to support the “warrior savior” view. But,
since this did not happen in connection with Jesus, this
either refers to a literal victory for Israel at the end
of time or it means a spiritual victory for God’s people
over the forces of evil. If “the Assyrian” refers to the
evil forces opposed to God’s people, Jesus won the victory
over sin and the forces of evil at the cross.) - Read Micah 5:7-8. Are God’s people scattered today
throughout the world? (Yes. To the extent that this refers
to the Jews, that is absolutely true. To the extent that
his refers to “spiritual Jews” (Christians), this is still
true.) - Read Micah 5:9. On what is our hope based? (That God will
deliver us! That we will be lifted up!) - Read Micah 5:10-11. How is it helpful for our Deliver to
destroy our chariots and our strongholds? That sounds like
what the “bad guy” would do! (Chariots were state of the
art military weapons. Strongholds were military defenses.
God says I will destroy everything on which you rely –
other than Me.) - Read Micah 5:12-14. Why are these things being destroyed?
(Again, these are things we rely upon instead of God.) - Read Micah 5:15. Why, in the midst of a declaration of
hope, do we find destruction? (Read Micah 6:8. God is
looking for those who are faithful! He desires a people
who will walk with Him.) - Read Micah 7:18-19. What is the hope for sinners? (God
will bury our sins “underfoot” and hurl them “into the
depths of the sea.”) - Why is that important? (Read Revelation 12:10-11.
Satan accuses us. Jesus promises to bury our sins.) - Friend, our God is both our Judge and our Redeemer. We
need to keep both roles in mind. When we rely on other
gods and disobey, we can expect judgment. But, with
judgment comes hope. Hope in a God who will forgive us and
rescue us and blot out our sins. Will you determine today
to trust God and live a life in accord with His word? - Next week: Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk).
