Thursday, May 7, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE (Obadiah, Jonah and Micah)


By Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD

LESSON NOTES:

I.                  THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE ENTIRE BIBLE. If you understand that the Bible is written to show us how humanity was created for God, fell into sin, was reconciled through Christ (who was the product of a family) and God will restore everything through His sacrifice on the Cross; then you have the message of the entire Bible.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

                                               I.                  JESUS AND THE EARLY CHURCH TAUGHT THAT THE ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT TEACHES ABOUT JESUS. You can preach the Gospel from ANY Old Testament book; just as well as you can the New Testament.

John 5:39-40 39You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Luke 24:44-47 44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 18:24-28 24Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the way of the LORD, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 27When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Acts 13:13-39

13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.
“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
“‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.’
34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
35 So it is also stated elsewhere:
“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

II.                        THE BOOK OF OBADIAH.

A.             THE AUTHOR OF OBADIAH. The text identifies Obadiah himself as the author.

Obadiah 1:1 1The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom- We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, "Rise, let us go against her for battle"-

B.             WHAT DOES THE NAME OBADIAH MEAN? “Servant of the LORD.”

C.             PERSONAL INFORMAITON ABOUT OBADIAH.[1]

1.               IT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED THAT HE WAS FROM THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH. We cannot be certain because there are 13 people named Obadiah in Scripture.

D.             WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK? The purpose of the book was to pronounce judgment on the Edomites (descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother), the “brother” nation of Israel. God hated Esau because he did not value God’s gift on his life.

Romans 9:13 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

1.               OBADIAH PROPHESIED THAT:

                                                                     a.                  EDOM WOULD BE CUT OFF FOREVER.

Obadiah 1:10 10Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.

                                                                     b.                  THERE WOULD BE NO SURVIVOR TO REMAIN OF THE HOUSE OF ESAU.

Obadiah 1:18 18Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau." The LORD has spoken.

                                                                      c.                  WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN 70 A.D., THEY DISAPPEARED FROM HISTORY.[2]

E.             WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF OBADIAH?[3] There was bitterness between Israel and Edom for many generations. Obadiah was raised up to tell Edom that it would pay for its evil doings. Thus the message of this book is that God will handle the enemies of His people. While He gives them a chance to get it right; if they do no, the consequences are dire. These people would eventually try to kill our Redeemer; but God would not let it happen because Jesus had to make to the cross.

1.               EDOMITES WERE DESCENDANTS OF ESAU.

2.               EDOM MEANS “RED” because of the color of the stew Esau traded his birthright for.

Genesis 25:29-30 29Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.)

3.               EDOMITES LIVED IN THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA OF SEIR, SOUTH OF THE DEAD SEA.

Obadiah 1-9 

1 The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom
(We have heard a report from the Lord,
And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,
“Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):
2 “Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You shall be greatly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.
5 “If thieves had come to you,
If robbers by night—
Oh, how you will be cut off!—
Would they not have stolen till they had enough?
If grape-gatherers had come to you,
Would they not have left some gleanings?
6 “Oh, how Esau shall be searched out!
How his hidden treasures shall be sought after!
7 All the men in your confederacy
Shall force you to the border;
The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you.
No one is aware of it.
8 “Will I not in that day,” says the Lord,
“Even destroy the wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountains of Esau?
9 Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed,
To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau
May be cut off by slaughter.

4.               EDOMITES WERE BITTER ENEMIES OF THE JEWS.

Obadiah 10-16 

10 “For violence against your brother Jacob,
Shame shall cover you,
And you shall be cut off forever.
11 In the day that you stood on the other side—
In the day that strangers carried captive his forces,
When foreigners entered his gates
And cast lots for Jerusalem—
Even you were as one of them.
12 “But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother
In the day of his captivity;
Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Nor should you have spoken proudly
In the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of My people
In the day of their calamity.
Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction
In the day of their calamity,
Nor laid hands on their substance
In the day of their calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads
To cut off those among them who escaped;
Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained
In the day of distress.
15 “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near;
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.
16 For as you drank on My holy mountain,
So shall all the nations drink continually;
Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
And they shall be as though they had never been.

5.               EDOM REFUSED MOSES’ REQUEST TO ALLOW THE ISRAELITES TO PASS THROUGH THEIR LAND ON THEIR WAY TO THE PROMISED LAND.

Numbers 20:21 21Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.

Judges 11:17 17Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Give us permission to go through your country,' but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

6.               THE EDOMITES OPPOSED SAUL BUT WERE SUBDUED BY DAVID.

2 Samuel 8:14 14He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.

7.               THE EDOMITES FOUGHT AGAINST JEHOSHAPHAT.

2 Chronicles 20:1-2 1After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. 2Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi).

8.               THE EDOMITES REBELLED AGAINST JEHORAM.

2 Chronicles 21:8-10 8In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. 9So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night. 10To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the LORD, the God of his ancestors.

9.               THE EDOMITES MOVED TO THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE HOLY LAND AND BECAME KNOWN AS THE IDUMEANS.

                                                                           a.            HEROD THE GREAT WAS AN IDUMEAN. He became king of Judea under Rome in 37 B.C.

                                                                           b.            HEROD KILLED THE MALE INFANTS IN BETHLEHEM IN AN ATTEMPT TO KILL JESUS.

Matthew 2:13-20 

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

F.              JESUS IN OBADIAH. Obadiah sees the Kingdom restored unto Israel under the Messiah.


Obadiah 17-21 

17 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them,
And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
19 The South shall possess the mountains of Esau,
And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria.
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Shall possess the cities of the South.
21 Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

III.                        THE BOOK OF JONAH.

A.             THE AUTHOR OF JONAH. The text does not tell us who the author was. The narrative is written in the third person.

B.             WHAT DOES THE NAME JONAH MEAN? It means “dove.”

C.             WHAT ARE SOME PERSONAL THINGS ABOUT JONAH?

1.               JONAH WAS FROM THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.[4] He was from a town called Gath Hepher, in the area that later came to be known as Galilee (2 Kings 14:25). This makes him a prophet from the northern kingdom of Israel.

2 Kings 14:25 25He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.

                                                                     a.                  THUS THE PHARISEES HAD IT WRONG WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT.


Matthew 21:11 11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

John 7:41 41Others said, "He is the Messiah." Still others asked, "How can the Messiah come from Galilee?

John 7:52 52They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."

2.               HIS LIFE WENT DOWN FOR RUNNING FROM GOD.

Jonah 1:3
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah 1:5
Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

Jonah 2:6
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

3.               HE WAS A CONTEMPORARY OF HOSEA AND AMOS.

4.               JONAH DID MORE THAN PROPHESY TO NINEVAH. He also prophesied to his home nation of Israel that God would restore here borders. Isn’t it good to know that when people put you in a box; God has others things for you to do for Him.

2 Kings 14:23-27 

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.
24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.
26 For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.
27 And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

D.             WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK? It really shows how God is merciful when we are not.

                                       1.                        JONAH IS COMPLETELY APPALLED AT THE ASSIGNMENT TO MINISTER TO NINEVAH (Chapter 1). This was the main city of the Assyrian Empire a very cruel hearted people. Thus Jonah did not want to minister to this nemesis to his own people.

Jonah 1:1-3 

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

1.               JONAH REPENTS FOR HIS DISOBEDIENCE (Chapter 2). After being thrown into the sea and being swallowed by a great fish, he repents and is vomited up.

Jonah 1:11-17 

11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:1-2 1From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

Jonah 2:10 10And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

2.               JONAH OBEYS GOD (Chapter 3). Jonah’s message carries no grace. Nevertheless the King repents and leads the people in repentance and God spares the city.

Jonah 3:1-5 

3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

3.               JONAH IS DEPRESSED THAT HIS MESSAGE IS SUCCESSFUL AND WANTS TO DIE (Chapter 4). He gets smart with God; because God tells him that he has more mercy on a plant than he does a soul.

Jonah 4 

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

E.             WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF JONAH? The message is that God has mercy on nations that do not belong to Him. This is a part of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant; which is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Genesis 12:3 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 18:18 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

Genesis 22:18 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Romans 9:23-25 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory- 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,"

F.              JESUS IN JONAH. Jesus honored to prophet Jonah by using Jonah as a type of Himself; portraying the death and resurrection for our redemption.

Jonah 1:17 17Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Matthew 12:39-41 39He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.

IV.            THE BOOK OF MICAH.

A.             THE AUTHOR OF MICAH. It is implied from the text that Micah authored the book.

Micah 1:1-2 1The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah-the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 2Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign LORD may bear witness against you, the LORD from his holy temple.

B.             WHAT DOES THE NAME MICAH MEAN? “Who is like the LORD?”

C.             WHAT ARE SOME PERSONAL THINGS ABOUT MICAH?

1.               HE WAS A PROPHET TO THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH BUT ALSO HAS A MESSAGE FOR THE NORTHERN KINGDOM.

2.               HE WAS A CONTEMPORARY OF ISAIAH AND HOSEA. However, Isaiah was more of an urban prophet. Micah was from the town of Moresheth, 25 miles out of Jerusalem. So he was more rural. It is great that God has a variety of voices from different backgrounds.

Micah 1:14 

14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

3.               EVEN THOUGH HE HAD A HARSH MESSAGE, HE DIED IN PEACE.

Jeremiah 26:17-19 

17 Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.

                                             4.                  EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A PROPHET TO JUDAH; GOD ALSO USED HIM TO PROPHECY AGAINST THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.

Micah 6:1-3 1Listen to what the LORD says: "Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2"Hear, you mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. 3"My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.

D.             WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK? It is a plea for Judah to repent and do what is right.

                                                   1.            MICAH’S CALL (Micah 1). He preaches against both Judah and Israel.

Micah 1:1 1The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah-the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Micah 1:3-7 3Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth. 4The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. 5All this is because of Jacob's transgression, because of the sins of the people of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah's high place? Is it not Jerusalem? 6"Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. 7All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used."

                                                   2.            DOOM IS PROUNCUNED ON THE PEOPLE FOR THEIR SINS (Micah 2-3).

Micah 2:1 1Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning's light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.

                                             3.                  GOD WILL RESTORE (Micah 4-5). This will happen after the Second Coming, The Battle of Armageddon and will occur at the 1,000 year reign of Christ.

Micah 4:1-8 1In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 4Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken. 5All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. 6"In that day," declares the LORD, "I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. 7I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation. The LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever. 8As for you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem."

                                             4.                  A FINAL PLEA TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT (Micah 6).

Micah 6:9 9Listen! The LORD is calling to the city- and to fear your name is wisdom- "Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.

E.             WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF MICAH? Micah advocates for justice for the downtrodden and outcast of society. The poor were being oppressed; judges, prophets and priests were taking bribes. Deceptions was everywhere. Later on this would be who Jesus would say that He had come to Earth to reach the outcast of society.

Micah 3:9-12 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV).[5]

9 Leaders of Jacob and rulers of Israel, listen to me!
    You hate the right way of living!
If something is straight,
    then you make it crooked!
10 You build Zion by murdering people.
    You build Jerusalem by cheating people!
11 The judges in Jerusalem accept bribes
    to help them decide who wins in court.
The priests in Jerusalem must be paid
    before they will teach the people.
People must pay the prophets
    before they will look into the future.
Then those leaders expect the Lord to help them.
    They say, “The Lord lives here with us,
    so nothing bad will happen to us.”
12 Leaders, because of you, Zion will be destroyed.
    It will become a plowed field.
Jerusalem will become a pile of rocks.
    Temple Mount will be an empty hill overgrown with bushes.

Micah 4:6 6"In that day," declares the LORD, "I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief.

Micah 6:8 

8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Matthew 9:10-13 

10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

F.              JESUS IN MICAH. We know the Messiah was to come from Judah. However, Micah prophecies regarding the exact birthplace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 49:10 10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Micah 5:2 2"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

Matthew 2:1-6 1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

V.               PRAYER FOR SALVATION. As we close, if you have not received this Jesus pray this simple prayer:

"Father, I know that I have sinned against You. Please forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust in Jesus, Your Son. I believe that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. I believe that He was raised from the dead. I surrender my life to Jesus today.

"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name, Amen."
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