Intro to Micah


Droplet from Acts
13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 21:13 

Perhaps as you were reading today’s passage in Acts, you could not help but let your mind wander to the martyrdom of Polycarp. His willingness to serve God in the face of personal, physical death was not one that they ran away from, nor were causes for wavering in their faith. Instead, Paul (and Polycarp) were both ready and willing to give of themselves for the name of the Lord. Which brings us to a very important question, “What will it cost to follow Jesus?” The simple answer is everything. We are too worldly minded at times and live each day with a singular purpose of advancing in our careers, fluffing our retirement account, or raising perfect children. We are reminded of the reality that having Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives means that our singular goal is to give of ourselves for His glory and praise. If you find yourself living for lesser things, let us both be quick to repent from our idolatry, lethargy, and lack of love. May we all pray that we will grow deeper in our convictions and may they translate into lives that are seeking His glory and praise, no matter the cost.
Intro to Micah 
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 

Micah 7:18 

As we continue to walk through the minor prophets, we found ourselves last week in the book of Micah. Micah was a prophet of Judah and his book follows a very similar structure to the other prophetic books. Not to be a broken record, but that structure is an indictment of the people for particular sins, followed by a judgment from God because of their sins, and concluding with a future hope that the people of God must hold on to. Similar to Jonah, we do know a bit of Micah’s prophetic ministry outside of the book itself. In Jeremiah 26, we read how God used him in order to bring Hezekiah and the nation to repentance. Fortunately, unlike Jonah, we are do not see Micah running from God.

Micah’s message, as mentioned above, begins with an indictment and the list of sins condemned can be found spread throughout the first 7 chapters of the book. Included in the list are condemnations upon them for idolatry (1:7), a distortion of justice (3:9) and even violence and oppression on woman and children (2:9). Just as much as the people are guilty for their actions, it also is a condemnation of the princes, prophets, and priests who had led the people astray and perverted justice. And because of this, there will be a judgment from the Lord and a future hope of salvation and restoration. You will remember reading that in the book, but I want to highlight one other aspect in this book; what it teaches us about the Lord (a topic we will also see when we look at the book of Haggai).

Throughout the book, Micah describes the Lord’s character/position and activity to us. For example, in 6:2 God is described as a Judge and some activities related to this position is that He will judge the people (7:4), settle disputes (4:3) and even punish them (2:3). Another way that the Lord is characterized is as a Shepherd (5:4) who will shepherd (7:14), deliver (5:6), and protect (7:14) His own. One of the most precious descriptions which should not be overlooked is that of Savior (7:7) and King (4:7-8). As such, He desires from His people obedience (4:2), acting justly (6:8), and waiting for Him (7:7). In these last days, let us not forget God’s promises. His Son truly is coming soon, so let us be found living in humble obedience, wisely and fairly living with our neighbor, and expectantly awaiting His return for His glory and praise.

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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