Micah 1:8-16
Many issues, maybe even most issues facing Israel and Judah at time of Micah have present-day parallels. Listen to news, voices on street and in homes, back-room political or financial maneuvering, mostly just need to change few minor details and rest stays the same. World’s explanation for that: what goes around comes around, history repeats itself, is what wheel of life is all about. May appear that way on surface, however there is broader and deeper reason/explanation:
goes all the way back to the Garden, mankind’s fall into sin – “through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12)
fundamental reason why looks like history repeats itself: man’s basic nature has not changed – born in sin, live in sin, act out our sin day after day, generation after generation, no indication or real expectation of improvement
sounds pretty depressing, perhaps pointless, even hopeless – after few thousand years still dealing with same basic issues — is true, sounds that way… but consider this: if basic problem has not changed but remains the same, same goes for solution… and God’s instruction concerning it
whatever right solution was then is same today – God sought out sinners, sacrificed for them, restored their relationship
Average sinner doesn’t want to even hear that, more determined sinner actively fights against God and his solution to their need. Instead, does utmost to come up with alternative fix based on human wisdom, that’s why broken sinful humanity still does what is sinful. Biblically informed Christians should expect it… that sinners will act according to their nature… until God changes it. Here’s why all this important to us – so long as God leaves us to live in fallen sin-corrupted world, we get to deal with it… around us as well as within us. How, then, do we respond to what is going on in neighborhood, nation, world?
Has been plenty of opportunity for response in last several months – immigration and the wall, black lives matter, confederate flag; more broadly – megalomaniacs in the Far East and closer to home, what goes by name of terrorism, and list goes on. Sad truth is: Christians too often respond like their neighbors and fail to follow example set for us in God’s word the Bible. Compare modern response, including professed Christians, to sin/injustice and Micah’s response:
primarily anger vs sorrow, human solution vs divine help, reacting to symptoms vs addressing root cause, pleasure over destruction vs personal sense of loss, etc
Whether you have monkey in the circus or not, all God’s people have obligation to respond in godly way to cultural issues. In this case, Micah sets example for us – he laments for his people and calls for others to join with him.
A. Micah laments for his people v.8-9
verbal distress
wail and howl – common widely recognized / accepted response to hard news that causes grief and sorrow; in fact, Jewish tradition to hire professional mourners… to give loud voice to grief over loss of loved one
wail like jackals – cry of wild dogs (think coyotes) esp. at night something not only sounds like grief, prompts response in those who hear it… kind of thing that draws others in to participate in sorrow
mourn like ostriches – would be obvious to all w/i earshot something was seriously wrong – Micah in great distress, not play-acting, everyone needed to pay attention
visible distress
disgraceful appearance – not just the sounds of mourning, had look of one in mourning being carried off as prisoner of war
whether disaster still in future or presently in progress, Micah using variety of persuasive devices to gain attention – not seeking to be center of attention, drawing focus to God and his just judgment
distressing diagnosis
an incurable disease – Samaria gone past point of help, even if repentance did occur – once sequence of events beginning with overthrow by Assyria began, Samaria would never recover
obviously talking about large group, the people group, not individuals – remember Samaritan woman, yet cannot now point to Samaritans as distinct group
an infectious disease – important to remember… moral and spiritual issues that plague one nation or group can easily spread
couple quick examples: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Russia, officially identified as “extremists”, on list of banned organizations
prosperity gospel (no gospel), that financial prosperity a sign of God’s favor – exported from charismatic circles US to Nigeria and elsewhere, now exported from Nigeria around world
doesn’t even begin to touch infection that gets spread through entertainment, publicly funded social programs, etc.
Micah takes no pleasure in coming judgment – rather, overcome with grief, sorrow at incredibly high price his “countrymen according to the flesh” will have to pay
B. Micah calls others to lament v.10-16
towns represent Assyrian advance toward Jerusalem
list of 10 cities, number that routinely signifies completeness, in this case of coming disaster – chosen b/c of names, wordplay
the prohibition in Gath (sounds like word for “tell”) – don’t bother tell Philistine city… had enough troubles already… if not completely overrun by Assyrians
Beth Aphrah (means “house of dust”) (10) – you will live up to your name, wallowing in dust/ashes to show (typical) grief
Shaphir (means “pleasant, beautiful”) – will be nothing pleasant or beautiful about their conquest and subsequent captivity
Zaanan (sounds like “come out”) – are too afraid or demoralized to put up any kind of fight, stay huddled inside town walls
Beth Ezel (means “house beside another”) (11) – friends cannot come to her aid, she cannot go to anyone else’s, can only weep
Maroth (sounds like word for “bitter”) (12) – like Beth Aphrah, live up to name and experience only bitterness… hoped fruitlessly for good, will receive judgment for disobedience
Lachish (sounds like word for “team”) (13) – will need all their chariots, yet to no avail… 2nd in size to Jerus., equal in idolatry, eventually defeated by Sennacherib
Moresheth – (sounds like “betrothed, dowry”) – would receive gift, “going away” kind as she goes into captivity bound to foreign master
Achzib – means “place on the dried up river” (similar to “deceive”) – would surrender to Assyrians, fighting against Judah
Mareshah – sounds like word for “conqueror, possessor” – would become possession of another, whoever could escape take refuge at Adullam (David hid from Saul)
picture of utter defeat and misery
remember who Assyrians were – first world power to have standing professional army used (quite effectively) for expansion
portion of army devoted to conflict in Israel numbered almost 200K, force typical neighbor would be unable to resist
then was fear and intimidation factor, used to greatest advantage – copied by Napoleon in advance into Russia: take all you can use, destroy the rest… scorched earth policy
had no mercy on those they conquered – not only practiced brutality in war and conquest, boasted about it in artwork displayed throughout their territories
continued barbaric treatment of captives after war ended – more concerned with adding territory, material resources than people
notice in Micah’s sorrow and warning, offers no complaint that his people are object of Assyrian terror – didn’t question justice
how could God possibly send or allow those horrible people to have upper hand over his own chosen nation?
even more personal than simply national issue, he was from Moresheth, was his own family in Assyrian sights
would seem Micah grasped awfulness of sin as God sees it – yes, Assyrians were bad, so were Israelites in their idolatry, injustice, rebellion against God
Judah’s exile began long before 586 BC
captives from conquered SW towns resettled – towns listed by Micah
not like modern warfare, mostly between armed forces, victor setting up new government to suit their own preferences – no interest in that
intended government to stay pretty much the same, have a compliant and unarmed people living in conquered territory
massive resettlement – Jews marched off in chains to be forcibly relocated in distant scattered parts of empire, many dying long before reaching destination
practice probably continued by later marauders
those who continued to harass border areas, later Egyptians and then Babylonians caused their own damage to Judah
toward end of Jeremiah’s ministry many voluntarily escaped to Egypt because of harsh conditions in Judah
inhabitants of Judah called on to mourn
conditions would justify this response – pretty much the extreme of mourning, might pull out hair or beard because of distress, but shaving bald?!
a last resort, no hope that anything less would maybe cause God to relent – also outward sign that life has come to end
once children carried off into captivity, no longer any hope nation can continue – Naomi… sons died, too old to have more
this not a warning, rather a prophecy – remember Micah’s diagnosis at beginning of our text: terminal disease, no cure
history does bear that out – once entire nation, both northern and southern kingdoms, had been overthrown, never recovered
true, was return from exile and Jewish people lived on the land for another 500 years, but… – not the nation as God had established; still his people, but… never really regained what had been lost
A worse fate did/does exist than what Micah’s contemporaries faced – total exile from God. Every bit as true today as then, what many in the news are facing. As far as raw numbers go, more true of our nation and others than ever before. Yes, need national leaders in every nation including our own who do their divinely appointed job according to Rom. 13and need those who work at grass roots spreading the Gospel.
A good civil government doing its God-appointed job makes for safe environment for Gospel to be proclaimed: “But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” In any circumstance, Christ-followers need to see various societal ills as what they are at root: result of sin practiced by those who need to hear / respond to Gospel. And… should respond to sin and God’s judgment as Micah did – sorrow and grief accompanied by proclamation of truth.
Reformanda 