MICAH 1-3 REPENT LIKE JUDAH2011 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Micah 1-3 Repent Like Judah

Well, this evening we are looking at the book of Micah, or Micah, depending on how you want to pronounce it. I'll pronounce it Micah to not confuse us with Cisco's wife. The

The book of Micah is seven chapters long. We'll cover the first few chapters this evening. We'll finish it up next week. But Micah was a prophet. We see in verse 1 the introduction to who he is and the time frame of when he was prophesying. So look at Micah chapter 1 verse 1. It says, The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham...

And so here in verse 1 we have our introduction to Micah. He, based on the kings that he lists here, would have been prophesying somewhere between 739 and 686 BC. That probably doesn't mean a whole lot to you, but he was prophesying around the same time as Isaiah was prophesying, as well as Hosea was prophesying.

And these kings, Jotham and Ahaz, we know a little bit about. Of course, it's in the book of 2 Kings and Chronicles lists their reigns. But the one that we're most familiar with is Hezekiah. Junior high and high school are dismissed for your class if you're here. Hezekiah, though, is the one that we're most familiar with.

And he was the one who brought great revival to the nation. And it was during his reign that the people came back to the temple and kind of restored the parts of the temple that were falling apart and reopened the doors. And really God used him to do a great work in bringing the people back to God.

And we know from actually the book of Jeremiah chapter 26 that Micah's message, Micah's prophecies had a part to play in that revival and how he announced the judgment that was going to come but the people repented and went back to the Lord. And so we see that reference there in Jeremiah chapter 26. And so we know he was during that time, he was influential and used by God in the revival that took place.

And so that's the prophet that we're studying this evening. We're looking at his words, a man whom God used to call his people back to himself. Now, the message that he has for the people is a message to both Samaria and Jerusalem, it says here in verse 1. Now, there's two cities mentioned because these are the capitals of two separate nations.

At the beginning, Israel was one nation under King Saul and King David and King Solomon. But after King Solomon, under his son, the nation was split into two. And so there was the northern kingdom, which was known as Israel, and the capital of that kingdom was Samaria. And then there was the southern kingdom, which was known as Judah, and the capital of that nation was Jerusalem.

And so he refers to and he speaks to Samaria and Jerusalem as representatives of the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The whole nation of Israel, but it had been divided into two. And so he's speaking forth to them. And it's actually during this time frame as he's prophesying that the northern kingdom falls to the nation of Assyria. They're conquered. They experience the judgment of God that he proclaims.

The nation of Judah, they turn back to God in Hezekiah's reign. And so they last a little bit longer before Babylon comes and conquers them. And so it's very important that we be like the nation of Judah and respond when God speaks to us. And I want to encourage you as we look at the word this evening to respond to the things that God speaks and highlights in your heart because it's very important. He doesn't tell us without reason. He doesn't warn us for no reason. He brings these things up

And you're here this evening, and I'm here sharing this portion this evening. God has us in this portion because there's some things He wants to address in our hearts. Well, let's take a look at the message of Micah as we begin in verse 2. It says,

Verse 1.

All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? Verse 6. Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field, places for planting a vineyard. I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will uncover her foundations."

All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire. All her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot. Here as we get started here with Micah's prophecies, he's

speaking to the people and he says, God is coming out of His place. He says, listen up everybody. Hear all you peoples. Listen to what I'm about to say.

He says, the Lord is a witness against you. And behold, there in verse 3, the Lord is coming out of His place. I kind of liken it in my mind to the parent who says, you know, don't make me come in there because that's what's happening. He's saying, God is coming out of His place. He's...

stepping up from his throne. He's coming here, but not for blessing, not for salvation, but to bring judgment. Because he goes on in verse 5, it says, all this is for the transgression of Jacob. And so he's coming in response to

to the sin of the people and the rebellion of His people. He's coming to deal with His people who are disobedient and disregarding His Word as we'll see throughout our portions this evening.

But as he talks about God coming out of his place, he gives these awesome pictures of God. And I think it's a good reminder for us of the fact and the reality that he is the creator of the universe. He is not just, you know, a powerful being, but he is the creator. He talks about treading the high places on the earth. And when he does, the mountains will melt like wax forever.

The valleys will split like wax before the fire. That His coming is going to be...

Well, it's going to have a large impact. His coming is going to really rock the world. It says like waters poured down a steep place. I mean, the mountains and the valleys are just going to flee from Him. Because He's the Creator. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And so when He's coming out of His place, it's something to pay attention to. When He's coming to address sin...

Well, he'll go on to explain and describe that it's inescapable. You cannot run from the Creator. And so it's for judgment that He is coming. Again, verse 5 says, All this is for the transgression of Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel. It's because His people have disregarded His word that He's on His way. And when He comes...

The world is going to be rocked. Now, this could be speaking poetically about the destruction of Assyria, but of course we also know under the tribulation period where these things will literally be taking place, when Jesus returns and the second coming, there's going to be some earth-shattering events. And so there's a lot going on here.

But the message is, look, there's judgment coming, there's consequences coming for your sin and rebellion against God. And he highlights the capital cities. He says, what is the transgression of Jacob there in verse 5? Is it not Samaria, the capital of the nation? And then what about the high places of Judah? They're in Jerusalem.

And so it's not just, you know, a few people kind of on the outskirts of the nation that are engaging in this sin, but it's right at the core, right at the heart of the nation that there's wickedness, that there's rebellion, that there is disobedience to God.

National capitals oftentimes are the center of idolatry and sin. And I think that our nation that we live in today is probably no different than what was taking place there in Samaria and Jerusalem. And so what does God say? Well, in verse 6 He says, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins. He says, I'm going to bring such judgment that I will uncover her foundations.

Now, if the foundation of your house is uncovered, what does that mean? Well, basically, it means you're not in Kansas anymore. It means the house is gone. It's rubble. There's nothing left except for the foundation. God says, I'm going to bring that kind of destruction.

Assyria will come upon the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom there, and bring that kind of judgment. In fact, this took place no longer than 17 years after Micah is prophesying these things. And so he prophesied about them, he warned them about it, but they did not repent and so it ended up taking place in his lifetime. Well, we go on now into verse 8. It says,

Verse 1.

Verse 2.

Verse 14.

Therefore, you shall give presents to Moresheth Gath. The houses of Akzeb shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. I will yet bring an heir to you, O inhabit of Moresheth. The glory of Israel shall come to Adulam. Make yourself bald and cut off your hair because of your precious children. Enlarge your baldness like an eagle, for they shall go from you into captivity.

Here as we continue on there in verse 8, Micah gives us some insight into his heart and God's heart regarding these things that he's prophesying. He says, Therefore I will wail and howl. As he's announcing this judgment that God's getting up, He's coming and He's bringing this severe judgment, it's important for us to understand that

Judgment is not something that God gets excited about. He doesn't get happy about it or giddy about it. He doesn't do it lightly. But as the prophet is demonstrating here, it's with mourning, it's with sorrow. And so judgment is not joyful. Not for the prophet who announces it. Not for the God who brings it. And definitely not to the recipient who is receiving the judgment of God for their rebellion and disobedience.

And so Micah says, I will wail and howl as a result of this.

that is coming. Now he goes on there in verses 10 through 16 and it loses a lot of the effect for us in the translation from Hebrew into English. But he lists a bunch of different places that are there in the land of Israel, in the region of Judah. And as he's listing these places that are there in Judah, he is using plays on words in order to kind of announce judgment to them.

For example, if I can find it in my notes here, Beth Arpha, the first one, literally that means house of dust.

And so he tells the people who live in the house of dust to roll yourself in the dust as a result of this judgment. So it kind of gives you an example of the different word plays that are going on here. He lists all of these different cities. He says this is the region that's going to receive this judgment of God.

Now earlier in verse 6, he's talking about Samaria and the northern kingdom. Here he's addressing Jerusalem and the southern kingdom and all of these cities are in that region. He's saying those same sins that the northern kingdom was practicing have come down and the people of Judah are also practicing. The people of Jerusalem are practicing.

are also engaging in rebellion and sin. And all these cities around it are also involved in the rebellion against God. And so the judgment will come upon them as well.

And so he's instructing them to begin now to mourn. Begin now to weep and to wail as he is, to start mourning over the judgment that is coming. In verse 16 it says, make yourself bald and cut off your hair. Now those are activities in that culture that they would do as a result of mourning, that they would express their mourning by shaving their heads or by cutting their hair. He says to do this because of your precious children.

And so he says, look, your precious children are going to experience the result as this judgment is brought. And so start mourning now because they're going to experience the judgment. They're going to go through these things that are being prophesied. He says to enlarge their baldness. Again, increasing their sorrow because they're going to go into captivity.

And it was about a hundred years after Micah's ministry that the nation of Judah, the city of Jerusalem, is conquered by Babylon and does go into captivity. And so they repented during Hezekiah's reign, during Micah's prophecy, but the next generation quickly walked away from God once again and continued to rebel against him.

And now we continue on in chapter 2, verse 1, it says, "...woe to those who devise iniquity and work out evil on their beds. At morning light they practice it because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and take them by violence, also houses and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance."

Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, against this family I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks, nor shall you walk haughtily, for this is an evil time.

Verse 5. Verse 6.

Here as he goes on into chapter 2, he pronounces a woe to those who devise iniquity. He talks about, he's talking about those who are at night on their beds before they're going to sleep. They're working out, let's see, what can I do tomorrow? What can I get? What can I obtain? What can I steal? They're working out their plans. They're strategizing and preparing for rebelling against God the next day.

And so he's talking about and envisioning or referring to those who are envisioning the evil that they're about to do.

And there is a difference between sins that we commit because it's a moment of weakness. It's not planned out. It's not premeditated. It's not that we planned it, but we're in the moment and we respond because we're sinful. We respond sinfully many times. And so we fall or we get angry or whatever the case may be. And that's still sinful and it's still worthy of judgment. But there is a difference between

between that kind of sin and then sin that is planned out, that is plotted out, that is considered ahead of time. It's like, maybe you could understand the difference we have in our court system between first degree murder, which is premeditated, it's planned out, there's conspiracy, there's a work together, you thought about how to do it, and then you put it into action, and then

There's also manslaughter. Now manslaughter is like, you know, you're being careless behind the wheel, you're not paying attention, you're texting while you're driving, and you accidentally kill someone.

It's your fault. You're still responsible because you did it. But there's a difference between that and there's a difference between the punishments and the penalties in our court system. And so here Mike is announcing, he's talking to those who are planning out, who are preparing ahead of time to involve themselves in iniquity and sin, to engage in rebellion against God. Now here's the reality. When you plan out,

When you imagine sin or sinful actions, most often it is not too much longer before you act it out. And so be careful what you plan out on your beds. Be careful the things that you envision and the things that you imagine because your action is soon to follow. And although you might think, well, I would never actually do it, I would never actually do that, the reality is

History shows us, and God's Word even declares, that what we do and what we think about is the direction that we will go. And so they're devising iniquity. And so God says, therefore, I'm devising disaster. Look at verse 3. He says, therefore, thus says the Lord, behold, against His family I'm devising disaster.

So there they are. They're planning out. They're plotting iniquity. They're planning their rebellion against God. How can they get this field? They're planning to fulfill their covetousness the next day. And so God says...

Because you're rebelling against me in this way, you're devising, so I'm going to devise as well. But when God devises, it's not for sinful purposes, it's for justice, it's for righteousness. And so he says, I'm devising judgment. I'm devising disaster. And I'm devising it in such a way, God says, you cannot remove your neck.

That is, you cannot escape. The judgment that He plans out and devises is inescapable. It's an inescapable disaster. So they were coveting, they were stealing. And God says, but the disaster that I'm planning for you, you will not be able to escape from it.

He goes on in verse 5. He says, therefore you have no one to determine boundaries by lot. And so he's addressing the issue that is happening. They're devising and planning, well, how can I take this person's field? How can I rip them off and get that property for myself? How can I get my boundary and my territory bigger?

And that's what they're devising, what ways they could come up with to accomplish that. But God says, look, when this disaster comes, there's not going to be anybody to, you know, do a survey and to set the boundaries and to see the property lines. It's all going to be conquered. And so if you could think about it that way, property lines really don't matter when an army invades.

You know, they don't respect your property and just attack your neighbor. When an army invades, they invade the whole land. And it doesn't matter if it's your land or the neighbor's land or someone else's land. They invade the whole land. And so what God is saying is, you won't escape and it doesn't matter. So you're working so hard, you're rebelling against me, you're planning all these things, but in the end...

You've gained nothing. In the end, it doesn't matter because there won't be any boundaries left amongst my people. It's a warning for us that living in sin...

Although you do it because you think it will please you, although you do it because you think it's what you want, it's what will make you happy, it's what's satisfying to you, or it's what you need, living in sin, when you experience God's judgment, you'll realize how foolish it is. And so these guys are planning and plotting and getting all this property, but then they're going to lose it all. And so they've rebelled against God and they've gained nothing for it.

And you know, today people are going to be learning that as well. People leave their spouse because they think, it's going to be so much better for me with this other person. And they disregard God's Word. Even within the church, they disregard God's Word. And they go after what they want to go after. But in the end, they will learn that in disobeying God and rebelling against God, they've not gained anything and they've lost everything.

And so people are unethical in their work practices and they're crooked and deceitful and dishonorable to the Lord at work because they think, well, it's going to get me this. It's going to attain that. It's going to help me accomplish that. I'm going to get there. I'm going to be able to have that. But when the consequences come, when the judgment of God comes as a result of that, they will learn how foolish that was because they ended up gaining nothing and losing everything.

And so there's those who treat people poorly, who oppress, who slander, because they think, well, this is going to get them that. They're going to accomplish these things over here. And then there's those who are engaging in lying and stealing, and on and on and on we could go. You get the point. When we live in sin, when we engage in a sinful lifestyle, we think it's going to be better for us. We do so to...

to please ourselves, to gratify ourselves. But what we forget, or the lesson that we've forgotten, is that when you live in sin, you really gain nothing. And if you don't repent, if you don't turn and get right with God, you will lose everything. That's a reality that we need to face, and we need to get through our heads.

And so he says, you're devising iniquity and so I'm devising disaster to deal with your rebellion. Verse 6, Do not prattle, you say to those who prophesy, so they shall not prophesy to you. They shall not return insult for insult. You who are named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord restricted? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?

Verse 1.

The people are speaking to Micah.

They're speaking to the prophets that God is sending. Remember, Isaiah and Hosea were also prophets during this same time period. And the people are responding to these messages from God and they're saying, "Do not prattle." Now, I don't know about you, but I had to look up the word "prattle" to realize what it was. And so, it basically means idle or foolish or irrelevant talk.

And so it's just nonsense, essentially. They're saying, hey, stop speaking nonsense. But who are they saying that to? They're saying that to God's messengers. So God gives Isaiah a message. He gives Hosea a message. He gives Micah a message. He sends them to the people, and the people are saying, stop talking nonsense. That's not going to happen. Why are you talking about those things? And so they are calling the Word of God, prattle.

Foolishness, idle talk. It's irreverent. It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what message they have brought. And so God says, so, okay, well, then they're not going to prophesy to you. Because you're considering my word as nonsense, well, I'm not going to send them any longer. You're not going to hear from them.

But he asks some questions there in verse 7 that are very important for us to consider. He asks the question, first of all, is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? And of course, it's a rhetorical question. He doesn't answer it next, and it's not really meant for the people to answer, because the answer is obvious. No, the Spirit of the Lord is not restricted. All things are possible for God. The Holy Spirit is not restricted.

So the message that they are bringing forth is able to be accomplished. See, here's what's happening. When you and I disregard God's Word or His warnings, when we do not want to listen to God's Word, we are thinking that

Even though we might know better to put it into words, we are thinking, we're behaving as if the Holy Spirit is restricted and the things that we're being warned about are not actually going to take place. That's what was happening in the hearts of the people. They're thinking, the Holy Spirit is restricted. We're not going to experience the judgment that these guys are talking about. It's too impossible. It's too unthinkable.

That our nation would fall. That this nation would conquer us. We're God's people, they would say. It'll never happen to us. But Micah says, God says, is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? No. He's the one doing these things. He's the one that is going to fulfill these words that He's brought forth.

And then he asks the next question or the last question there in verse 7. Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly? And again, it's rhetorical because the answer is clearly, obviously, yes. God's words are good to those who walk uprightly.

God's Word does good for those who do His Word, for those who put it into practice. But these guys are rebelling against God, but they're still thinking, yeah, the judgment that they're talking about isn't going to happen to us. It's just too unthinkable. It's too unthinkable that our nation could fall. It's too unthinkable that our nation could be judged. It's too unthinkable that our foundations could be uncovered.

But God's making it very clear. In verse 8, He says, Lately My people have risen up as an enemy. And so here's why this judgment is coming. His people have risen up against Him. It's not that God has changed and now He's against the people. But the people have turned themselves. They've set themselves against God. And they've taken on God in battle.

They've taken on God as an enemy. They've risen up as an enemy against the Lord. God hasn't changed. He's been the same the whole time. And those who walk uprightly, His words are good to them. But those who disregard God's word are setting themselves up, they're rising up against God as if His spirit is restricted and God is not able to deal with the rebellion that we're practicing.

And so God addresses some of the things that are going on, the taking of the robes, the kicking out of the women and the children. He says in verse 9 at the end there, you've taken away my glory forever. Remember, these were God's people. They were His chosen people, His special people, and they were meant to glorify God, but instead they've rebelled against Him and they've

Well, they've taken away His glory by not glorifying Him, by not walking uprightly and being the light of the world as He called them to be. And so He said in verse 10, Arise and depart, for this is not your rest. God brought them into the land that they were in. He gave them the land of Israel.

Remember, He led them in with Joshua. I mean, He went before them. He drove out the enemies. God provided this place for them so that they would have rest.

Instead of wandering in the wilderness, instead of being captive in Egypt, He gave them this place so that they could have rest. But now He says, time's up, get up, arise and depart, get out of here. This is not the rest that I've provided for you. I didn't provide for you rest so that then you could rebel against Me and disregard My Word and dishonor Me by being so wicked and vile. That's not why I gave you this land. This is not the rest that I've promised you or given to you. And so get out.

You're not using it for what I've given it to you for? Get out. I'm going to take you out of this place. I'm going to drive you out, God says. Because the people have come to the point where verse 11 says, look, if someone comes in a false spirit and says, oh, I have a word of prophecy, there's going to be lots of alcohol. Oh, it's going to be great. We're all going to get whatever the word is whenever you consume a lot of that. It's going to be great.

He says, that person is going to be considered a prophet. Now God calls him a prattler. He says, that's the prattler, that's the person speaking nonsense. This false prophet. But that's the one that the people receive. That's the one that the people believe and hold on to. God blessed them with rest, but they turned to these false prophets. And they used the rest that God had blessed them with to rebel against Him.

That's something for us to consider. Think about that for a minute. You always, in every case without exception, you always have to use God's blessings in order for you to rebel against Him. There's no way to rebel against God with just your own resources. Because what do you have that's not from the Lord? What do you have that's not of God? That wasn't given to you by God? Everything. Your time, your

God gives you that time. And you don't know how much time that is. But to use your time to rebel against God, that's using something that God has given to you. And you're taking it from Him. Thanks God. And then you're turning around and you're saying, now I'm going to use this to fight against you. I'm going to use this to disrespect you, to disobey you. Your energy, you know who gives you that energy? You know who holds your breath in His hands? It's God. It's God.

Your money, you know where you got that from? From God. Your health, you know why you're still alive? Because it's God. Your possessions, your talents, everything you have is God's blessings to you. And the only way to rebel against God is to take those blessings and then use them to spit in His face, to rebel against Him, to disobey Him. It's all His. There's no way to rebel against God without using those things that He has blessed you with.

And so he gave them rest. And they said, no thanks, we want to follow this false prophet. We just want to party, we want to live it up, we want to just live for the moment, please ourselves, do whatever we want to do. And so they used what God gave them to disregard him and rebel against him. God's word, they call it nonsense. Stop prattling, they say. But what God calls nonsense, they receive it as if it were God's word. That's what they embrace.

Because this is what happens whenever we practice sin. Sin will turn you around. It'll spin you around. It'll turn you upside down. It'll toss you all around. And it causes you to lose your bearings. Have you ever been at the beach and you're hit with a wave? And you're hit and you're knocked under and you're spun around and

It just takes a few moments before you're not actually sure which way is up. Have you ever tried to swim to the surface after that wave hits you and you smack your face in the sand on the bottom? I've done that before. Because it just turns you all around. You don't know which way is what. That's what sin does. You lose all your bearings when you practice sin. It's not very long before you're not able to discern any longer right from wrong.

And so they're saying, "Oh, that prophet, that's nonsense. Oh, this prophet over here, this false prophet, that's the one, that's... Yeah, yeah, yeah! I like that." And so they're embracing the lies and disregarding the truth. This is why it's so dangerous when a person says, "You know, I know the truth.

And I know what I'm doing is not really right. I know what I'm doing is wrong. I know God doesn't want me in this. But I'm just not ready to give it up yet. So I'm just, I'm planning to repent. I mean, you know, this next year for sure. When I get out of school, once, whatever, you know, we set these criteria. Yeah, sooner or later, pretty soon, I'm going to repent. But that's so dangerous.

Because as you continue to engage in that sin, more and more you lose your bearings. And you don't know right from wrong. And you think, oh no, that will never happen to me. But you're no different than the nation of Israel. I'm no different than the nation of Israel. And we have that example lived out for us countless times in the scriptures. When you rebel against God, when you sin against God, you lose your way. Your understanding is darkened. And it leaves you embracing the wrong and rejecting the right.

Going on to verse 12. He ends with kind of a high note. He's talked a lot about the judgment and the things that are coming, but he gives a couple words of hope here in verse 12. It says, I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob. I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture. They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. The one who breaks open will come before them. They shall be called the sheep of the fold.

They will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it. Their king will pass before them with the Lord at their head. And so he ends it in verse 12 and 13, giving a glimmer of hope about the distant future. And so he's promising this great severe judgment that will come upon these nations, Israel and Judah, for their rebellion against God.

And it is going to come. They do experience the judgment, but He's also reminding them and letting them know this isn't going to be complete. God's not done with His people. There will be a remnant. Now, a remnant, we need to understand, is it's a few left over. It's not, you know, a bunch of people left over, but there's going to be a few survivors, a small amount of survivors that are left over as a result of this judgment.

And so he's not saying every individual is going to survive. He's not saying, you know, there's going to be a massive amount of people who survive, but there's going to be a remnant. There's going to be a few who survive. But then he explains, I'm going to take that remnant, those few who survive, and I'm going to gather them together, and it's going to be a large gathering.

And so God is declaring that even through this judgment, this destruction, that He's going to do a mighty work amongst His people. And He's going to gather them together one day. This is still future for us as we're reading this.

Although Israel is back in the land and it's a nation once again and lots of Jews are moving back to Israel, the gathering that he's referring to is something that will take place when Jesus returns for the second coming and he establishes his kingdom and then all of Israel will be gathered together at that time as true believers, as followers of God. Right now there's a gathering and they're going back to the land but as a nation they've not turned to God.

And so this is something that's still future for us. But God says, I'm going to bring them back. They're going to be a great people. And it says there at the end of verse 12, they shall make a loud noise because of so many people. You ever been, you know, with a big crowd, perhaps in a stadium or something, and there's a loud noise because there's so many people gathered together.

I don't know if it's like that at the pastor's wives retreat, but when it's the pastor's retreat in June, when you walk into the dining room and all, you know, it's a bunch of pastors, right? So everybody likes to talk and they're all trying to talk over each other and it's big tables of eight or ten people. And so, you know, to talk to the person across the table from you, you have to kind of project your voice.

And it's just like this loud booming. You walk in there, it's just like you're in the midst of a very loud storm as all these conversations are going on and rejoicings and laughings and all these things are happening. And it's just, I always love that experience of walking in and just this rumble that's going on. Well, God says, that's how it's going to be. I'm going to gather them together. It's going to be this great...

this great noise that comes from it because of the work that He's going to do. And so He's going to gather them and then in verse 13 it says that He will lead them. The one who breaks open, the breaker, it could literally be translated, the one who goes before them, the conqueror, Jesus Christ, will lead them and pass through the gates and the King will pass before them with the Lord at their head. Jesus will gather them together and He will lead them in that day.

Chapter 3. Now we're focusing our attention on the leaders of the people. Verse 1 it says, And I said, Hear now, O heads of Jacob, and you rulers of the house of Israel,

Is it not for you to know justice? You who hate good and love evil, who strip the skin of my people and the flesh from their bones, who also eat the flesh of my people, flay their skin from them, break their bones and chomp them in pieces like meat for the pot, like flesh in the cauldron.

Verse 4,

Therefore, you shall have night without vision, and you shall have darkness without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them. So the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners abashed. Indeed, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God."

Here as he goes into chapter 3, he's addressing the leaders of the people specifically. And he's talking to the leaders and he says, you heads of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, is it not for you to know justice? Aren't you supposed to know right from wrong, he says to them. Those who have authority, those who are leaders...

And I'm talking about within the church, but also outside of the church. In the workplace, in government, whoever has authority anywhere, a leader's primary job is to accurately represent God. That's their primary job. That's why they have the authority to represent God, to act on His behalf. Again, in the church, in the workplace, in the government, wherever.

There is authority in the home. The leader's responsibility, the leader's job is to know justice, to know right from wrong, and to accurately represent God in that. But here as he talks and addresses these leaders, he pictures them, he describes them as if they're cannibals. It's kind of gruesome as you look at it, but what he's describing is they're oppressing the people.

And so He talks about them taking the skin off them and crushing their bones and eating. They're living off of the people. They're oppressing the people. They're destroying the people. And God says, these are My people. And so these leaders are not using their authority for what they're supposed to. It's not the reason God gave them the authority. Instead of knowing right from wrong, they're engaging in evil. And they're using their authority

To take advantage of the people. But again, he's been promising that the judgment is coming. And so as it comes, in verse 4 he says, they will cry out to the Lord. And so then when they get in trouble, then when they see, oh, there really is an army coming, it says, then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not hear them. And that time he's going to hide his face from them because they've been evil in their deeds. Because they rejected Micah's message,

Because they rejected Isaiah and Hosea's message. Because they rejected the messengers, the words, the warnings, the announcements that God gave. When the time comes where they now experience the judgment for being rebellious, they will cry out to the Lord and God says, I won't listen. I'm going to hide from them. Because they've insisted, they've persisted in being evil in their deeds. To whom much is given, much more is required.

God says, you're leaders. You know better. And because you've continued in sin, when you call out to me, I'm not going to hear you. I'm not going to answer you. This is something to pay attention to if you have authority. If you have authority here at the church, if you have authority in your home, if you have authority in your workplace, or wherever, you need to make sure that you walk uprightly.

That you know justice. That you know right from wrong. And that you represent God well. That's a responsibility that you have. To whom much is given, much more is required. It's not something to take lightly. So if you have authority, if you're a parent, if you're a leader, if you're a supervisor, if you're a governor, whatever the case may be,

You're responsible to know right from wrong. You're responsible to walk with God and represent Him to the people that He's entrusted to you. And if you don't do that, if you continue on disregarding God's Word, God says to these leaders, when the day of judgment comes, you'll call to Me, but I won't answer because you continued on in your evil deeds. He also addresses the false prophets there in verse 5.

He says, these prophets who make my people stray, who chant peace. The prophets, these false prophets, are telling the people, don't worry about what Micah has to say. Don't worry about the threat of this nation that's coming. They were calming the people at a time when they should not be calmed. Because they were encouraging the people to continue on in rebellion against God. To bring this judgment upon themselves.

You know, there's a saying. It's usually used for pastors and leaders, but I think it's appropriate for everybody. The saying is that our job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. That's our job. That's our responsibility. To comfort the afflicted. Those who are beaten up. Those who are broken down. We bring comfort in the person of Jesus. We call them to Jesus and He gives them rest. But those who are comfortable...

Those who are complacent, those who are just kicking back and they need to be corrected. Our job is to afflict them. So comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. But these guys were bringing comfort to those who needed to be afflicted, who needed to be called to repentance. Now they may have done so knowingly, but they might have been like the prophets that were addressed in Ezekiel chapter 13.

God addresses some false prophets in Ezekiel chapter 13 and He says that they spoke forth a word, they said it's from the Lord and they hoped that their word would be fulfilled.

So it wasn't that God had given them a message and they spoke it forth. And it wasn't even that they were scheming and plotting like, "Oh, right, we're going to tell these people a lie and then they're going to be destroyed and it's just going to be great." That wasn't their intention. They weren't planning on that. But what they were doing was they were speaking in the name of God without God having given them that message. And they were just hoping

That's what they wanted, that was their wish. "Oh yeah, we're fine, we're not going to experience judgment" they would announce, because that's what they wished, that's what they hoped would be fulfilled. But that's not what God had given them to say. And so those who have authority and those who speak on behalf of God, there's great responsibility there. "To whom much is given, much more is required." And so the false prophets are calming the people, but it's not the time for them to be calm.

And so God says, because you're calming the people, you're not calling them to repentance. He says, you will have night without vision there in verse 6, and darkness without divination. Since you're not telling the people what God is saying, God says, I'm going to stop speaking. There at the end of verse 7, He says, there is no answer from God. They're going to cover their mouths. They're going to be ashamed. I don't have nothing to say. God isn't speaking to me. Because instead of speaking what God had given them, they were just speaking things that they hoped for, that they wished for.

To calm the people, but not to call them to repentance. When you speak for God, only speak what God has said. Don't misrepresent Him in what you say. Hear from Him and deliver that message to the people that He's entrusted to you. Well, he continues dealing with the leaders in verses 8-12. It says this,

Verse 1.

Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us. Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest. Here as he goes on, he says...

I'm not like those false prophets. He says, I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord. By the way, that's the only way to be full of power. To be filled with the Holy Spirit. And by the Spirit of the Lord, we can speak forth the message with power. Now here's what's amazing about this. As he says, I'm filled with the Holy Spirit. I speak forth this message with power. And he goes on to address the leaders. There in verse 12, he says, Zion shall be plowed like a field.

Now verse 12 is the verse that's quoted in Jeremiah chapter 26. And it's quoted in Jeremiah chapter 26 as the people are looking back and remembering the revival that took place as Micah pronounced this prophecy.

They actually quote the verse to try to save Jeremiah's life, but they're looking back to the time where Micah is prophesying this, and they're remembering that it was effective, that the people turned to God and sought the Lord at this time. And so as he speaks, I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, that's an accurate statement, because we see that the people responded and turned to the Lord at this time, during this message. The leaders of that day, however...

as he's addressing them, they're just looking for their own gain. They're building up Zion with bloodshed. They're filling Jerusalem with iniquity. They're judging, but only if you give them a bribe, so they'll do it your way if you give them the better gift. They're teaching, the priests are teaching the people, but it's only if you pay them, and so on and so forth. So the leaders of the people are only...

doing their job if they get something out of it. They're only leading if they can benefit from it. David Guzik says, a leader should never serve God's people dominated by the question, what's in it for me? He says, when they do, they are like the cannibalistic leaders described by Micah. And so as he addresses these leaders, he says, look, I'm full of the Spirit. This is what you're like. This is what you've been doing. This is God's perspective on leadership.

Your activities. And he's calling them to repentance as he warns them. He says, Zion will be plowed like a field. Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins. And the great thing that we see as we do the cross references and see the timing, during Hezekiah's reign, this message is brought forth and the people turn to God. The people respond and they seek the Lord. This evening as we kind of wrap up, Ronnie's going to lead us in a song and

As He does, I want to encourage you to consider these things we've been working through tonight and talking about. The message of Micah. As he calls out to a people a message of judgment. As we've often seen, whenever God pronounces a judgment, it's an opportunity to repent. The nation of Israel, the northern kingdom, they didn't repent. They experienced the destruction that Assyria brought. But the nation of Judah...

We see under Hezekiah's reign, they do repent. They turn back to God. And so they're not destroyed. At least not then. Now the next generation turns away from God and continues to rebel against Him. So that's kind of a different story. But for these people here, they turn to the Lord. They seek the Lord. And God does not bring the judgment that He has announced. He relents. He waits. Much like we saw last week in the book of Jonah.

And so as we see here in chapters 1 through 3 of the book of Micah, a lot of judgment, yeah, a lot of pronouncements of destruction and disaster that God was devising for them. But it's not because he's angry or it's not because he's happy about it. It's not because he just wants to punish people and watch them suffer. It's because he wants to give them the opportunity to turn and get right. And so as Ronnie leads us in this song, I want to encourage you, this is an opportunity tonight for you,

Take it right with God. I don't know what's going on in your life. I don't know where you're at. But don't continue on in sin. Don't think, well, later on, one day, maybe next week, I'm going to repent. Because sin blinds you. And it causes you to lose your bearings. And you'll end up not knowing right from wrong. And so when that time later comes that you had planned, or that time you're going to repent, there's no guarantee. There's no guarantee.

that you'll see things clearly. You might at that point embrace the false instead of the truth. God never encourages anybody, "Yeah, go ahead, continue in sin, you've got plenty of time. You can repent later." No, God says, "Look, if there's something God's speaking to your heart, if there's some kind of sin issue, if there's some kind of thing that needs to be addressed, do it now. Don't wait, don't delay, do it now." These words are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

to call us to repentance, just like it called the nation of Judah to repentance. And so it's a time to turn back to God, to listen to God's Word and obey it, to embrace the truth instead of the nonsense. So let's take this time. Let God search your heart. And if He's speaking something to you,

Deal with it now. Get right with God now. Call upon Him now. Repent and turn away from sin right now, this evening, as we worship the Lord together. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.