Micah Intro

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. (Micah 1:1)

An invitation into the Old Testament prophet Micah—and into a way of reading Scripture that opens its riches to anyone willing to look.

Why Micah, and Why Now

We're starting the book of Micah tonight, and over the next nine weeks we'll go through it together. The reason I wanted to come to the Old Testament is that since November of 2008 here at Cross Connection we've been almost entirely in the New Testament. We did a midweek study in Isaiah, which we finished in 2011, but in our normal teaching order we haven't been in the Old Testament for a while. The Old Testament is the first two-thirds of the Bible—there's a lot of content there—and I've been wanting an opportunity to study an area called the Minor Prophets. In nearly eight years of pastoring here, I can't remember us spending any time there.

This will be different from our old midweek format. As at the beginning of this year, I'm not going to share a lot. Normally I'll teach for about twelve to fifteen minutes, and then we'll break into our groups—men's, women's, and youth ministry—and work through discussion questions in small groups. Tonight is an exception, since it's our introduction.

Homework and the Reaping Principle

This study will be a bit more involved, because I'm asking you to do a little homework. I know homework is a bad word for most people, so it's homework at your own pace, and it won't be graded—at least not in the men's ministry. We'll take a chapter every week. This week, going into next Wednesday, read Micah chapter 1 using the observation and interpretation questions on the papers at the back table.

You'll get out of this what you put into it. If you spend five quick minutes reading the chapter, don't expect to get much from it. Some overachievers will spend a couple of hours; most of you will land somewhere in between; some will just come and wing it. That's the principle of reaping and sowing. People ask how I've become knowledgeable about the Bible—did I go to seminary? No. Bible college? One semester. I've come to know the Bible because I spend time reading it, thinking about it, memorizing it, and reading books about it. Sow time in the Scriptures and you'll reap much from the Lord.

The Inductive Method: Observation, Interpretation, Application

The questions on the sheet are guidelines to help you look at the text and think about what's there. The goal is that when you come next Wednesday, you'll already have some idea of what's happening in chapter 1—who the key players are, who's saying what. Then I'll spend a few minutes summarizing the chapter and a few key points, and we'll break into small groups for application questions.

What I've just described—observation, interpretation, application—is what we call inductive Bible study. We teach this at the Bible college in Marietta and in our school of ministry. The idea is to apply a method, even a scientific one, to the Bible. A meteorologist observes the data: the high and low pressure systems, the storms over the Pacific, the jet stream. Then he interprets it: on Thursday there will be rain. Then he applies it: leave fifteen minutes early, and take a coat and umbrella, because nobody in San Diego knows how to drive in the rain. We use that same method: observe the data, interpret what it means, and apply it to our lives thousands of years later.

Asking the Right Questions

Observation simply asks what the passage says—the basic who, what, when, and where. It isn't trying to find some secret Bible code; it's asking what's plainly there. The questions on the sheet cover this: Who is speaking? Who is being spoken to? How is God revealed, or what do I learn about His character? Remember, the Bible reveals God; on every page you can find His nature, character, and will. What does the passage reveal about the people spoken of? Is there a key theme or topic? Are there recurring or important words? Often you find the theme through repetition—Paul keeps using "love" in 1 Corinthians 13, so you suspect the chapter is about love.

Is there a truth to believe or a command to obey? "The wages of sin is death" is a truth; "Go into all the world and make disciples" is a command. What does God promise—both positive and negative? We love positive promises like "Call to Me and I will answer you," but "the wages of sin is death" is also a promise, even one we may not like. We'll see plenty of that in Micah.

Interpretation moves from what does the passage say? to what does it mean? I've kept these questions few because I want you to spend more time on observation. Why does God command this or that? Many commands carry a corresponding promise—the Bible is full of conditional statements. And why is God going to judge or bless? The prophetic books are filled with blessings and curses, where God calls His people to change: if you do this, here is what I will do; if you don't, here is what I will do.

How to Read During the Week

Read chapter 1 at least two or three times this week, and read it in different versions. If you own a New King James or NIV, supplement it online—go to Bible Gateway, where every English version is free. When I study, I read at least four versions: the New King James (my main one), the NIV, the New Living Translation, and the ESV. Sometimes a verse in one version makes you scratch your head, and another version makes it clear. It broadens your sense of what's in the text.

Do your observation and interpretation as homework; we'll focus on application together on Wednesdays. And don't get discouraged. You'll come across things that don't make sense—that's okay. Always start with prayer, because God gives spiritual discernment. It's His book, He gave the revelation, and He can bring these things out to you.

Where Micah Sits in the Bible

The book of Micah is about two-thirds through the Bible, near the end of the Old Testament—right after Jonah and before Nahum. It has only seven chapters. The Old Testament has five sections: the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy); the history (Joshua through Esther); the poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon); and the prophets, divided into major and minor. The major prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel; the minor prophets include Hosea, Amos, Nahum, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Micah, and Malachi.

What makes the major prophets major and the minor prophets minor? The only difference is that the minor prophets are shorter. The major prophets are just more wordy—like me, they talk too much. That's not really a knock on the minor prophets; they simply said it more succinctly.

The Big Story of the Old Testament

To understand Micah, we need its larger historical setting, because Micah doesn't spell out all the details himself. The Old Testament begins with creation (Genesis 1–2), then the fall (Genesis 3), then the call (Genesis 12), where God initiates His plan of redemption by working through a family, beginning with Abraham. Abraham's descendants end up in Egypt, where over 400 years they become a great nation.

Then comes the redemption in Exodus—"Let My people go," the ten plagues—and the assembly, where God gathers His people, and the commission, where He dedicates them to their task: "You are to be My nation of priests, the people through whom I will bring salvation to all the world." All of that is in the first five books. The history (Joshua through Esther) is the establishing of these people in the promised land so they can be the conduit of salvation. The poetry is their songs and poems—their greatest hits. And the prophets, major and minor, are God disciplining His wayward people, because they still fail, just like all of us. The prophets correct a wayward people—and every one of us is at times a wayward person needing God's correcting word.

Mining Micah 1:1

That brings us to Micah 1:1. There is a ton of information in this one verse, and observation makes it accessible without a seminary degree.

"The word of the Lord"—that means God spoke. When God speaks through people, those people are called prophets. That's why this is in the Prophets. "Came to Micah"—who was Micah? Just a man God spoke to, and frankly that's about all you need to know. "Of Moresheth"—Moresheth is a place, a city. Using the maps in the back of your Bible, or a wonderful free resource called the Blue Letter Bible (blb.org), you'll find Moresheth was a city not far from Jerusalem. So Micah lived very close to Jerusalem.

When did he live? "In the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah"—and the verse tells us they were "kings of Judah." Using basic tools like Wikipedia, you find Jotham of Judah lived in the eighth century BC, reigning from about 751 BC for roughly thirty years. Ahaz was his son and reigned after him to the end of the century. Hezekiah reigned until about 680 BC. So Micah prophesied from his hometown of Moresheth, near Jerusalem, from about 750 BC to about 680 BC. All of that comes simply from asking who, what, when, and where.

Let the Bible Interpret the Bible

The best way to interpret the Bible is with the Bible. Wikipedia and Blue Letter Bible are great tools, but the best way to learn about Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah is to read the Old Testament history—specifically 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. This period is recorded in 2 Kings 15–21 and 2 Chronicles 26–33. Read those passages this week and you'll learn everything you need to know about these kings and the nation. There were some truly wicked things happening in Israel at this time, which is why God sent a prophet to correct and discipline them. Jotham and Ahaz especially were not good men; Hezekiah was a little better.

It also helps to know that other prophets lived and prophesied at the same time—Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea—so their messages are similar.

Concerning Samaria and Jerusalem

The verse says Micah "saw" his message—some Old Testament prophets were called seers because they received visions—"concerning Samaria and Jerusalem." Underline those words, because they're crucial. Most Christians in twenty-first-century America read Micah, Daniel, Ezekiel, or Jeremiah only for what they say to us today. That's the wrong place to start. These words were written 2,800 years ago. There was no United States then. There was a Samaria and a Jerusalem, and God was speaking about the condition of their nation in their day. Do these words have application today? Yes—but you should know what they meant to them before you decide what they mean to us.

Six Lenses for Reading Prophecy

I look at prophecy through six lenses. First is the historic lens: What did it mean to the people in Samaria and Jerusalem 2,800 years ago? I always start here. Second is the preterist lens: What did these words have to do with the early, first-century church? Third is the Christological lens: Is there a messianic fulfillment in Jesus? For example, Isaiah 7:14—"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son"—applies to Jesus because Matthew tells us it does.

Fourth is the ideological or allegorical lens: Is there simply a teaching for us today? Fifth is the ecclesiological lens: Is there a fulfillment for the church—ecclesia being the Greek word for church? Sixth, the one most people jump to first, is the eschatological lens: What does it mean for the end times—eschatos meaning "the end"?

And to complicate it further, some prophecies fit multiple lenses. Take Isaiah's words, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things." That had a historic fulfillment when messengers told Israel they could return home from Babylon. It had a first-century fulfillment in John the Baptist. It has a messianic fulfillment in Jesus, the first to bring the gospel. It has a church fulfillment—Paul applies it to us in Romans 10. And it has an eschatological fulfillment in the evangelists of Revelation. One prophecy, fulfilled across a broad spectrum.

Two Kinds of Prophecy

There are also two basic kinds of prophecy. Predictive prophecy is what we usually think of—predicting what will happen. It comes in two forms: cause-and-effect predictive prophecy ("Children, obey your parents... that you may have long life") and apocalyptic predictive prophecy ("the moon will be turned to blood, the sun darkened, wars and rumors of wars"). The second kind is didactic prophecy—God simply teaching us truths we couldn't know unless He told us. That's a lot to absorb, and we won't dwell on it as we go, but keep it in mind, because Micah is a book of prophecy.

A Divided Kingdom

Where are Samaria and Jerusalem? Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, then and now. But the nation was once divided into two. King David's son Solomon became king, and Solomon's son Rehoboam became king—and Rehoboam was an idiot who refused wise counsel. As a result the nation split: a southern kingdom called Judah, with its capital in Jerusalem, and a northern kingdom called Israel (or Ephraim), with its capital in Samaria.

So Micah spoke to both kingdoms. As you read Kings and Chronicles, you'll discover why. God was going to judge and destroy the northern ten tribes for their sin, using the nation of Assyria—and this actually happened in the eighth century BC. Micah warned the north: if you don't shape up, God will judge you. Then he told the south, in Jerusalem: wake up and see what's coming, or the same thing will happen to you. Sadly, they didn't, and the same judgment fell about 150 years later.

The Theme and the Key Verse

As you go through Micah, you'll find his burden: the abusive treatment of the poor and defenseless by political and religious leaders. Sound familiar? They weren't giving justice, weren't caring for people fairly, weren't defending the defenseless. Micah saw it and knew judgment was coming, so he cried out: you cannot use political or religious power for your own personal gain.

The key verse is Micah 6:8. I encourage you to memorize it—my six-year-old son Ethan has it down perfectly.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

If you want to know what God wants from you, there it is: do what's right, love mercy, forgive people, be gracious, and walk in humility. If you do this, you'll do well; if you don't, judgment. That's the heart of the book.

Words to Watch For

As you read Micah, circle a few key words. Watch for therefore, because, and for—God explains what He's doing and why. Notice the word woe, which simply means judgment is coming, as when Jesus said, "Woe to you, Bethsaida and Chorazin." Track the words if and then—if you do this, then I will do that. And note the phrases I will and I shall, where God declares His own action again and again. Keep track of Jerusalem and Samaria, or Judah and Israel—Judah being the kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital, Israel the kingdom with Samaria.

And don't get discouraged. Prophecy is difficult; even well-seasoned Bible teachers struggle with it. It's filled with metaphors, similes, and Jewish idioms we no longer use. Just look for the facts, observe, interpret what you can, and we'll apply it together. Our primary lens will be the historic one—we're not going to focus much on the end times, so I'm sorry if you were excited about Micah and eschatology. I may highlight a future point or two, but mostly we're asking how God wants to speak to us through His Word, because that is what He does.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for Your word. I pray that You give us wisdom as we go through it, and help us to be able to glean facts and truths, things to believe, things to obey, and passages here that would apply to our lives, that we would be transformed, that we would do justly, and love mercy, and walk in humility. In Jesus' name.