Reading

• Micah 1:1-2:13

Devotional

The prophet Micah preached his message received from GOD in Judah during the same time as Isaiah. Today we look at part 1 (of 3) of Micah’s message. It begins forcefully in condemnation against the nations:

¹ 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. ² Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple. ³ For behold, the LORD is coming out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth. ⁴ The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire, Like waters poured down a steep place. ⁵ 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? (Mic. 1:1-5 NKJV)

³ 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. ⁴ In that day one shall take up a proverb against you, And lament with a bitter lamentation, saying: ‘We are utterly destroyed! He has changed the heritage of my people; How He has removed it from me! To a turncoat He has divided our fields.’” ⁵ Therefore you will have no one to determine boundaries by lot In the assembly of the LORD.
(Mic. 2:3-5 NKJV)

⁶ “Do not prophesy,” their prophets say. “Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us.” ⁷ You descendants of Jacob, should it be said, “Does the LORD become impatient? Does he do such things?” “Do not my words do good to the one whose ways are upright? ⁸ Lately my people have risen up like an enemy. You strip off the rich robe from those who pass by without a care, like men returning from battle. ⁹ You drive the women of my people from their pleasant homes. You take away my blessing from their children forever. ¹⁰ Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy. ¹¹ If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ that would be just the prophet for this people!
(Mic. 2:6-11 NIV)

Yet, once the punishment was over, GOD promised to restore the remnant of Israel.

¹² “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. ¹³ The one who breaks open will come up before them; 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.”
(Mic. 2:12-13 NKJV)