John 11:48   If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

John 11:49   And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,

John 11:50   Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

John 11:53   Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

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Introductory Text

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

Date & Authorship

Author: The Prophet Micah

Date: 735-700 B.C.

Contemporaries: Hosea, Isaiah & Amos

Kings of Judah: Jotham(750-735 BC)

Ahaz (735-716 BC)

Hezekiah (716-687 BC)

Where was Micah from?

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

Micah was

from Moresheth

Title & Meaning

Micah means “Who is like Yahweh?”

Micah 7:18

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.”

Purpose

A. To warn the northern kingdom, Israel, of impending judgment because of its covenant disloyalty

B. To warn the southern kingdom, Judah, of impending judgment because of its covenant disloyalty

C. To confirm for Judah that they were just as guilty as was Israel, so they would be judged like Israel

D. To emphasize God’s justice and love in disciplining the nation

E. To affirm God’s future restoration of His people F. To present “God as the sovereign Lord of the earth who

controls the destinies of nations, including His covenant people Israel”

Summary

1. The prophet condemns the rulers, priests, and prophets of Israel who exploit and mislead the people. It is because of their deeds that Jerusalem will be destroyed.

Summary

2. The prophet Micah proclaims the deliverance of the people who will go from Jerusalem to Babylon and concludes with an exhortation for Jerusalem to destroy the nations who have gathered against her.

Summary

3. The ideal ruler would come from Bethlehem to defend the nation, and the prophet proclaims the triumph of the remnant of Jacob and foresees a day when Yahweh will purge the nation of idolatry and reliance on military might.

Summary

4. The prophet sets forth a powerful and concise summary of Yahweh's requirement for justice and loyalty and announces judgment upon those who have followed the ways of Omri and Ahab.

Summary

5. The book closes with a prophetic liturgy comprising elements of a lament. Israel confesses its sin and is assured of deliverance through Yahweh's mighty acts.

Key Verses

Micah 1:2   Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

Key Verses

Micah 5:2   But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Key Verses

Micah 6:8   He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Key Verses

Micah 7:18   Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

Micah 7:19   He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Christ in Micah

Matthew 2:1-6   Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Prophecy of Christ’s birth

Micah 5:2   But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Prophecy of Christ’s majesty

Micah 5:4   And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Prophecy of Christ’s rule

Micah 4:1-3   But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Lessons from Micah

1. God gives warnings so we will not have to suffer His wrath.

2. Judgment is certain if God's warnings are not heeded and His provision for sin in the sacrifice of His Son is rejected.

3. For the believer in Christ, God will discipline us, not from hate, but because He loves us.

Lessons from Micah

4. God knows that sin destroys and He wants us to be whole.

5. This wholeness, which is the promise of restoration, awaits those who remain obedient to Him.

Conclusion

The Book of Micah presents a great picture of God’s judgment of sin, but it also presents the hope of restoration and salvation. It teaches us that God judges sin, but he also forgives and restores those who are faithful to him.