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The Book of Micah
Chapter 1

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. (KJV)

All the TRUE prophets of old, were God's messengers. They did as God told them to do.

Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, Israel. The city was built originally by Omri, king of Israel, and was the seat of idolatry. It was made disgraceful by Ahab and Jezebel who built a temple to Baal there. The desolate ruins bear testimony to the accuracy of Micah’s prophecy. Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom, Judah.

“Micah the Morasthite” means that he was a native of Moresheth of Gath, which is southwest of Jerusalem. Although he was in the kingdom of Judah, Micah prophesied to both kingdoms, but his main message was directed to the northern kingdom. You cannot misunderstand Micah, because he makes it very clear to whom he is speaking.

The Prophet's First Message Micah 1:2-7

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. (KJV)

Hear, all ye people means ALL people, us too!

Micah 1:3 For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. (KJV)

This is beautiful, but it is scary. Tread upon the high places of the Earth, the high places were the locations of idol worship. Idols were set up in groves upon the hills and mountains. Also in that day the cities were situated on elevated places. Both Samaria and Jerusalem were built on mountains. Our Lord Jesus said that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden; too, the city has an enormous influence upon the area around it (Mat.5:14).

Micah 1:4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. (KJV)

The mountains shall melt under Him, and the valleys shall be split. This is a picture of earthquakes and volcanic action. This same language is found in the Scriptures from Judges through Habakkuk. Psalm 18:7–10 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. (KJV). . . Although this language is very specific, it is an actual, exact picture of what took place. Who controls the weather and natural forces? God controls all nature: earthquakes, volcanoes and all weather conditions. I believe that God judges nations and He judges people, and He gives warnings. God makes it VERY clear here about His coming judgment.

Micah 1:5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, 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? (KJV)

He is speaking to BOTH kingdoms and their capitals, Samaria of Israel and Jerusalem of Judah (Jacob).

What is the transgression of Jacob? Who is responsible for the transgression of Jacob? It is Samaria. What about the high places of Judah? Jerusalem is responsible. Micah blames the capitals, Jerusalem and Samaria. Jerusalem was the place where they were to worship God. Were they worshiping Him there? Yes and no! They went to the temple, but also to the high places where idolatry and indecent forms of immorality took place. God would judge these two great cities because of their enormous influence over the nations of Israel and Judah.

What about our country? Has America gone too far? The United States does not appear in the prophecies of the end times for one of two reasons: it will no longer be a nation or it will no longer be a world power. What is it known for today? Rock music, gays, living in sin, executives ripping off companies they work for, love of pleasure, fortune and fame, corrupt government, etc., etc. The USA is on the way down. I truly believe I will see this country fall; unless our Lord comes for us in the Rapture. Samaria was once a beautiful city, of great influence and culture, but today it lies in dust and ashes.

Micah 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. (KJV)

Samaria is a pile of ruins, a place to plant grapevines. The destruction of Samaria was literally fulfilled during Micah’s lifetime, in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 17:1-18), just as Micah predicted.

Micah 1:7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. (KJV)

In the worship of Molech, children were actually offered in a red-hot oven. (Lev.18:21; 20:2; Deut.12:31; 18:10; 2 Ki.16:3; 17:17,31; 21:6; 23:10; Isa.57:5; Jer.7:31; 19:5; 32:35; Eze.16:36; 20:26,31; 23:37). What a horrible thing that was!

And the lowest forms of immorality were carried on in connection with idol worship. Religion and illicit sex were one and the same. It is happening again today in Satanic worship and the occult. The so-called “new morality” is as old as the worship of Molech and of Baal and of other heathen religions.

The covetous "Me, Me, Pleasure" has replaced the worship of Molech in today's times! What else could you call ABORTION? To me, the only difference between the worshippers of Molech and other gods like Adrammelech and Anammelech, was that those in the Old Testament bore their children (Eze.16:20), THEN killed them, whereas today, people murder their innocent babies while still in the womb! ABORTION IS SIN! GOD HATES IT! ABORTION IS SIN!

Lamentation Of Micah, Micah 1:8-16

The rest of this chapter is Micah's lamentation. He, like Jeremiah, is a "weeping" prophet! Micah is deeply affected by Israel's sins and the judgment that is certain to follow. Micah is not just a paid preacher; he is a prophet called of God. He is a TRUE messenger of God! He, like Jeremiah and Hosea had a very tender heart. Many think of all the Old Testament prophets as being hard-nosed like Elijah and Ezekiel. You may remember that, when God commissioned Ezekiel, He warned that He was sending him to an impudent and hardhearted people (Eze.3:7-9). God told Ezekiel, "I am going to make your head harder than theirs." There was a need for hardheaded prophets, and these men could speak right out; but some of God's prophets were very tenderhearted, and Micah was one of them, which is clear by this Book.

Micah 1:8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. (KJV)

When a man removed his outer garments, it meant that he was in deep mourning. I will make a wailing like the jackals, and mourning as the ostriches. Job uses this same expression (Job 30:29).

Before God judged the people, He wanted them to know exactly how He felt; so He sent the weeping prophet Jeremiah and then this weeping prophet Micah. When the people listen to His message, then to His mourning and wailing, they understood how God felt about their sin. God is NOT vindictive. Although He takes NO delight in judgment, He must judge sin. God cannot and will not permit evil. When evil is done and sin is committed, God will be angry and He will bring judgment, in His own right time and way. God shall judge ALL people of their wicked and unrighteous ways.

Micah 1:9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. (KJV)

Samaria’s wounds CANNOT be healed, and Judah is about to suffer in the same way. The nation had passed over the line from which there was NO possibility of returning. My friend, today, the USA is heading down the exact same road. When a person or a nation passes over that line, there is NO possibility of recovery. God is merciful and gracious, but IF the person or nation is so set on sin and turned a deaf ear to God time after time, there is nothing left but judgment. Their wound is incurable. They no longer hear or fear God. People are not hearing the Voice of God and do NOT want to hear it.

Hearing the Word of God and obedience to the Word of God is NOT the same! I know of many "professing" Christians who are living in sin (practicing sin, 1 John 5:18) and have never repented of it, yet they insist they love God and His Word! HOW can that be? It is a LIE! They are hypocrites whom our precious Saviour and Lord severely rebuked! (Mat.23:13-33).

For her wound is incurable; the Assyrian army under Sennacherib came down from the north and mowed down the northern kingdom. Next is a list of names of many different towns that were affected by Samaria and Jerusalem. Not all of these places are on the map, but the list begins in the north with Samaria and moves south toward Jerusalem and beyond Jerusalem. The meanings of the names reveal a play upon words.

Micah 1:10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. (KJV)

Gath & Aphraah. Gath means “weep-town.” Gath belonged to the Philistines, enemies of Israel, and He is saying, Don’t let them know that judgment is coming upon you. Aphrah means “dust-town.” To put dust on the head was the sign of the deepest grief. The place of this town is not known. Micah declared God’s judgment on city after city because of the people’s sins. I pray that we all pay attention to this. God’s wrath and judgment are sure against sin.

Micah 1:11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Beth-ezel; he shall receive of you his standing. (KJV)

Saphir, Zaanan & Beth-ezel. You people of Shaphir, go as captives into exile . . . naked and ashamed. The people of Zaanan dared not come outside their walls. The people of Beth-ezel mourn because the very foundations of their city have been swept away.

Saphir means “beauty-town.” The inhabitants passed away and the town also so that the site of is absolutely unknown. Beauty-town would be no longer beautiful; “having thy shame naked.” Zaanan means “march-town.” The site of this town is also unknown.

Micah 1:12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem. (KJV)

Maroth. The people of Maroth anxiously wait for relief, because the Lord has brought disaster close to Jerusalem. Maroth means “bitterness.” They waited for good news, but it was a bitter report; “evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem.” The Assyrians were marching to the very walls of Jerusalem.

Micah 1:13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. (KJV)

Lachish. Micah said: Use your swiftest chariots and flee, you people of Lachish. You were the first city in Judah to follow Israel in the sin of idol worship, you led Jerusalem into sin. Lachish means “Horse-town.” There were great stables of horses there. It was southwest of Jerusalem, near the Philistine country, where idolatry was first introduced into the southern kingdom of Judah. Evidently Lachish was the link of idolatry between link of idolatry between Israel and Judah.

"Bind the chariot to the swift beast" is a reference to the horse, and we know know that this is the place where horses were kept which were used in the worship of the sun. You will recall that the Greeks had their Apollo driving a chariot across the sky in connection with their worship of the sun. God is condemning Lachish because she introduced this idolatry into Judah, the southern kingdom.

Micah 1:14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. (KJV)

Moreshethgath & Achzib. "Moresheth-gath" was the hometown of Micah; it was in the southern kingdom of Judah.

"The houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel." Achzib means "lie-town." Lie-town, as did all these other towns, lived up to its name. The inhabitants were totally given over to lies. The name Achzib is the Hebrew word for a "winter brook" or a "lie."

In the winter, during the wet season, dry washes in Arizona can go on a rampage. A neighbor called once and said, "There is a 4 foot wall of water coming down the wash." We went down, and sure enough, there it came! In Israel there are many dry river beds like that, and a flash flood out in the desert can transform them into raging torrents.

Micah 1:15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. (KJV)

Mareshah & Adullam. This suggests that help is coming to Israel, but not at this time. In Micah’s day Israel was greatly deceived, and no help came to them when the Assyrian army came down from the north and overran their land. The country surrounding Adullam had many caves. Micah was warning that when the enemy approached, Judah’s proud princes (the glory of Israel) would be run and hide in these caves.

This could be a faint suggestion that “the glory of Israel” is the heir in the line of David, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who fits this description. One of His names is Faithful. He is faithful and true, and He will come one day to deliver them.

Micah 1:16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee. (KJV)

With the Jews, cutting the hair was a sign of mourning (Isa.22:12; Jer.7:29; 16:6). Making the head bald in mourning was forbidden under the law (Deut.14:1), but since Judah had become like the heathen, Micah said that they may as well mourn like them.

Micah warned that great trouble was on the way for them. And even though in the Mosaic Law they were told NOT to trim their beards nor shave their beards, now because of the sin that had come into the nation, Micah told them to express their grief in this way. This verse describes deep mourning and wailing. Micah pictured the devastating sorrow of parents seeing their children taken away to be slaves in a distant land.

This happened often in both Israel and Judah, but most horrifying when each nation was completely conquered: Israel in 722 B.C. and Judah in 586 B.C. When Assyria invaded Israel the first time, they took the young people into captivity, and the people are called upon to mourn because they will lose their children. This is God’s judgment upon them for continual sin.

I wonder what the judgment of God shall be on America. For it is coming!

Book of Micah

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