S3E283 – Micah 1-7: The Greatest Miracle

Transcript Executive Producer Roderick. Thank you! Podcast Introduction Today is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read the book of Micah, seven chapters. Today we’re going to skip on this date in church history I’m calling today’s episode “The Greatest Miracle.“ Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jesus the True Shepherd, Library of Congress LC-DIG-pga-11327, Colorized Comments on Micah This book, although much shorter, is as bit like the book of Isaiah. That book was about “Judah and Jerusalem” and Micah’s prophecy was about “Samaria and Jerusalem”. Micah brings God’s warning about the coming judgment of Israel, and he mourns it.  The sins of Israel are laid out: idolatry, covetousness, oppression, rejection of God’s Word, corrupt leaders, both spiritual leaders and political leaders. Boy, I’m sure glad we don’t live back then. We’ve come so far, haven’t we? Thankfully for Israel, the upcoming chapters do have some encouraging words. As always, it’s important to remember that God’s judgments are not vengeful towards His people. They are motivated by love. Chapter four began with the words “In the future…” Some of the prophecies Micah wrote about have been fulfilled, some are yet to be.  Verse one says: “In the future, the mountain with the Lord’s temple will be the highest of all. It will reach above the hills, and every nation will rush to it.”  In a figurative sense, the mountain with the Lord’s temple could be considered the highest of all with the coming of Messiah. And there are believers in every nation. But I believe that the temple will be rebuilt during the Millennial reign of Christ, when there will be a more literal fulfillment. Chapter five, verse two through five is a prophecy of the coming Messiah. Bethlehem is named and the fact that the Savior would come from a family with a long history. Obviously, we know that Jesus’ lineage was traced back to King David, and that was prophesied in other books of the Bible. Of course, God promised David that the Messiah would come from his line and would establish a kingdom that would last forever. Chapter 7 verses 14 and 15 encapsulate the relationship that God really wants with his people…with you and with me. Micah prays in verse 14, “Lead your people, Lord! Come and be our shepherd.” And in verse 15, God answers, “I, the Lord, will work miracles just as I did when I led you out of Egypt.”  What greater miracle is there than a loving, merciful, righteous and holy God choosing to leave the glories of Heaven to live as a man among the wretched and fallen creation that has been so crippled by sin, to live a perfect and sinless life with the knowledge that He would be despised, rejected, beaten, broken and hanged on a cross as the sacrifice for the very people who sent Him to that cross; only to have life enter His body again on the third day; and then, miracle of miracles, freely offer salvation from sin to anyone who believes? There is no greater miracle! “Lead your people, Lord! Come and be our shepherd.” Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-3 NLV; Ch. 4-7 CEV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00We’ve come just so far haven’t we? INTRO S12E282 – 0:10Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Prophecy Friday, so we’ll read the book of Micah, seven chapters. I’m calling today’s episode “The Greatest Miracle”. The show notes page is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e282. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. And let’s get started. MICAH 1 (NLV) – 0:41Micah, chapter one. (1) This is the Word of the Lord which came to Micah of Moresheth about Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (2) Hear, O people, all of you. Listen, O earth and all who are in it. The Lord God will speak against you from His holy house. (3) See, the Lord is coming from His place. He will come down and walk on the high places of the earth. (4) The mountains will melt under Him and the valleys will break open, like a candle in front of the fire, like water poured down a hill. (5) All this is because Jacob would not obey and because of the sins of the people of Israel. What is Jacob’s sin? Is it not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? (6) So I will make Samaria a waste in the open country, making it a place to plant grape-fields. I will pour her stones down into the valley, and lay open the base of the city. (7) All of her false gods will be broken to pieces. Everything given in the place of worship will be burned with fire. I will destroy all her objects of worship, for she gathered them from the pay of a woman who sells the use of her body. They will return to pay a woman who sells the use of her body. (8) Because of this I must cry out in sorrow. I must go without shoes and clothing. I must cry out like the wild dogs, and cry in sorrow like the ostriches. (9) For her hurt cannot be cured. It has come to Judah. It has come to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. (10) Do not tell about it in Gath. Do not cry at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah. (11) Go on your way, people of Shaphir, without clothing and in shame. The people of Zaanan do not come out. Cries of sorrow come from Beth-ezel. Its help is taken from you. (12) Those who live in Maroth become weak waiting for good, because trouble has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. (13) Tie the war-wagons to the horses, you people of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the people of Zion, for the sins of Israel were found in you. (14) So give gifts to Moresheth-gath. The people of Achzib will fool the kings of Israel. (15) I will bring one who will beat you in battle, O people of Mareshah. The shining-greatness of Israel will come to Adullam. (16) Cut off all your hair in sorrow for the children you love. Let no hair be on your head like the eagle, for your children will be taken away from you. MICAH 2 (NLV) – 3:09Micah, chapter two. (1) It is bad for those who make plans to do wrong, who lie on their beds thinking of something sinful to do! When morning comes, they do it, because it is in their power. (2) They want fields that belong to someone else, and take them. They want houses, and take them. They rob a man and his house, a man and what has been given to him. (3) So the Lord says, “I am planning trouble against this family, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk in pride, for it will be a time of much trouble. (4) On that day they will make fun of you and sing a bitter song of sorrow, saying, ‘We are destroyed and everything is gone! My people’s land is divided. He takes it from me! He gives our fields to those who turned against us.’” (5) So you will have no one among the Lord’s people to divide the land in a right way for you. (6) “The people say to me, ‘Do not speak about these things, because we will not be put to shame.’ (7) Should it be said, O people of Jacob: “Is the Spirit of the Lord angry? Would He do such things? Do not My Words do good to the one whose way is right and good? (8) My people have begun to hate those who are at peace with them. You pull the coat off from a brother Israelite, from those who pass by in peace like men returning from war. (9) You drive the women of My people away from their beautiful houses. You take My greatness away from their children forever. (10) Get up and go away, for this is no place of rest, because it is made unclean. It is destroyed with much suffering. (11) If a man comes speaking lies and says, ‘I will speak to you about wine and strong drink,’ he would be the one for these people! (12) “I will gather all of you together, Jacob. I will gather all those left of Israel. I will put them together like sheep within a fence, like a flock in its field. The land will be filled with the noise of many people. (13) The One Who breaks open the way will go out before them. They will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, and the Lord will lead them.” MICAH 3 (NLV) – 5:11Micah, chapter three. (1) And I said, “Hear now, leaders of Jacob and rulers of the people of Israel! Should you not know what is fair? (2) Yet you hate good and love sin. You tear off the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones. (3) You eat my people’s flesh, pull off their skin, break their bones, and cut them up like meat for the pot.” (4) Then they will cry to the Lord, but He will not answer them. He will hide His face from them at that time, because they have done sinful things. (5) This is what the Lord says about the men who speak in God’s name and lead my people the wrong way. When they have something to eat, they speak of peace. But they make holy war against him who does not feed them. (6) So night will come to you without a special dream. Darkness will come to you without any word about the future. The sun will go down on those who speak about special dreams, and the day will become dark over them. (7) Those who tell what is going to happen in the future will be ashamed. Those who learn about the future using their secret ways will be ashamed. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God. (8) But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, with what is fair, and with strength. I am able to make known to Jacob his wrong-doing, and to Israel his sin. (9) Now listen to this,...