A Study of the Book of Micah: How Does Holy Punishment Create Hope?

Hi friends!! I am finally back with a new blog and I am SO excited! This time I am doing something a little different by going through my study on the book of Micah. I will be talking about the themes, my favorite verses, the history, etc. This specific study will be broken down into three separate posts, so get ready! I hope to make this a series where I can take you guys through my Bible studies and hopefully provide some new insights! So please let me know if there are any specific books/ passages you would like to me write about!

The History of Micah

I know history can be a little boring, but with the Old Testament especially it is SO important to understand the historical context going along with God's words. A lot of times we can't understand why God is so wrathful in the Old Testament, but often that's because we aren't aware of the whole story. Plus I'm a little bit of a nerd so I like this part ;)

Micah was a prophet in Southern Judah when he wrote this book (around 735-700 B.C.) Believe it or not, the people of Judah were NOT listening to what God was telling them. The people of Judah claimed to know & believe in God, yet they still worshipped idols and relied on the devil rather than the Lord. I think a lot of times we don't get why God gets so mad in the Old Testament, but could you imagine if the people you loved most put you on the back burner for STATUES?! That's like, really not cool. And God let the people of Judah know this.

Through Micah, God told His people that if they didn't change their ways, Judah would be overtaken and destroyed. It's sad because the people of Judah didn't believe that God would destroy their holy city. It was the site of God's temple so OBVIOUSLY that means they were holy people. And dear friends, this is so like us today. We think because we throw around the term "Christian" that it makes us holy. But only leading a holy life can make you holy. And throughout this book, God gives us so many examples of how to live a life like that!

Through Micah, the Lord is able to intertwine the ideas of judgement and mercy, He points to the true true meanings of justice, and He reminds us of all the promises He has in store for His children. So let's get started!

Chapter 1: The Lord Sees You

1:1-4

To start this chapter off, God tells His people that He will bear witness against their sinful actions (1:2). He wants His people to hear His words of truth and repent. Verse 3 even goes on to tell us the the Lord was coming down from the heavens to be directly with His people. Now, part of this was definitely to prove His mighty power as a reminder that without change, His people would be punished. But I also think this creates a sense of intimacy and closeness between the Lord and His people. So often we view punishment as only a negative thing, but God's punishment is not rejection. God's punishment is to remind us that there is something better in store for us than the worldly things we are chasing. Imagine, a Creator of the entire universe, caring so much about YOU that He wants to spend the time & effort to correct your path & bless you. We must also remember that God is a perfect and holy judge. He sees the sin we choose to ignore or maybe that we are blinded to and He wants to help us purify ourselves, we must only let Him in.

1:4-5

Then, in verse 4, the Lord says something striking. He says, "But all of this is Jacob's transgressions, because of the sins of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah's high place? Is it not Jerusalem?" (these questions refer to the split of the 12 tribes of Israel) And I can totally see the people of Judah saying "YEP!! That's exactly what it is, its all their fault! You can leave us alone now! :)" And just like the Judahites we so often allow our sins to get muddled into acceptable behavior because we make excuses.

"Well I only did this because..."

"It's actually their fault not mine..."

"I didn't know I was doing something bad..."

But God CLEARLY draws the line between good & bad within His word and we must be willing to incorporate His sense of justice & goodness within our own lives. And I know not every situation or decision has a clear "good or bad" answer. Sometimes there is a gray area, but during those times, reach out to God and ask for guidance!

1:6-7

Then, for the next couple of verses, God talks about the destruction He will bring upon the city. But something that caught my attention especially was verse 6, when He says, "I will make it a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards." And honestly, I don't know the first thing about vineyard planting, maybe rubble is just a great place to grow grapes, BUT after my four years of high school English, I think this verse is talking about how out of destruction, God is bringing a new wine- Jesus Christ!

1:8-12

The next subtitle in my Bible is called "Weeping and Mourning." And guess what the people of Judah were doing.... yeah, weeping and mourning! I totally get it, God has come down and threatened destruction. That has to be SCARY. I remember getting in trouble as a child was always the scariest thing. And even these days getting in trouble is no fun. Anyways... God then makes the point of WHY are you weeping like I haven't warned you for years that change must happen? WHY are you asking me to help you when you ignore the needy & oppressed in your own country? WHY do you think I will allow you to define the standards of justice? And guys, right now, WHY are we still doing that?! And the simple answer is because of human nature, but that is no excuse to hinder justice when the Lord gives us specific standards to live according to His word. Please do not mistake my words as harsh, but see them as the Lord's truth, because when we choose a life from God, we are committing ourselves to a life of sin.

I don't want to go too much into current events as I'm sure you all know what has been going on, but Micah so clearly states the need for justice in our world. In Judah, the people were killing each other, hating each other, beating each other... sound familiar? And God so clearly reveals His utter heartbreak & fury at watching His children twist the name of justice for their own good. God is justice. His word is justice. His peace & comfort & power is justice. So why are we so afraid to really dig into the true meaning of justice? Of love? Of compassion? And I think Micah says it best when he says the injustices of Judah are like an "incurable plague." And YES there is a literal incurable plague going on right now (coronavirus is not cool) but throughout the Bible God gives us the "vaccine" to combat the plague of injustices, even though it certainly does seem "incurable." As we continue through the rest of the book of Micah, you will clearly see how what went on in Judah relates to us now.

1:13

In this verse, the "horses and chariots" refer to a leader. Who will lead in such a time as this? As Christians, we cannot be afraid to be the leaders of justice. This world is a corrupt place and without the power of God's children, nothing will ever change. So... BE THE CHANGE!!

1:13-16

The second part of verse 13 is a reminder that we all are consumed by sin. But we have the choice to hand it to God and live freely. If not, we become slaves to evil and will never feel the freedom that God intends to bless us with. Micah cleverly paints a picture of this slavery when he tells the Judahites who refuse repentance to "shave their heads in mourning, make yourself as bald as the vulture, for they will go from you into exile." I don't know bout you but I think I'd rather repent and be FREE...

Chapter 2: God's Plan (Is Much Better Than the Drake Song)

2:1

Evil thoughts lead to evil deeds. In all of your ventures, be fair & loving to eliminate the spread of evil and promote the spread of the gospel.

2:2

This is a warning from Micah to avoid using your power and position to take advantage of others. In 1 Kings 21: 1-16, Jezebel had a man killed simply so the king could use the man's garden whenever he pleased. The leaders of Judah were making similar mistakes as they oppressed their people and led lives of sin. So when you are given authority, be just with your decisions and work with your people, not against them.

Similarly, we should be praying for rulers all around the world to embrace God's truth and rule with heavenly power rather than earthly distractions.

2:3-5

These verses describe the punishment God is going to put upon the people of Judah for their sins. While all of His people will be punished, God makes a promise that He will divide the land among the righteous believers and the oppressors will receive nothing. This reminds me of the beatitudes that Jesus preached as He said, "Blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek, etc." While we may not feel blessed during times of trial and hardships, our reward is coming! And its in the form of an eternity in paradise!

I think these verses also reveal the immense power behind God's words and His plan. He is Almighty. No matter what we say or do, the Lord will always have ultimate power. And I think when a lot of people hear "ultimate power," especially in the context of Micah when the Lord is threatening destruction, they immediately think that God is some sort of a dictator. But thats not the case at all! God gives us free will, but He uses His divine power to transform our lives into something beautiful on the account of His goodness. With the people of Judah, the Lord knew that without destruction, His people could never recreate their society to reflect their religion. Sometimes, as crazy as it sounds, reaching rock bottom is the biggest blessing because it allows us to completely rebuild our lives upon the Rock.

2:6-11

In the verses, we are warned about false prophets. People will sweet talk us and try to steer us away from our faith, but we must root ourselves in the Word. This kind of false jargon is one of the devil's biggest tools to distract us form what really matters: Our relationship with God.

The people of Judah fell for this talk from the devil. They turned their backs on God and God was not only outraged, but heartbroken. God tells Micah that, "Lately my people have risen up like an enemy" (2:8). Ouch. If we so willingly rise up against the Lord, why are we so angry when He sends punishment? Do we not deserve it?

But despite this, God still sent Jesus Christ to take the punishment for us (John 3:16). Yes, we will still have hardships, but we will never have to endure the separation from God that sin so wickedly brings.

2:12-13

The Lord promises deliverance. He promises His people that He will "bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture." He will leave the 99 sheep to find the one for He is THE Good Shepard. The Lord then says He will go before them, preparing the way for goodness and glory. In Judah's case, and many others, punishment is preparation. And undergoing that preparation can lead to eternity.

If that's a little confusing, let's go back to the historical context (hooray!). God's punishment for Judah ended up being captivity by the Babylonians. There were many years between this capture and the walk of the Messiah, but during their oppression, Judah realized that the Savior was coming (through the visions of prophets & the Word of God). In the end, God's punishment for their sin gave them more of a hope than they would ever have because it forced them to turn their eyes to a higher place. They realized they were called out of sin and into righteousness. And that's what the Lord wants for you!!

Chapter 3: Justice Above All

3:1-7

The leaders of Judah were oppressors. They hid behind a mask of faith only to turn their need for God on and off like a light switch. They ravaged and killed their people for their own satisfaction, yet when anything went wrong in their lives, they turned to God and demanded help. God was heartbroken and angry. He revealed His plan of punishment if the leaders did not change their ways, but then He went into a time of grieving when He "hid His face from them because of the evil they had done" (3:4).

God's face is brilliant and bright. In Exodus it is described to be the brightest light ever seen and Moses could not look at it. When Saul was walking and saw the face of the Lord, he was instantly blinded. The Lord hid His face because His children in Judah were choosing darkness over light. Yes, the light of the Lord will always have victory over darkness, but we cannot live in both. When the days of revelation come, light will rule all, but right now, we are able to choose where we stand. And both is simply not an option.

Even later in this chapter, the Lord says "those who lead my people astray...the night will come for you. The sun will set for you and the days will go dark" (3:5 & 6).

Choosing to allow injustices to rule tears us away from the Lord. Take a look around the world right now. What do you see? I see destruction and injustice and oppression. But I also see hope. I sense the kind of hope that envelopes your whole spirit and brings you peace during the darkest times. I feel the hope of Jesus Christ.

3:8

After all this, Micah then says, "But as for me, I am filled with power from the Spirit of God!" And I can imagine those struggling between light and dark are like "YOOOOO Micah how did you do that!? I want some of that!!" And then I can see Micah simply saying, "Believe fully." Because these people didn't believe God as the almighty or a savior or a father. They simply saw Him as a crutch to their problems and used Him as so. But when we fully believe, when we fully lay our lived down for the good of the kingdom, we are filled with HIS power! The application study Bible that I have even says that, "You can't witness effectively by relying on your own strength, because fear will keep you from sneaking out for God. Only by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit can you live and witness for Him." We cannot get strength form the Lord only during hardships. We need strength from the Lord CONSTANTLY in order to truly accomplish the kingdom work that He has in store for us.

3:9-12

The leaders of Judah "distorted what was right" (3:9). The Lord promised punishment. But He also promised hope and redemption. While most of the leaders of this earth are crooked and unjust, know that God will attend to them. It is not our place to judge or condemn them... it is our job to have hope for a better future in belief that the Lord will provide. Yes, go fight for what is right and make changes to the injustices in this world; we NEED to do this. We need to stand firm in justice and mercy, we need to stand strong within our churches and families. But at the end of the day, when its just you alone in bed, the biggest impact you can make on injustice is having the hope that God will use His mighty power to right all that is wrong.