The Way Breaker

Introduction to Micah

“The word of the Lord...”

Micah of Moresheth

Micah means “Who is like Yahweh?” and is a shortened form of the name Micaiah (see 1 Kgs 22:8).

Moresheth, Micah’s hometown, was located approximately 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem and 20 miles east of the Mediterranean coast. The city was situated about 1,000 feet above sea level in the Shephelah near the coastal plain. It was close to the Philistine city of Gath, hence the designation Moresheth-Gath (v. 14).

Micah’s ministry began between 740 and 733 BC. The prophet ministered until at least the Assyrian invasion of Judah in 701 BC

Three Kings

Jotham

Micah began his ministry about 10 years into Jotham’s reign.

He is considered one of the godly kings of Judah, but only just.

“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 27:6). He rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple and also did work on the wall at the hill of Ophel and built towns, forts, and towers (2 Chronicles 27:3–4). However, King Jotham failed to remove the high places so the people continued to make sacrifices there (2 Kings 15:35).

Ahaz

Jotham’s son

Ahaz was an evil king of Judah who became king at the age of 20 and reigned for 4 years with his father

His repugnant deeds included sacrificing his own children, which was a great evil the kingdom of Israel had already been practicing (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chronicles 28:3). King Ahaz also desecrated the temple as a result of his alliance with the king of Assyria, which came about in response to punishment God sent on Ahaz in the form of attacks on Ahaz’s land.

Aram and Israel had besieged King Ahaz’s lands, and, although they were not strong enough to defeat Ahaz, they did “inflict heavy casualties on him” (2 Chronicles 28:5). Not only were Ahaz’s son Maaseiah and his second-in-command, Elkanah, killed, but over 100,000 soldiers were killed, and Judah’s cities were plundered. Many Israelites who were living in Judah were taken captive (verses 6–8). Because of all this, Ahaz appealed to Assyria, for help in defeating Aram and Israel. Assyria complied and attacked Damascus, capturing the city and killing the king of Aram.

When King Ahaz met the victorious king of Assyria in Damascus, he saw a pagan altar there he wanted to copy for his own use in Jerusalem. So he sent plans to his priest Uriah, who finished the altar before Ahaz came back from Damascus (2 Kings 16:11). Upon his return, King Ahaz made sacrifices on the altar to the gods of Damascus. He moved the altar of the Lord, and, although he still planned to use it for “guidance” (verse 15), Ahaz offered all the sacrifices on the new altar.

Ahaz’s sacrilege did not end there. To impress the king of Assyria, he removed the royal entryway of the temple as well as the Sabbath canopy, and cut the temple furnishings into pieces (2 Kings 16:17–18; 2 Chronicles 28:24). After shutting the doors to the temple, he placed altars at all the street corners in Jerusalem and high places for worshiping false gods in every city in Judah (2 Chronicles 28:24–25).

The Bible is not clear on how Ahaz died, but it does say that, although he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, he did not earn a place in the tombs of the kings of Israel (2 Kings 16:20; 2 Chronicles 28:27).

Hezekiah

Hezekiah is another one of the few godly kings of Judah. Many consider him to be the godliest king of Judah.

He reigned for 29 years from 715 to 686 BC. Micah’s ministry ended around 701BC.

Hezekiah is described this way in 2 Kings 18:6-7 “For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.”

Samaria and Jerusalem

Samaria was the capitol of the northern tribes of Israel

Jerusalem was the capitol of the southern tribes of Judah

Micah is one of only a few prophets to address both.

Divine Witness

Hear!

This word serves as an import attention getting device

It also serves as the introduction to the three major sections of the book. Micah has three major sections, hence why this will probably be a three sermon series.

Court Summons (v. 2)

All nations / peoples

Samaria (Israel) is being put on trial

This trial should also serve as a warning to the whole earth of what God will do to those who forsake Him for idol worship.

Judgment

God himself will enact this judgment

Flattened mountains

Valleys split open

Samaria will be a heap of ruins

Idols destroyed

Sin

Idolatry

Idolatry led to several other gross sins

Micah’s Lamentation

Micah’s Emotions (v. 8)

Judah’s Judgement (v. 9)

Judah’s Shame (v. 10)

Micah’s Illustration

From the cities listed in verse 11-16 Micah builds a word picture that is sort of like a pun.

Unfortunately it is somewhat lost in the English.

Bible paraphrases help us to understand what Micah did here.

Don’t gossip about this in Telltown. Don’t waste your tears. In Dustville, roll in the dust. In Alarmtown, the alarm is sounded. The citizens of Exitburgh will never get out alive. Lament, Last-Stand City: There’s nothing in you left standing. The villagers of Bittertown wait in vain for sweet peace. Harsh judgment has come from God and entered Peace City. All you who live in Chariotville, get in your chariots for flight. You led the daughter of Zion into trusting not God but chariots. Similar sins in Israel also got their start in you. Go ahead and give your good-bye gifts to Good-byeville. Miragetown beckoned but disappointed Israel’s kings. Inheritance City has lost its inheritance. Glorytown has seen its last of glory. Shave your heads in mourning over the loss of your precious towns. Go bald as a goose egg—they’ve gone into exile and aren’t coming back.

Wealthy Oppressors

Judgment introduced (v. 1)

Sin Revealed (v. 2)

Imagine if you got home one day to find your wealthy neighbor building a new garage on your property? When you confront him he says what are you going to do about it?

Take me to court I will pay off the judge.

Judgment described (v. 3-5)

False Prophets

Their treatment of true prophets (v. 6a)

False messages of comfort and ease (v. 6b, 11)

“disgrace will not overtake us.”

“I will preach to you of wine and strong drink”

Micah’s Message

God’s patience will not last forever

The words of a true prophet are a benefit to the righteous.

You have risen up as an enemy of God.

Restored Remnant

Promise (v. 12)

A remnant - a left over amount of a larger portion

Thus the promise God is making is that Israel will never be completely destroyed.

There will always be a remnant. However, there is more to this promise than just survival, they will also one day prosper. “They shall make a loud noise because of so many people.”

Isaiah who was a contemporary of Micah also spoke of the remnant. Isaiah 10:20-21 “And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God.”

So the promise of the remnant is not just a promise of physical survival but of spiritual renewal.

So the question becomes what will the means of this regathering and spiritual renewal be? If the OT has taught us anything it is that Israel is simply not capable of full obedience on her own. Israel, which serves in this case as a microcosm for all of us, needs God to initiate a genuine change of heart. Enter the Way Breaker.

Means (v. 13) - The Way Breaker

“The one who breaks open will come before them...”

Israel is on a journey and there are obstacles in her path. They need a someone who is capable of removing those obstacles.

What makes this so difficult is that these obstacles are of their own making.

God promises success

“They will break out

They will pass through the gate and go out by it...

The Need: Someone to clear the path to a right relationship with God

The Provision: The Way Breaker

One who is capable of clearing the path

One who will shepherd His people (v. 12)

One who is their King

One who is the Lord