“God’s Judgment and Micah’s Sorrow”

Series: “God Speaks”

Text: Micah 1:1-16

Introduction: (What?)

Micah’s name means “Who is like Yahweh?” He ends his book with the question “Who is a God like You?” You probably have memorized two passages from Micah without knowing it. 5:2 “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.” Micah 6:8 “Mankind, He has told each of you what is good and what it is the LORD has required of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

In the book we will look at the person, acts and character of God. That will include His judgment on the unrepentant person or nation. However, the bottom line is that there is hope for those who repent, and the future is bright.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Judgment is coming (vv 2-7)

Micah 1:2-7 “Listen, all you peoples; pay attention, earth and everyone in it! The Lord God will be a witness against you, the Lord, from his holy temple. Look, the Lord is leaving his place and coming down to trample the heights of the earth. The mountains will melt beneath him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside. All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Isn’t it Jerusalem? Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again for a prostitute.”

Micah’s ministry overlapped with Isaiah’s and shared many of the same themes, but he targeted the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Like Isaiah, he focused on the sin of idolatry and God’s judgment on such wickedness. He balanced this with emphasis on the mercy of God available to all who repent.

Beginning in v 2 we find ourselves in a courtroom and hear the bailiff shout “Hear ye, hear ye!” This is the call of Micah to pay attention to what is about to happen. The chief witness in the case against the people of Judah is God Himself. The introduction of this chief witness is awe or fear inspiring. (read) The charges against them are rebellion and idolatry. They had rebelled against God’s command to have no other gods, and they had embraced the idols of the pagans by building pagan altars in the high places. Also they had set up pagan worship centers in both Samaria (Northern Kingdom) and Jerusalem (Southern kingdom). The God the witness became God the Judge in vv 6-7. “Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again for a prostitute.” This referred to the fall of Samaria at the hands of the Assyrians. God often used pagan kings and their armies to discipline His Chosen People. The pagan worship centers were largely financed through payments of money, food and clothing to temple prostitutes which were specifically forbidden in Israel in Deut 23:17-18 ““No Israelite woman is to be a cult prostitute, and no Israelite man is to be a cult prostitute. Do not bring a female prostitute’s wages or a male prostitute’s earnings into the house of the Lord your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the Lord your God.”

The wealth that had accumulated from the cult prostitutes was stolen by the Assyrians who in turn used that wealth to pay for prostitutes for themselves.

2. Reason to Lament (vv8-12)

Micah 1:8-12 “Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like the jackals and mourn like ostriches. For her wound is incurable and has reached even Judah; it has approached my people’s city gate, as far as Jerusalem. Don’t announce it in Gath, don’t weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah. Depart in shameful nakedness, you residents of Shaphir; the residents of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is lamenting; its support is taken from you. Though the residents of Maroth anxiously wait for something good, disaster has come from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.”

The judgment upon Samaria and Jerusalem was so grave that Micah grieved and lamented while “walking barefoot and naked”. This was a visual depiction of what happened to Israelis who were captured and made to walk “naked and barefooted” as they were led into captivity. In Isa 20:2 “during that time the Lord had spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, take off your sackcloth and remove the sandals from your feet,” and he did that, going stripped and barefoot—” Though Isaiah had been mourning the attacks upon Israel in the traditional way of wearing sackcloth and ashes God then called him to go a step further and to be more extreme in showing his anguish. Isa 20:3 “the Lord said, “As my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,” Micah is replicating the behavior of Isaiah to show his extreme horror and anguish over the judgment that God had brought on Samaria and Jerusalem. He did this because Mic 1:9 “For her wound is incurable and has reached even Judah; it has approached my people’s city gate, as far as Jerusalem.” In our day it would be like us wearing the same clothes day after day, going without a shower or bath and eating one meager meal per day because of the suffering of the Ukrainians at the hand of the Russian army. It is identifying with their suffering.

The phrase “don’t announce it in Gath” recalls David’s admonition when Saul and his sons were killed. 2 Sam 1:20 “Do not tell it in Gath, don’t announce it in the marketplaces of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate.” Micah was calling for this for the same reason. He didn’t want the Assyrians to gloat over their destruction of Samaria and Jerusalem.

“Rolling in the dust” is a sign of complete and humiliating defeat. When God brings judgment upon a group of people there is nothing left for them to be glad about or proud of. The name “Beth-lepaphrah” literally means “house of dust”.

In Mic 1:11-12 “Depart in shameful nakedness, you residents of Shaphir; the residents of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is lamenting; its support is taken from you. Though the residents of Maroth anxiously wait for something good, disaster has come from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.” Micah described the fate and response of the cities near to those who had been destroyed. Shaphir means “pleasant”. Yet they would experience “shameful nakedness” or complete humiliation. Zaanan means “to go out” as in going out to help a neighbor in need. Yet Micah said that they would not go out, because they also faced judgment. Beth-ezel means “house of taking away” as in taking away the suffering and pain of another. Micah said that though they are sad at what has happened to Samaria and Jerusalem, they have removed their support. They are sad but they are doing nothing. My friends in Ukraine have expressed their need for action on the part of American and European countries. Their plea is “yes, keep praying for us, but also DO SOMETHING to help us in the fight for survival.”

Mic 1:12 “Though the residents of Maroth (which means bitter) anxiously wait for something good, disaster has come from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.” They desperately wanted something sweet, but got only bitterness as the judgment of God reached the gates of Jerusalem.

3. How should we respond? (vv13-16)

Mic 1:13-16 “Harness the horses to the chariot, you residents of Lachish. This was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion because Israel’s acts of rebellion can be traced to you. Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib are a deception to the kings of Israel. I will again bring a conqueror against you who live in Mareshah. The nobility of Israel will come to Adullam. Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in sorrow for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they have been taken from you into exile.”

Micah warned the military fortress of Lachish to get their horses ready for a quick escape. Their military might would do them no good in the face of God’s judgment. In Isa 30:15-16 “For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing.” You say, “No! We will escape on horses”— therefore you will escape!— and, “We will ride on fast horses”— but those who pursue you will be faster.” we find that reliance on military might or fast horses was not successful then and Micah warns that it will not be successful in his day.

Finally Micah warned that even his home town would be given away as a daughter who is being betrothed. Usually a family gave gifts to their daughter who was departing their home. By this he meant that Moresheth-gath would also fall into captivity. They might as well mourn in sorrow for their precious children and go and hide in the caves of Adullam (where David hid from Saul) because God’s judgment can not be averted.

Application: (How does this impact my life?)

The lessons of Israel are a warning to us to day. The only way to avoid the judgment of God is timely repentance. There will come a time when the desire to repent comes to late. Esau repented of giving his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of chili, but he was too late to avoid the consequences. Wake up America!