The world is in a mess. Political leaders cannot be trusted. Nations are at war. The nation is threatened if it doesn’t submit to the will of the nations of the world. Religion is at an all-time low. Who are we going to call when it seems like the world is falling apart at the seams?
That describes the situation of the nation of Israel during the days of a preacher named Micah. Micah lived at the same time as the prophet Isaiah. Micah tells us, if you look at 1:1, that he preached during the days of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
I want you to understand that the lives of those Israelites were not very different from our lives today. They, of course, did not have electronics, TVs, iPhones, so forth. But they were real people with children they were trying to raise, trying to make a living, considering what death would be like, and those who took God seriously, they were trying to stay faithful to God.
It is during upheaval and turmoil and uncertainty that God called Micah to step into the pulpit and speak to God’s people. Micah did not preach to kings, like Isaiah did. Micah did not preach in Jerusalem, the capital city. Micah preached in a small town called Moreshath-Gath that was 22 miles southwest of the capital city of Jerusalem.
THE SINS OF JUDAH:
Too many people in Judah simply did not respect the law of the Lord. Read 1:5-7. Despite what is happening to Judah on the international stage, economically, etc., God is most concerned about what is going on spiritually. Israel can survive under Assyrian rule, if they remain faithful. But if they don’t remain faithful to God, there’s not an army devised by man that can stop God’s punishment.
When you read 3:11, you see that their leaders were corrupt. They had leaders, priests, and prophets who are all corrupt. Truth is not what matters to them. They want to line their wallets so they are willing to say anything in order to get the approval of the masses of people. They even claim to be religious; they have co-opted the religious movement; notice they “lean on the Lord saying, Is not the Lord in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.” So, they talked like they were religious; they talked like they were spiritually-minded; they talked like they were on God’s side and therefore, bad things would not happen to them.
But God sees through people’s charades. God is not fooled. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will also reap. By the same token, whatever a nation sows, it will also reap. And when it comes to thumbing your nose at God, you will reap the consequences.
THE PUNISHMENT GOD WILL BRING ON ISRAEL:
We already know that God is going to bring punishment on Israel. Notice 1:2-4. These images are not to be understood as literal images. Micah is simply saying, “God is going to come and crush His people who have chosen to sin, be rebellious, and not respect His laws.”
God tells Israel that He will not answer their prayers because they have turned their backs on Him and really aren’t willing to repent of their sins (3:4).
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There are two things Israel needs in Micah’s day and the same two things America needs in our day: forgiveness of sins and a leader. A real leader. That brings us to 5:2-5.
ALL OVER THE WORLD – 5:2-5:
A ruler (vs 2) – This ruler will serve God’s purposes – “From you One will go forth for Me.” This ruler will work on God’s behalf, for His purposes. Israel needs a leader; this One is He.
The ruler will lead a people (vs 3) – Most of the Israelites were not being faithful to God, spiritually speaking. For economic reasons, or social reasons, or fear for their safety, the majority of Israelites were compromising the teachings of the Law of Moses and were corrupting their worship in order to fit in with the people around them. But this ruler would lead a small group of Israelites. Micah refers to this “remnant” five times.
The ruler will shepherd His flock (vs 4) – Here is the third point that Micah makes about this leader. What did the faithful Israelites need? They needed a leader. They needed a ruler who would provide the safety, the stability, the leadership they needed.
Finally, this ruler will bring peace (vs 5) – We all want peace. We want peace in our capital. We want peace in the world. We want peace between political parties. We want peace in our family. We want peace in our church. We want peace within ourselves, peace of mind. We want peace between us and God.
We know that Jesus Christ is this ruler. He is the one who is eternal (vs 2), who was born of the woman described in verse 3. He is the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and He is the one who brings peace (Luke 2:14). Of course, Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
It was Jesus that Israel needed in the days of Micah. Not another earthly leader who was only interested in self-promotion. What Israel needed was King Jesus. They needed to submit to the rulership and authority of Jesus. When they did that, all their other problems would be resolved: defense, international policy, economics. Jesus and His teachings have a way of resolving all our problems.
Our nation will not be saved, economically, socially, or any other way, until we get individuals to change their lifestyles and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is the solution to the problems of America.
–Paul Holland
