The Judgment Coming On Israel

All right, so let's begin by thanking Andrew for a great job last week. He established the time, place, and relative historical importance of this minor prophet and really used verse one to do that, which says, and we looked at this last week with Andrew's guidance, that the word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

So I think, you know, when we are looking at Old Testament minor prophets, some are not so minor, some are called minor, may not be so minor, but I think we need to continue to remind ourselves historically where we're at. So I'm just putting this slide up again. which I think looks at kind of the Old Testament kings and prophets as a divided kingdom.

Remember Israel is the northern kingdom defined by ten tribes and the southern kingdom is called Judah, which is Benjamin and Judah, the two tribes that represent the southern kingdom. And the kings are listed underneath there and the various prophets that related to both.

You know, Hosea's prophecy, he was from the south, but his prophecy really went north to a large extent. Micah's goes to both. and Isaiah mostly to the southern kingdom. So that's kind of an overview of the timetable and how ultimately Micah fits in with Isaiah and Hosea in terms of the temporal sequence of which time these prophets were written. Okay, I thought, you know, I think Roger said this, I thought this was a nice summary to kind of bring us up to date here. Micah was a prophet from the south who prophesied to both the northern and southern kingdoms. And Samaritan Jerusalem in 1 and 1 are the capital cities of these two kingdoms.

So that's kind of where this prophecy is going. The northern kingdom went into exile within Micah's lifetime in keeping with his prophecies. And we'll kind of relate to that some here today. And according to Deuteronomy 18, 15, we'll not look at that verse. This verified that Micah was a genuine prophet. section of Deuteronomy looks to Micah and the timetable to follow in terms of his prophecy. And though the Southern Kingdom wouldn't go into exile for more than a hundred years after this was written, the prophecy was just as certain because ultimately they did go into exile. And finally Micah prophesied of the restoration of bleeding Israel and that's end times or kingdom age kind of restoration. So that's a good summary of the entire book and the reason for the prophecy.

Now Andrew shared this last week and I thought this was really worth again looking back historically in terms of, and Bob brought this up too, the Hebrew poetry pattern which I think ultimately was preached here over many years by Byrne. So if we look at this again just sequentially, number one's judgment against Assyria, that's what we're going to be covering today, the doom of the cities of Judah, the social evils denounced, The Wicked Rulers and Prophets, Restoration Promise after Exile, number five. Six and seven, The Ruler from Bethlehem and the Future Rule of the Remnant, very important and frequently cited text from Micah. And then we move down to number eight, God Challenges Israel, Cheating and Violence to be Punished. total corruption of the people, and the ultimate pertinence and trust in God. So that's ultimately which leads to his final point, number 12, God's compassion steadfast love.

Now, this whole diagram, which I think, again, Anderson nicely portrayed in this figure, makes me think of the fact that the Old Testament's not about us, but it's for us. And think about how that differs, something being about us. What's about us scripturally? The church. The gospel account leading up to the church. And that's the age in which we live. And that's for us. That doesn't mean that the rest of the Bible is not for us. I mean, but about us, it's really the church. And that's what we're thinking about here. Now, ultimately, therefore, what's it there for, as McGee would say? So what's the Old Testament there for, Ron? Just trying to briefly summarize.

Well, it's the prophecies that are given to be fulfilled. If you think about it, the foundation of the New Testament scripture is what preceded it, right? I mean, if we didn't have the foundation of scripture in terms of the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and everything that follows that, the New Testament would have no relevance. And I think that the principles of God are fully proclaimed and these are portrayed in the Hebrew poetry pattern of Micah.

And so here's what we're looking at here that we kind of reviewed in that previous diagram. Sin, think about the garden. Judgment of sin that Adam and Eve experienced and everything going forward to the first Adam and the last Adam. Mercy ultimately given to the sinner. compassion, ultimately, and finally, God's promise of love. Those all are Old Testament truths portrayed in this minor prophet. And I think, again, when we look at Old Testament prophecy, we've got to remember that the principles of God never change. So Proverbs, you could be critical of Proverbs.

I mean, how relevant is that today? Well, a lot of it is, but it's the principles of God put forth in the time by Solomon that have merit, and we need to interpret them in context in terms of what there for us here today. Many things in Proverbs really are uplifting, and some need this kind of question. Does this really relate to the age in which we live? Anyway, we're not here to dwell on this, but this is just something I wanted to bring up. Bob?

Even our nation was found in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights were founded on Old Testament principles, even our nation today. Although we've left it, it was founded that way. And I think the things I listed here are things that were portrayed in that last more complex diagram, but ultimately the Old Testament and the New Testament both have these ultimate, you know, things that are proclaimed and prophesied that relate to the principles of God. And that's true for the Old Testament and the New. But also, don't you think too? It also shows that this is not just a made-up story. I mean, because a lot of these Prophets. Things have actually come to pass and the whole world can look and see all those things.

You know, I think one of the greatest evidences of the truth of the Bible is that Christ himself and Paul in particular, but the other writers of the epistles, reference the Old Testament repeatedly. in terms of text that's brought forward to relate to the Church, would that be logical? Well, I believe the Romans, they base their logic, we'll put it in chapter 10, we'll put it back to Moses, the words in your mouth and in your heart. He bases his logic on what was taught by Moses and brings it forward to the present time. Paul does that over and over again. I think the truth of the Old Testament will be restated for now, and that's the truth of the Church.

Well, the other thing, why should we even do a minor prophet in a Sunday school class? Because it's interesting, number one, and also the principles of God are portrayed here that relate to things that ultimately have come to be, or some that have not, that we'll cover in part today. I like one, Bob. The principles aren't just for believers. They are for everyone, saved and unsaved. U.S. government, you go to Washington, you look at all the signs of the Supreme Court building and Congress, I mean, God is in all of them.

I just finished a book called God and Churchill. Now the question is, was Churchill a believer? I don't get any evidence that he clearly was, but he clearly was a deist. And he really looked at his role in the UK during World War II as preserving what we know today as Christianity and the Judeo-Christian faith. I mean, even though we can't be sure about his salvation, the Lord clearly knows it well.

McGee, I think, said something pretty nice, too. Micah pronounced judgment on the cities of Israel and on Jerusalem in Judah. These centers influence the people of the nation. And Micah condemns urban problems. Think about this today now. He condemns urban problems that sound very much like our present-day problems. violence, corruption, robbery, covetousness, gross materialism, spiritual bankruptcy, and he could well be labeled the prophet of the city.

Anyway, I love J.R.R. Tolkien. Except I have a little wine once in a while. OK. All right. Let's kind of drill down here a little bit. We're going to move pretty quickly here. I'm going to read all these verses together going forward. Then we're going to partition them down and look at each one fairly singly and hopefully rapidly and appropriately.

Hear all you peoples, listen to earth and all that is in it. Let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place and he's going to come down and tread on the high places of the earth. The mountains will melt under him and the valleys will split like wax before the fire and like waters poured down a steep place. All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field. Places for planting a vineyard, I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will uncover her foundations, and all her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire, and all her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it for the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot." We're going to return to this harlot thing in the future. All right, let's go ahead then.

Micah 1-2, here are all you peoples. Listen, O earth, all that is in it. Let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. The consul says his witness against his people is really referencing the section in Deuteronomy, and this is the Lord speaking to Moses.

So let's look at this, and it's going to take a few minutes. By the way, when you look at the minor prophets, or actually scripture in general, Often things are reproduced or supported by other texts of the Old Testament. So bear with me today because we're going to look at some Old Testament text that relates to what Mike is talking about here. I'm going to read this.

Deuteronomy 19 to 21 and then also verse 26. Now, therefore, again, this is the Lord speaking to Moses. Now, therefore, write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the children of Israel. put it in their mouths that this song can be a witness for me against the children of Israel. When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them. and they will provoke me and break my covenant, and there it shall be with many evils and troubles which will come upon them, that this psalm will testify against them as a witness, for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants. For I know the incarnation of their behavior today, them, and then we go to verse 26, take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.

How's that for a prophecy that relates to what Micah is dealing with here? What holy temple is this that he's going to come down from? Well, is this in Jerusalem? Is this the building in Jerusalem which is going to be destroyed and then rebuilt and then destroyed again? I don't think so. I think this is his heavenly temple, is it not?

And also we can support that with a couple of verses. Back up, we rarely quote scripturally. But the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. How's that for a principle still that's existing today? And Romans, coming forth to the New Testament. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Isn't that so true for today? So this heavenly temple is his heavenly existence. That's where he is now. That's where he will be in terms of eternity.

Now, three and four, for behold the Lord is coming out of his place, which is his heavenly place, and he'll come down and tread on the high places of the earth, and the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split like wax before fire, like waters poured down a steep place. Now, Jehovah himself will not come down, but presumably the Lord Jesus Christ will be part of this whole implementation of the prophecy going forward. Isaiah 64, 1 and 2, O that you would rend the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might shake at your presence, as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil, to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence. And the psalm says, the mountains will melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

So what's this looking to, in terms of time-wise? When the Lord returns, second coming, at the end of the tribulation. Oh, at the end of the tribulation, okay. Okay, this is not, you don't think this is day of the Lord, tribulations, not that. Well, yeah, that's true, that is.

But at the end it talks about the mountains flooding through. Don't you think it has reference to both the Assyrian and the Babylonian captivity? Okay. And also has reference to the end of the millennium? I think that was my best interpretation. We can't be sure whether this is tribulation only or end times. Yeah, it seems like he's talking at the same time about, that's not unusual in scripture, a present event and then something in the future. a statement can apply to the present or in the future. He says it over and over again it seems like.

Well we know that the mountains will not melt like wax at the time Assyria ultimately is challenged and judged. We know that. So this has to be future and not near future because near future is really about what this prophet is dealing with and addressing. But the Assyrian army and the Babylonian army they came in and they just destroyed the cities They knocked over the rocks, they knocked over the walls. So it kind of has reference to that as well. But melt like wax?

Well, that's poetic. That's poetic language. Oh, you're the poet in the room. I was wondering if verse 3 talks about the high places, which seems to be a concept theme. Well, that's idolatry, that's right. So it seems like three men rest their presence. Okay, so we have now three periods. Wayne? I was just saying that the description here, though, they would understand after being around Mount Zion and the way the Lord operated there. I mean, think of that. But they don't don't have him speak anymore. So it kind of refers, not that it refers to that, but they would understand that kind of language. Did you mean Mount Sinai? You mean Sinai. Sinai. Yeah. Yeah. Mount Sinai. I was thinking Sinai, but yeah. All right, good.

So when will this occur? I think that's what we've just been discussing here right now. I think second Peter points to at least a time in the future that this will occur and not be related to the near future to which Mike is addressing. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that rent it will be burned up. dot, dot, dot, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. No question, Peter's not writing about Assyria here. But the question is, can we just lift that out and say that that's what this is all about? I don't think so, but we can just speculate whether this is really the near future, the distant future, or the very distant future. Everybody okay with that?

All right, Micah 1.5, all of this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? Notice the transgressions of Israel are not any different than those of Judah.

I mean, when you think of the Southern Kingdom versus the Northern Kingdom, what do you think about? Why is the Southern Kingdom different than the Northern Kingdom historically? Some good kings. Some good kings. Yeah. And the Northern Kingdom, all bad, right? And scripture calls these bad and good, right? Those terms are frequently used to describe them. So name two good kings in Judah, just FYI. Two good. Does anybody want to try to do that? Two good Kings and Judah. And Josiah, right? Yeah. So anyway, we'll continue. There'll be no testing of anyone here.

So what are the most obvious of these transgressions? Turning away from the Lord. Oh, that's that's a broad one, right? Idolatry is a major one, is it not? And I think that's really probably the biggest one that we're dealing with here. All right, let's go ahead here. What's the most obvious of these?

And I say let's take a look at Ahaz who at the time was the king of Judah. This is kind of a nasty guy. Sorry about that. So it says in Second Kings, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. Now, remember, Ahaz is in the southern kingdom in Judah. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel and then he made his son pass through the fire according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

So this is effectively just describing one of these bad kings and kind of what his behavior looked like. All right. Therefore, what's it there for? Because what occurred before? I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field. Now, keep in mind, he just compared the sins of Judah to be like those of Samaria. Now he's returning back to Samaria again.

Keep that in mind. Places for planting a vineyard. I will pour down her stones into the valley. and I will uncover her foundation. Now, Bob, notice he doesn't go back to the things about burning down and, you know, the stones, you know, ultimately are going to be into the valley. But anyway, it could be that that previous prophecy relates to what's happening in the near future. That's possible.

Why do you think Micah returns to and brings up Samaria here? Why is he going back and forth? Samaria is the capital of the Northern Kingdom. And Jerusalem is in the Southern Kingdom. Remember, Micah grew up about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem. I mean, he's a southern guy in terms of his location. Says you all then? Yeah, y'all.

Also, Samaria fell during Micah's time and Judah actually fell later. But the passage indicates that what happened in Samaria trickled down into Judea. So what was happening in Samaria, and of course that's the capital, but later on that whole region was called Samaria. It trickled down into the sins of Samaria trickled down into Judah and affected all the cities down there. Well, welcome to human behavior, right? I mean, basically. There's no belief that ultimately Judah is going to rise up and leave the world system and the sin nature behind. So Kosovo said the fulfillment. Bob, you just stated this.

Fulfillment came with the Assyrians overthrow of Samaria in 722 BC. We can go back to the map again, but that was kind of more to the right at that time label that you had in the map. Even today, the foundations of Samaria's buildings lie exposed as, after the fact, they were destroyed.

Isaiah 25 12, the fortress of the high fort of your walls he will bring down and lay low and bring to the ground down to the dust. So again that probably relates to what in fact it's been mentioned the earlier verses in Micah 2 through 7. Ezekiel speaks of this too, so I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar and bring it down to the ground so that it is its foundation will be uncovered. It will fall and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. So, you know, again, prophecy by other prophets. I say again, timely Ezekiel a little bit earlier. All right, verse 7.

All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with a fire, and all her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot. So why so much reference here to a harlot? Idolatry. The other gods. And they were worshipped. Okay. That seems to be a comparison that's made often in scripture, how God will use harlotry to show Israel why they were grabbed. They're basically playing the role of a harlot, not just here. So I kind of stated it this way.

Was not this a metaphor for the unfaithfulness and spiritual idolatry of Israel? Or can it be interpreted more literally also? And some commentators suggested prostitution in the temple was fairly common. I didn't go back and historically document that. But I guess that's possible. I mean, but anyway, I think most of this is a metaphor related to spiritual idolatry. And unfaithfulness.

Hosea 2.12, And I will destroy her, her vines and her fig trees of which she has said. These are my wages that my lovers have given me, so I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall cut them. We'll eat them, yeah, that's right. So, again, pardon my vision, if you remember, it's not so good.

Hosea 9.1, do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples, for you have played the harlot against your God, and you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.

And Revelation actually uses this in several places. For all the nations have drunk of the vine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. So, you know, the idea, if we go back to the verse, etc. For she gathered it from the pay of a harlot. Who's she? her carved images. Speaking of that, Israel, correct. Hey Bob, it's interesting too that God had Hosea, he had to marry a prostitute. He had to take a real prostitute as his wife to illustrate, to physical illustration to Israel about this harlotry. Yeah, great point, Andrew. That's something that needs to be mentioned. That's good. Yeah, Jose has another interesting Meyer problem that we should maybe look at in the future when we've exhausted the New Testament.

So, you know, I looked at just online images that might relate to what this place looked like. And I'd like to maybe blow that up more. But I mean, here's the destruction. The stones have come down and somebody tried to portray this with this particular painting. But anyway. You know, again, the ruins in Samaria are still there. They can be seen for what happened in biblical times.

So, Andrew, thank you for this. He sent me yesterday this and I didn't share all of it, but I shared much of it here. So William Kelly says that dealings of grace are properly connected with where he is. God is in his place when he's showing his own sovereign mercy. And again, I'm bold to things that I think really stand out. For judgment, he comes out of his place. And his own nature, God is not a judge, but one who gives and blesses. Judgment is his strange work.

Isaiah 28 quoted here. As it is said elsewhere, a work, therefore, that if it must be done, he will do shortly. He must make a painful, he must make a short work, as says Isaiah, he does not like to dwell on judgment is a painful necessity which the wickedness of man compels. And that too, because if he declined the judgment of iniquity, he must abandon his own moral character.

But grace is his normal work. And I think, you know, that's our perspective, no question. And the activities of divine love in spite of evil, not winking at it, but raising out of it and above it. Grace suits God and is his delight. as it is his energy and his nature in the face of ruin. Judgment is the provisional guard of his nature, being imperatively that which is rendered necessary by the iniquity of the creature, whether of the fallen angels or of rebellious man.

Let's discuss this a little bit. I mean, why is he waiting for additional judgment? What's going to need to mature for the rapture to occur to take us out of here? It's not willing that any superiors have at all to come to repentance. That's long-suffering to want more people.

Okay, and how does that relate to our life as a believer or as a church? I mean, is the missionary activities of many churches appropriate for sending people all around the world? Or how do we interpret Matthew's scripture about getting the gospel out to the entire world?

And what Hal said was, in your going, right? Well, the first thing, as you're going. Which I really like. As every believer is going in his life, there's many, many opportunities to share Christ with your family, at work, wherever it might be. And as we're going, we're going to be about that work.

So that doesn't say there's anything wrong with sending missionaries to places around the world, for sure. And that's been done for centuries now. But ultimately, I think it's up to each of us to maybe be the only Bible people ever read, right? So that takes on a responsibility of us being positioned and understanding how that impacts our... We're all, each one of us in a unique place. No other believer, you know, we're at a particular job in a unique place and who knows who the Lord will bring, you know, our way. Hey, Don? Go ahead. Yeah, Roy. Yeah, just an observation here. Gail and I were talking about what needs to happen before the rapture happens. And I can only think of one thing, if we want to point it out, and that is the last person will believe on Christ and be united to Christ into his body.

I don't know if that's a clear way of looking at it, but it's certainly positive. Yeah, the thing is, how do we personalize that, right? I don't know what you mean by that. Well, in other words, what is our responsibility? I think that's the question I was addressing here.

Well, the evangelism, of course, is the commission that he's given us. is to be His voice here on the earth, to invite men to believe on Him. But there's going to be a limit to that, and His foreknowledge, I guess, is encompassed there, that He knows how many people will believe, and that's when the end happens.

Okay. I think that's in the Father's hands, though. Well, clearly. I was just going to say, what can we do other than live a life by faith and have that let that end? Yeah, and invite people to believe. So Andrew, you want to comment on Kelly's saying here that you sent me? Yeah, sure.

Yeah, and I think as far as evangelism too, there's an underlying reason for it as well, for people living in this day and age to escape the coming judgment of the tribulation. You know, like the guys, you see it in the cartoons, the guy on the street corner with a placard saying, the end is near. Repents for the end is near. But that's an acceptable, I think, evangelistic reason too, is for people to escape judgment.

But yeah, I like this William Kelly quote. It kind of caught my eye because it portrays God as we know Him as merciful and gracious, and He just, He's in heaven and He doesn't do judgment, but He appoints a time and a place for judgment. And then He, just like Christ, right now He's seated at the right hand of God, and then when God tells him that this is it, this is the end, the scripture makes it very clear that he gets up out of that throne and he stands. He stands and then he takes the scrolls and opens the scrolls. So I like this quote because it kind of illustrates that really nicely, that his resting place is not judging, but his strange work is getting up to judge.

You know, like that phrase that says, but race is his normal work. That's a full statement. Yeah. You know, as you look around, you kind of look at the world system and actually, you know, the fact that we've been, you know, made righteous. I mean, that's a place to begin for the believer, that we've been made righteous.

And I think you're not comfortable and confident about that, then you're trying to please God with your works, your prayers and everything else. But all that aside, the world system doesn't seem to appreciate that God is a God of judgment, do they? I mean, they just basically ignore this and that's where the minor prophets are useful I think to see how nations go astray and how sin can impact the relationship to God. Any other thoughts about this section?

All right next week we're going to be covering kind of morning for Israel and for Judah and get into some texts that relate to that. So, you know, when we piecemeal the minor prophets, some of this is just historical development. So you've got to accept that. We use a lot of Old Testament scripture to document what here Mike has been saying. But in addition, we're keeping in mind the principles of God and how that relates to us today.

Remember, all the Bible is not about us, but it's all for us to interpret in the best way we can. All right. Bob, would you close us in prayer, please? Thank you, Father, that you care for us and you have a plan, not only for Israel, but for us in the church. Continue to pray for our service this morning in Romans, that your spirit might guide and direct Mike and also those of us who listen. In Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Thank you.