MICAH

Micah Chapter 2

• Micah 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. 

There are some things in the bible that apply to Israel, some things apply to religious leaders and some to leaders of nations but there also is some things that can apply to any individual who may be guilty of the same type of sins that God judges Israel for. Verse one is one example of a sin that all of us can be guilty of. 

This sin is caused by a heart full of covetousness. "Thou shalt not covet" is one of the ten commandments. The new testament words of the book of Hebrews speaks of avoiding this sin.

• Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 
• 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 

This is something, not only Israel but all of us, especially those of us who claim Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, need to take heed that we avoid all covetousness. God is sufficient. He is all in all and to desire a closer walk with Him will cause us not to desire the things in this life which can't even begin to compare with the things we think are so important.

• Micah 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house even a man and his heritage. 

Some in Old Testament times did this which caused God to speak through Micah to warn against this type of sin. In latter times some religions in the middle ages had the power over the people and the government used it to oppress others. In the guise of punishing heretics they took away lands of so-called heretics as well as condemned many to die. Some that used the name of Jesus but didn't really know Him or they would never do anyone harm. Many made merchandise of their fellow servants instead of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and showing compassion. 

When we become angry at someone that we think are not teaching the bible correctly, we must remember that Jesus wants to save not destroy. We are not to judge men's consciences. God will do the judging at His own time. We must not try to judge ahead of time except where law and order is necessary to have peace. We can't allow someone to kill, steal and harm the innocent.

That is why we have civil law. In the matter of religious faith though, we are not to judge as far as condemning someone to death or taking away his rights. Only God can judge righteously and we must leave that to Him. 

We are to teach, correct, preach, admonish, instruct etc. but the sentencing must be done by the Lord Himself. When we leave off the preaching of the gospel and the teaching of God's word and start to use force to gain converts into our own religious system or church, we have left Jesus far behind and are not doing what He instructed us to do. Only God can make a sinner, saved from sin. Only God can save a soul from eternal death and bring Him into eternal life.  

This reminds me of the verse:

• "John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. "

Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, persecution is never God's way of dealing with heretics. There is never any justification to harming the property or person of those who disagree with our particular doctrine. 

Covetousness was condemned by God in the Old Testament. I don't think God has changed His mind about covetousness. Some things were part of the old covenant with Israel which was fulfilled and done away with in Christ but the moral laws of love and the worship of God is still the same. If we love one another and love even our enemies, we would never covet their lands, homes, possessions or desire their wives (husbands).

All the commandments in the Old Testament can be kept if we walk in the law of love that is taught in the New Testament. I'm talking about true love, not the counterfeit that the world calls love. The world's love depends upon circumstances. God's love never changes.

There is a modern teaching today called the prosperity doctrine in which covetousness is taught as a biblical principal. In actuality they are teaching to gain is godliness and if one is rich, one is in God's favor and if one is poor, it's their own fault and they are under the curse of God. Their poverty supposedly is caused by lack of paying tithes. I say to them, after being a church treasurer for years, I know the most faithful tithers are poor people. I know some well to do people who never give to the church and if they do it's very little.

I used to work in a restaurant and it was never the rich who gave the biggest tips, it was average or poor people who knew what it was like to work for just tips alone.

Read the book of James and it will refute the prosperity doctrine. We are never to despise the poor and think the rich are in favor with God. Those who teach the get rich doctrine are taking the old Testament promises to Israel and placing it in the church age to apply to us now. 

During the Millennium we may be rich but for now some of us are and some of us are not. That doesn't mean some of us are in God's favor and some of us are not.  Look at the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16, and also 1 Timothy chapter 6 will refute that doctrine and shoot it down. The modern day prosperity message is pure covetousness. However, this never means that we envy the rich, despise the rich or make laws to rob the rich to give to the poor. We should teach giving from the heart and personal choice.

• Micah 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil. 

Never should we get to the place that we do evil and do not have any remorse or guilt but instead we are lifted up with a haughty spirit that says, "We have done nothing wrong."

If we have that attitude with no thought of repentance, it is a dangerous position to be in. We could lose our souls eternally. Yet, we don't have to. Through faith in Jesus Christ as savior from sin, God has given us His Holy Spirit so that we have the power over sin including the sin of covetousness. He has much better things for us, why do we settle for things that pass away.

Before we allow ourselves to be carried away with some material possession we desire, think for one moment where that possession will be 100 years from now. Our covetousness is for nothing. Our souls will be present somewhere 100 years from now but our possessions will belong to another or have decayed away. 

These things that God dealt with Israel over can be our undoing also. The bible was written for our benefit too. We can learn from Israel's mistakes (never gloat over them). I like to read the Old Testament just so I can make sure I'm not committing the same sins they did that brought God's judgment. 

• Micah 2:4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.

Since they did this to their own people, God allows other wicked nations to do the same thing to Israel and Judah. The law of sowing and reaping was in effect. If we eat junk food, what happens to our bodies? If we ignore God's word and do our own thing, what happens to our inner soul? God makes laws for our good not our destruction. He sent Jesus to save, not destroy. 

• Micah 2:5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD. 

Being the congregation of the Lord is removed from those that forsake Him. Israel was removed because of disobedience. This was only temporary for after the Babylonian captivity, they returned to their land. After the captivity to the Roman government they were scattered again but returned in 1948. Casting a cord was a way of measuring land. This they didn't need to do because they lost their land.

We ourselves live by the law of sowing and reaping today. What we do to others will return upon us if we fail to repent and be led by the Holy Spirit instead of our own desires. 

• Micah 2:6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. 

The more we get away from God, the less we will hear the word of God. Israel in the days of Micah and the days of the kings after David; got to the place where they did not want to hear the prophets that prophesied the truth. They wanted to hear smooth words of the false prophets instead. So they were given a famine of the word of God. I can't think of anything worse than a famine of God's word. We sometimes make fun of the doomsday speakers. I know the devil sends in false ones so that we think all those that speak warning words will be esteemed as false but true prophets will always warn as well as comfort.

If someone speaks smooth ear tickling words to a congregation that is living in sin, we can assume they do not speak truth. I don't want to hear words of comfort if I need to repent, neither do we need words of doom and gloom when we've done nothing wrong but are just going through a trial.

That is why it is so important to seek to be led by the Holy Spirit when we speak. Always seek truth and not just what makes us feel good at the time. 

• Micah 2:7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? 

There is good promised to the obedient and faithful. The faithful will love the truth and desire to walk uprightly.

• Micah 2:8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war. 
• 9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory forever. 

Robbing widows, orphans, women and children is an abomination in the sight of God. Devouring widows houses and in pretense offer up long prayers is also an abomination. All nations have a duty to care for women and children. 

Although this warning is to Israel and Judah of that day, it can apply to any religious body or nation that robs women and children of a decent place to live. Has money become our god? The sin of covetousness robs the innocent. This is not a license to rebel against government and force the rich to give to the poor. This is a call to repentance so that they themselves desire to be free from covetousness and help the poor on their own.

• Micah 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. 
• 11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people. 

People wanted to hear prophets that told them they can live how they want and do not need to repent, God loves them anyway. This sounds very familiar. This is a warning against prophets that encourage the drinking of wine and strong drink. Mostly it is those that are prophesying under the influence of wine and strong drink themselves.

• Micah 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. 
• 13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them. 

Verse 12 and 13 gives the comfort to Israel of being gathered in the last days at the 2nd coming of Christ. It sounds like a double prophecy promising a return after the Babylon captivity but the latter day gathering will be glorious. We saw it the nation of Israel reborn in 1948 which is the beginning of the final fulfillment but when the whole nation comes to Jesus during and after the future great tribulation, there is to be a complete everlasting fulfillment when the whole nation is saved forever from their enemies on all sides. Jesus returns a 2nd time to set up His kingdom.

Repentance then and now is the only way to get right with God. Repent means to turn from sin and turn to God. We can love God enough to want to change our ways so that our ways become His ways. It is a much better way to live.

Israel could have avoided so much suffering if they had of heeded God's word and repented at the times when they failed. This applies to us. We must repent and believe in Jesus to be saved the first time. If we fail after our conversion to Jesus, we must repent and do the first works. We must not fail in this. Without repentance our lives become unfruitful. We can be washed daily from the water of the word of God.

We can be continually cleansed through the word. We can walk in the Holy Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh. God didn't make commandments for us to be destroyed. He made commandments for our good. He gave us the gift of salvation, sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit so that the "want to" do evil is removed from our hearts. We now can serve God because our "want to" has changed. DC