Want Plenty of Wine and Beer?

Good morning!

I was drawn this morning to the book of Micah.  With a ministry that spanned 750-686 B.C., he was a contemporary of both Isaiah and Hosea.  The themes of his book are judgment and deliverance. Micah was a resident of a small Judean town called Moresheth.  God can use even "nobodies" from "nowhere", Y'all.

Micah's ministry began after the northern kingdom of Israel had broken away from the southern kingdom of Judah.  Despite his small town roots, he was very aware of what was going on in both Israel and Judah.  Micah was extremely distressed at the word of the Lord and the vision he received from God over his countrymen...so distressed, in fact, that he engaged in such bizarre behaviors as wailing, howling like a jackal, moaning like an owl and running around naked (1:8).  {He needed to get the people's attention!}

Why?  The reason is given in 1:9 - - - Samaria's "wound" of idolatry is "incurable".  It is like a cancer, which has spread to the very gates of Jerusalem, in Judah.  {Remember now, there's Israel, the northern kingdom, whose capitol is Samaria.  Then, there's Judah, the southern kingdom, whose capitol is Jerusalem.}
God had shown to Micah that he was going to destroy the northern nation of Israel over its idolatry, starting with the capitol city of Samaria, which would be stripped down to its foundations (1:6).

The Lord says, "I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves.  You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity."

Micah 2:3

If we had a "Micah" today, this would be like a prophecy saying that invaders will come and destroy our major cities because of our national sin.  Think it can't happen here?  Think again.  It's coming. Micah had some naysayers in his day.  He described their advice to him in 2:9-10.  They said,

"Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us!"

That people preferred prophecies of prosperity (such as today's popular "Prosperity Gospel") and of fullness and blessing.  Micah pointed out in 2:11 that the prophet who prophesied "plenty of wine and beer" would be just the prophet for those profligate people!  (Sound familiar?) They only wanted to hear the gentle, soothing words, even in the midst of their apostasy.  They could not imagine that God would judge them, that disgrace would overtake them.  But, it did.

A prophet of Judah, prophesying words of judgment against Israel was one thing; but then, Micah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem in 3:12, even with the specificity in 4:10 that the conquerors would be the Babylonians, whose political star had not begun to ascend.  During his lifetime, he saw a partial fulfillment of his vision from God - - - the conquering of Israel by the Assyrians, which occurred in 721 B.C.  He did not live to see the destruction of Jerusalem in the mid-500s B.C.

In chapter 4 and following, Micah "changes gears" and begins to describe the restoration that God would bring about for a remnant of His people (4:6-7).  Chapter 4 begins with the phrase, "In the last days...".  Micah goes on to describe what life will be like during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.  Here, in verse 4:3, we find the famous passage about world peace..."they will study war no more"  because their swords will have been re-cast into plows and their spears into pruning instruments...war tools re-made into agricultural tools.

Later on in chapter 4 we find a prophecy about Jesus' first coming, in verse 2, specifying where he would be born:

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathath, though you are small among the clans of Judah,

Out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel

Whose origins are from old, from ancient times."

And, it happened, just like that (Luke 2:4-6).  This Deliverer is described as a Shepherd in Micah.  In 2:13 - - -

I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture.

One who breaks open the way will go up before them;

they will break through the gate and go out.

Their king will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.

Jesus Christ, who called Himself "The Good Shepherd" (John 10:11), "broke open the way" to God through the completion of His first earthly ministry.  When He returns, He will shepherd His flock again.  5:4-5 explains - - -

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

In the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

And He will be their peace.

He will be not only the peace of Israel and Judah in that day, but also of those of us who are "adopted", "grafted in" to the House of Israel.  This prophecy refers to all who follow Christ as Savior.  This will happen after that multi-year, end-times judgment on the earth called The Tribulation, which will be so bad that only a "remnant" of Jacob will be left (4:7, 5:7, 7:18).  It will appear as if God has abandoned His people, until that moment when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords appears to rescue His remnant, decisively defeat Israel's enemies (4:12 - - - He will gather them like a bunch of sheaves of wheat are gathered to the threshing floor), and establish His everlasting kingdom on this earth.

One of my favorite Micah passages is 6:6-8.  We'll explore that one tomorrow.

Good morning Lord Jesus, thank you for this new day, this new beginning.  Your mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!  Thank you that, though you cannot tolerate sin, You also have such compassion toward men.  Thank you for making a way for us to enter the sheep pen, through the coming of my Good Shepherd, Your Son.  May those of us who call you Savior and Lord "walk in the name of the Lord our God {today and} forever and ever." (Micah 4:5).  In Jesus' name, amen.