Micah 1-2
Have you ever wondered, “what’s so special about Jerusalem?”
I mean, think about it. Maybe look at a map. That area has been hotly contested by kingdoms, empires, nations, world religions, and people groups since the dawn of time. Why? The reason for each group is a little different, but practically speaking, it’s the only strip of land that connects Europe, Asia, and Africa all together. Everything around it is pure desert.
So Israel, since the days of Moses, has been an impossibly small tribe in an ocean of military conquests and empires. Over and over again, though, God had protected Israel and preserved their residence in the top real estate of the ancient world.
Until the days of Micah.
During the time of the Old Testament minor prophets, Israel had walked away from God and His protection. The northern half of the kingdom (which split off from Judah, the southern half)) was about to be destroyed by the kingdom of Assyria. Micah was pleading with his countrymen to return back to God and His protection before they fell to a similar fate.
Micah means “Who is like the LORD?” and his name fits the theme of his message perfectly. Chapter 1 is a call for Judah to start mourning for the fate that is sure to befall them. It’s also a reminder that all of this will happen because they turned away from their covenant to God (see our discussion on Amos 5 earlier this week).
In chapter 2, Micah goes on and on about the many ways that his country has totally forgotten about their God. My favorite verse in this section is 2:7b: “Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?” In other words, God asks Judah, “if you were following my Word, wouldn’t you be so much better off?” And this is the lesson for the reader today: God’s Word is beautiful and practical. We don’t just learn about God in His words! We also find life, love and contentment in God’s words!
-Levi Salyers
Read or listen to today’s Bible Reading Plan passages at BibleGateway.com here – Micah 1-2 and Revelation 8
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