Micah 1:8-16; Security Rests in God Alone.

Class Outline:

Thursday November 21, 2024

 

Intro: A little history makes this passage pop.

 

We need to first understand that a civil war instigated by Solomon’s son Rehoboam split the kingdom in two.

 

Oracle 1: Samaria (Northern Kingdom) MIC 1:2-7. 

Captured and deported in 722/721 BC by the Assyrians. 

Because of centuries of idolatry. 

 

20 years later (701 BC); the king of Assyria died and his son [Sennacherib] is on the throne. God sends Assyria again, this time to Judah (Southern Kingdom) as judgment. This is the topic of the second oracle, MIC 1:8-16.

 

The second oracle shows that only the Lord is true security in any life.

 

MIC 1:8

Because of this I must lament and wail,

I must go barefoot and naked;

I must make a lament like the jackals

And a mourning like the ostriches [“eagles” more likely]. 

 

Barefoot and naked could be part of a mourning ritual. Isaiah also did the same thing (ISA 20:2-4) where it is a symbolic act signifying a threatening captivity. 

 

The picture is of a mourning Micah in a wilderness, but he is in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will become a wilderness. 

 

MIC 1:9

For her wound is incurable,

For it has come to Judah;

It has reached the gate of my people,

Even to Jerusalem. 

 

MIC 1:10

Tell it not in Gath [Philistine city],

Weep not at all.

At Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust. 

 

Now it gets interesting. We have a list of towns which the Assyrians conquer on their way to Jerusalem. They are listed by Micah in order of being conquered. He strategically places them. Micah uses the name of each town in a way that spells (or sounds like) its doom (nomen est omen: the name portends its doom). 

 

David’s lament over the death of Saul with the words, “Tell it not in Gath” (2SA 1:20). The first city listed = the lament of David.  

 

Beth-le-aphrah (Dust Town) rolls in the dust (Hebrew word “dust” is apra, sounds just like the name of the town. This is the method that Micah uses in each town to show its ironic judgment). 

 

MIC 1:11

Go on your way, inhabitant of Shaphir, in shameful nakedness.

The inhabitant of Zaanan does not escape.

The lamentation of Beth-ezel: "He will take from you its support." 

 

Shaphir - shine. Beauty Town is naked (shamed). 

 

Jesus warned the Beauty Town types: MAT 6:19-21

 

Zaanan - Go Forth Town. Will no longer go forth for fear of the enemy but will cower behind the walls. 

 

Beth-ezel - Take Away Town will be deported. None of them will help or be able to help their neighbors.  

 

MIC 1:12

For the inhabitant of Maroth

Becomes weak waiting for good,

Because a calamity has come down from the Lord

To the gate of Jerusalem. 

 

Maroth - Bitter Town - will wait for good and none comes (just like all bitter people). 

 

MIC 1:13

Harness the chariot to the team of horses,

O inhabitant of Lachish —

She was the beginning of sin

To the daughter of Zion —

Because in you were found

The rebellious acts of Israel. 

 

The Hebrew gives us a nice irony; harness your war chariots to your race horses (for the fastest evacuation possible). 

 

Lachish is one of the chariot cities built by Solomon and fortified by Rehoboam. Judah’s military buildup was here.

 

Click: Lachish - Military Town. 

 

Lachish would be like those who trust in the latest technology instead of God. Security and happiness do not come from tech, even the high tech of our own age.

 

MIC 1:14

Therefore you will give parting gifts

On behalf of Moresheth-gath;

The houses of Achzib will become a deception

To the kings of Israel. 

 

Moresheth-gath is Micah’s home town - Bride Town. 

Instead of gaining bride and dowry, you will lose both. 

 

Achzib - Deception Town. Houses refers to the workshops which would have made this town an economic asset, but the flow of money is going to dry up.

 

MIC 1:15

Moreover, I will bring on you

The one who takes possession,

O inhabitant of Mareshah.

The glory of Israel will enter Adullam. 

 

Mareshah - Possession Town. 

Will be taken as a possession. 

 

We end the list of towns (places) as we begun (Gath) with a reference to David. 

 

Adullam: David

The glory of Israel will hide (as David did; 1SA 22:1). 

 

Summary of the places:

 

David laments

Dust Town

Beauty Town (naked)

Go forth Town (won’t escape)

Take away Town (deported)

Bitter Town (waiting for good, never comes)

Military Town (run away)

Bride Town (dowry is captivity)

Deception Town (no more money)

Possession Town (taken captive)

David - glory hides (Judah). 

 

The application to all, in every generation, is to not make anything other than God and His covenant promises to you, your ultimate security. 

 

Like Israel to the north, Judah examined their earthly possessions and concluded that these would protect them.

 

We all make this mistake at times. Some believers fall headlong into it. God is our security. 

 

PSA 28:7-8

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart exults,

And with my song I shall thank Him. 

The Lord is their strength,

And He is a saving defense to His anointed. 

 

If we have erred in this capacity and have begun to give thanks and trust for our security to anyone or anything other than the Lord, we need simply to change, and in faith repent and return to the place of trust and thankfulness. 

 

The oracle ends as it starts: stripped naked (vs. 8). 

 

MIC 1:16

Make yourself bald and cut off your hair,

Because of the children of your delight;

Extend your baldness like the eagle [“vulture” more likely],

For they will go from you into exile.

 

By our own faith in all that the New Covenant says of us and our future, we should each be making the environment of the kingdom, the city on a hill.

 

Analyze your life, your home, church, work, your community, and see what kind of influence you shine forth in them all. Are there any that are lacking? Are there environments where you shut God out and live for self? Are there places where you seek you and not others? 

 

The way of the Lord is the blessing of others. There is no greater happiness than spreading God’s light by His power. Don’t put it off.