Session 13 Micah 7:1-10,18-20
how Micah views both himself and God’s people in Israel and Judah.
~`1 How sad for me!
For I am like one who — when the summer fruit has been gathered
after the gleaning of the grape harvest — finds no grape cluster to eat,
no early fig, which I crave.
2 Faithful people have vanished from the land;
there is no one upright among the people.
All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;
they hunt each other with a net.
3 Both hands are good at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together. 4 The best of them is like a brier;
the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.
The day of your watchmen, the day of your punishment, is coming;
at this time their panic is here.5 Do not rely on a friend;
don’t trust in a close companion.
Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms.
6 Surely a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother,
and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
(7:2) The people of Israel had become as spiritually barren as the picture Micah depicted. The fruits Micah craved were faithful and upright people in the land. Faithful people referred to those who loved the Lord and were loyal to Him. An upright person was one who maintained a standard of living in accordance to God’s law, doing what was right toward God and others. People like this had vanished; none were left in the land.
(7:3) The prophet used an interesting way to describe how adept the people were at accomplishing evil. Most people have one dominant hand; they are either right-handed or left-handed. Micah was saying they were ambidextrous in their ability to do what is evil.
(7:4) Israel’s prophets often saw themselves as watchmen for the people of God, warning the nation of God’s impending judgment if the people refused to repent (Hos. 9:8; Hab. 2:1; Ezek. 3:17; 33:7; Jer. 6:17). The day was fast approaching when Israel’s watchmen would see armies coming to invade the land. These armies would be God’s instruments of judgment.
`~Invite a volunteer to read 1 Kings 19:10.
Discuss how the emotions of Elijah and Micah are similar.
Among God’s people, Micah saw a rise in wickedness,
a rise in rebellion, and a rise in persecution of the righteous.
He observed corrupt leaders providing false messages and leading the people in the wrong direction.
He saw people who thought they were above judgment and could give lip service to God
while living as they pleased. The national situation seemed hopelessly caught in a cycle of sin and judgment.
He knew society was collapsing and families were collapsing.
Micah’s heart was broken.
Micah declared his intention of waiting on God, trusting Him for salvation.
He expressed hope as he considered the day in which God would deliver those who remained faithful to Him.