The lion's roar is no More

 Read Nahum 2.

God used the Assyrians to discipline the northern kingdom of Israel.  Now, about a hundred years later, it was Assyria in need of punishment.  The Holy Spirit revealed to the prophet Nahum the sights and sounds of the Babylonian attack on Nineveh in 612 B.C. about thirty plus years in advance.  The details are amazing, intense, and confirmed by archaeology.

What they did to others will be done to them.  They killed and scattered the northern tribes throughout their empire.  The Babylonians will kill and scatter them.  There will be no defense against the attackers.

In verses three and four, even the clothing of the soldiers, their shields, the chariots, and spears are all described.  So swift will be the battle that the destruction will come upon them like a torrential flood.  Indeed, the diggings around the site show two dams that the Babylonians may have built then breached, to overwhelm the city.

The once proud empire that referred to itself as a lion in the world, and often used the symbol of a lion, is mocked in verses ten through twelve.  "Where is the lions' den?"  Instead of roaring and devouring its prey, Nineveh became the hunted.  "Hearts melt and knees tremble; anguish is in all loins."

Babylon could take no credit.  God is in control.  He is working out His plans among the nations.  See these statements from the LORD to Nineveh in verse 13.
"I am against you."
"I will burn your chariots..."
"I will cut off your prey from the earth and your messengers shall no longer be heard."

Where is the hope for God's people?
In verse two, the LORD stated that He is relieving them of the Assyrian oppression and He promised to one day restore the "majesty of Jacob."  That full restoration has yet to take place.  The Millennial Kingdom and Israel's exaltation will be when Jesus comes again.

 

7 characteristics of the God of the Bible

 Read Nahum 1.

About a century had passed since the days of Jonah and the mass repentance of Nineveh.  At Nahum's writing, the Assyrians forgot those days of turning to God.  They resumed their pagan worship and cruel behaviors.  This time there would be no relenting of God's judgment.  The downfall of the Assyrian Empire, as predicted here, was swift and final.  The Babylonians come upon them like a torrential flood (v.8).  

Empires, world powers and their leaders come and go.  From a human stand point, it most often appears that the mightiest and strongest win.  "The survival of the fittest" or "might makes right" is the basis of evolutionary thought.  However, the God of the Bible claims sovereign control over His creation.  "But it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another" (Psalm 75:7).  The Babylonians, unknowingly, were used to carry out the LORD's plans and His punishment against the Assyrians, exactly as predicted in this book.

Here we learn a few core elements regarding the character of God.
1. The LORD is jealous. (v.2a)
This characteristic is mentioned several times in Scripture.  It comes from the fact of God's ownership of all things.  He does not allow our spiritual affections to be given to others, or the misuse of His property without accountability.

2. The LORD is avenging. (v.2b)
Three times in this single verse we are told that He will mete out punishment and take revenge on those who rebel against Him.

3. The LORD is wrathful. (v.2c)
Wrath is a passionate outburst of anger.  The LORD "keeps wrath for his enemies."  Those who choose to ignore or rebel against God foolishly have no fear of Him.  "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31)

4. The LORD is slow to anger. (v.3a)
His patience has a purpose.  "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."
(2 Peter 3:9)

5. The LORD is great in power. (vv.3b-6)
He is omnipotent.  There is nothing He cannot do.  The entire creation responds to His presence and His word.

6. The LORD is good. (v.7a)
Everyone receives daily benefits of God’s goodness and grace.  All His works are designed to direct people to know, love and worship Him.  Even the times of hardship in this life are meant to help us to cast our dependence upon God's goodness and purpose.  (Romans 8:28-29)

7. The LORD is a stronghold in the day of trouble. (v.7b)
Faith is personal.  Faith in the LORD is a personal relationship, not a religion.  He knows those individuals who have turned to Him in faith.  Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me." (John 10:14)

 

3 pillars of hope for the Future

 Read Micah 7.

"Woe is me!"
The time had come for Judah's punishment (v.4).  Everywhere Micah looked there was nothing but sin.  Leaders ran the country by bribery and violence.  No one could be trusted, not even one's own family members (v.6).  There was nothing good left; nothing worth saving.

"But as for me..."
However, through it all Micah maintained hope squarely based upon three eternal, unchangeable pillars of his faith.  His personal relationship with the LORD, the promises of God, and the character of God.

Personal Faith (vv.7-9)
Not everyone lived in rebellion against God.  Micah, as well as many others, stood in contrast to their culture with individual commitments to the LORD.
1. "I will look to the LORD."  When one keeps looking down, all they will see is sin and the negatives of life.  It is only when we look up to Him that we remember that God is in control.
2. "I will wait for the God of my salvation."  Since God is in control, only He can deliver.  Praying and waiting for God to respond is the true test of faith.
3. "When I fall down, I shall rise."  Failure is not final.  The godless culture may knock us down, but the fight is not over.
4. "When I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me."  Often we cannot see or understand what is happening.  The confusion may overwhelm us as a darkness.  But God's word is "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)

National Future (vv.10-17)
With the downfall of Israel and the looming destruction of Judah, the enemy nations taunted God's chosen people.  "Where is the LORD your God?"  And, the Jewish people surely were wondering what happened to the promises God made to Abraham and his descendants.  These punishments did not break God's promises in Genesis.  The people violated the covenant of Deuteronomy.  The scattering of the northern kingdom and the exile of the south were temporary.  The prophets consistently looked forward to the day when Messiah will rule in Jerusalem and the world come to worship Him.  That earthly, Millennial Kingdom was and is Israel's national hope.  Micah called to God, "Shepherd your people with your staff, and the flock of your inheritance."

Spiritual Foundations (vv.18-20)
"Who is a God like you?"  In closing the book, Micah provided some clear, crisp statements about the character of God.  No other faith system or religion can compare. 
1. The God of the Bible forgives sin.  There is not one alternative in the universe.
2. "He does not retain His anger forever."  Yes, the God of the Bible will discipline His people.  But it is for the purpose of discipleship and teaching how to obey Him.
3. "He delights in steadfast love." 
4. "He will again have compassion on us."  
As Jeremiah wrote, "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

 

The response to God's judicial Indictments

 Read Micah 6.

As the third message begins, the courtroom metaphor returns.  The LORD delivered His indictments and challenges the people to "plead your case."

Next, God presented three pieces of historic evidence.
1. He redeemed them. (v.4a)
The nation lived in slavery and by blood, both of the Passover lamb and the death of Egypt's firstborn, God bought them and brought them out.

2. He sent them godly leaders. (v.4b)
The LORD called Moses, along with Aaron and Miriam, to provide His word and His worship.

3. He provided for them. (v.5)
He protected them from those who wanted to curse His people.  They saw miracle after miracle as they traveled to the Promised Land.

How should the accused respond?  (vv.6-8)

The nation had focused on outward rituals of religiosity both at the Temple and in worshiping false gods for life-guidance.  Micah offered several exaggerated statements of hypothetical sacrifices to pay for their sin.  True, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).    Those outward sacrifices only had value when they came from a heart that was personally in right relationship with the LORD.  But none of these is what God had already told them to do (v.8a). 

Micah 6:8 is, perhaps, the second most quoted verse in the book, after 5:21.  It refers back to God's previous instructions in the Law, such as Deuteronomy 10:12-"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

Here is the corollary from Jesus: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it; You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40). 

Our personal relationship with Jesus will determine how we treat people.

As Bill Gaither wrote, "It's not that complicated."

 

6 prophetic statements identifying the Messiah

Read Micah 5.

The southern kingdom of Judah faced enormous stress from the impending invasion of the Assyrians.  However, Micah 4:10 added to their misery by prophesying that, when the Assyrians are through, the Babylonians will take Judah into exile. 

Is there any hope?  What about God's promises to Abraham and his descendants?

To finish his second message, Micah returned to the theme of the coming Messiah.  As in many of the prophecies in the Old Testament, their vision was one.  They did not see the first coming separate from the events of Messiah's second coming.  The New Testament carefully and completely affirms the identity of the promised Messiah is no one else but Jesus.

1. He will be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah. (v.2a)
This is where King David had been born some five hundred years previously.  Now, another leader of Israel will be born in this city, just a few miles from Jerusalem.  The angel announced to the shepherds, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

2. He will be born of a clan of Judah. (v.2b)
The royal lineage must come through the family of David, of the tribe of Judah.
"The book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1)

3. He will "come forth" from God, the Father. (v.2c)
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)  "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38)

4. He will be ruler in Israel. (v.2d)
There is no way to spiritualize this statement.  A literal rule was what the Jews expected of Messiah in Jesus' day and what the disciples asked about just before the Ascension (Acts 1:6).  Indeed, when Jesus returns, He will rule the world from the throne of His father David and "the government shall be upon his shoulders." (Isaiah 9:6)

5. He is the eternal God. (v.2e)
The Apostle John quoted Jesus: "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'" (Revelation 1:8)

6. He will shepherd His people. (v.4)
"I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me." (John 10:14)

The results for the regathered Jews (v.3) will be personal security and international peace (v.4).  There will be a cleansing of all forms of demonic and man-made faith systems (vv.12-15).

"Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Does his successive journey's run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more."
-Isaac Watts

 

9 prophecies for the latter day Saints

 Read Micah 4.

In the midst of all the bad news about coming judgment, the LORD provided a message of hope for the future.  Though the nation lived in sinful rebellion during Micah's day, all God's promises to the Jews will ultimately be fulfilled.  When?  "In the latter days."  Reading the descriptions of what those "latter days" will look like, it becomes immediately obvious that such a time has not happened yet.  These prophecies are still ahead.  So many statements in Micah replicate the prophecies of Isaiah.

1. There will be a Temple. (v.1a)
The historic site for the Temple and the only location for the new one is where the Dome of the Rock stands today.

2. Gentiles will be coming to it also. (v.2)
"and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)

3. They will come for instruction. (v.2)
There is no substitute for learning the word of God.  During this day and age we have a Bible to study in order know exactly what God has said.  But then there will be the added feature of instruction from Jesus Himself.

4. They will come for application. (v.2)
Knowing God's word is not enough.  What pleases Him is when people put His word into practice.

5. The location will be in Jerusalem. (vv.2 and 8)
There can be no spiritualizing this when the Scriptures provide exact geographical information.  No longer despised among the nations, this will be a place of international prominence and oversight of the world.

6. The LORD will make international decisions. (v.3)
"and the government shall be upon his shoulder..." (Isaiah 9:6)

7. The result of His decisions will bring a time of international peace. (v.3)
The "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". (Isaiah 9:6)  Note the fulfillment of beating swords into plows and the end of war is not the result of negotiations between nations.  World peace will come when Jesus reigns from Jerusalem.

8. People will live securely. (v.4)
With no wars, there will be no fear.

9. The Jews will live for Jesus. (v.5)
Finally, Paul's comment of Isaiah will come true.  "And in this way all Israel will be saved." (Romans 11:26)

 

3 indicators of those who speak for God

 Read Micah 3.

The bottleneck is always at the top.  As Micah begins to deliver the second message from God, he names three specific types of national leaders that have caused the problems.

Corrupt Rulers.  (vv.1-4)
Their charge was to protect and serve the people in government and judicial decisions.  The lawbreaker should experience the consequences and the victims receive just reparations.  Instead, rulings were made according to bribes (vv.9-11a).  This robbed the people who could not afford the pay-off and left victims worse off.  In short, the national leaders treated the people as their prey.  When finished, there was nothing left.

The predicted result was a time of accountability for their sins.  Babylon would conquer Jerusalem and carry the Jews into captivity.  Then, they would pray and plead with God, but it will be too late.  God's judgment is based upon His unchanging truth, not on a bribe.

False Prophets. (vv.5-7)
While God's prophets tried to call the nation to repent of their sin and coming judgment, the phonies preached counter messages of "you are okay," "God is not going to punish us," and "peace".  The false prophets never heard from God.  They made up their messages, preaching what people wanted to hear, and said what they were paid to say (v.11c).

They spoke out of their own spiritual darkness.  God provided no spiritual wisdom or His truth to them.  As a result, their prayers also would not be heard.  In the day when their false messages proved untrue, there would be nothing for them but disgrace and shame.

Ungodly Priests. (v.11b)
In this brief mention, it is clear that these men loved the robes, the rituals, and religious trappings of the Temple.  But they lacked a heart for God.  Instead of serving the people in their worship and sacrifices, they were only there for themselves and taking from the people.

Here is the result of the sins of all three of these national leaders: "Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins." (v.12)

But there is a fourth type of leader in the nation doing the work of God with a whole-heart.
God's Prophets (v.8)
Micah was not alone.  The LORD had many others speaking on His behalf.  What characterized the type of people who genuinely served God?
1. "filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD"
No one can be effective for God without the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

2. "and justice and might"
The message was not his but God's word.  It was not his judgment but the consequences of their sin against God.  And, Almighty God is more than capable of delivering on what He says.  Therefore, the true preacher's ministry is not personality driven but always points people to the LORD. 

3. "to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin."
One indicator of a false teacher is that they do not preach against specific sins.  Not so with God's preachers.  They are willing to stand on the unchanging truth of what God has said and offer hope through repentance and faith in the LORD.