Answers Bible Curriculum Year 2 Quarter 3 Lesson 8
This week in Sunday school, we look at the prophecy of Micah. What did Micah have to say about the Messiah? How were Micah’s prophecies fulfilled? Which prophecies of Micah are yet to be fulfilled? We will look at these questions and more.
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all right let’s begin we’re looking more today at the prophets ministering to Judah during the divided Kingdom Period last week we looked at King Hezekiah and his interaction with sennacherib king of Assyria Hezekiah which was a righteous King and God had made Hezekiah Prosper but then God also allowed the king of Assyria to invade Judah and capture all the Fortified cities except Jerusalem Hezekiah did not lose heart however even in this desperate situation he trusted in God to deliver when sanakra boasted against God and tried to discourage the people Hezekiah brought sennach ribs boastful blasphemies before the Lord praying that God would vindicate his glorious name that God would keep his promises to Israel and God would save Jerusalem the Lord honored The Humble prayer of Hezekiah and he proclaimed Deliverance to Hezekiah and then he brought it to pass the Lord the angel of the Lord devastated the Assyrian army forcing sennacherib to retreat back to Assyria and then God struck down snack rib in his own land in his own Temple and by his own Sons we see again the basic but repeated truth of the Old Testament God is opposed to the proud but he gives grace to the humble now God bless Hezekiah and Judah experience needed Revival and reform during hezekiah’s Reign but the pattern of Israel soon became the pattern of Judah Judah learned to be a spiritual Harlot just like her sister and God then sent prophets to Judah too to warn Judah to return to the Lord and we’re going to look at one of those prophets today in Micah here’s our agenda we’re going to be overviewing the Book of Micah to get a sense of Micah’s message we’ll then look more closely at Micah’s prophecies regarding the Messiah and then we’ll consider how and whether Micah’s prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled or the prophecy for Israel and the Messiah were fulfilled in the coming of Christ let’s ask God’s blessing on this time our Lord glorify yourself now help us understand your word help me to be able to explain it and God I pray that you would impact our hearts the way that your truth was meant to in Jesus name amen all right please open your Bibles to micah1 The Book of Micah appears after Daniel and Amos but before Jonah and Nahum it’s page 924 if you’re using that Pew Bible Mike is only seven chapters long we won’t have time today to read through the whole thing but we will overview the book but first let’s just see the opening of the book in Micah 1 1.
here’s what Micah writes to begin his book so Micah 1 1.
the word of the Lord which came to Micah of more Chef in the days of jothim ahaz and Hezekiah Kings of Judah which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem notice a few things here Micah speaks by the word of the Lord and that word has been recorded for us in this book Micah is of moorisha or from moorisha more Chef was a town on the border of Judah and philistia near gas so as Micah from Israel or from Judah he’s from Judah because the town he’s from is in the southern Kingdom it says that Micah received God’s word in the days of jotham ahaz and Hezekiah you’ve already met these people especially Hezekiah ahaz and Jonathan where hezekiah’s father and grandfather Jonathan was a good King not a great king not as good as Hezekiah and ahaz was an extremely Wicked King and he had led Judah into idolatry he was the one who had actually allied with Assyria when Israel and Damascus had attacked now it says this prophecy concerns Samaria and Jerusalem but as you read through Hezekiah I mean as you read through Micah you see that most of Prophecy is about Judah they’re the primary audience of this book Samaria though mentioned a couple times as we’ll see it is not mentioned as having already fallen so this means that this prophecy was given before the fall of Samaria in 722 BC probably written because the other kings mentioned here probably around 7 30 BC is when we get this Prophecy from Micah that’s all the Bible tells us about this prophet like some of the others we don’t get much information about the man but we do need to pay attention to his message so what is the message of God through Micah well it’s very similar to the messages we heard from Amos and Hosea and others God’s message to Judah is you are a sinful people he rebukes the sins of the people he promises judgment on their sins via exile he calls on the people to repent and he promises a stunning future restoration for his people back in their own land let’s walk through the chapters a little bit to show you how the how the author moves along in chapter one Micah declares that God’s Fierce judgment is coming against his people specifically he says about Samaria in verse six look there for I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the Open Country planting places for a Vineyard I will pour her Stones down into the valley and will lay bare her foundations this is actually shortly before Samaria Falls when he gives this epoxy why is this happening because of her spiritual harlotry but verses 9 and 13 of chapter 1 say that Judah has learned the same sins as Samaria and is now walking in them therefore Micah cannot stop mourning and he tells others to grieve because of what is coming verse 16 of chapter 1 says exile it will go into exile and in chapter two we begin to hear more of why what kind of sins is Judah committing well they’re the same sins of Samaria the people of Judah oppress the poor and take advantage of the widowed and fatherless they love to speak lies they love to drink but they hate to hear God’s rebuke they don’t want to hear the word of God’s true Prophets in chapter 3 God condemns the leadership in Judah the corrupt rulers oppress for personal gain while the prophets and Priests they take bribes and just tell people what they want to hear all the while the people of Judah claim that Yahweh is their God and he’s going to deliver them from all their enemies but God says in chapter chapter 3 verse therefore on account of you speaking of the wicked leadership and how they’ve led the people weekly Zion will be plowed as a field Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins and the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest it’s exactly what God had promised on Samaria almost the same language it says the same thing is going to happen to you Jerusalem and what other part of Jerusalem specifically is going to be destroyed the temple the temple God’s special Dwelling Place the place where he set his name it’s going to be destroyed going to be made into a ruin in the latter part of chapter or in chapter four excuse me in chapter four though God declares restoration it says restoration for Judah and Jerusalem is coming in the latter days even though for a time they’ll be taken in Exile we’re gonna look at this chapter more closely in a minute chapter five God continues this theme of restoration and focuses on a coming ruler we’re gonna investigate that more also in chapter six God reasons with Judah says why have you done all this evil when I’ve done you so much good what reason do you have how have you found Fault With Me and then God makes clear what he actually requires of them not ritual worship or sacrifice not even their firstborn child as a sacrifice but verse 8 of chapter six God says he has told you a man what is good and what does the Lord require of you what to do justice to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God he’s calling on them to repent to turn back to doing God’s will to obeying God’s commands and walking humbly before him in the latter part of chapter six he says no other way is going to profit you you actually are seeking to prosper yourselves by taking advantage of people using faulty weights using deception but you’re not going to prosper it in fact when you’re a judge they’re going to take whatever Prosperity you already have it’s going to be seized by those who plunder you and then in chapter seven the Final Chapter Micah bewails Judas State he says there’s no trustworthy person here at all not the rulers not the commoners you can’t even trust your own family members or spouse but then in the second part of that chapter he says again God will restore Judah we’re going to look at that section two our Focus today is going to be on the restoration part of Micah’s prophecy so now we have an idea the background the message and the flow of the Book of Micah let’s now examine those sections that relate to judah’s Restoration starting with chapter four so turn back to Micah 4.
and we’re going to look at the whole chapter but we’re going to look at it in two sections first verses one to eight of Micah 4.
follow along with me as I read and it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains it will be raised above the hills and the peoples will stream to it many nations will come and say come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the god of Jacob that he may teach us about his ways and that we may walk in his past for from Zion we’ll go forth the law even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem and he will judge between many peoples and render decisions for Mighty distant Nations they then they will Hammer their swords into plowshares and their Spears into pruning hooks Nation will not lift up sword against nation and never again will they train for war each of them will sit under his Vine and under his victory when no one to make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken though all the peoples walk each in the name of his God as for us we will walk in the name of the Lord Our God forever and ever and that day declares the Lord I will assemble the lame and gather the outcasts even Those whom I have Afflicted I will make the lame a Remnant and the outcasts a strong nation and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever as for you Tower of the flock Hill of the daughter of Zion to you it will come even the former Dominion will come the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem right so pretty amazing words here let’s just make a few observations the prophecy is said to be fulfilled in the last days now increasingly we’ve been seeing this phrase in the latter prophets I think even in some of the former prophets in the last days God’s going to do some special things for his people God makes a number of promises in this first section of chapter four what are some of those promises that’s right the outcasts and the lane that’s definitely a lowly group they’re going to become the strong Nation they’re going to become let me just find that word again they’re going to be part of the kingdom of Zion what else what’s another promise God makes here yeah Danny that’s right the mountain of Zion is to become the highest it says the the mountain of the house of the Lord so that probably is uh some kind of reference to the temple but Zion is going to become the most exalted Mountain it’s going to loom all over over the rest of the earth it’s gonna be raised above the hills established as the chief of the mountains what else yes that’s right war and violence will cease everyone will be at peace and be secure what else Nations that’s right the Nations will all be in subjection to the Lord and they will come to Jerusalem seeking the Lord so we’ve got a number of amazing promises here just to repeat them again Zion will become the exalted mountain and will have dominion over many nations even mighty and distant Nations Zion will have dominion many people will journey to and or hear from Zion to know God and his will war and violence will cease everyone will be secure a remnant of the lame and outcasts will be made into a strong nation that God himself will rule and oh a rule from Mount Zion and the kingdom will be restored to Jerusalem now in the middle of these promises is a declaration as if from the people of Judah spoken by Micah what is the Declaration in verse 5.
Micah says yeah Rob it’s they’re all the people’s walk each in the name of its God but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God okay so paraphrase that what is Micah saying there okay so he’s saying that we’re gonna walk after the Lord no matter what everybody else is doing now the context of the prophecy says oh isn’t everybody following the Lord at that point are all the nations turning to the Lord so I think this is actually an aside he’s not speaking about the future there he’s saying what we’re going to do now because of what’s happening in the future but there is that aside where he says it doesn’t matter who who else the other nations serve we’re going to serve the Lord now let’s look at the second half of chapter four and let’s see what other prophecies God gives through Micah so starting in verse 9.
now why do you cry out loudly is there no king among you or has your counselor perished that Agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth writhe and labor to give birth Daughter of Zion like a woman in childbirth for now you will go out of the city dwell on the field and go to Babylon there you will be rescued there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies and now many nations have been assembled against you who say let her be polluted and let our eyes gloat over Zion but they do not know the thoughts of the Lord and they do not understand his purpose for he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor arise and thresh Daughter of Zion for your horn I will make iron and your hoofs I will make bronze that you may pulverize many peoples that you may devote to the Lord their unjust gain and their wealth to the Lord of all the Earth very interesting some different promises here there’s a shift in verse 9 that indicates some trouble the people are crying out and writing as if in labor the prophet asks the people have they lost their leader or their counselor that they should react this way but then Micah says this labor trauma is appropriate because what’s going to happen to Judah according to the first half of verse 10.
they are going to be taking an exile who’s going to take them Babylon they’re going to be taken to Babylon now this is interesting because recall Babylon is not the great power at this point in history it’s still Assyria this is 7 30 BC Babylon would not arise as a great power until about a hundred years later and yet Micah or rather the Lord through Micah is proclaiming it is Babylon who’s going to take Judah into Exile that’s where they’re going to go but this labor these labor pains they don’t last forever what does God promise in the second half of verse 10.
they’re going to be redeemed from Babylon they’re going to be rescued there now there’s a striking prophecy also in verses 11 to 13. God says many nations have assembled against Zion hoping to gloat over her destruction but what does God say will happen to those Nations what’s going to happen to those looking for Judah to be destroyed Israel and Judah yeah Roy that’s true God is going to defeat them and use them for his glory who is the means of their deceit who’s pulverizing the people yeah Rob well and the last person says um I will speaking of Zion I will make your host spawns and you shall be in peace as many peoples yeah so who’s doing the who’s beating the enemies that’s right yeah Israel the daughter of Zion is another way to describe the people of God he says you are going to be the one that destroys your enemies they think that you’ve been cast down and they can totally gloat over your destruction and they’ve all assembled around you to see your Destruction come to pass but they don’t realize God says they don’t understand what I’m doing I’m actually Gathering them like sheaves to be threshed I’m like it’s like a whole bunch of wheat has been harvested and now you’re gonna beat them you’re gonna pulverize them they’re all going to be defeated and what’s going to happen to their wealth it’ll be taken like spoils but for what purpose well we’ll make the nation visual strong but specifically here it says yeah it says to have devoted to the Lord that’s the second half of verse 13. that you may devote to the lord they’re unjust gain and their wealth to the Lord of all the Earth so some interesting promises here the daughter of Zion will destroy her enemies and then devote the plunderer to the Lord now already these are some pretty astounding declarations in just chapter four let’s go to chapter five now and read and observe the first five verses there Micah 5 verses 1 to the beginning of verse 5.
now muster yourselves and troops daughter of troops they have laid Siege against us with a rod they will Smite the judge of Israel on the cheek but as for you Bethlehem ephratha too little to be among the clans of Judah from you one will go forth for me to be ruler in Israel his goings forth are from long ago from the days of Eternity therefore he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child then the remainder of his Brethren will return to the sons of Israel and he will arise and Shepherd his flunk in the strength of the Lord in the Majesty of the name of the Lord his God and they will remain because at that time he will be great to the ends of the Earth this one will be our peace all right let’s uh make some observations here by the way that’s modern Bethlehem the ancient section speaking for God Micah tells Judah to get ready for a Siege and warns what will happen what is going to happen as part of The Siege someone will be smitten who’s going to be Smith the judge of Israel the ruler of Israel says now he’s going to be smitten on the cheek now Smite is not an everyday word Smite can mean to kill but the phrase Smite on the cheek does not sound like a killing blow but a wounding blow a shame bringing blow he said that’s going to happen to your ruler now the famous verse Micah 5 2. you’ve heard of Bethlehem he speaks here about Bethlehem Africa why why Bethlehem Africa kind of a simple reason it’s because there’s more than one Bethlehem there’s another one in Northern Israel and this is to differentiate Ephrata or ephrath used to be the name of Bethlehem the Bethlehem that you know the one that’s in Judah by the way according to the Old Testament history books what is special about the city of Bethlehem Bethlehem Africa some famous person came from there it’s called the city of David at least once in the Bible and sometimes we refer to it that day that way because that’s where David came from Jessie was a bethlehemite actually so was um Boaz I believe Boaz was also from Bethlehem and so Dave is from Bethlehem too now Bethlehem is not a great city as even the Lord knows here it wasn’t it wasn’t a momentous Town even though it did have an important person come from there God proclaims that little Bethlehem this place has been too small among the clans of Judah will have from her come forth one to be ruler in Israel now there’s something special about the identity of this ruler that we hear at the end of verse 2 is going forth or his goings forth of his appearances are from long ago even from the days of Eternity so this phrase this idea of going Sports has the idea of origin or Source this person is from ancient times even from eternity that must have astonished the listeners to Micah’s prophecy what kind of ruler will this be if his going sport are from eternity from long ago come back that in just a little bit later this leader must give up the people for a Time verse 3 says until the one in labor Bears her child and the remainder of the Brethren return to the sons of Israel after that though this ruler will arise and Shepherd in the strength and Majesty of God himself causing the people to remain this ruler will be great the universe 4 says and the beginning of verse 5 says this one will be our peace all right let’s pause and interpret when the text refers to Israel here does it mean the northern kingdom or Israel as a whole think Israel as a whole and I’ll give you a couple reasons for that when we look at the identity of the ruler he’s certainly going to be someone who rules all of Israel not just a section of Israel but also contextually Micah’s prophecy is mostly to Judah and the US in verse 1 getting ready for the siege that’s spoken as if from Judah moreover the language of verse 4 and chapter five he will rise in Shepherd’s flock in the strength of God and they will remain this does not sound like just a minor Dominion this is a full Dominion which implies the United Kingdom once again this will not be a restoration simply of Judah but of all Israel so this Shepherd is going to be for all or this ruler is going to be for all Israel verse 2 declares that the ruler of Israel will come from Bethlehem other texts refer to this future ruler as the Messiah the anointed one the coming King now going to the end of verse 2 because of his the goings forth being from ancient times to fulfill that condition what must this ruler be or who must this ruler be it has to be God God is the only one who’s ancient like that God is the only one who’s going forth have been from eternity this is going to be a ruler unlike any other man that has come in Israel before now verse 3 talks about someone in labor who is in labor and what does giving birth have to do with the remainder of Brethren returning to the sons of Israel this is difficult to interpret though we’ve got at least two ways we can go with this it could be that this labor metaphor is going back to what was given in the previous chapter Micah 4 verses 9 to 10 where it was talking about exile for Israel so in this sense the one in labor is Israel and the giving birth is the going into and then the returning from exile this partially fits with the second half of verse 3 where it talks about the people will return to their brethren though the language doesn’t quite fit or maybe not as well as we would like because it says the remainder will return to the Brethren of the sons of Israel but the remainder not the ones in Exile I mean the majority the vast majority of the people are in Exile it’s only a few poor people who remained in the land so that seems strange to say that people are going to be United the remainder will come back from exile to be United with their Brethren who are still in the land but perhaps this is what the author means another interpretation is to see and the woman again as Israel but the birth not as the restoration from captivity not the Exile in return from captivity but National repentance the um the people are going to be like some of the other props that say they’re not going to be fully returning to the Lord until the labor is complete and the the birth actually happens the people return to their Messiah or the people return to the Lord they are united in their Land once again and then verse 4 flows right out of that and then he will Shepherd his love the ruler will come and he will establish that great Dominion so while this interpretation flows more neatly into verse 4 it does take the labor metaphor a little bit differently than what Micah 4 had given us in a previous chapter so you have to I just offer you both of those interpretations for you to consider let’s look at one more section we’ve seen a number of prophecies about Israel’s restoration and some involving the coming ruler but now let’s turn to Micah 7. look at Micah 7 the second half starting in verse seven at the beginning of Micah 7 remember it begins by Earth yeah it begins by talking about the pervasive wickedness in Israel you can’t trust anybody because Judah rather because they’re all Wicked number seven Micah 7 verse 7. but as for me I will watch expectantly for the Lord I will wait for the god of my salvation my God will hear me do not rejoice Over Me O My Enemy though I fall I will rise though I dwell in darkness the Lord is a light for me I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I’ve sinned against him until he pleads my case and executes justice for me he will bring me out to the light and I will see his righteousness and my enemy will see and shame will cover her who said to me where is the Lord your God my eyes will look on her at that time she will be trampled down like Meyer of the streets it will be a day for building your walls on that day will your boundary be extended it will be a day when they will come to you for Syria and the cities of Egypt from even from Egypt even to the Euphrates even from sea to Sea and Mountain to Mountain and the Earth will become desolate because of her inhabitants on account of the fruit of their deeds Shepherd your people with your scepter the flock of your possession which dwells by itself in the Woodland in the midst of a fruitful field let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old as in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt or as in the days when he came out from the land of Egypt I will show you miracles Nations will see and be ashamed of all their might they will put their hand on their mouth their ears will be death they will lick the dust like a serpent like reptiles of the earth they will come trembling out of their fortresses to the Lord Our God they will come in dread and they will be afraid for you who is a God Like You Who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious Act of the remnant of his possession it does not retain his anger forever because he Delights an unchanging love he will again have compassion on us he will tread our iniquities Under Foot yes you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea you will give truth to Jacob an unchanging love to Abraham which you swore to our forefathers from the days of old okay one more really amazing section here we see a repetition of some ideas we saw in the previous chapters but also some new declarations are given here and verses 7 and 9 Mike admits that he and Judah have sinned and they must or and they deserve and must endure God’s judgment and yet what is Micah’s attitude how would you describe it doesn’t sound depressed what’s his attitude yeah right it’s like he’s hopefully looking for the Lord and waiting for that’s right he’s filled with hope he’s filled with confidence he says I know God will execute Justice I will see his righteousness on my behalf on behalf of my people he waits for God’s righteous and just restoration now what does God declare regarding judah’s enemies in verses 10 to 17. a couple different things there what’s one of the things God declares that’s right they will be ashamed they’ll be ashamed for mocking Judah and for trusting in their own strength your first idea of Shame both in verse 10 and verse 16. judah’s enemies will be ashamed what else they will be defeated they’ll be judged and devastated verse 10 and 13 talk about the the Earth will be desolate because of their deeds um they’ll be trampled down like Meyer in the streets verse 10 to describe so they’re going to be judged and devastated but then one other building okay that’s more about Israel they’re going to be enlarged they’re going to be fortified they’re going to be prospering but there’s one other thing regarding Israel and judah’s enemies well we did talk about the idea of Shame they’re gonna they’re gonna be ashamed of their might yeah Craig that’s right just like I think chapter four had told us they’re going to come trembling before God they’re going to become seeking the Lord’s favor because they are so afraid of him they’re going to actually seek the lord they’re gonna come to Jerusalem seeking the Lord finally what does Micah acknowledge God will do for Israel in verses 18 to 20.
and this is a new declaration prop hadn’t said anything about this before yeah or go ahead Megan that’s right it’s gonna forgive Israel’s sins and there’s a huge emphasis on this the idea is repeated in a number of different phrases well pardon iniquity it will pass over the rebellious act you will not retain his anger he will have compassion he will tread their iniquities underfoot and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea all that emphasis and the totality of those descriptions means total forgiveness all of their sins will be covered all of their sins will be wiped away and forgiven why will God do this according to verse 20.
yeah dang it goes back to the Covenant and you’ve been seeing this in Sunday school a number of times now why does God do what he does for his own glory and in faithfulness to his Covenant and we see that right here in verse one in chapter seven going back to Jacob and Abraham what you swore to our forefathers you’re going to do you’re going to accomplish and all of this provokes the question from Micah in verse 18. who is a God Like You who is a God Like You okay let’s bring together all our observations brings together all our observations to summarize them and then ask a couple more interpretation questions from Micah 4 5 and 7 we’ve seen at least 11 specific promises from God about the future of Judah and Israel Jerusalem and Samaria will be judged and taken into captivity Judah will specifically be taken into captivity by Babylon judah’s leader we can I don’t have this one up here but we could also say judah’s leader is going to be smitten in some way wounded and shamed nevertheless an ancient Shepherd will come from Bethlehem to rule Israel in God’s majesty and strength Israel’s sins will be completely forgiven Israel’s Kingdom will be restored the inhabitants of the New Kingdom will be the lowly the lame and the outcasts God will shame and Destroy Israel’s enemies war and violence will cease God will rule Israel himself Israel will rule the Nations and the Nations will fear God and seek his commands there’s a lot of amazing promises here but how are these promises fulfilled well some of these we can point to some specific fulfillments for sure Samaria was destroyed by Syria in 722 BC taken into Exile Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 BC along with its Temple taken into Exile Kings and Chronicles record both of those things Judah was exiled by Babylon but the people were allowed to return to their Land once Cyrus made a proclamation in 538 BC around that time allowing the people to come back to the land and rebuild the Temple as Ezra and Chronicles record a ruler did indeed come from Bethlehem to lead Israel a ruler also from the line of Judah and David and you know this Luke 2 4-7 Joseph also went up From Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and family of David in order to register along with Mary who was engaged to him and was with child while they were there the days were completed for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and she wrapped them in cloth and laid him in a Manger because there was no room for them in the end Jesus fulfilled that prophecy about Bethlehem in his birth and Matthew also records and John does too that the people of Israel and Jesus time knew the Messiah was going to come from Bethlehem because of this prophecy Matthew says Matthew 2 46.
this is Herod gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born they said to him in Bethlehem of Judea for this is what has been written by the prophets and you Bethlehem land of Judah are by no means least among the leaders of Judah for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will Shepherd My People Israel but this ruler truly was of old John 1 1-2 in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God he was in the beginning with God and John 8 56-58 Jesus is speaking to the crowds your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad so the Jew said to him you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you before Abraham was born I am he is the ancient of days he is the one who’s going forth our phone Everlasting Jesus fulfills that condition and he came to Shepherd Israel Matthew 9 36 seeing the people he felt compassion for them because they were distressed and dispirited like a sheep without a shepherd and John 10 11. Jesus declared I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the Sheep and this was all part of God’s provision of bringing forgiveness of sins to Israel as the apostles makes clear in Acts 5 30-31 . I think it’s Peter seeking at this point he says the god of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you had put to death by hanging him on a cross he was the one whom God exalted to his right hand as a prince and a savior to Grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins but only the lowly and repentant would find entrance into the New Kingdom of Christ in Israel Jesus told a number of Parables along these lines you may remember the parable of the invited dinner guests I’ll just refer to part of it to remind you Jesus says and the slave came back and reported this to his master that no one he invited was going to come to his dinner then the head of the household became angry and said to a slave go out at once into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the crippled and blind and lame and the slave said Master what your commandment has been done and still there is room and the master said to the slave go out it’s the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in so that my house may be filled for I tell you none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner Jesus explains other in other parts of the Gospel that Parable is about the proud self-righteous being thrown out of the Kingdom even the Jewish self-righteous but the humble penitent Jewish and Gentile they’re the ones brought into the kingdom but what are these other promises of the Kingdom of Israel being restored a visual’s enemies being shamed defeated coming out of their fortresses in fear before Yahweh and his Messiah Israel ruling the world War ending people living without fear have these come to pass oh what were you going to say well not yet yeah surely they have not but they will they will come to pass when will they come to pass well Micah says in the last days now some say that these promises from Micah and others like them they refer to the Eternal state when God is done doing everything and he creates a new Heaven and a new Earth that’s when all these things will come to pass but I don’t believe that’s the best interpretation because we’ve even seen these prophecies the old world is still there Assyria and Egypt they still exist people are coming from those lands and from the Euphrates to come to Jerusalem to come to Zion so believe we’re not talking about the Eternal State here these prophecies refer to a time before that when Kingdom the Kingdom of Israel is established again and has dominion and when will this be in Christ’s Second Coming what we refer to as the millennial Kingdom as Paul says in Romans all Israel will yet be saved and Zion will have dominion over the Nations under her Messiah as God promised a question along those lines if God was using Micah to warn Judah of judgment and call the people to repent why mention all these words about Restoration in the latter days I mean if this is far off don’t they have another problem that need they need to take care of right now why even mention all this what do you think okay you say to give them hope can you explain a little bit more I think you’re you’re on to something there Shay certainly we could say that these Prophecies of restoration they show God’s heart of Love which should along with other reasons move the people to repentance look at what your God has already promised to do for you look what he’s done in the past why are you doing evil against him return to the Lord but I think as you were saying Shea as these prophecies come to pass as the Judgment comes the people would be tempted towards despair to even wondering well maybe God’s not going to keep his promises to us maybe this is it for us but God reminds the people when all this takes place I’m not done with you you haven’t been totally rejected I’m not giving up all my promises I’m still going to keep them and here’s what’s going to take place you will be restored in the latter days you will be forgiven in the latter days and you will have dominion in the latter as I re-establish your kingdom with my Messiah with my ruler this I think again referring back to Romans this is exactly what Paul does when he’s explaining to the people about God’s Plan of Salvation he says you know in the beginning of Romans going from chapter one to verse 8. describe what God has done in the gospel how all were under wrath all are saved both Jew and Gentile by faith and God’s provided substitute in Jesus Christ but in Romans 9 and 10 and 11 Paul explains that though Israel has presently rejected her Messiah that does not mean that God’s promises have failed or been dissolved that God has completely cast off Israel rather Paul explains no some of Israel are being saved right now and in the future all of Israel will be saved God has merely temporarily hardened Israel in order to accomplish a grander gospel purpose namely the inclusion of the Gentiles the inclusion of the Gentiles into the Kingdom of Israel into the kingdom of God so Micah is doing the same thing as Paul does in Romans he’s explaining what you’re seeing the Judgment the hardening the resistance to God that does not mean that God’s promises have failed or that he’s no longer keeping his Covenant to Abraham his Covenant to bless and um give dominion to Abraham’s seed no that’s gonna come to pass but in the latter days for now there will be judgment and there will be Exile into Babylon there will be that labor there was labor pains but that pain is going to end one day and they will be restored but the great news for us is none of us are Jewish but we have now because of Jesus and because of faith in Jesus and inclusion in his kingdom questions or comments before we look at a few application questions yeah right Mr General comment with respect Prophets one of the things that uh kind of jumped out of me and I kind of thought this might come out too in lesson six when we talked about prophecy was that sometimes with respect to the Old Testament prophets we have a tendency to think that when they wrote these things that they put all the things that they were saying and also the time in which they were to occur that’s not always like we we do know that they eternity had those kinds of kinds of ideas but a lot of times they didn’t know all of the exact fulfillment of it and time of it the Apostle Peter in his first letter makes a point of that in his first chapter where he makes a he says a couple of the verses in there from I just sure go ahead he says as to this salvation the grace that would come to you made careful search es and inquiries seeking to know what person or time the spirit of Christ within them was indicated as he predicted the submarines of Christ and the glories to follow it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in these things which things into which Angels long to look that’s a pretty amazing statement for for maker I mean you would think that being a he was say you know in a probable way that we knew about all the things but he took the more humble approaches said that not only did they know some of the things they were writing about but they had to search the scriptures to figure out what exactly was that they were written in the time that it would apply to them it’s indicator that that the Old Testament writers were not just writing their own minds but they were writing Revelation it was thinking about by God so that they didn’t even understand a lot of what they were writing right yeah thanks for what I’ll try and summarize what you said just a little bit briefly but you’re talking about how to profit in the Old Testament even Micah they were making declaration even if they did not fully understand what they were declaring they didn’t know exactly when it was going to take place or how all of it was going to be fulfilled another great example of that is uh Daniel right in the very end of his book he he has a prophecy that he delivers I think he asked a question about it but God says go your way Daniel this is not for you this is not going to be fulfilled right now but it will be fulfilled in the proper time and just like that statement from Peter that you were reading about how the prophets because they did not fully understand what they were revealing I think they understood that’s what Peter’s getting at there that they were serving a future generation with their words and the same thing here when we have in Micah this whole thing about Bethlehem Ephrata yeah that part’s pretty clear and you don’t have to wonder about that oh the ruler is going to come from Bethlehem but it’s going forth are from from of old I think the regret that understood that but they didn’t grasp the implications of that a ruling in the strength and Majesty of the Lord himself okay what exactly does that mean though those things were written there so that when it came to pass it was totally clear the people at that time even the prophets didn’t fully understand what they were revealing so thanks for bringing up that point oh and I just want to say another thing too hopefully by now you’ve appreciated the Old Testament prophets when they make prophecies about the future they don’t often make a decision about when the things are happening in the future so there can be things that happen in the far distance and future and in the immediate future talked about in the same section so you kind of have to be ready to um to deal with that when you’re reading the prophets that doesn’t mean that they are unclear or somehow messed up in their prophetic Duty it’s just that they were seeing things in the future as revealed to them by God but the specifics of the timing were not clearly delineated uh yeah Steve but there was there was some understanding though and then he asks well you know and even describes from the scripture that would be Bethlehem right so so you know there’s some understanding but not not a full understanding exactly I don’t want to thanks for bringing that up Steve I don’t want to repudiate what we learned about two lessons ago that God speaks clearly the prophecies are specific and when they are given by God you know certain things are going to happen and you can know specifically sometimes when and where they’re gonna happen but not all the time or sometimes you know certain things and not other things about what’s going to take place so certainly in the case of Jesus’s birthplace that was very clear and as we mentioned in the gospels even the Pharisees knew where Jesus was or where the Messiah was going to be other questions or comments yeah sure and then did you say there was like a 150 200 year labs between well let me answer your question by saying a couple different things sure you’re asking about the timing of this prophecy related to Israel’s Exile in Judas exile Micah is probably prophesying before Israel is taking an exile before 722 BC because he speaks of samaria’s fall as being a future event it says Samaria will be made a ruinment but he also was someone who prophesied during the remain of Hezekiah so that’s a little bit difficult to fit together we know Hezekiah was reigning when Israel fell so that’s why I say Micah probably gives his prophecy around 7 30 BC now Israel goes in Exile 722 BC about 722 BC Judah goes in Exile um or the Jerusalem is destroyed and the last wave in Exile in 587 BC so um that’s about I guess 150 years after samaria’s fall and that’s about yeah so about 150 years after Mike is prophecy too other questions or comments yeah right how God is going to use Israel to be yeah and there’s another place in Revelation where you know Christ comes on the White Horse with all his armies so are those like the same is that the same thing or would you say that there are two different goddess using two different like things to destroy the enemies that’s a really good question you’re asking that’s that specific Prophecy from Micah about pulverizing the people’s Israel is going to be one of the ones who just toys our enemies is that finding fulfillment in Jesus’s Second Coming where Jesus leads an army but himself actually destroys all of his enemies and ostensibly all of Israel’s enemies I have to think about that more that sounds possible but I’m not sure anything else before we look at application okay well just a couple of questions this is I guess a little bit different application because we’re speaking mostly about prophecy here but just a couple questions to get us thinking about how this applies in the real world oh I think something happened to the computer there we go okay number one how is Micah useful for showing people that Jesus is the old testament’s promised Messiah what’s so great about the prophecies that we were looking at today in terms of proven Jesus is the coming ruler yeah and not just that but yeah the specific fulfillment of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem but also how Jesus um makes the claim of deity and he says before Abraham was I am and that fulfills the condition that’s given in the second part of Micah um Micah 5 2. also his being a Shepherd to Israel we talk about and he describes himself as a Shepherd he acts as a Shepherd towards Israel he’s fulfilling all the different requirements that Micah gave regarding the coming Messiah so we want to show look the Old Testament promised this Messiah Jesus is it we just look at the film The fulfillments of these prophecies from Micah there are a number of them right there so this is useful for showing proving Jesus is the Messiah that God had promised but two other questions just for you to consider on your own and the light of the Lord’s prophecies and his faithfulness to bring them past do you trust the Lord to be faithful to his promises to you if God can feel these promises on a grand scale can he fulfill promises that he’s given to you personally the promises in his word or do you feel like I don’t know if I can believe that I need a little bit more evidence before I can believe that God’s given you all the evidence stop being proud and hard-hearted and believe the Lord take that risk he’s giving you ample reason to believe and then do you give the Lord heartfelt thanks and worship for including you a metaphorical paralytic and Outcast a gentile far from the revelation of God far from the people of God far from salvation are you grateful and worshipful that God nonetheless included you in his salvation plan in his kingdom plan brought you into his kingdom brought you near through Jesus Christ the prophecy in Micah today has many remarkable prophetic details regarding the Messiah but there are even more to come next week we go back to Isaiah and hear what Isaiah had to say just a few things of what Isaiah had to say regarding the coming Messiah let’s close in prayer Our God we’re so thankful and grateful that you’ve included us in your kingdom the revolution that you’ve given the New Testament about the Gentiles being brought in is so sweet but because we didn’t deserve it we were so far not that Israel deserved it but if anyone deserved it it was the people that you had called out and chosen specifically and gave them the oracles gave them your law we had no claim we were the Wild Olive Tree just finding our own simple practices not knowing about you and not caring to know about you but then you revealed yourself you brought the message and then you brought us in you made a way for us by faith in Jesus you made a way for us to be included in the Kingdom that you’re promising to Israel thank you God for being so gracious it would help us to believe your promises and Lord those who don’t know you and have yet to recognize that Jesus is the Fulfillment of these prophecies given by Micah and others when I pray that you would cause them to believe and use us as your Witnesses to bring your word yourself validating word says the people will would see it and believe God please accomplish salvation work through us please bring more Gentiles into your kingdom bring more Jews into your kingdom no it’s a you can be glorified in Jesus name amen amen