Does anyone in your group have any special needs that must be addressed before you begin your lesson? Has God done anything in your lives this week that you can share with your group? Have you been helping each other confess your sins during the week? Is anyone missing from your group that needs to be encouraged to attend? Spend a few minutes, if need be, to address these matters, and then, let us begin with a prayer.
Oh living God, thank you that you revealed your Kingdom to Israel of old. Help us, we pray, as we study the loss of that Kingdom to rightly grasp the wonder of the Kingdom that has no end, even the Kingdom of your Son. In his name we pray. Amen.
In the previous four lessons, we learned how God first established his Kingdom. He began by choosing a people, the descendents of Abraham, and he showed them through the covenant how to live in relationship to God, to each other, and to the land. In this lesson we shall see how this first attempt to redeem the world was wrecked by continued sin, and how God judged this sin as announced by the prophets. The prophets not only pronounced God’s judgment against sin, but also proclaimed a new way of redemption which was to be fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
Let us now address the questions we asked at the beginning of this series. Where did we come from? We came from God who created us. Who are we? We are disobedient sinners, but God has called us to be descendents of Abraham. We are we know? We are in the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom which worships God, organizes itself under godly leadership, uses resources for the sake of the Kingdom, and thereby becomes a blessing to the world. We are also members of others kingdoms, the land where we live and the nation to which we belong. These lands and nations are different from the Kingdom of God, especially in regard to leadership, the use of the land and its resources, and the worship of the one true God. Where are we going? We are going to down the path that God has given us as we await the coming of the Lord Jesus and our final redemption. What must we do? We must enter into a covenant with God and his people, and by means of that covenant, begin the redemption of the creation in all spheres of life.
This lesson, “Micah Three,” is the first of three lessons on the prophetic judgment of God. As we shall see, God's people did not keep his covenant. They violated the laws regarding leadership, the land, and worship, and for that reason, God judged them for their sins. Micah, chapter three, describes how Israel's leadership violated the covenant and led Israel astray. Before reading him, however, we need to continue the history of God’s people in order to more fully understand Micah's message.
Once the people of Israel had conquered the land, they began to live in covenant with God and each other. At times, however, they disobeyed God’s laws, and as a result, they fell under the judgment of God. God would allow them to be defeated by their enemies, or he would withhold the rains that watered their lands. The people would repent and turn back to God. Then God would rescue them by calling leaders who would defeat Israel's enemies with God's help. These leaders were the judges that ruled the people. After some 200 years in the land, the people demanded a king and God gave them their first king, Saul. After Saul, David became king. This happened about 1,000 years before Jesus was born. David conquered a large area and established a powerful kingdom. After him, his son Solomon reigned, and after his death, the Kingdom of Israel broke into two parts, a northern kingdom named Israel and a southern kingdom named Judah. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah.
Although God had blessed them with the land, although he had given them the law, although he had rescued them time and time again, the people continued to rebel against God. They broke covenant with God, and finally, God completely withdrew his protection. The people were defeated in battle and many of them were carried off into slavery. In the year 722 before Christ was born, the Northern Kingdom was invaded by the Assyrians, its people carried off into slavery, and peoples from other lands were settled in their place. Just before this happened, God raised up prophets to warn the people of the disaster that lay before them. Through the words of the prophets, God pleaded with his people to repent of their sin, and warned them that he would surrender them to their enemies if they would not repent. One of these prophets was Micah.
Micah began his prophetic work some 750 years before Christ. He spoke the words of God to the people, warning them that God would execute judgment for their violation of the covenant. His words proved true. As just mentioned, in the year 722 B.C., the people of the Northern Kingdom were carried off into slavery. Many years later, as Micah had prophesied, the Southern Kingdom, Judah, was invaded by the Babylonians who carried many of them into captivity as well. As it says in the book of Hebrews, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” Hebrews 10:31. What a blessing that we have a savior that died in our place. We will now be reading Micah, chapter three. Please read it at least twice, and consider the following questions for discussion.
Micah 3:1-12
Questions for Discussion
1. The word “justice” in verse 1 refers to actions taken to uphold the laws of the covenant. Some of these laws were described in our previous lesson on leadership. Verses 2-4 describe the effects of the leader's actions on the people. All of us are leaders in some way. How have we, as leaders, violated the laws of God and hurt those we lead or influence?
2. The words, verse 4, "hide his face from them," mean that God will no longer show himself to these unjust leaders. Nor will he protect and bless them. Rather, he will abandon them just as Jesus was abandoned on the cross because of our sins. Do you ever feel that God has hidden his face from you because of your sins? Do you believe that you are completely forgiven in Christ Jesus? Are you willing to repent and live differently?
2. Verses 5-7 describe the work of the false prophets. How did these false prophets decide whether they would prophecy peace or war? What did Micah say would happen to these false prophets? What will happen to us if we do not use our words well? What did Paul mean when he said in Ephesians 4:15, that we should speak the truth in love?
3. Micah, verse 8, believed he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord to proclaim to Israel her sin. Are there ever times when we need to warn others that they are taking the wrong path? Has anyone ever warned you about a wrong path that you were about to take? Did you listen? Are their times when we, as did Micah, need to speak to those in authority? Many times people are angry with those in authority and critical of them. Have we ever sinned against those that God has placed over us? Jesus spoke prophetic words to those in authority, warning them of their evil ways. He had the right to do this because he was anointed by God as a prophet, and because he loved the leaders more than himself and was willing to die for them. There are times when we need to speak to those in authority as well. Before we speak prophetic words, however, let us ask ourselves these questions: Have we been called to speak to them, have we prayed for them, respected them, and shown that we are more interested in their welfare than our own?
4. According to verses 9-11, what sorts of sins were being committed by the leaders, the prophets, and the priests?
5. Zion was the hill in the capital city of Jerusalem where the temple was built. What was the result, verse 12, of the sins of the leaders, the priests, and the prophets? Have you seen God's judgment against churches or nations for their disobedience?
6. These prophetic words show how important leaders are. When leaders walk in the ways of the Lord, the people are blessed. When they do not, the people are often led astray. Jesus is our leader, our true leader. What has Jesus done for us that would give us the absolute security that his leadership will always be right and good? Why can we trust him with our lives? What do we need to do in order to follow him daily?
7. In light of Micah’s prophecies, how would you answer our five questions: Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we now? Where are we going? What must we do?
Let us end this lesson with a prayer.
O heavenly Father, we cannot thank you enough for sending your Son Jesus to be our prophet, our priest, and our king. We beg you, give us your Spirit that we might hear his words, receive the power of his sacrifice, and receive his judgments. This we ask, trusting in your great goodness. Amen.
Let us remember the words of Paul who, in spite of great suffering, proclaimed, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4)
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
