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Micah Chapter Two Man's Plans and God's ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) Who did Micah speak out against at morning's light, why do these evil men carry out their evil plots, what do they covet, what do they take, who do the defraud, and of what do they defraud a fellowman?
______________________________________________________________________________ Micah spoke out against those who planned evil deeds at night and rose at dawn to do them. A person's thoughts and plans reflect his or her character. What do you think about as you lie down to sleep? Do your desires involve greed or stepping on others to achieve your goals? 2) What is the LORD planning against this people, from which they cannot save themselves, why will the people no longer walk proudly, in that day, what will men do to the people, what is the mournful song they sing, and what will the people have no one in to divide the land by lot?
______________________________________________________________________________ The word "therefore" establishes
the preceding catalog of wrongs as the basis for the "disaster." Micah referred
to the nation as a "people." He pictured the disaster as a burden from which
they would be unable to save themselves (lit., "to remove their necks"). Micah
saw the captivity as unavoidable. Because of the national humiliation, they
would be unable to hold their heads high among the nations. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ False Prophets ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3) What did their prophets say not to prophesy about, what will overtake them, what should be said about the house of Jacob, and who does God words do good to?
______________________________________________________________________________ If these messages seem harsh, remember that God did not want to take revenge on Israel; he wanted to get them back on the right path. The people had rejected what was true and right, and they needed stern discipline. Children may think discipline is harsh, but it helps keep them going in the right direction. If we only want God's comforting messages, we may miss what he has for us. Listen whenever God speaks, even when the message is hard to take. 4) Lately, how has God's people risen up, what does God's people strip off from those who pass by without a care, what are they like, who does God's people drive from their pleasant homes, from whom do they take away God's blessings, and why does Micah tell them to get up from their resting place?
______________________________________________________________________________ But the people were not living according to
the standards of the Lord, for Micah says, "Lately my people have risen up like
an enemy." By their blatant disregard for the social concern demanded by the
covenant, they were really rebelling against the Lord and evoking his anger. The
acts of unbelievable hostility Micah cites describe the ways in which the poor
were treated like an enemy. The people forcibly stripped off the outer garments
of those who unsuspectingly passed by. The word "Strip" frequently has the sense
of a "raid" that a marauding party would make against an enemy (Judges 9:33;
1Samuel 23:27), and it is used also of stripping the spoil (Hosea 7:1). The
peaceful and unsuspecting were suddenly bereft of some necessity of life by
those who cared nothing for their victims' security or comfort. 5) Who did Micah say would be just the prophet for this people?
______________________________________________________________________________ The people liked the false prophets who told them only what they wanted to hear. Micah spoke against prophets who encouraged the people to feel comfortable in their sin. Preachers are popular when they don't ask too much of us and when they tell us our greed or lust might even be good for us. But a true teacher of God speaks the truth, regardless of what the listeners want to hear. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deliverance Promised ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6) Who will God gather, who will the LORD bring together, how will he bring them together, what will the place be throng with, who will go up before them, where will they break through, who will pass through before them, and whom will be at their head?
______________________________________________________________________________ Micah's prophecy telescopes two great events-Judah's return from captivity in Babylon, and the great gathering of all believers when the Messiah returns. God gave his prophets visions of various future events, but not necessarily the ability to discern when these events would happen. For example, they could not see the long period of time between Babylonian captivity and the coming of the Messiah, but they could clearly see that the Messiah was coming. The purpose of this prophecy was not to predict exactly how this would occur but that it would. This gave the people hope and helped them turn from sin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Answers Micah Chapter Two ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot
evil on their beds...because it is their power to do it...fields and seize
them...houses...a man of his home...his inheritance ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Taken from The NIV Life Application Study Bible, Zondervan Publishers |