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Micah Chapter Seven Israel's Misery ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This chapter begins in gloom (7:1-6) and ends in hope (7:8-20). Micah watched as society rotted around him. Rulers demanded gifts; judges accepted bribes; corruption was universal. But God promised to lead the people out of the darkness of sin and into his light. Then people would praise him for his faithfulness. God alone is perfectly faithful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) What did Micah say was his, whom did Micah say he was like, what did Micah say there was not to eat, and of what did he say there was none that he craves?
______________________________________________________________________________ This section begins with a lament as the prophet mourns the lack of godly fellowship in his time. The metaphor pictures the remnant seeking for grapes and choice figs to satisfy its hunger, but it is as though it were the time of harvest when these have been picked and the hunger must go unsatiated. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) 2) Who has been swept from the land, what did Micah say did not remain, for what reason do all men lie in wait, and who does each hunt with a net?
______________________________________________________________________________ The fruit in verse 1 represents godly persons. The feeling of utter disappointment in seeking food and finding none conveys the feelings of the godly at the great lack of individuals who have remained faithful to God. The language describes the excesses that characterized the treatment of the "have nots" by the "haves." (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) 3) What did Micah say both hands are skilled in doing, who demands gifts, who accepts bribes, what do the powerful dictate, and what do they do altogether?
______________________________________________________________________________ Micah describes the strong hold that those in
responsible positions had on the throat of society. "The ruler demands gifts"
means that the ruler insisted that justice be distorted for his gain. Power can
corrupt if not guarded by the law of a higher Sovereign. The judicial system was
corrupted by the lust for bribes. The controlling classes, i.e., the rich,
simply dictated their desires; the implication is that they received them. (NIV
Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) 4) What is the best of them like, what is the most upright like, what day did Micah say has come, whom did Micah say will visits them, and now, what time is it?
______________________________________________________________________________ Micah describes even the best of the people as briers. If one sought mercy or sympathy from any of them-even those who appeared to be upright and respectable-they would prove to be hard and piercing. In keeping with his use of sudden, almost jarring, contrasts, Micah points to the coming judgment: "The day of your watchmen has come." The watchmen were the prophets (Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 3:19) who watched the course of their nation, saw its internal decay and decline, and, like watchmen who guarded the cities of ancient times, warned of the inherent danger. The day of the watchmen was the day of punishment-the Captivity. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) 5) Whom does Micah tell them not to trust, whom does he say not to put confidence in, whom does he tell to be careful of his words, who dishonors his father, who rises up against her mother, who raises up against her mother-in-law, and who are a man's enemies?
______________________________________________________________________________ Micah returns to the description of the wrongs of his society. In his day a man could not trust his friends or even his wife, and respect for one's parents and vanished. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) 6) What did Micah say he watches in hope for, whom does Micah says he waits for, and whom did Micah say will hear him?
______________________________________________________________________________ The clouds of gloom begin to separate as the prophet describes the attitude of the godly person amid such difficult circumstances. Micah does not succumb to despair or lethargy. The word "watch" means to "look" or "wait expectantly" (cf. verse 4). The godly person will look expectantly for every evidence of God's working. By waiting for him to act in his own time, Micah finds peace in the knowledge of God's sovereign activity in the world. But Micah also expresses confidence that God will answer prayer. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Israel Will Rise ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7) Whom does Micah tell not to gloat over him, though Micah has fallen, what will he do, though he sits in darkness, whom will be his light, because he has sinned against the LORD, how long will he bear the LORD's wrath, where will the LORD bring him out into, and what will Micah see?
______________________________________________________________________________ Not only does he trust God to act and
to answer prayer, but Micah trusts him to vindicate the faithful. Though the
faithful are subjected to difficult experiences, they will one day rise to
receive their heritage. There is vivid contrast between the people of God
sitting in darkness and the gladdening effect of the light of God that will
shine among them. 8) Whom did Micah say will see it (Israel's exaltation) and be covered with shame, what did his enemies ask, what did Micah say his eyes will see, and even now, how will she (the remnant) be trampled underfoot?
______________________________________________________________________________ Ultimately the remnant will be exalted and the hostile nations of the world covered with shame and trampled like mud. This later figure is used by Isaiah (10:6) of the invading Assyrians. Micah uses it of the conquest of the hostile powers in the day of Israel's exaltation. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) 9) What day did Micah say will come, in that day, whom will come to Israel, and why will the earth become desolate?
______________________________________________________________________________ The remainder of this chapter is an exultant
description of the eventual triumph of the remnant. The prophet envision a great
extension of the remnant's influence as he sees a future day when the nation
will greatly increase in population by an influx of people from Gentile nations,
symbolized by Assyria and Egypt. That the Gentiles are to become partakers of
the promise through faith is a cardinal doctrine of both Old Testament and New
Testament (Genesis 12:3; Amos 9:11-12; Romans 9:30; Galatians 3:6-9). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pray and Praise ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10) Who does Micah say to shepherd with your staff, where does the flock live, where does Micah say to let them feed as in days long ago, and what will God show them as in the days when they came out of Egypt?
______________________________________________________________________________ The remnant will triumph because of their
relationship to God. The text pictures them as dwelling alone, i.e., apart from
the nations, in a forest. Bashan and Gilead were agricultural areas of great
fertility that became symbols of plenty. The reference to them here is symbolic.
This is a request that Israel's former years of blessing be restored by her Good
Shepherd. 11) What will the nations who can see be, of what will they be deprived, where will they lay their hands, what will their ears become, how will they lick the dust, how will they come out of their dens, and how will they turn to the LORD their God?
______________________________________________________________________________ As a result of God's intervention on behalf
of Israel, the nations will be humbled before God and his remnant. The power of
the nations will be as nothing before the great power of Almighty God. To lay
the hand on the mouth is to indicate reverence and awe. The deafness of the
nations may be caused by the thunderous events that God brings about. 12) What does Micah say God does, what does God not do forever, and what does God delight in?
______________________________________________________________________________ God delights to show mercy! He does not forgive grudgingly, but is glad when we repent and offers forgiveness to all who come back to him. Today you can confess your sins and receive his loving forgiveness. Don't be too proud to accept God's free offer. 13) What did Micah say God will have on them, where will God tread their sins, and where will he hurl all their iniquities?
______________________________________________________________________________ Because God's anger does not continue forever, the believing remnant can know that an end will come to their humiliation. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers) 14) Whom will God be true to, whom will God show mercy to, and who did God pledge on oath to?
______________________________________________________________________________ In an age when religion was making little difference in people's lives, Micah said that God expected his people to be just, merciful, and humble (6:8). He requires the same of Christians today. In a world that is unjust, we must act justly. In a world of tough breaks, we must be merciful. In a world of pride and self-sufficiency, we must walk humbly with God. Only when we live according to God's way will we begin to affect our homes, our society, and our world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Answers Micah Chapter Seven ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) misery...one who gathers summer fruit at the
gleaning of the vineyard...clusters of grapes...early figs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Taken from The NIV Life Application Study Bible, Zondervan Publishers |