OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY By Rev. LeRoy Davis BSc. and Glenn Davis copyright 2003 by Rev. LeRoy Davis and Glenn Davis Lesson 24 MICAH The name Micah means one who is like Yahweh, God like. It is a book of sermons and convictions. 1. The book contains 7 chapters. 2. It was written by Micah who was a prophet of Messianic conviction. Micah may have been named after an earlier prophet - Micaiah be Imlah [1 Kings 22:13-18]. His name is a short form of Micaiah. He lived in Moresheth-Gath near the Philistine border, 2 miles southwest of Jerusalem. He apparently condensed his spoken ministry into these messages. His chief ministry was to Samaria and Jerusalem. 3. He was the only minor'' prophet to minister both to Judah and Israel. 4. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. 5. The book was written between 736-700 BC. His denunciations were delivered before the reforms of Hezekiah. He may have helped to bring about those reforms. It was probably given mainly in the time of Jotham and Ahaz and written in the time of Hezekiah. 6. His ministry covers the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah and Pekah and Hoshea of Israel. He was then a witness to the captivity of Israel by Assyria. THEME The theme of the book is the judgment upon all Israel because of sin and restoration because of God's grace. It is a combination of the ethics and theology of Hosea and Amos. He denounces idolatry and ritualism. He denounced: 1. Prophets - hirelings, spiritism, consulting demons for knowledge of the future 2. People - blunting naming their sins 3. Princes - violence, corruption and oppressed, merciless in their treatment of the poor, their greed for gold. 4. Priests - corruption. The prevailing attitude in Israel was complacency even through they were the people of God. CHRIST Christ is the one who is born to be Shepherd. He is the heavenly Micah, the Godlike one who is born at Bethlehem. He is the rejected King who establishes His house. KEY WORDS A key word is controversy. Other reoccurring words are Israel [12], hear(d) [10], Zion [9], Jerusalem [8], Sin(s,ed) [7], transgression(s) [6], gather, assemble [6], and remnant [6].
KEY VERSE Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. PURPOSE 1. It was written to convict Judah and Israel of their sin and to declare to them the coming judgments of the captivities to Babylon and Assyria. 2. It was to give the faithful of Israel the promise of the restoration of Messianic times. 3. The book gives the city which is to be the birthplace of Messiah. He is the only prophet that does this. EVENTS AND CHARACTERS 1. He gives the prophecy or retribution. He declares God's anger against their idolatry. He shows the calamity of God's retribution and the cause of it. It comes from the sins of the people - princes - prophets - and priests. 2. There is the promise of restoration. The glory and victory of the church is pictured. The restoration is depicted and described. 3. God has a controversy with them for their unkindness, ignorance, and idolatry. There is a plea for repentance. God calls them to testify against Him if they have any grounds to do so. He speaks of their sins, which have brought them great sorrow. He will become their salvation. Micah is a book of several sermons that are intermingled with warnings, judgments, exhortations, promises of restoration, and Messianic predictions. His first sermon is to the people rebuking them for their apostasy and warning concerning the judgments that will come as a result of it. The second sermon is to the leaders and upbraids them for their cruelty and falsehood. He brings comfort with clear Messianic promises. In the third sermon he speaks to the mountains (nations) and pleads with Israel regarding the true essence of religion. He brings comforting words that God will pardon. 1:2 - God Himself witnesses against our rebellion and sin. 1:4 - Common prophetic images for the judgment of God - we have to keep the symbolic nature of most prophecies in mind when reading prophecy. What is the picture or concept being portrayed? 2:1-3 - Evil men making plots at night then carrying them out in the day with no one to stop them. God Himself will return evil to them. People who plot to harm others have God plotting against them. 2:6 - They have no desire to hear what God is saying. help. 3:4 - God says He will not hear when the oppressors are oppressed and call for
3:5-6 - False prophets are condemned - they will walk in darkness. 3:11-12 - Everyone from government to religious leaders were in it for money not caring for justice or truth. They were confident that God was on their side so they could do whatever they wanted. God promised to wake them up from that fantasy. 4:1-4 - In the last days of the nation of Israel the church was established and welcomed all nations to become the new people of God. And God s ways and laws are revealed and established through the church. Blessing is multiplied. This pictures a progressive development before the return of Christ and which climaxes with the return of Christ. 4:6-7 - The cast off gentiles becoming the strong church. 5:2 - Prophecy of the birthplace of Jesus. [Matt. 2:6]. 6:3 - God challenges them to show where He has done anything wrong. If they have not been mistreated, why are they constantly in rebellion? 6:7-8 - Even in the OT it wasn t the ceremony which pleased God but the heart. Here we have the three basics of pleasing God. 7:2 - Sounds like the world before the flood...and like the people before the flood. Total judgment was coming. God allows wickedness to reach a certain point and then judgment comes. 7:7-8 - Great confidence and faith - even in down times - that God will restore. 7:18-19 - God is a God of mercy and forgiveness. Here we have the verse that talks about our sins being cast into the depths of the sea. LESSONS TO REMEMBER 1. There are great perils in the love of money (2:1-2; Prov.23:4). 2. The results of sin literally plows a nation (3:12). 3. Christ brings peace (5:5). 4. God hates transgression and ritualism. 5. God will deal with transgression and ritualism, then bring pardon. 6. Those who continue faithful are assured of God's mercy and redeeming grace. OUTLINE I Prophecy to Retribution 1-3 A. Calamity of it 1 B. Causes of It 2-3 i sins of the people 2:1-13 ii sins of the princes 3:1-4 iii sins of the prophets 3:5-10 iv sins of the priests 3:11-12 II Promise of Restoration 4-5 A. Restoration depicted 4:1-8 B. Restoration delayed 4:9-5:6 i Times of Judah's misery 4:9-13
II Times of Judah's Messiah 5:1-6 A. Restoration described 5:7-15 III Plea for Repentance 6-7 A. Standards of the nation 6:1-8 B. Sins of the nation 6:9-12 C. Sorrows of the nation 7:1-6 D. Saviour of the nation 7:7-20 OUTLINE (ALTERNATIVE) I Sin and Judgment 1-3 To the people - Hear ye II Grace and Restoration 4-5 III Controversy and Comfort 6-7 To the mountains - Hear ye NAHUM The name Nahum means comfort, penitent, compassionate or comforter. It is related to the larger name Nehemiah which means Yahweh comforts. Poetic strength and beauty above other prophets except Isaiah. Directed solely against a heathen nation [as was Obadiah and Jonah]. 1. The book contains 3 chapters 2. It was written by Nahum. He is a prophet of both comfort and vengeance. He ministered to Judah and Nineveh. 3. He prophesied prior to the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC. but after 661 BC. (3:8-10). Nineveh [Assyria] was mistress of the world and was at the peak of its power and prosperity. 4. It was written between 661-612 BC. and some suggest between 650 and 620 BC. There is no mention of Hebrew kings. It was apparently written between the destruction of Thebes [No-Ammon] in Egypt 663 BC [by Ashurbanipal - Thebes was rebuilt in 654 BC. The destruction of Nineveh was in 612 BC. The destruction spoken of here was still future. The destruction of Thebes was recent in their minds [3:8-10]. It is concerned with judgment [tone of prophecy suggests this]. Several verses 1:12-13; 2:12-13; and 3:1-4 suggest Assyria still dominates in the west. Assyria declined rapidly after the death of Ashurbanipal in 633 BC therefore the date is about 650 BC in the right of wicked Manasseh. 5. His ministry covered a period of about 30 years during the reigns of Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah of Judah. THEME The theme is the destruction of Nineveh [located on the left bank of the Tigris River] which was the capital of Assyria. CHRIST Christ is seen as the stronghold in the day of trouble and the final Judge. He is also seen as the Prophet of comfort and vengeance. He comforts His own but brings vengeance on them that obey not the gospel.
KEY WORDS The key word is vengeance [3]. Other important words are against [5], wicked(ness) [4], flee(th) [4], away [4], and afflict [3]. KEY VERSE Nah.1:2,3 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies. (3) The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. PURPOSE 1. One purpose is to announce the judgment of God upon Nineveh. 2. Related to that it was to bring comfort to Judah by declaring that her enemies would be destroyed. 3. It shows that God rules in history for the benefit of His own. EVENTS AND CHARACTERS 1. The great city of Nineveh is doomed. It seemed impossible because the city had walls 100 feet high which were strengthened by 1200 towers. The walls were wide enough for 3 chariots to drive abreast. Nineveh enclosed 1800 acres and could maintain its own food supply in case of siege. The sides not protected by the Tigris were surrounded by a moat. About one hundred years prior Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. Nahum speaks of the Lord's patience, power, presence, purpose, and protection. He in vengeance pours out wrath on His enemies even though His longsuffering seems like He hasn't notice their oppression. The Assyrians would be cut off. God s vengeance revealed in Nineveh s overthrow provides the background to Rev. 17 which shows the overthrow of every Nineveh [Babylon that would seduce God s people]. Its utter destruction is foretold. That was something new. Normally empires fell but cities remained. Babylon in turn passed to the Persians and the Greeks but by the time of Alexander the Great, he was able to march over the site of Nineveh without knowing the great capital was buried beneath his feet. For centuries it s location was unknown. For over 100 years the Hebrews had longed for the downfall of Assyria. Nahum s book is one great at last. They pass from the pages of history after 609 BC. 2. The siege and sacking of that great city are prophesied. 3. The destruction of Nineveh was something they deserved. The city was fierce, cruel, filthy, full of fury, and brought fear upon all to whom she came. History of Assyrian empire was long and bloody. The Assyrians were notoriously warlike, blood thirsty, and cruel. She was a scourge to the surrounding nations. Israel was conquered and destroyed by her and Judah was invaded. The city of Nineveh had the ministry of two prophets Jonah and Nahum. Jonah was a prophet of mercy and called the city to repentance. The call was obeyed and the destruction averted. The city returned to its ways and was worse than before. Nahum is sent to announce God's vengeance and the coming destruction of the city. Assyria had
been shown God's mercy but they showed no mercy so God judged them without mercy. This declaration of divine vengeance was a comfort to Judah. 1:2-3 - We tend to think of jealously in strictly negative terms, but all jealously is not wrong. It depends on what is the object of jealously and how we react. God is patient but He will see justice done in the end. Sometimes we have to wait a long time but it will come. 1:7 - We can trust in God and run to Him in times of trouble. 2:6 - The swollen waters of the Tigris flooded part of the city making possible the invasion of the otherwise impregnable fortress by the Medes and Babylonians. 3:8 - Nineveh is reminded of the fall of No [or Thebes]. No Amon was the Hebrew name for No, the capital of Egypt and so Nahum must have been written after the fall of No in 661BC - Ushur. LESSONS TO REMEMBER 1. God is a God of love (Jonah 4:11) 2. God is a God of vengeance (Nah.1,2,6) 3. God is slow to anger but when the cup of iniquity is full He must judge. 4. God is against those who are against Him. 5. Divine vengeance comes upon those who reject His mercy. 6. The only recourse that God has with an apostate nation is to destroy it. 7. Children of saved parents can become apostates, it took over 100 years in this case. OUTLINE I Contrast of Vengeance and Goodness 1-1:8 II Nineveh's Overthrown 1:9-3:19 A. Judah's Freedom Would be the Result 1:9-15 B. Nineveh's Siege and Fall 2:1-10 C. Fall Deserved 2:11-3:7 D. Destruction of Nineveh 3:8-11 E. Defenses Destroyed 3:12-19 OUTLINE (ALTERNATIVE) I Judgment Declared - God Avenges 1 II Judgment Described - How God Avenges 2 III Judgment Deserved - Why God Avenges 3 HABAKKUK Habakkuk means embrace, the embrace of love, also it means wrestler, the meaning of the name is not clearly understood. It could come from a Babylonian word that is a name of a plant. It has been called the book of faith. 1. The book contains 3 chapters. It opens with a sob and closes with a song. 2. It was written by Habakkuk who is called by some the doubting Thomas of the Old Testament. He struggled because he didn't understand but continued in faith. Therefore
we can say he was a prophet of faith. He ministered to Judah. 3. There are three views as to the date of the book. a. It was written during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC.), during the destruction of Nineveh and the rise of Babylonian power (622-610 BC.). Message is inconsistent with the reforms of Josiah though. b. It may have been written during the reign of Jehoiakim (an evil reign). Babylon was rising to power after 612 BC. and before the invasion of 605 BC. This is the most likely time of its writing. c. Hebrew interpreters suggest the day as during the closing days of Manasseh (686-642 BC.). They draw this from the position of the book in the Hebrew and Greek canon. In addition the social and moral conditions were consistent with this date. It is unlikely however because the reforms of Manasseh were in his later reign. THEME The theme of the book is the just shall live by faith, that key phrase being repeated 3 times in the New Testament. He wanted to understand everything but could not, he must trust God. CHRIST Christ is seen as the God of my salvation. He is the Judge of Babylon and the Rewarder of those who seek Him. KEY WORDS The key word is faith. Other words of importance are violence [6], woe [5], judgment [4], and spoil(ed,ing) [4]. KEY VERSE Hab.2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. PURPOSE 1. The purpose was to deal with the problem of how God could use Babylon who was far more wicked than Judah to judge the wickedness of Judah. 2. It was written to show God's people they do not need to understand all the dealings of God regarding their enemies, but they do need to trust Him. 3. God answers the problem by showing that He will eventually judge Babylon as well. EVENTS AND CHARACTERS 1. The prophet is troubled by the wickedness he sees around him and even more troubled by the fact God will use a wicked nation such as Babylon to punish it. He sees the judgment coming. War is God s scourge with which He whips the nations. 2. The prophet is taught that God is righteous in all His dealings whether those dealings be individually or internationally. The Chaldeans have insatiable appetites, are relentless, ruthless, repulsive and of a false religion. 3. The book ends with a prophetic triumph. He acknowledges that God has heard his prayer so his faith comes to see God's purpose and plan so it soars.
The 3 stages of faith in Habakkuk: [1] - Faith sighing. Rich oppressing the poor and seem to get away with it. He asks why God allows it. The answer is that they will be punished. Babylonians coming - why them - they are more evil than Judah. But they too as well - just like all sinners - will be punished. The just shall live by faith. The duty of the righteous is to trust and not to try to figure out the justice of God s doings. [2] - Faith seeing [3] - Faith singing The book is a dialogue between God and the prophet rather than a direct prophecy to Judah. Habakkuk complains because God seems to lack concern over the sin of Judah. When God replies He will use Babylon to judge their sin, it makes matters worse because the Babylonians are cruel. Again the Lord answers He will judge Babylon for her violence. The questions answered, the prophet breaks forth in a psalm of faith and victory. NOTE: Habakkuk has the only positive use of the word faith in the Old Testament. 1:2 - Habakkuk is confused and hurt by all the wrong doing while God seems to stand by and do nothing. 1:6-7 - God tells him that he is rising up the Babylonians to bring judgment. 2:4 - Famous verse that jumped out at Martin Luther and helped to bring about the Reformation. 2:14 - The knowledge of God is going to continue growing and growing until the whole earth is filled with it. This proclaims the victory of the church. We will not go down in defeat in spite of what the doom sayers claim. Satan only wins in his wildest fantasies. 3:17-19 - No matter how depressing the circumstances, the prophets declares he has come to the place of faith where he can rejoice in everything. LESSONS TO REMEMBER 1. God can be trusted. 2. Believing is seeing rather than seeing is believing. 3. One can confidently take his problems to God. 4. God can give us understanding of the issues if we will trust Him. 5. God is consistent with Himself in view of the permitted evil. 6. God who is holy and righteous is required by His nature to punish sin. 7. The just shall live by faith. OUTLINE I Faith Tested 1-2 A. Wicked oppress the righteous B. Chaldeans will punish the wicked of Judah C. Chaldeans are worse than the Jews D. Chaldeans will be punished II Faith Strengthened 3 A. Habakkuk's prayer B. Prayer answered by vision C. The vision effects the prophet.
OUTLINE (ALTERNATIVE) I The Burden - Problem of Faith 1 First Conversation II The Vision - Answer of Faith 2 Second Conversation III The Prayer - Assurance of Faith 3 Prophet's Psalm