Micah Lesson 1

OUTLINE OF MICAH

“THE COUNTRY PREACHER” 

KEY VERSE: Micah 2:1-2 “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.”

THEME: Micah denounced the social sins of his day. He felt keenly the social evils. He saw the unfair treatment of the poor by the rich. He felt that these sins cried up to Heaven. No class was free from corrupting influences; princes, priest, and people alike were all affected.

DATE: Micah wanted the people to know that every cruel act to one’s fellow man was an insult to God. Micah prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (see 1:1) He was a contemporary of Isaiah in Judah and Hosea in Israel. (See Isaiah 1:1; Hosea 1:1) The Northern Kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity during Micah’s lifetime. He lived between 758-700 B.C.

WRITER: Micah. He was born in the town of Morasthite, which was located in Palestine, on the Philistine border, about twenty-five miles south of Jerusalem. Micah was a representative of the common people. He was called “The Country Preacher,” in contrast to Isaiah, who was “The Court Preacher.” Micah’s prophecy is like many Old Testament prophecies. It covers not only the context of his day, but also the context of the day of the Lord. He sees far into the future and speaks of the “last days”. (Micah 4:1) He vividly describes the restoration which is future, even to us. Both comings of the Messiah are foretold. Micah closes his prophecy with a passionate plea for repentance.

WRITTEN: Micah’s writings cover from the birth of Christ through to the Kingdom reign of Christ here on the earth. Dr. A. T. Pearson says of the book of Micah, “There is nothing like it in all the literature of man.”

THE BOOK: Number in the Bible: 33rd of 66 books of Bible. Number of chapters: 7. Number of verses: 105. Number in order of writing: 6th of 12 books of minor prophecy.

PURPOSE: To show that God’s plan to redeem should not be frustrated, even though He had to punish His chosen people for their sins.

DIVISIONS: The book is divided into three separate scenes: Scene one: A Message to the People. Micah 1:2 “Hear, all ye people; …” Scene two: A Message to the Rulers. Micah chapters 3-5. Micah 3:1 “Hear—, O heads of Jacob…” Scene three: A Message to the Chosen People. Micah, chapters 6-7. Micah 6:2 “Hear ye, — the Lord’s controversy, — with His people,…”.

FACTS: Micah was younger than Isaiah. His chief ministry was to Jerusalem, but he also was commissioned to speak for God to Samaria and Israel. He lived to see the evils he pronounced on Samaria in the north actually come to pass. His messages, no doubt, helped to bring about the great spiritual awakening in the days of Hezekiah (see Jeremiah 26:18). The land was in a state of corruption in the moral, religious, and national aspects of life. The prevailing attitude was one of complacency. The people thought that no harm could come to them, but Micah plainly told them otherwise. He was the only prophet sent to both southern and northern kingdoms. He ministered to the capital cities of both kingdoms, Jerusalem and Samaria. He includes an amazing number of prophecies in his short book: 1. The fall of Samaria, 1:6-7. 2. The invasion of Judah by Assyrians, 1:9-16. 3. The eventual fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple, 3:12; 7:13. 4. The exile to Babylon, 4:10. 5. The return from captivity and future restoration of Israel, 7:11, 14. 6. The birth of Christ at Bethlehem, 5:2. 7. The future reign of Christ, 2:12-13; 4:1-7.

OUTLINE: I. A note of warning. Chapter 1. The rapidly approaching doom of Samaria, the capital of the ten tribes, is announced. II. A note of wrath. Chapter 2. A cause of the overthrow is traced to the covetousness and worldliness of God’s once highly-favored people. III. A note of threatening. Chapter 3. Princes and popular prophets are rebuked. Because of them, Jerusalem was to become a rubble and Zion would be plowed as a field. IV. A note of promise. Chapter 4. When the Son of God appears, Jerusalem will shine in glory. Zion will become the meeting place for the millennial nations (V.1). V. A note of announcement. Chapter 5. The Messiah’s birthplace prophesied (v.2). VI. A note of instruction. Chapter 5. A tender pleading by Jehovah warns the children of Israel that they must suffer for their iniquities (v. 8). VII. A note of hope. Chapter 7. In the midst of Jehovah’s rebuke and indignation, the hope of the Lord’s coming shines like a star in the dark sky.

MISELLANEOUS: Prophecies of Christ in Micah. 1. Micah saw the place of His birth 5:2. 2. Micah saw His humanity 5:2. “Out of thee.” Micah seems to indicate here that the Messiah will come forth out of the human element of Israel, showing forth His fleshly line. 3. Micah saw His deity. 5:2. “—whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This is the same truth that Isaiah, chapter nine deals with. (See also John 1:1, 14; 5:58; 10:30; 17:5) Micah is quoted on three occasions. 1. By the elders of Judah quoting Micah 3:12 (Jeremiah 26:18). 2. By the wise men coming to Jerusalem quoting Micah 5:2 (Matthew 2:5-6). 3. By Jesus when sending out the twelve quoting Micah 7:6 (Matthew 10:35, 36). The book has been outlined in three looks. 1. The outward looks. Micah’s public sermons (1-6) 2. The inward looks. Micah’s personal contemplations (7:1-6) 3. The upward looks. Micah’s prayer petitions (7:7-20)

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