Shabbat Shalom, everyone. I would like this ministry meeting to begin to speak about another prophet among our own nation, Israel. And I would like you please to turn to the Old Testament, to the Tanach, to the prophet Micah. And he's one of those prophets that were prophesying to the nation of Israel, the northern tribes, as well as to Judah, the southern tribes. There are seven chapters in this book, in this prophet. And this ministry meeting, I would like to deal with chapter one. Let me please read the first 16 verses of this book, which I found in chapter one. Please follow with me as I'm reading those verses.

The word of the word of the Lord that came to Micah, the Morash Tite, in the days of Yotam, Achaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. "Hear, hear all ye people, hearken on earth, and all that therein is, and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? Therefore, I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as the planting of a vineyard. And I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundation thereof. And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burnt with the fire. And all the idols thereof will I lay desolate, for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

Therefore, I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked, I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. For her wound is incurable, for it is come unto Judah. He is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. Declare ye it not a gat. Declare ye it not a gat. Whip ye not at all. In the house of Ofra roll thyself in the dust. Pass ye away thou inhabitants of Shafir, having thy shame naked. The inhabitants of Tzonan came not forth in the morning of Beit Etzel. He shall receive of you his standing. For the inhabitants of Marot waited carefully for good.

But evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem. O thou inhabitants of Lachish, bind the chariots to the swift beast. She is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion. For the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshet Gat. The houses of Achziv shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitants of Moreshet. He shall come unto Adulam, the glory of Israel. Make thee bold, and pull thee for thy delicate children. Enlarge thy boldness as the eagle, for they are gone into captivity from thee.

And I am going to stop here in the end of the first chapter of the book of Micah. It's a prophecy that a man by the name of Micah, a prophet to the people of Judah specifically. He is speaking concerning the future days in which God will have to deal with his people Israel. With both the northern tribes as well as the southern tribes. And immediately we notice when did Micah, Micah, speak. Actually, by way of introduction, you will notice that when Micah prophesied to our people of old Israel. We have here the period of time in which he prophesied. You notice how it began in chapter 1, in verse 1 it says, The word of Jehovah, the word of the Lord, that came to Micah, the Maroshite, in the days of Yotam, Achaz, and Hezekiah.

You know, I took a look at these three kings of Judah, and you will notice in the book of 2 Kings, that those three kings were actually a grandfather, a father, and a son. In fact, the father of Achaz was Yotam, and the father of Hezekiah was Eichaz. And what we really have here, three kings of Judah, in the period of time when they reigned, Micah presented this message of the Lord to the nation of Israel. Now, what was the situation in the time of those three kings? If you just turn with me for a moment to the book of 2 Kings, chapter 15. Notice a few things about those three kings.

First of all, the first one, his name is called Yotam, Yotam in English. In chapter 15, you notice that in verse 32 to verse 38, very short time of the reign of Yotam. It says in verse 32, "In the second year of Pekah, the son of Ramaliah, king of Israel, began Yotam, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, to reign." We find out that this man, by the name of Yotam, was the son of Uzziah. But notice, we read something nice about this king. It says in verse 34, "He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord." In fact, Yotam was a king that reigned over Judah, but he did the right thing in the sight of the Lord.

It says in verse 34, "He did according to all that his father Uzziah had done." And what did he do? It says in verse 35, "The high places were not removed in his time." In other words, even though he was a good king, he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. The high places, this is the places on the hills and the mountains of Judea, where the Jewish people, instead of coming to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, they still worshiped and offered sacrifices on certain high places, which was really not in accordance with the will of the Lord. And that is what Yotam was still allowing in his time.

Then notice, in 2nd King, chapter 16, here is the second king. His name is Ahaz. The whole chapter is devoted to this king. Notice that it says, "In a seventeen year of Pekah, the son of Ramalia, Ahaz, the son of Yotam, king of Judah, began to reign." Now, here we find the second individual that Micah is mentioning in his book. But Ahaz was exactly the opposite. According to verse 2, B, it says, "He did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, his God, like David his father." Notice it says in verse 3, "He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and he made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abomination of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and he sacrificed, and he burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree." So, when it's come to Yotam, he walked with the Lord, but he left the places of worship in the high places.

When it's come to Ahaz, his son, he not only left those high hills where the altars were there, he had gone worse. In fact, he did not walk in the way of the Lord, and he actually began to offer sacrifices and to worship in those places. And he led the children of Israel astray and away from the right path. The third thing that we find out now, if you turn to chapter 18 and verse 1, till the end of 2nd King chapter 20, we find the third king that is mentioned in Micah chapter 1, and his name is Hezekiah. Hezekiah. In Hebrew, we call him Hezekiah. In Hebrew, we call him Hezekiah.

And notice, he also was a good and godly king. Now read verse 1, "Now it came to pass in the third years of Hoshea, the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, the king of Judah, began his reign." Again, notice what we read about Hezekiah in verse 3, "He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did." So, I just wanted to mention those three kings before you today. And I give you the approximate date from about 739 BC all the way to about 686 BC. We have a period of about 40 years in which Micah had ministered among the people of Judah.

Yotam reigned from 739 to 735. Ahaz reigned from 735 to 715. 686 BC. And during that time, Micah, the prophet, preached to the people of Judah and as well spoke about the nation of Israel. So, this is by way of introduction. Yotam, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah at the time that Micah was preaching. Secondly, by way of introduction, I want you to notice that the name is very interesting. I love that name, Micah. In Hebrew, his name is Micah. Micah comes from really two Hebrew words. Micah. Which means, "Who is like Micah?" "Who is like Jehovah?" What a beautiful name he has. And you know, sometimes we sing that song, "Who is like unto thee above all gods?" Sometimes we sing this wonderful song.

In fact, the end of the book of Micah, there is the very same statement in chapter 7 that he himself is saying in verse 18, "Who is a God like unto thee?" This is amazing how his name is being actually presented in the statement in which Micah is speaking about the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the name Micah simply means, "Who is like Jehovah?" Thirdly, we notice here by way of introduction about his person, Micah. Who is this man? Micah was from a town that is called Moreshet Gat. It's in the land of Israel, it belonged to the tribe of Judah.

You notice it says in verse 1, "The word of the Lord that came to Micah de Moreshait." In Hebrew, Moreshet, the word Moreshet really means inheritance. And so he was in an area that is called Moreshet. You will find this name mentioned in verse 14 as well. It says, "Therefore shall thou give presents to Moreshet Gat." Moreshet Gat is one of the villages that belong to the tribe of Judah. And it is outside, of course, of the city of Jerusalem. It is in the southwest of the city of Jerusalem. And there are various towns that surrounding Moreshet. And Micah was raised by the Lord to be one that will prophesy to the tribe of Judah concerning the judgment that will come upon them immediately.

But ultimate judgment in the tribulation period, which will lead ultimately to a restoration of Israel as a nation. So his name, Micah, who is like his person, he is from the town called Moreshet Gat. And he is actually, brothers and sisters, the prophet Jeremiah is really quoting and mentioning Micah and where he come from in Jeremiah chapter 26 and verse 18 mentioned about the prophet Micah. Fourthly now, by way of introduction, we have now his prophecy that Micah is presenting about number one, the coming judgment because of Israel failure to follow the law. And he is also speaking against the leadership of Israel and the wealthy ones of Israel who oppressed the weak one.

And he is speaking directly to them because of the fact in which they have treated their own brethren. The leadership should lead the people. The well-to-do one should not oppress the poor. And he is directly speaking to them a judgment from God because of their disobedience. And we can say very clearly today in the church age, we live in the same type of condition in the church of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, where the Lord Jesus already earlier have won through the disciples before the church was born. So on, he warned the disciples, warned the nation of Israel, but we also know from the apostle Paul writing and Peter writing and Jude and so on, how the Lord himself looking at the leadership and the responsibility of the leaders of the body of Messiah to teach the word of God, to lead the nation in a right way.

And those who are well-to-do not to oppress those that are not as well in their life. So this is when it's come to his prophecy of the prophet Micah. Now, the book of Micah, only seven chapters, divide itself clearly in three divisions. And in every division, there is the word in Hebrew, shimo, here, notice that. Chapter one, verse two, hear all ye people. Chapter three, verse one, hear I pray you, O heads of Jacob. Chapter six and verse one, hear ye now what the Lord is saying. So there are three divisions to the prophet Micah. Chapter one, chapter one and two, hear ye people. Chapter three, four and five, where it's speaking about, hear the heads of Jacob.

And finally, chapter six and chapter seven, hear ye now what the Lord is saying. So the word shimo in Hebrew, hearken, listen, hear the word of the Lord is mentioned three times here in this book. Chapter one, verse two, chapter three, verse one, and chapter six and verse one. Now, one more thing I want to mention before I'm going to go into the actual chapter itself. Micah is quoted twice in the Brit HaChadasha in the New Testament. You remember this famous verse that we all like to read that is mentioned in Micah chapter five and verse two concerning the birth of the Messiah of Israel.

You remember, it says thou bet lechem Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousand of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel. It was Micah, the Hebrew prophet who preached the message of judgment to his own brethren, the Jewish people. It was he who was speaking about the Messiah, who was going to be born in a future day in the city of Bethlehem. And it says that he is the one that was going to be the ruler over the nation of Israel. Micah prophesied this in chapter five and verse two, which was quoted in Matthew chapter two and verses five and six.

The story of the Magi's who came to Jerusalem and said, where is he that was born? The king of the Jews. The second time that Micah is quoted in the Brit HaChadasha in the New Testament is the words in Micah chapter seven. In verse six, where we read those words for the son dishonorous, the father, the daughter raises up against her mother, the daughters in law against her mother in law. And a man's enemies are the men of his own house. Now, beloved brothers and sisters, this is exactly the words that Yeshua himself, which we just read it in the book of Matthew in chapter 10.

And he himself in verse 35 and 36 quoted what Micah had mentioned long time ago, about 740 years BC, before the Messiah was born. Micah already spoke about the division that is going to come among the people of Judah, the people of Israel because of their disobedience. And Yeshua quoted that in Matthew chapter 10, where he told the disciples, the Jewish, the Hebrew disciples who follow him, that when they're going to follow him as their Messiah and Lord, it will bring about separation from their very own family. Why? Why? Because following the Messiah often brings about divisions among families because one believe and another one doesn't. One accept the Messiah and another one does not.

And he brings about a division, not because he wants families to be divided, but there will be a division among family when one has decided to follow Yeshua, the Messiah. And we, who of us does not know it, even in our very immediate family, those of us who are Jewish believers here know very well how our very own family do not accept us because, or at least do not understand us, because we have accepted that Yeshua is our Messiah. And not only Jewish families, many families in the world today experience separation from their very own family because they have acknowledged the Messiahship of Yeshua. So here is that introduction to the book of Micha.

We have his name. We have his person. We have his prophecy. We have the theme, which is the prophecy concerning the coming judgment and then ultimate judgment and restoration in the tribulation period. The division, chapter one and two, chapter three to five, and chapter six and seven. And finally, he's quoted twice in the Brita Hadashah in the New Testament, once in chapter two of Matthew and the second time in chapter 10 by Yeshua himself in the gospel of Matthew. So now let's begin by looking here at the first chapter. Interesting chapter, because in this first chapter, we find Micah in verses one to five. God is now, through Micah, calling to all to hear his case against his people Israel.

You know, God oftentimes have done that throughout the prophet. He's like inviting everybody. Listen, I want to tell you why I'm going to judge my people. And I want to show you this. I want you to come around and to listen to what I have to say. Why is it altogether that I have to discipline my very own people? Remember, beloved brothers and sisters, this principle of discipline of the people of God applied both to Israel historically and to the assembly, to the church in the present day. The same way that God disciplined his nation Israel. He is also disciplining the body of Messiah in this present day dispensation.

You remember what we read in the epistle. Judgment must begin at the house of God. And so you find out the call of the Lord to everyone to hear his case against his beloved nation, the nation of Israel. So we read, first of all, in verse one, we see that it is clearly against two capital cities. It says in verse one, the word of the Lord that came to Micha, the Morashite in the days of Yotam, Achaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Where is Samaria? Samaria became the capital city of the northern tribes, the tribes of Israel. You remember, Israel had been divided into two sections.

The northern kingdom, the ten tribes have followed Jeroboam. And then we have the two southern tribes, Judah, who remain in the city of Jerusalem, who still followed David as a king and then King Solomon and then his son and so on. And they continue still faithfully for a while. So there is the two nations, if you will, divided nation. And the capital city of Israel was Samaria. The capital city of Judah was Yerushalayim. So we have Shomron, Samaria, Yerushalayim, Jerusalem, and Micha is raised by God to speak against those two capital cities. Namely, the whole nation of Israel, Samaria and Jerusalem. In verse 2, we find the Lord will witness against Samaria and Jerusalem.

Look what we read in verse 2. Hear, all ye people, hearken, O earth, and all that therein is, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. So what we find out that God now become a witness. You know the word for witness is the Hebrew word Ed. Ed means a person that is witnessing against a condition that existed among his beloved nation. The nation is Samaria in the north, Judea, Jerusalem in the south, and God is now calling all the earth. Notice, it's amazing. Hear, hear all ye people. Hear all ye people. In a sense, he's like the voice to all the nations of the world.

And he's even speaking to all the people on earth. And he says, listen, I want you to hear my witness against my people. You know, God's people cannot carry on a life of disobedience, a life of sin, and that God will just brush it underneath the carpet and says, you know what? You are my people. You are my people. You can go on and do as you please. What Paul wrote in Romans chapter 6. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Same thing for us in the present day assembly, the church age. We cannot carry on a life of disobedience and sin, and God will brush it underneath the carpet and you can say, you know what?

You are saved. You belong to me. You can carry on in a life of disobedience. Israel is the same thing. God is saying, listen, I have called you. I have saved you, brought you out of Egypt. I brought you into the promised land, the land of Canaan. I blessed you there and I blessed you and I've given you so much. But look what happened. You have been disobedience to my word and now I am going to witness against you. And when God witnessed against his people, it's never out of hatred, but it's out of love as a father will discipline his very own son. So the Lord says here, notice that word shimo, that's the Hebrew word shimo.

Listen. And the second word is hearken. It's much more than just listen, but be attentive. Hachivu in Hebrew. Be attentive, O earth. And all that inside this earth and let the Lord God witness against you. The you here is Samaria and Jerusalem, is Israel and Judah. I'm going to witness against you. And the Lord is now speaking from his holy temple. You notice that the holy temple here, it's really from his immediate place where he's in glory. He is in heaven. And even though the temple have existed in Jerusalem, in actuality, because of the disobedience of our own nation, actually his presence was not acknowledged in this time when there was so much idolatry and disobedience that what we really see here that he's speaking from heaven through Michah directly to Samaria and Jerusalem.

Now notice in verses three and four, what we find out that the Lord will come down in judgment upon all of those that violated his word. Notice what we read here in verse three. For behold, the Lord cometh. Notice out of his place. And he said, and he will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. You know, the coming out of his place, coming down suggests that he's coming out from glory in judgment. And he's going to tread. Notice that word here upon the high places of the earth. And oftentimes the high places, of course, we know it speaks about a place where Israel have still offered sacrifices there where they would not remove those high places.

But high places in scripture oftentimes speaks about pride and arrogance that existed in a heart of man who is high minded, thinking much of himself. And so what he's really saying in verse three, that he will come down and he himself in a judicial way. He will tread upon the high places of the earth upon the pride of man. He will judge men. He will judge his very own people and ultimately will seek to restore them. But he himself will come down in judgment. In verse four, it says, and a mountain shall be melting under him and the valleys shall split or cleft as wax before the fire and as waters that are poured down in steep places.

So we have twice the word S. Notice the mountain will be melting before him. The valley will split as God is coming in judgment as the waters that are poured down a steep places. This is a biblical expression to express what is going to happen in the time of judgment. The mountain speaks of pride. The mountain speaks of pride. The valley will speak to us of that which is away from the Lord. And in these two cases, we have the thought that the mountain shall be burnt as wax burning under fire and the valleys shall split as waters that are pouring down to the deepest place that is possible.

In other words, God will come sweeping in judgment upon his very own people. And the reason for that, brothers and sisters, he gives us in the next verse. Why God deal in judgment with his very own people? Look at this in verse five. For the transgression of Jacob. The word transgression is come from the Hebrew word Pesha. Sin is the transgression of the law. And Israel violated the law. Judah violated God's command. Remember when Michal was writing this prophecy in about 740 BC, Israel was still under the law. So the violation of God's law, God's commandment, was the reason that God came in judgment. And again, I would like to emphasize that even though he's speaking about immediate time of judgment that Israel will experience through the Assyrian.

He's ultimately leading to the tribulation period where final judgment will come upon his people and ultimately final restoration. And so he's saying the transgression of Jacob. Notice he's calling now Israel. He's using both names. Yaakov, Jacob, and Yisrael, Prince of God. And so it says here for the transgression of Jacob is all this and for the sins of the house of Israel. Using those two expressions, the two names of our own nation, our own people. Yaakov was the name of the son of Yitzhak, of Isaac. But his name was changed from Yaakov to Israel. And he was called to be a prince for God, the nation of Israel.

But at this time, Israel still was in a state of violation of the word of God. The word transgression, in Hebrew, Pesha. And the word sins, as it says here in verse 5b, for the sins of the house of Israel. The word for sins simply means chet, missing the mark. Israel as a nation, not only transgressed God's command, but also missed the mark. Chataot. Did not submit to the will of the God of Israel. And so he's mentioning here the reason, the transgression of Jacob. In verse 5b, the sins of the house of Israel. And then he tells us in verse 5b, what is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria? In other words, what happened is that the tribe of Judah followed the northern tribes in one way or another. You remember the 10 tribes of Israel in about 722 BC, they were taken by the Assyrians. So much idolatry. So much disobedience. There was a replacement of the truth of the word of God. They brought the golden calves and they worshiped those golden calves. And there was so much disobedience in Samaria. So what happened in Judah, there in some way or another, they followed the direction of Samaria. And so he's saying here in verse 5, what is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?

And what is the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? In other words, you see that even Judah, the southern tribe, still have introduced things that were violating the word of God, even in the very city of Jerusalem. We read about Yotam. He followed the Lord, but he allowed the high places in the areas to remain. We read about Ahaz, and Ahaz introduced all kinds of things that were against the will of God. We read about Hezekiah. He walked with the Lord in the high places when removed in his time. But still, God had prophesied through Micah judgment upon Samaria in Jerusalem. So, in the first five verses, beloved brothers and sisters, we see the call of God to all to hear about His coming judgment upon Israel and Judea.

And we read those five verses of our chapter, specifically verse 5, the reason for the judgment that is going to come. So now, in the next verses 6 to the end of the chapter, we have the consequence to Samaria and Jerusalem because of their sins. Here is the result. If there will be disobedience to the word of God, there will be discipline that come by the God of Israel. So, he is going to discipline both of them. First of all, Samaria in verses 6 and 7. And secondly, he is going to discipline Jerusalem in verses 8 to 16. And I would like to mention, as we study the prophet Micah, that he is not only speaking about the immediate judgment that is going to come in a time just after Micah had prophesied.

But he is also speaking ultimately about the final judgment that will come upon Israel during the tribulation period before Israel will be restored. You will see that as we are studying the prophet Micah. Now, notice that first of all, the judgment that would come upon Samaria, this is Israel, the northern tribes, is in verses 6 and 7. Samaria will be totally destroyed. It says in verse 6, Therefore, you notice the word therefore, I will make Samaria as a heap of the field and as a planting of a vineyard. And I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley. And I will discover the foundation thereof. Now, here it is interesting because you speak about Samaria and you notice that it is God himself who is going to do it.

Even though, in the time when Samaria was taken by the Assyrians away to the diaspora, you notice that it was God's doing. It says in verse 6, I will make Samaria as a heap of the field. Verse 6b, I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley. And thirdly, I will discover the foundation thereof. And beloved brothers and sisters, it truly came to pass. In about 722 BC, we find out in chapter 17 of 2 Kings and chapter 18 of 2 Kings, how Samaria were taken by the Assyrians. I want to read this to you for a moment. If you turn back with me once again to 2 Kings, just notice the first six verses of chapter 17.

It says in verse 1, In the twelve years of Ahaz, the king of Judah, began Hosea, the son of Elah, to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but did not as the kings of Israel that were before him. Against him came Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, and Hosea became his servant and gave him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hosea, for he had sent messengers to Saul, king of Egypt, and he brought no present to the king of Assyria as he had done year by year. Therefore, the king of Assyria shut him up, and he bound him in prison.

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and he went up to Samaria, and he besieged it for three years. Now notice verse 6. In the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and he carried Israel away into Assyria. And placed them in Chala, and in Chabor, by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. Now notice that, brothers and sisters, in 2 Kings 17, verse 6, he says that the king of Assyria carried them. But in Micah, chapter 1 and verse 6, God himself said, I will pour down stones, and I will discover their nakedness, and so on. And I will be the one who will judge the city of Samaria and the northern tribes of Israel.

So this is extremely interesting. It is God himself who led the king of Assyria to do so. Notice that in chapter 18 of 2 Kings, in verse 9, it says this, and I'm reading there in verse 9, it says, And it came to pass, in the fourth year of Hosea, which was the seventh year of Hosea, the son of Eila, the king of Israel, that Shalmanetzer, the king of Assyria, came up against Samaria. And he besieged it. And at the end of three years, they took it. Even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Israel, Samaria was taken. Verse 11, And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Chala, and in Chavor, by the river of Gozan, and in the city of the Medes.

Because, look at the reason, they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but they transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commended, and they would not hear them, not do them. See, there is a clear reason why Samaria was taken by Shalmanetzer, the king of Assyria, into captivity. What a shame it must have been, where the people of God, the people of Israel, our very own nation, indisciplined by God, were taken captive by the Assyrian. So Micah chapter 1 and verse 6, here is a complete destruction of Samaria, where they were taken by Shalmanetzer, the king of Assyria. Secondly, we find in verse 7, Samaria will be stripped from all of her idols.

It says in verse 7, All the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces. God is saying it through Micah. Apparently, you know what's happened with idolatry. There's a lot of sexual immorality, and it's become almost like a spiritual fornication. You know, for us, as believers, we are often being exhorted in the letters, in the epistles that the apostles wrote. For example, 1 John chapter 5, John says to the believers, Little children, be careful from idols. In other words, keep away from idolatry. Why it is? Because even a believer, in the present day dispensation, is able, because of the sin nature that we have, to have things in our life that become like idols to the believer.

So, John, in 1 John 5, in verse 21, Little children, keep yourself from idols. Now, he was writing this to believers. In the present day dispensation of the church age. Because there is sin nature in us that is capable, even though we belong to Yeshua, but have things creep into our lives that become like idols in the life of the believer. And here, we find out Samaria. The people of God. The people that were chosen by God. Ending up, listen to this, following graven images. And then ending up worshipping idols. And as it says here in verse 7, that they will be beaten to pieces. And all the hires, in other words, all the earning that they gain through prostitution and idolatry, will end up to be destroyed by the Lord.

Because the Lord is not pleased in this kind of lifestyle among his own people. So, this is the judgment that will come immediately to the people of Samaria, to the northern tribe, which were taken captive by the king of Assyria. But now he is shifting, beloved brothers and sisters, and in the last verses, verses 8 to verse 16, he is now speaking about the judgment that not going to come anymore, talking about Samaria, but going to come upon Jerusalem and Judea. And we can see here an immediate judgment, but also an ultimate judgment in the future day. So, let's just look at these last verses of our chapter, and look what he is saying here.

First of all, in verse 8 and 9, he is speaking about the concern. First of all, Micah himself shows his own heart for his own brethren from the city of Judea. So, Micah is now in verses 8 and 9, he is showing, he is reacting to the coming judgment. It says in verse 8, Therefore, I will wail, this is Micah, and I will howl. I will go stripped and naked. I will make a wailing like the dragon, and a mourning as the howl. Notice how Micah now is expressing himself. After all, you remember, he came from Judea. He came from a place that is called Moreshet Gat. And now that he is going to pronounce God's judgment upon Judah, he began to express his heart.

And you know, everyone that is a servant of the Lord, knowing that the judgment of God will come upon his very own people, it grips him in his very own heart. And that's why Micah says, I will wail and I will howl. This is a Hebrew expression of a person who is broken before the Lord and is in mourning. The word wail is like when a person is wailing over someone who dies. If you would go into a funeral service in the Middle East, you would find the family wailing over the one, the loved one that just passed away. So the word asepda simply means that I will wail over someone who is being judged or someone who died.

And howl. It's like an animal that is howling at night. And it speaks about one that is in sorrow and in pain on behalf of his own people. Notice what he makes a decision. He says, I will go stripped and naked. I will go naked. A person says rip his clothes and get himself bare and naked as a sign of mourning and weeping over the condition of his own people and specifically because of the judgment that is coming. And finally he says in verse 8, I will make a wailing like the dragons and the mourning as an owl. A very interesting expression of brokenness by the prophet Mika over the judgment that is going to come against his own people, the people of Israel.

And notice that in verse 9, the wound of Judah, the stroke that will come upon her is found in verse 9. For her wound is incurable. For it is come unto Judah. He is come unto the gate of my people even to Jerusalem. you notice now, he is talking about his prophecy to Judah and he is saying, look what is going to happen to Judah. In verse 9, the wound of Judah seemed to be incurable. The discipline of God upon Judah will be so strong that it seemingly seemed incurable. you can cue it. In verse 9b, that which will come upon Judah, he is come unto the gate of my people even to Jerusalem.

In other words, the one, the Assyrian who have already carried the northern tribe of Israel to be captive, they are going to come against Judah, Judea, and they are almost going to get into the city of Jerusalem. They will come into the gate, they will not take Jerusalem quite yet at that time, but they will come all the way to the gate of the city of Jerusalem. And he noticed, he says, he come, this is the he, this is the king of Assyria, who are going to come unto the gate of my people, Micah's people, the Jewish people, the people of Jerusalem, the people of Judea, even to Jerusalem.

In about 701 BC, the Assyrians came and they did not quite get into the city of Jerusalem, but they have done so much destruction and yet God at that time preserved the city of Jerusalem, but in the future day, beloved brothers and sisters, in the day of the tribulation period, judgment that will fall upon Judah will be so terrible. That's why it sounds like here where it says her wound is incurable, it sounds like as if there will be no possibility to cure the wound of Judah, but God as we know it, ultimately through the Messiah of Israel, we know him as Yeshua, Jesus, through Yeshua, the Messiah, ultimately there will be a cure for Jerusalem, for Israel in the future day, but at that immediate time where the Assyrians are going to come, they are going to come almost into the city of Jerusalem all the way to the gate of the city of Jerusalem.

So this is the concern that Micah have for the city of Jerusalem. Now again, please, turn for a moment to 2 Chronicles chapter 36. I just want to read a couple of verses there. 2 Chronicles chapter 36 and verse 12. And listen to this. It says here in verse 12, and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. This is Tzedakiah now. And he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And now notice that in 2 Chronicles chapter 36, how ultimately Jerusalem later on were taken captive by this time not Assyria but Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. It says in verse 13, and he also rebelled against the king Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear by God but he stiffed his neck and he hardened his heart from the turning unto the Lord God of Israel.

Moreover, all the chief of the priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abomination of the heathen and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers rising up bedtime sending because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place and they mocked the messengers of God and they despised his word and they misused his prophets until listen beloved brothers and sisters the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy.

Here's this expression no remedy as we have here in our chapter 1 of Micah where it says that it seemed to be that the wound of Judah was incurable in other words there was a time coming that God had to also discipline Judah and ultimately judge the city of Jerusalem now to conclude this first chapter in verses 10 to verse 15 we have the judgment that Micah predicted on the various portion of the land of Judah and I want you to notice that in this area there are many cities that are mentioned here not yet quite Jerusalem but many of these cities are mentioned these are part of the tribe of Judah just let me

read that some of the names of the city it says for he in verse 10 declare ye not in Gat here's one city that belongs to Judah whip ye not at all in the house of Ophrah roll yourself in the dust pass ye away thou inhabitants of Shafir having thy shame naked the inhabitants of Sonan came not forth in the morning of Beit Etzel he shall receive of you his standing for the inhabitants of Marot waited carefully for good but evil came down from the Lord unto the gates of Jerusalem all thou inhabitants of Lachish bind the chariots to the swift beast she is the beginning of the sin of the daughter of Zion for

the transgression of Israel were found in thee therefore shall thou give presents unto Moeshed Gat and the house of Achziv shall be a lie to the kings of Israel yet will I bring an heir unto thee O inhabitants of Marishet he shall come unto Adulam the glory of Israel all these cities that you have here mentioned notice Gat Ofra Shafir Tsonan Beit Etzel Marot Lachish Moreshet Gat Moreshet and Adulam all these cities that are mentioned are not too far from Judea and they belong to the tribe of Judah and those are the areas in which now judgment came upon these cities but you notice this brethren one thing that is very interesting that one of

the cities or one of the villages is the very village out of which Micah came from because it says in verse 14 therefore shall thou give presents to Moreshet Gat the houses of Achziv shall be a light to the king of Israel so here is the same city that Micah came from he must have felt it in his own heart that the very city which he come from will be judged by the Lord through the king of Assyria and all those cities are going to be taken over and the king of Assyria will get all the way nearly to the gate of the city of Jerusalem and punishment will come also upon the tribes of

Judah and Benjamin that we find here in this chapter well we'll conclude this chapter in the last verse notice verse 16 we have the sorrow of Israel that will come upon them because of the sin of Israel and the sin of Jerusalem we find in verse 16 make thee bold and pour thee for the delicate children enlarge thy boldness as the eagle for they are gone into captivity from thee notice that the word bold is mentioned here that speaks of destruction that speaks of the fact that the children at once have enjoyed so much blessing are now ending up like gone into captivity and no longer in the places in which God had placed them

when he brought them out of the land of Egypt well this is chapter one of the prophet Micah just gives us those two points that Micah is mentioned here the call of God to the nations of the world to hear his case against his people Samaria Jerusalem the north and the south and he tell them what is the consequences for their sins discipline and judgment going to come upon the very people of God and as I mentioned before I just want to make one more time application to us today you know that you and I as believers in Yeshua the Messiah are children of God John 1 12 we read as many as receive him

to them he gave the right to be called the children of God even to them that believe on his name but don't think for a moment that because that we are the children of God we have license to carry on in our life as we please not so at all because whom the Lord loveth he chastens it he scourges every son whom he received and he is a father that love his own people and he will discipline us when needed in order that we will be restored ultimately to him and have a healthy relationship with him and with his son Yeshua the Messiah so I'm going to stop here in the will of the Lord

in our next meeting we're going to take chapter 2 and we're going to see how God is against his own people whom he love when they are turning their back against him and they end up following in a way that is not pleasing to him may the Lord bless his word and help us all to have a desire to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord God bless you