Shabbat Shalom. Please turn with me to the prophet Micah, Michah in Hebrew. We are going to look into Micah chapter 2. It is a chapter that began very sad in a negative way, but it concludes with a very uplifting way in which the Lord, through the prophet Micah, speaks to his own nation, Israel, Judah, and telling them exactly why he has to bring judgment upon his own beloved nation. But he concludes that chapter with a very positive note. So let's read these 13 verses, and please follow me. Woe to them that devise iniquity, and walk evil upon their beds. When the morning is light, they practice 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. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye go haughtily, for this time is evil. In that day shall one take up a parable against you and lament with a doleful lamentation and say, We be utterly spoiled. He has changed the portion of my people. How has he removed it from me, turning away? He has divided our fields. Therefore thou shalt have none that shalt cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord.

Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy, they shall not prophesy to them that they shall not take shame. O thou that art named the house of Jacob, Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy. Ye pull of the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men. others from war the women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses from their children have ye taken away my glory forever arise ye and depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted it shall destroy you even with a sore destruction If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink, he shall even be the prophet of these people.

I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee. I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold. They shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them. They have broken up and have passed through the gate and are gone out by it, and their king shall pass before them and the Lord on the head of them. And I'll stop here at the end of chapter 2. You know, there are certain passages in the Word of god that are rather difficult to grasp and to understand and we really need the help of the holy spirit of god to help us to understand the word of god you remember years ago in the time where the first century hebrew believers were in the land of israel and how philip was sent by the lord himself to go to the desert to a gaza area where there was this ethiopian eunuch who was sitting on a chariot and he was reading a passage from the word of God.

He was reading Isaiah chapter 53 and Philip went on top of this chariot and he said to this Ethiopian eunuch, do you understand what you read? And the Ethiopian eunuch said to him, how can I understand except someone will explain this to me? And we read that it's so beautiful. And beginning with the same scripture there he expounded unto him and he explained before him yeshua the messiah and so here is a man who wanted so badly to understand the word of god and he needed someone else sent by the lord to explain to him what this text was speaking about and who this text was speaking about well when we read such a book such a prophecy of the prophet micha the hebrew prophet of our nation israel we too have find it kind of not easy to understand all the prophecies but the spirit of god can help us as he uses the servants of the lord whether it is through ministry from a pastor or spiritual leader or whether it is from a ministry through reading a text or commentary The Spirit of God is using the servants to teach us the Word of God.

Well, the second chapter of Micah, obviously, flowing from the end of the first chapter. And if you remember, the first chapter, especially in verse 5 of chapter 1, the Lord said to Judah and to Israel why he is going to discipline them.

and he gives them here in verse 5 two statements in chapter 1 verse 5 for the transgression of Jacob is all this then he continues he says for the sins of the house of Israel the reason Israel that I need to discipline you and to send you into the diaspora Micah is saying by the word of the Lord is because of sin and transgression that is why I will have to discipline you we make always a parallel to the church of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah the reason where God have to discipline his own the body of Christ the body of Messiah it is because of our disobedience our transgression and sins that we commit

today in this present day dispensation but now in chapter to he developed it in other words he gives us more details of the things that have occurred in the time when micah micha was preaching to judah and to israel and in this chapter the second chapter we can divide it into three sections the first section is that jehovah that god is charging he has a charge against those who were in a state of power and wealth you know how it is when we have power when we have an authority we can do what we want we end up sometime if we are not careful abusing the power that god had given to us that's why

we need to be so careful you know sometime the statement is being said that power corrupts one.

When one has so much power, if he's not careful, it can corrupt him, cause him to abuse his power, his wealth, his authority.

Well, here we find out in the first five verses that the Lord has a charge against those that were powerful and rich because they abuse their power among our nation of old the nation of israel and so he began in verses one and two by saying that the powerful ones the wealthy one they devise they work and they covet and they take and they oppress the weak one and the poor one notice he began in verses one and two and he's speaking about them and he says in verse one whoa that's the hebrew word hoy hoy it's like when somebody says oh boy hoy the hebrew with the word is hoy in english it says

whoa he said to them that devise listen to this verse that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds when the morning is light they practice it because it is in the power of their hand he began to speak micha speaking to the leaders of israel specifically the wealthy and powerful and he said about the woe to them that devise iniquity in other words the word devise is the In other words, when they sleep at night, they devise, they think, they meditate, they are planning what they're going to do in order to gain and to oppress others.

it says look in verse 1b they devise it upon their beds that night time or at least when they go to bed and they raise they think it's pre-plan oppression of others it says when they get up in the morning and it is light they practice this evil that they planned it at night and then it add something that is very interesting he says because listen it is in the power of their hand in other words they have the ability and the power and the authority and they use it in a way that it's not right it is dishonoring to the god of israel at that time and it is also dishonoring to yeshua the

messiah in the present day dispensation you know power can endanger and corrupt the one that is not submissive to the lord and so michael is saying to those ones he says they devise they plan it and when the morning come they act upon it and it is because it is in the power of their hands the hebrew word here because it is in the power of their hand it says in hebrew it says kiesh la el yadam it is interesting expression because the word el in the bible is god and when it says kiesh la el yadam it means that they are taking the place of god the all-powerful one who has the right to

judge man if he wants if he pleases but he does not do so he gives blessing to mankind but here is those that have the ability because they have been entrusted with some privileges instead of using those privileges for the glory of the lord and for being a blessing to others they are doing this as they plan and they devise two things they devise iniquity secondly they devise evil work the word again iniquity is aven and the word evil it's that which is ra or something that is bad they are planning to have that which they want and oppress others and god is resisting it and here we can see how the lord is speaking

about this condition there is a verse in proverbs chapter 3 that king shlomo shlomo the king solomon the king of israel said in chapter 3 and verse 27 withhold not good from them to whom it is do and then listen to this when it is in the power of thine hand to do it don't allow evil to happen when it is in the power of your hand to help and to assist and you see these individuals in the time when micha was preaching instead of doing the right thing because they had the position they used their position against those who didn't have the same privilege and so this is the warning that he's giving to

them because now he's describing the sins and the iniquities of jacob and he's telling them here's the reason why i have to discipline you in verse 2 what did they do what was the plan what did they want to do and look what they do in verse 2 they covet fields and they take them by violence and houses and take them away so they oppress a man and his house even a man and his heritage you see when God brought our nation Israel out of Egypt into the promised land of Canaan he gave lots to the tribes he gave portion to every tribe He gave also a portion to every family.

So that belonged to this tribe of Reuven. That belonged to this tribe of Shimon. That belonged to this tribe of Judah. But now, what are those ones that are well and in a position of authority and power? Instead of recognizing, wait a minute, this belonged to this tribe or this family. What do they do? They covet, the Hebrew word Hamdu. They covet and they take them. They say, I want to take that field, and what's happened? Can you imagine, in the time when Israel was in the land, the field is a place where you have growth, and food, and fruit, and the Hebrews of that time, our own nation of all, depended upon the land, and the field that belonged to them.

So someone comes and he says, listen, this time from here on it is mine. And he takes the field that belongs to this family or these people and he removes them from that field. And can you imagine what happened to this individual that have lost his field, have lost notice? They take houses by violence. They take them away. They oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. The heritage of the man is his home, is his field. If you take it away from him, you take away all that he has. His dignity, his privileges, you take them away. And beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord had given our people, Israel of all, their portion in due time.

I'll read in chapter 19 of the book of Leviticus.

listen to this chapter 19 and verse 13 thou shall not defraud thy neighbor neither rob him the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning in other words you know if there was any testimony in this world that should be given is by the people of god but here what we see that the well-to-do from among our people israel of all treated their own brethren in such a way that was not becoming by the lord and you know again i like to make an application because we read about micha speaking about israel but what about the church of our lord yeshua the messiah is it not the

same oftentimes that we need to be warned by the lord to be careful in how we treat our brothers and our sisters i just have some verses that i think we should just look into them for a moment first thessalonian chapter 4 and verse 6 the apostle says that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter because the lord is an avenger of all such as we also have forewarned you and testified in other words it is just the same happen in the present day dispensation of the church age and the warning that is given to israel by micha is given by the apostles and the prophet of the church age to

the believers in this present day dispensation to be careful not to go beyond that which God have intended for the people of God so here God is saying here look at you the way you behave you are the one that have power in your hand I have a case against you I have a charge against you and look what is going to happen he's answering to their evil way by telling them in verses 3 4 and 5 of Micah chapter 2 the discipline that will come upon them because of what they have done and look at those first of all in verse three just the same like those well-to-do people in powerful position have plan

and devised an evil against others look what the lord is saying in verse three therefore because of thus says the lord behold against this family do i this is the lord devise an evil from which ye shall not remove your necks neither shall ye go heartily for this time is evil god now saying to them you notice a micah oftentimes play with the hebrew word just the same like you devise in an evil way to do something to another one to another neighbor another person of your own brethren god says now to the nation and to those individuals he says now i'm going to devise a plan an evil now the word evil is the

word calamity god does not do evil does not sin but god devise god hosheb thinkers a plan of judgment upon those that rebel against him and so he says the lord behold against this family notice he called them a family israel as far as god's concern is the family that belong to each other it was like an internal friction an internal mistreatment the people of god treating each other in a wrong way so he said against this family do i devise an evil from which ye shall not remove your necks neither shall ye go heartily for this time is evil God's saying now okay you have devised a plan against others to do a wrong

thing against others let me tell you I am going to devise something against you I will discipline you God is saying to Israel and Judah in verse 3 using this expression devise notice in verse 4 and verse 5 he is now telling them that god's people now will lament will whip those who did not submit to his will they will lament because now they lost the portion that belonged to them because others have taken it from them just the same as they have taken it from others in that day the lord is saying through micha shall one take a parable against you and he lament with a dullful lamentation and say we be utterly spoiled

he has changed the portion of my people how has he removed it from me turning away he has divided our fields you know god is saying you had a plan to take away from someone else because it was in the power of your hand to do so and you have abused your power okay he said i'm going to tell you what's going to happen i have a plan of judgment against you and he's saying i will be the one that will bring it to pass and that will cause a lamentation that word lamentation is like a parable that the people will lament and will say wow now we don't have what we thought we had

it says here we are utterly spoiled you know when somebody came and spoiled those very same ones that has spoiled others and then he says he changed the portion of my people you know they had a portion too but now their portion had been taken away he continued he said he removed it from me that is god removed things from those that have caused evil upon another and then he said he divided our field Now God, in judgment, gave the very same fields and portions and inheritance that those well-to-do people had, who abused their power.

He takes it away from them, and now He gives it to another. And they now wail.

The word here, lament, it's the Hebrew word, it's like saying we lament with lamentation of lamentation lamenting lamenting you remember the book of lamentation is the lamentation of our people Israel when they have lamented when they have been taken captive by others you see what God is really teaching us here in those verses the importance of the right treatment of each other and that israel of old in a time of disobedience in a time before they were taken captive the condition of being so sad that it demanded the judgment of god taking his own beloved nation to be captive and to be removed from the privileges that they've had before in verse 5 he's continuing

god's people will lose their own land and their own portion it says in verse 5 therefore you notice the second time the word therefore therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the lord you know the word cord by lot when people of old came out of egypt enter into the promised land joshua himself sent messenger to measure the lots of the land and this expression using the cord in verse 5 to cast the cord to measure joshua 18 speaks about that and then by lot he had given every portion to every tribe but now Israel in a state of judgment God says to them you will

have no one to measure your lot no one to measure your portion anymore because of the discipline that's going to come upon you to talk about it spiritually speaking God has given us an inheritance spiritual inheritance and he wants us to enjoy the spiritual inheritance that he had given to every believer in the present day church age but when we use our privileges and abuse it god have to say to us listen the privileges that i have given to you i'm going to have to remove them from you for a season until you're going to learn to recognize that every good gift and every perfect gift came from above, from the Father of light, with

whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

So here, beloved brothers and sisters, God is now having a charge against the powerful and the wealthy who abused their place of privilege against those that did not have the same privilege so god says that's going to come upon you you were planning evil i'm planning evil against you you took away somebody else's i will deal with you in the same way as you have dealt with somebody else among your brethren so he's moving on now the prophet micha in verses 6 to 11 and in these verses not only that he charged the powerful and the wealthy now he has a charge against israel resisting the message of the prophets the godly prophets and they

prefer to listen to false prophets and he's charging them with this and he's saying to them notice this verse 6 to 11 he began with verse 6 and he showed them that israel do not want the prophets to prophesy judgment you know we don't like somebody come and tell us listen if you're going to do this way there will be discipline in such a way we don't like to hear that we like to hear a lot of messages of love and God is love and God is good and he's going to do good to me he's going to give me this but we don't like to hear a message that deal with our need of

changing our manners and changing our behavior we don't like that well Israel just the same it says in verse 6 here's the nation really speaking to Micah and they said prophesy ye not they say to them that prophesy so here's Israel he's saying to Michah and perhaps others you know Michah when he was prophesying it was in the same time that Isaiah Yeshayahu was prophesying to the nation so micha is now being told him and those who prophesy says don't prophesy like this said to him prophesy not they say to them the prophet don't tell us this kind of messages of judgment and discipline and dispersion and taking away our field and sending us to

the diaspora don't tell us this kind of message we rather hear a message that's saying you can carry on everything is fine so the two points in verse 7 israel did not believe that the spirit of god's words are true because it says in verse 7a or thou that are named the house of jacob is the spirit of the lord straighten are these his doing so in other words the people of israel saying to micah and to the prophet really what you're saying do you think this is from the spirit of god do you think this is the doing of the spirit of god they were talking to the prophets is it possible that this

is the way of the spirit of god to deal with god's own people that word straighten mean that the spirit of the lord lost patience with the nation you know god is so patient with us he was so patient with his beloved nation israel he waited on them will they turn away and be restored will they repent and turn back to me god is long suffering we read it in the scriptures not willing that any should perish he is patient with the world he is patient with the nation of Israel God is patient with the body of Messiah the believers of this present day dispensation but the patient there is a time coming where God

is going to have to take an action that he is going to have to come is this the doing of the spirit of God is it possible well see they didn't realize that the purpose of the holy spirit of god you know we discovered here now in this passage that the holy spirit of god is a divine person we know a little bit more as we read the brit the new covenant the new testament that he is a person and the reason that the spirit of god was sent to this world is to convict men to change their behavior and to turn to the lord And so the spirit of the Lord is convicting and

the people need to listen to the word of God and to be convicted.

But apparently the nation at that time were in a time where they said, no, no, the spirits couldn't be. It's not possible that God is now lost patient with us. We are his people, you see, we are okay.

you know and Micah said no you're going to end up to experience the consequence of your disobedience now I want you to turn for a second to the gospel of John if you turn with me for a second there you notice that in the gospel of John Yeshua in the same way speak about the Holy Spirit of God in Hebrew it says in chapter 14 in verse 16 I will pray the father and he will give you another comforter that he this is a person he may abide with you forever then it says in verse 17 even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but

you know him for he dwell with you and shall be in you now go to chapter 16 we find out what is the reason that the Holy Spirit of God was sent to this world, sent to dwell in the believer today, we read in John 16 and verse 7, nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I will go away, Yeshua is speaking, for if I go not away, the comforter, that's the same one that he mentioned in chapter 14, the Holy Spirit, the comforter will not come unto you, but if I will depart i will send him unto you and look now what yeshua is saying in verse 8 when

he that's the holy spirit is come he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment verse 9 of sin because they believe not on me of righteousness verse 10 because i go to the father and ye see me no more and then verse 11 of judgment because the prince of the world is judged yeshua the messiah is saying when the holy spirit of god will come he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and justice judgment now you see the holy spirit of god worked today but he also worked at the time before the church was born he worked in the midst of the nation of israel even though israel

as a nation did not have the indwelling of the holy spirit but the spirit of god always worked among the people of god and so the nation said to micah and to those who preached the message to the nation they said to them in micah chapter 2 is the spirit of the lord straightened and then he said are these doings of coming judgment belong to him is that really from him they really needed to learn that yes it is from him yes the spirit of god will have to deal with his people it is is from him and sometime beloved brothers and sisters god is sending discipline upon his own people he send discipline when

he need to in order to restore his own nation and so here he's saying in verse 7b the lord is answering to what israel said israel said could it be from the lord could it be from the spirit of the lord look what the Lord is saying to Israel in verse 7b his answer says do not my words do good to him that walketh upright in other words if I say something I mean what I say and the reason that I say it is only to do good to the people of God so what I say it's for your benefit God said to Israel but you did not accept it you rather listen to all

kind of thing you rather abuse your own brethren treat them you had power you abuse your power you had wealth you abuse your wealth you had privileges you abuse your privilege and therefore here is the judgment that is going to come upon the nation of Israel and so God's giving his words for good but now he is going to act in judgment so now beloved brothers and sisters look at this it says in verse 8 and 9 that now God's people by their action became like God's enemies this is very sad because you notice that he still called Israel his people twice used the word my people notice verse 8 even of late my people

is risen up as an enemy ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as a man averse from war you see what he said my people i mean i mean my people my nation what do they do you really what you have done in verse 8 he says you are rising up and you became like my enemies instead of reflecting god in their life they actually reflected that which is totally not of god you know that tells us for us as believers we too So, because we are saved, because we are forgiven, our lives should reflect in some small measure the person of Yeshua the Messiah.

And when we act contrary to his ways, we become like enemies of the Lord. We are not representing Yeshua at all. Sometimes we need to check ourselves because we, at times, are not reflecting the Lord at all in our manners, in our behavior. We cannot say that Yeshua made us do it or we please the Lord in one thing or another. And here is again, we become like an enemies of God, of the Messiah by our action, by our behavior.

so you know what the behavior here notice that in verses 8 and 9 they totally violated the law that God had given our nation of old in the book of Exodus and Leviticus you notice it says in verse 8 they pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from a wall what does that mean to take the cover to pull up the robe you remember in exodus chapter 22 some of the instruction that was given to israel especially after the law was given in chapter 22 we read in verse 26 those words if thou at all take thy neighbor's raiment yes a pledge thou shall deliver it

unto him by that before the sun goes down for that this is his covering only it is his raiment for his own skin wherein shall he sleep and it shall come to pass when he cries unto me that i will heal for i am gracious you imagine that to take from someone his own covering his own garment that is keeping him warm that covering his nakedness that gives him dignity and then to take it away from him and leave him destitute and at night cannot warm himself because this is his own covering how does God look at this and when that happened among the people among Israel God said to them that is not me

by your action you're doing exactly the opposite of the way I expect from you Israel to be same thing with the church with the body of Messiah when we behave in such a way to the extent that we harm others to the extent that we leave them in such a condition this is not the way that Yeshua have taught the believers to be that is not the way that the Holy Spirit of God want us to behave that's why you hear today on the news of how people treat each other in a war that is going today in Syria where hundreds of people die every day left without homes and shelters and covering and are

on the streets and the children are messed up and the mothers are without children and on and on what's going on this is not the ways of God at all and God said in verse 8 you became like my enemies when you behave in such a way the second thing is in verse 9 Israel became as God's enemies by the way they have treated their women the way they treated the widows look at this verse 9 the women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses from their children ye have taken away my glory forever in other words god is saying to the nation at that time how do you treat the

women the widows again i will take you to exodus chapter 22 and verse 22 ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child don't afflict them you know god is so gracious he cared for the widow he cared for the father he cared for the needy and yet those that had power in their hand abuse their power and ending up becoming like the enemies of god and you notice that he used the word twice my people even of late my people are risen up as an enemy verse 9 the women of my people are me my nation my people now remember that is the capability of the people of god to behave just the same

like the world that's why sometimes we need to learn this lesson that even though you and i are saved we are forgiven we have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us we are new creation but our old nature is just as corrupt as sinful as the unbelievers around us we are not better at all and so we learn here that God's people behave towards their own brethren in such a way that made it necessary for God to bring discipline upon his people and so as we move on in the next verses beloved brothers and sisters we have now that judgment of god when it's come to the dispersion of both israel and judah it says

in verse 10 and 11 listen to this in verse 10 god will remove israel from the promised land arise ye and depart for this is not your rest in other words you are not going to have rest the Hebrew word for rest comes from the word to rest to have comfort and rest but it says you get up you're going to be taken out of this land you're not going to have rest he says why because it is polluted it shall destroy you even with the sore destruction another one is saying to israel you know you are not going to have this rest because what you have done by your behavior you polluted the land

just the same like the goyim have done that in the past now you're doing it in the present and therefore you are going to be departing in verse 10 and here he's speaking about the dispersion of israel both in 722 bc the assyrian came and took the northern tribes of Israel captive to Assyria.

605 BC, the Babylonian came and they took the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin to Babylon, Lebabel. The judgment of God did come upon the nation of Israel. And he says, Arise and depart, for this is not your rest. Now, the word rest is the word menucha. You know, we all like to rest, right? Rest in our life, rest from the problems around us. We all like that, you know, and when God gave the land to our people, Israel, he gave the land in order that Israel will enjoy rest. There is a verse in Deuteronomy chapter 12. Before Israel had entered into the promised land, God said to them in Deuteronomy chapter 12 and verse 9, For ye are not as yet come into the rest.

and to their inheritance which the Lord your God giveth to you. They were on the way. They were not quite yet in the promised land. It says you haven't arrived into your rest. Verse 10. But when ye go over, and you dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth unto you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety. You know the promised land, Kna'an? The land that today there is no rest there in our homeland, in Yerushalayim, in Tel Aviv, in Haifa, Bagalil in the north, in the south. There is no rest today.

But God promised this land to give our people, Israel, as a place of rest. Rest from all the enemies. Rest from all the friction. Eternal, actually. He purposed in his mind to give Israel eternal rest. But they haven't received that as yet because when Israel had entered into this land, unfortunately, they disobeyed the Lord which made it necessary for God to say to them in verse 10, arise, depart. It is not your rest because it is polluted. Sin have polluted the land. The way of behavior towards one another made it such a polluted land that God said you cannot have the time of rest as yet.

Now the land belonged to Israel, by the way, according to Deuteronomy chapter 29 and chapter 30. The land belonged to Israel because God had given the land to the Jewish people, to the people of Israel, to the Hebrews. But to remain in the land, to make it qualified for Israel to enjoy the land, meant obedience to God's word. And when disobedience comes, dispersion comes, no rest. And you notice today how up till today there is no rest for our Jewish people worldwide because Israel as a nation have not accepted yet the promised Messiah. They are still under the diaspora, the dispersion, the judgment of the Lord. So, the word rest is really important.

If you read in Psalm 95, verses 8, 9, and 10, the psalmist was speaking about this rest. It says, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, and they proved me, and saw my work for 40 years long. I was grieved with this generation and said it is a people that do err in their heart and they have not known my ways and to whom, listen, I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. Disobedience did not bring rest to the nation because of their rebellion. So the word rest has to do with definitely possessing and enjoying the land as they obey the Lord.

And now in verse 11, God will judge Israel because they prefer to listen to false prophets rather than to his word. It says in verse 11, if a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink, he shall even be a prophet unto these people. In other words what they're really preferring that somebody will tell them and let me tell you about wine but strong drink good time they always want people to speak to them about good stuff don't talk to me about judgment don't talk to me about discipline don't talk to me about changing my ways i don't like to hear that i want a prophet that will speak to me things that i like to hear and isn't it true brothers and sisters just turn to 2nd Timothy for a moment we are not different the church is not different today 2nd Timothy tells us the very same issue that Israel has experienced here in Micah chapter 2 and verse 11 2nd Timothy chapter 4 we read in the beginning where Paul said to Timothy warning him concerning future he said I charge you in verse 1 before God and the lord yeshua the messiah who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine and teaching then he said in verse three for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

Timothy, the time is going to come and I'm telling you in this church age where the people will not endure sound doctrine. They don't want to hear sound doctrine. And then he said in verse 3b, but after their own lusts, they shall heap for themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables now you know in the book of 2nd Timothy the apostle Paul is writing not only about the world not about the outside unbelieving world he's writing about the condition that will prevail among the people of God in the church age they would not like to hear the truth they're itching ear you see What did you say?

I don't like what you say. I want to heap for myself teachers that will tell me what I like to hear, what please me, you see. And you know, I'm speaking for myself. I prefer to hear somebody tell me, oh, Gideon, God is love. He cares for you. Just go ahead and everything is okay.

But when somebody speaks about dealing with a sound doctrine or something that is wrong in our life oh we kind of straighten out we don't like to hear that because that is not pleasant to us we prefer to carry on in our own way and not be submissive to the lord and you see israel's problem is the church's problem we are all in the same need and condition we need the help of the lord and so it says in verse 11 man is really in the spirit really in this case these prophets were really not guided by the spirit but they're really running as it were after the spirit you know it's like they're running

after the wind that's really not the truth what they're saying if a man walking in the spirit and falls who do lie saying i will prophesy unto thee i'll tell you of wine and of strong drink and even you know those are the ones that we like that you want them to be a prophet of these people that's what you like God is saying to Israel and that's what Paul said to Timothy they like they're having itching ears because they want to hear teachers that will please their very own ears that is not going to benefit anyone God is saying and therefore you might want those prophets you can get them but that does not

mean that the judgment that I promise will not come it will surely come because you refuse to accept my word well reading these verses 1 to 11 is sure is very sad passage to read but thank god that god loves israel and he has a plan for israel and even though he disciplined his disobedient people he always looked back to the future when he's going to restore Israel to himself and there those next two verses verses 12 and 13 he's now going beyond the time of their dispersion he's going beyond what you and I call today the church age he's going beyond the time that we live in and even going beyond the tribulation period

to the last portion of the tribulation period to the time where he is going to restore his beloved nation Israel and that's the two verses here at the end of Micah chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 he takes us to the time of Israel restoration and he says listen I will surely assemble or Jacob all of you i will surely gather the remnant of israel i will put them together as a ship of bozrah as a flock in the midst of their fold they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men then verse 13 the breaker is come up before them they have broken up and have passed through the gate and

gone out by it and their king shall pass before them and jehovah on the head of them beautiful verses because now the prophet micha takes us beyond the dispersion of the hebrews israel and judah and he takes them to the time you remember earlier he said to them that you are going to be taken out of here you depart he says this is not your rest you are not going to rest now but he's looking forward to the day when he's going to restore Israel and you notice he gives us even the place where he is going to gather the nation of Israel during the middle of the tribulation look it says here I will

surely assemble or jacob all of the the word surely assemble it's coming with two hebrew words esof esof yaakov kulam you know notice it says all jacob not some but all jacob then he said in the next portion i will surely gather the remnant of israel here he's using the word sherit remnant so what we learn here from these two expressions that all Israel and the remnant are one and the same you know people often ask who is that all Israel the all Israel that will remain the remnant that will remain after the tribulation period experiencing the sorrows and the trials those that will be left at the end of the tribulation this is all

israel these are the all israel that are spoken in romans 11 and verse 26 so the all israel and the remnant are the one and the same now a jewish person who dies today without the messiah is just the same like a non-jewish person who died today without the messiah he's lost but at the end of the tribulation god gonna take jacob god is going to take israel through sarat yaakov jacob's trouble and at the end he will ultimately restore the nation but he gives us a place where he tells us where he's going to protect the hebrews doing the second half of the tribulation and here we read in verse 12 i will put

them together as a ship in Bozrah the Hebrew word is Batzrah and Bozrah is what is known today as present day Jordan it is where we know the area that is called Petra and Bozrah, Bezrah, is in the present day Jordan in which God in a supernatural way will preserve the nation of Israel in this time and this location and he will take care of them until israel the nation will accept the messiah yeshua the word botsra there is a plain word here you know he says i will put them together as sheep in bozrah and as a flock in the midst of their fold in other words there will be an enclosure in which

god will bring all the persecuted hebrews of the tribulation period those that will remain and he will bring them and He will protect them just like a fold where sheep are being placed inside and will be in a supernatural way protected by God.

The word botzra comes from the Hebrew word lehidbatser. It's like a fortress where you are protected, you are surrounded by protection, surrounded by fence, and no one can come in to harm you. That's what he's saying. And this area is, we know it today as the place that is called Petra. It is in Jordan. Now, if you please bear with me for another two minutes. I want to read just two passages, two verses. One of them is in Matthew chapter 24. Just turn with me to Matthew chapter 24, because this is important to help us to understand these verses. Matthew chapter 24 and verse 15. Yeshua is speaking now to the disciples and he said in verse 15, When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel, the prophet, standing in a holy place, Jerusalem, the temple, whosoever read, let him understand.

Then let them which are in Judea, listen to this, flee into the mountains. Now the word mountains here, the location of this mountain is in present day Jordan today. If you know the map of Israel, in the north we have Syria, Iraq, in the south we have Egypt, in the west we have the Mediterranean, in the east we have Jordan. Almost all Israel is bordered with Jordan. And the mountains, the only area of mountains is right in the present day Jordan. It's in Bozah, in Bozah. That's the place. Whosoever readeth, let him understand, then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains. In other words, God will send his people, the Jewish people, to flee into the place that he said in Micah, chapter 2, and verse 12.

He will gather them, he will put them together in Bozrah, like a flock in a midst of the fold. Now turn to Revelation, chapter 12, and there, look at this, he's using not the word mountains. Revelation, chapter 12, and verse 6. And the woman, this is Israel, fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God that they should feed her for 1,260 days. Now, who is the woman? It is Israel. In the middle of the tribulation, Israel will flee, the woman, Israel, will flee into the wilderness. again look at the map the north iraq and syria and so on the south egypt the west mediterranean the east is the wilderness the jordan the dry rocky mountainy area that is called by micah in chapter 2 and verse 12, he calls it Bozrah, present day Petra, where God will preserve the Jewish people, the people of Israel in this era.

You can read Isaiah chapter 63 verses 1 to 6, Isaiah chapter 34 verses 1 to 8. You can read other passages of the prophets that this is the place where Israel will be preserved for the second coming of the Messiah. And in conclusion, verse 13 and let me close with this in verse 13 of micah 2 the lord the messiah himself shall be israel's breaker israel's king and israel's lord the breaker is come up before them they have broken up and have passed through the gate and are gone out by it and their king shall pass before them and the Lord on the head of them. Another three titles of the Messiah call here a breaker.

Breaker is one who poets. He will break through and he will protect the nation. He will enter in and protect the nation from the armies of the counterfeit Messiah, preserve Israel at that place. He is the breaker of Israel. But he also is the king. in verse 13 at the end and their king shall pass by before them when yeshua are going to come as the king of the jews as we read in scripture where is he that was born the king of the jews the king of israel he will not come in lowliness anymore but he's going to come in power and authority and he will lead the nation of israel out and bring them into the promised land and there where we also read of him as the lord yeshua the messiah who is god man he is not only the man yeshua but he's also divine and that's why the word l-o-r-d capital l capital o capital r capital d he is the head of the nation of israel when the lord will restore israel to himself well beloved Brothers and sisters, I appreciate your patience, and I hope that you understood in some small way the second chapter of the book of Micah.

May the Lord bless his word to each and every one of our hearts. Can we say amen, please? Amen.