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Tag: Micah

Minor prophets

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Books and Testaments, What’s new?.

What is the core message of the Minor Prophets?

The Minor Prophets, sometimes referred to as “the Book of the Twelve,” make up the final section of the Old Testament. They consist of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The “minor” designation pertains solely to their shorter length in comparison to the five “Major Prophets” but doesn’t imply that they have less theological importance. Moreover, to fully understand the Minor Prophets, it’s important to grasp the core message they convey to readers.

While all seventeen prophetic books in the Old Testament share common features, such as writing style, many scholars believe that the Minor Prophets are uniquely united. Evidence for this includes the facts that (1) they are grouped together, despite having various historical contexts, suggesting theological cohesion; (2) they are referred to in non-biblical texts as a single collection, such as Sirach 49:10, which calls them “the Twelve Prophets”; (3) they number twelve, which symbolizes completeness in the Hebrew tradition; and (4) they contain numerous internal connections. For example, the books of Joel and Amos include the phrase the Lord roars from Zion (Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2, ESV).

This unity is further reflected in the core message of the Minor Prophets. Their central point is that Jews and Gentiles alike need to repent of sin and live for God, who is loving and just, so that on the day of the Lord they will receive the blessings that come through His promised Messiah, rather than face His judgment (e.g., Joel 2:28–32; Habakkuk 2:4). The basis of the prophets’ critique is the law that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai—the Mosaic Covenant identifies sinful and holy behavior (Exodus 19—24). Importantly, according to the law, a person’s behavior reveals the condition of his heart toward God (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5).

Three themes in the Minor Prophets work together to shape their core message. Central to each one is Hosea because it’s first in the traditional arrangement of the twelve books. Bible scholars disagree on which theme is dominant, yet most recognize that each one is important.

The first theme highlights Israel’s failure to keep the law. It communicates that people need to urgently repent for disobeying God’s commands to avoid His judgment and secure His blessing. Hosea 14:9 is central to this theme: “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.”

Another theme focuses on the day of the Lord, which ten out of the twelve Minor Prophets mention (e.g., Joel 1:15; 2:11; Amos 5:20). The day of the Lord is a future time when God will decisively intervene in world affairs, judging the unrighteous (e.g., Malachi 4:5) and blessing the righteous (e.g., Obadiah 1:15–18). The New Testament teaches that Pentecost foreshadowed the ultimate fulfillment of the day of the Lord (Acts 2:17–21), which will culminate with the second coming of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10).

The third theme of the Minor Prophets emphasizes the love of God. This is evident in the narrative arc of the Minor Prophets. It begins with a story that illustrates God’s love (Hosea 1—3) and concludes with a declaration of the same theme in Malachi 1:2. That verse reads, “‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us? Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob.’”

Finally, to fully comprehend the core message of the Minor Prophets, it’s important to understand that the New Testament identifies Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. While the minor prophets looked forward with anticipation to the Messiah’s arrival, Christians look back on it. As the New Testament affirms, the minor prophets testify to Jesus’ birth (e.g., Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1), public ministry (e.g., Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5), death (e.g., Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34–27), and resurrection (e.g., Jonah 2:10; Matthew 12:39–41). Jesus also taught that the Old Testament prophets testified about Him (Luke 18:31; 24:44–47).

The minor prophets lived under the Mosaic Covenant, which Jesus fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). In contrast, Christians today live under the New Covenant, a unilateral agreement that Jesus established by His death and resurrection (Jeremiah 31:31–40; Luke 22:20). Yet the books of the Minor Prophets remind Christians about the importance of Holy Spirit-empowered obedience. This obedience is no longer directed toward the law in its details but to its essence through loving God and others (Matthew 22:37–40) and to the mission of preaching the gospel and making disciples of every tribe, language, people, and nation (Matthew 28:18–20; Revelation 5:9).

Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Micah, What’s new?.

What does it mean to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly (Micah 6:8)?

One of the most popular verses among both Jews and Christians promoting social justice is Micah 6:8. It reads, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Many desire to know more about what this inspiring verse teaches on the issues of justice, mercy, and humility.

Micah 6 involves an imaginary conversation between the Lord and Israel. In verses 1-5 the Lord introduces His case against the disobedient people of Israel. Verses 6-7 record Israel’s response as a series of questions beginning with, “With what shall I come to the Lord?” (Micah 6:6).

Israel’s focus is on their external religious rites, and their questions show a progression from lesser to greater. First, they ask if God would be satisfied with burnt offerings of year-old calves (Micah 6:6b), offerings required in the Law of Moses. Second, they ask if they should bring “thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil” (Micah 6:7a). This is the rhetoric of hyperbole; such an offering could only be made by someone extremely wealthy or by the larger community of God’s people. Third, they ask whether they should offer their firstborn sons as a sacrifice for God. Would that be enough to cover their sin? Would God be pleased with them then?

Verse 8 follows with God’s answer, rooted in the Law of Moses: “He has told you, O man, what is good.” In other words, Israel should already have known the answer to their questions. God then says that He did not need or desire their religious rites, sacrifices, or oblations. Instead, the Lord sought Israel’s justice, mercy, and humility.

The answer to Israel’s sin problem was not more numerous or more painful sacrifices. The answer was something much deeper than any religious observance: they needed a change of heart. Without the heart, Israel’s conformity to the Law was nothing more than hypocrisy. Other prophets tried to communicate a similar message (Isaiah 1:14; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21). Unfortunately, God’s people were slow to heed the message (Matthew 12:7).

“Act justly” would have been understood by Micah’s audience as living with a sense of right and wrong. In particular, the judicial courts had a responsibility to provide equity and protect the innocent. Injustice was a problem in Israel at that time (Micah 2:1-2; 3:1-3; 6:11).

“Love mercy” contains the Hebrew word hesed, which means “loyal love” or “loving-kindness.” Along with justice, Israel was to provide mercy. Both justice and mercy are foundational to God’s character (Psalm 89:14). God expected His people to show love to their fellow man and to be loyal in their love toward Him, just as He had been loyal to them (Micah 2:8-9; 3:10-11; 6:12).

“Walk humbly” is a description of the heart’s attitude toward God. God’s people depend on Him rather than their own abilities (Micah 2:3). Instead of taking pride in what we bring to God, we humbly recognize that no amount of personal sacrifice can replace a heart committed to justice and love. Israel’s rhetorical questions had a three-part progression, and verse 8 contains a similar progression. The response of a godly heart is outward (do justice), inward (love mercy), and upward (walk humbly). The message of Micah is still pertinent today. Religious rites, no matter how extravagant, can never compensate for a lack of love (1 Corinthians 13:3). External compliance to rules is not as valuable in God’s eyes as a humble heart that simply does what is right. God’s people today will continue to desire justice, mercy, and humility before the Lord.

What can we learn from the account of Micah and the idol in Judges?

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in What’s new?.

Judges 17 and 18 record the story of a man named Micah who built a shrine and worshiped human-made idols. (This man should not to be confused with the prophet Micah.) Obviously, what Micah did was wrong. The author of the Book of Judges includes the story in order to teach us some lessons.

First, it is clear that worshiping idols stands in opposition to God’s commands. The first of the Ten Commandments reads, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

Second, external religious actions are not enough; faith in the true God is required. Micah was certainly zealous. He built a shrine, made an ephod to use in religious activities, and fashioned some household idols. He was excited to have hired his own, personal priest: “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest” (Judges 17:13). However, Micah’s actions were not based on the teachings of God’s Word. He sought to serve God the way he wanted, not the way God had commanded.

Third, false beliefs lead to wrong actions. When the people of Dan inquired concerning a place to settle, Micah’s priest told them what they wanted to hear: “Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD’s approval” (Judges 18:6). Yet the Danites’ journey was a violent one that resulted in the destruction of a peaceful town.

Fourth, sinful actions by one person can have a long-term impact. The closing verses of this account leave us with these words: “The Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judges 18:30–31). Micah’s false gods led to false worship among an entire tribe of Israel for several generations. We may not think our sinful actions hurt others, yet they do. They can even leave a long-term negative impact on entire communities for years to come.

The Micah of Judges 17—18 offers an example of how not to worship God, and his story illustrates the consequences of practicing religion according to what we think is best rather than according to God’s teachings. God’s Word is given to guide and protect us, as well as to bring Him glory. As 2 Timothy 3:16–17 teaches, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”