LifePoint Lubbock

Micah 1-7

Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile, out through the gates of the enemy cities, back to your own land. Your king will lead you; the LORD himself will guide you. Micah 2:13 (NLT)

Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Jotham did what was good in the sight of the Lord. Ahaz was a wicked king. Hezekiah was a reformer. Micah prophesied concerning both Samaria and Jerusalem, the capital cities of Israel and Judah. Micah prophesied the destruction of Samaria which occurred when the Assyrians destroyed the city. Judgment was also coming on Judah, and the prophet mourns deeply for the people who would not repent. This incurable plague which has spread from Samaria to Judah is only incurable because the people refuse to bring it to God. When we insist on dealing with sin on our own and refuse to bring it to God, then our wounds are incurable.

Micah says they blatantly commit their sin in broad daylight. God’s people did not receive God’s prophet. Micah began in the reign of Jotham, but no one listened. He prophesied during the reign of Ahaz, but still no one listened. Finally, during the reign of Hezekiah, the people repented.

Even though judgment was promised because of the people’s great sin, God’s grace and goodness are evident in His promise to restore the remnant of Israel. At the end of the second chapter, we see an obscure title for Jesus the Messiah: the Breaker. He breaks us out of the prison of sin. We, like Israel and Judah, have created our own bo***ge from which we cannot break free. The Breaker goes before us and breaks through and leads us out through the gate. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to break through the walls and lead you out of bo***ge. In John 8:36, Jesus promised to set us free!

Day 194
2 Chronicles 27, Isaiah 9-12
Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Isaiah 12:5 (NIV)

Jotham officially becomes king after the death of his father, Uzziah. Jotham continued in the pattern of his father, doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD. However, the people are not acting godly like their rulers. The messages of the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah reveal the moral and spiritual decay of the people.

Isaiah writes of the coming Messiah. The people of Israel and Judah saw the Assyrians as their largest problem. In their minds, deliverance meant military victory. The coming Messiah would bring complete victory over all enemies. Great joy and freedom come from Jesus Christ alone. Isaiah speaks of the first and second coming of the Messiah. Jesus came to earth as a child born, a son given. He came as Immanuel, God with us. The rest of Isaiah’s prophecy concerns the second coming, when Jesus Christ will rule the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. One day the government will be upon His shoulders. Isaiah starts the “His name shall be called”. The term name was not merely an identifier of a person, but much more a revelation of character. “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” reveal the nature and character of Jesus Christ.

For 600 years the stump of Jesse appeared to be dead. Then a branch begins to grow, full of life, full of the Spirit of the LORD. Jesus Christ lived and ministered as a man filled with the Spirit of God. The wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear of the LORD are all displayed in Jesus’ ministry on earth. There is no difference between the nature of Jesus and the nature of the Holy Spirit. When we see the Spirit of the LORD at work, it should look just like the ministry and nature of Jesus.