Micah 1
Micah was a contemporary of Hosea, but whereas Hosea was primarily prophesying God's Word to the northern kingdom of Israel, Micah's prophecy concerns both Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.
When we hear the word 'earth', we tend to interpret it according to our context. It's too easy to assume it means "the whole world, the globe." And while it can mean that, it can also mean "the land", and I believe that it does mean that more often than not.
When we interpret it as the whole world, and then we read the passages concerning judgment, it sounds too cataclysmic, which leads us to pushing the fulfillment of the prophecy way off into the future, since obviously God hasn't judged the whole world in this cataclysmic way yet. Yet, when we take it to mean the land, then we understand that the prophecy concerns a very real and tangible judgment that actually happened. This judgment would be the same as in Hosea, the invasion of the Assyrians. The Assyrians would successfully conquer Israel and Samaria and scatter 10 of the tribes, but they would ultimately be foiled by God's angel when they tried to conquer Judah and Jerusalem.
The northern kingdom of Israel was especially idolatrous, which is why they received a stricter judgment. God gave them over to the Assyrians and they were scattered, but they were not wiped out completely for God's own compassion. That idolatry of the Samaritans had begun to extend down to Judah, they began influencing Judah with their idolatry.
What's with this obsession with the Assyrian invasion in The Bible? It's talked about a lot.
Also I'm trying to understand the timeline, I guess the invasion had happened so the people later writing The Bible were organising events and 'predicting' it as a key event and then writing about it?
Sometimes when I'm cynical I think people were taking the puzzle pieces of history and organising it to make sense of it into the Bible.
That's why in the NT they keep saying ...'and THIS proves Isaiah was true' with some usually indirect example.
I'm trying to be less cynical and embrace the Lord. I have indeed lived the life of a horrible sinner and my cynical nature may well be satan working within me sowing the seeds of doubt. I used to think this was discernment and intelligence. But my liberalism, where has it left me?
Matthew 7: 16'by their fruits you will know them'
It has given me pride. But my prideful arrogance has left me spiritually and morally bankrupt.
Micah 1-
Was confused by this:
All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
'Jacob' here is referring to Israel
And basically that 'Israel' and 'Judah' have fallen to idolatory.
'Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
I was a little confused by the above line but again I was taking it too literally. It's not necessarily literal prostitution but more general vice and idolatory.
When I first read the lines 'as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used' I didn't get it because I thought maybe wages of prostitutes could be used for good things. I mean money earnt from corruption could be used for something positive. But in this context it basically means God's judgment for their sins. However, I don't mentally make that connection easily.
''Shave your head in mourning for the children in whom you delight;make yourself as bald as the vulture, for they will go from you into exile.''
A little confusing cos apparently the Assyrians have ALREADY invaded and Samarians are already exiled. The Babylonian conquest to come will exile the people of Judah.
If I'm brutally honest, I find the geography pretty confusing. To break it down a bit - Israel (capital Samaria) is the Northen part conquered by Assyrians.
Judah (capital Jerusalem) is the Southen part later conquered by Babylonians.
