Micah
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Next book - Hosea
Micah, like Hosea, lived during the latter days of Israel’s northern
kingdom, with the exception being that Micah ministered beyond the
Assyrian captivity. Micah is somewhat of a compliment to Hosea in
that while Hosea was primarily a prophet to Israel but often spoke
to Judah, Micah will primarily be a prophet to Judah who will often
speak to Israel \\#Miccah 1:1, 5, 6\\. Micah was born in
Moreshethgath, a city of Judah and he dates his prophecy by Judean
kings \\#1:1\\.
Since the days of Amos, the judgment against Israel had been
unalterable \\#Amos 2:6, 4:12\\ and the wickedness of Judah had been
increasing \\#Amos 2:4-5, Hos 5:10-15; 6:4-11; 8:14\\. God had warned
Judah to stay away from Ephraim lest they also catch the wicked
cancer of sin \\#Hos 4:15-17\\, but they had not listened and Micah
must now proclaim that the incurable wound is come upon Judah
\\#Mic 1:9\\.
Although previous Judean kings had not followed David’s devotion to
God, something happened about the time of Jotham that seems to have
set Judah on a permanent decline with God \\#2Chronicles 27:2\\.
While God recognized Jotham in general as a good king, Hosea noted
that it was the heart of Judah’s leadership which changed
\\#Hos 5:10\\. During Ahaz’s reign, Judah followed Israel in
committing sins which even the heathen would not do.
Micah will plainly spell out some of the Judah’s sins, confronting
not only the sin but the foolish reasoning by which they justified
their sinfulness. He will also proclaim in vivid form the judgments
which will come upon the nation of Israel. Three chapters of Micah
are filled with end time prophecies, Micah 4, 5, and 7.
Micah is quoted by:
1. the elders of Jeremiah’s day - \\#Jer 26:16-19 Micah 3:12\\
2. the Sanhedrin - \\#Matt 2:5-6 Micah 5:2\\.
3. Christ - \\#Matt 10:34-36 Micah 7:6\\.
I. Judah’s Kings
10. Uzziah or Azariah-\\#2Ki 14:21-15:7; 2Chr 26:3-23\\
Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to reign
\\#2Ki 14:21\\ and reigned 52 years \\#2Ki 15:2\\,
doing right in the eyes of the Lord \\#2Ki 15;3\\. He
fought victoriously against the Philistines
\\#2Chr 26:6\\ and other nations. This ushered in a
great age of prosperity \\#2Chr 26:7-15\\; however,
Uzziah also became a victim to his pride. Trying to
officiate a sacrifice \\#2Chr 26:16\\, God smote him
with leprosy \\#2Chr 26:19\\ until the day of his
death \\#2Chr 26:21\\. After being smitten with
leprosy, Uzziah left much of the actual work of
ruling to his son, Jotham \\#2Chr 26:21\\ .
11. Jotham \\#2Ki 15:32-38; 2Chr 27:1-9\\
Jotham was a co-ruler with his father \\#2Ki 15:5\\
because of his father’s leprosy. He was twenty-five
when he began ruling and ruled for 16 years
\\#2Ki 15:33\\, probably a reference to the time he
ruled without his father. He did right in the Lord’s
eyes \\#2Ki 15:34\\ and was blessed accordingly
\\#2Chr 27:6\\. However, he did not go to worship in
the temple \\#2Chr 27:2\\. The Lord blessed him
from the surrounding enemies \\#2Chr 27:5\\. The
prosperity of Uzziah’s kingdom seemed to have
continued to Jotham’s \\#2Chr 27:4\\ but the people
became more corrupt \\#2Chr 27:2\\.
12. Ahaz \\#2Ki 16:1-20; 2Chr 28:1-27\\
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign and
was very wicked \\#2Ki 16:2\\. He entered into false
worship and committed abominations against God
\\#2Ki 16:3-4\\. Because of this, the Lord allowed
Judah to be afflicted by Israel (under King Pekah),
Syria, Edom, the Philistines, and Assyria
\\#2Ki 15:37; 2Ki 16:6; 2Chr 28:17-21\\. Ahaz
attempted to make a treaty with Assyria
\\#2Chr 28:16\\ but Assyria wanted more
\\#2Chr 28:20\\. Ultimately, Ahaz made Judah
a servant of Assyria and Assyria defeated Syria for
him \\#2Ki 16:7-9\\. Since Ahaz could not defeat
Syria by himself, when he saw Syria’s altar in
Damascus, he started worshipping their gods, hoping it
would bring victory to Judah \\#2Chr 28:22-23\\. He
even had a copy of the altar build in Jerusalem
\\#2Ki 16:10-11\\ and destroyed some of the temple
furniture in redecorating for his new god
\\#2Ki 16:17\\. This further angered the Lord who
allowed a very weak Israel to kill 120,000 Judeans
in one day’s battle \\#2Chr 28:6\\ and to carry
200,000 away in captivity \\#2Chr 28:8\\.
13. Hezekiah \\#2Ki 16:20-20:21; 2Chr 28:27-32:33; Is 36:1-39:8\\
{715 to 686}
Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began to reign \\#2Ki 18:2\\
and reigned for 29 years. He did right all the days of his life
\\#2Ki 18:3\\ and walked in such a unique way that there were
no kings like him either before his time or after
\\#2Ki 18:5\\. In the first month of his reign, he opened the
temple and began repairing it and re-establishing the
priesthood \\#2Chr 29:3-11\\. This lead to a great revival in
Judah \\#2Chr 29-31\\. Hezekiah even attempted to regather to
the Lord the remnant of the captive northern kingdom
\\#2Chr 30:1-12\\. The Lord prospered him \\#2Ki 18:5\\ and
made him victorious in battle \\#2Ki 18:7\\. It was during
Hezekiah’s 4th to 6th years in reigning that Israel was
besieged and taken captive to Assyria \\#2Ki 18:9-12\\.
Hezekiah, himself, had inherited a kingdom under Assyrian
dominion from Ahaz \\#2Ki 16:7-9\\. At some point early in
Hezekiah’s reign, he rebelled from Assyria \\#2Ki 18:7\\,
perhaps making some league with Egypt \\#2Ki 18:21\\. During
his fourteenth year, Assyria came against Judah \\#2Ki 18:13\\.
Hezekiah tried to submit to Assyria \\#2Ki 18:14-16\\, but
Assyria had decided to remove Judah out of their land
\\#2Ki 18:32\\ as they had done to Israel. Hezekiah humbled
himself and prayed to the Lord \\#2Ki 19:1\\ who would have
simply sent Assyria back to their home \\#2Ki 19:8\\, but their
general blasphemed the Lord \\#2Ki 19:22\\. The Lord slew
185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night \\#2Ki 19:35\\. Hezekiah
later received an additional 15 years of life \\#2Ki 20:6\\ and
saw the sun move backward 10 degrees \\#2Ki 20:10\\. Hezekiah
may have failed in one trial (probably because of pride)
\\#2Chr 32:31\\, when Babylonian ambassadors came to visit
\\#2Ki 20:12-19\\.
II. Israel’s Kings - While the Bible dates Micah book by the
southern kings, the following list includes all of the northern
kings that Micah may have prophesied under but it may be that he
did not begin his ministry so early.
5. Jehu’s Dynasty
e. Zachariah \\#2Ki 15:8-12\\
Zachariah was the fourth generation from Jehu.
Jehu had received a promise from God that his
line would rule to the fourth generation
\\#2Ki 10:30\\. Zachariah ruled for 6 months
\\#2Ki 15:8\\. Those were evil months \\#2Ki 15:9\\.
Then Zachariah was assassinated \\#2Ki 15:10\\.
6. Shallum, son of Jabesh \\#2Ki 15:13-16\\
Shallum assassinated Zachariah and ruled in his stead
\\#2Ki 15:10\\. He ruled only one month \\#2Ki 15:13\\.
He was either assassinated or executed after being
defeated by Menahem \\#2Ki 15:14\\.
7. Menahem Dynasty - This is the 7th Israeli dynasty and the 16th
king.
a. Menahem \\#2Ki 15:17-22\\
Menahem came to the throne by violence \\#2Ki 15:14\\.
He ruled for 10 years \\#2Ki 15:17\\ and was wicked
\\#2Ki 15:18\\. Assyria began to seriously threaten
Israel in Menahem’s day \\#2Ki 15:19-20\\, causing
Menahem to tax Israel heavily for "protection money."
b. Pekahiah \\#(2Ki 15:23-26\\
Pekahiah reigned 2 years \\#2Ki 15:23\\ and was evil
\\#2Ki 14:24\\. He was assassinated by Pekah, one of his
captains, in his own house \\#2Ki 15:25\\.
8. Pekah \\#2Ki 15:27-31; 2Chr 28:6\\
Pekah came to power by assassinating his king \\#2Ki15:25\\.
He reigned 20 years \\#2Ki 15:27\\ and was evil
\\#2Ki 15:28\\. God used Pekah to chastise Judah for
departing from Him under Ahaz’s reign, allowing Israel to
kill 120,000 of Judah’s men in one day \\#2Chr 28:6\\ and
to take 200,000 prisoners \\#2Chr 28:8\\. Assyria began
taking Israel into captivity during Pekah’s reign
\\#2Ki 15:29\\. Pekah was assassinated by Hoshea to
gain his throne. So he was killed and lost the throne in the
same manner has he had gained the throne \\#2Ki 15:30\\.
9. Hoshea \\#2Kings 17:1-6\\
Hoshea received the throne by assassination \\#2Ki 15:30\\.
He was officially king for nine years \\#2Ki 17:1\\, although
most of that time he was either a servant of Assyria
\\#2Ki 17:3\\ or imprisoned for conspiring with Egypt
\\#2Ki 17:4\\. For three years of his reign, Samaria was
under siege \\#2Ki 17:5\\. Evidentially, Assyria conquered
the city and carried the northern kingdom to Assyria into
captivity \\#2Ki 17:6\\. The northern kingdom of Israel
ceased at this time (722 BC).
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