Week 6: Micah

Objective: 

• Judgment on Israel and Judah
• Woe to Evildoers
• Lying Prophets
• The Lord’s Reign in Zion
• Zion’s Future Triumph
• The Coming Messiah
• God Pleads with Israel
• Israel’s Confession and Comfort
• God Will Forgive Israel

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)
• Minor Prophets SUSCOPTS

Activity for every week: Can you recite the 12 minor prophets?

Reading:

• Micah 1:1-9
• Micah 2:1-11
• Micah 4:1-13
• Micah 5:1-5
• Micah 6:1-8
• Micah 7:1-20

Key verse(s):

"Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise" Micah 7:8

NOTE TO SERVANT:

• Please plan to ask and review these questions every week:

  • Who are the minor prophets? Can you recite them?
    
  • The theme for last week's minor prophet
  • Highlight Messianic prophecy

Minor Prophets introduction:

• The Major and Minor Prophet division of the Holy Bible does not denote the importance or rank of the writing prophets, but the length of the Holy Books which bear their prophecies.

  • Ex: Jonah 4 chapters - Isaiah 66 chapters
• There are 12 minor prophets and 4 major prophets (5 books including Lamentations)
• In the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), all these books were listed under "prophets". In the Septuagint and Vulgate translations, this classification of major and minor was mentioned.
• The prophet in the OT was someone who passed God's message to the people. A prophet in the NT is also someone who passes God's message or news (God's love and salvation for all mankind).
• In the OT, there were many prophets (Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, etc.), but when we refer to the "Prophets", we refer to the ones who recorded their prophecy. 
• All prophecies had one goal: Repentance!
• Recorded prophecies were split into three groups: Before, during, and after the exile.
  • Before: Repent so God doesn't bring the exile
  • During: Repent so God can end the exile and take us back to our land
  • After: Repent because the Messiah is coming
• The books of the prophets are rich with Messianic prophecies. Our Lord fulfilled all.
• The meaning of the names of the prophets is usually the message of their writings.
• The prophetic books always start with a strong tough message and then end with a joyful promising message.
  
• All books have different themes. All books have the same message (repentance).
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Comments:

Theme of Jonah: Insrael's injustice
Messianic Prophecy: The Lord's incarnation (1:3) - The Lord's birth in Bethlehem (5:2)

• Micah is short for Michael: "Who is like God"
• He was one of the eighth-century prophets with Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, and Jonah.
• He is mentioned in Jeremiah 26:18.
• He directed his prophecy to the Kingdom of Judah.
• Micah’s home was Moresheth Gath (1:14), a town probably located about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem.
• The book of Micah rebukes anyone who would use social status or political power for personal gain.
  • One-third of Micah exposes the sins of his countrymen
  • other third pictures the punishment God is about to send
  • The final third holds out the hope of restoration once that discipline has ended.
• Through it all, God’s righteous demands upon His people are clear: “To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).
• Micah 1:3: A prophecy on the Lord's incarnation
• Micah 1:8: He prophesied stripped and naked to show the people what the exile (their sins) will do to them. God asked him to prophesy in this way to show the Israelites what would happen to them if they didn't repent.
  • Isiah also did the same: Isaiah 20:2-4
• Chapter 2 talks about what will happen to the evildoers and the false prophets
• Chapter 3: The triumph after overcoming sin. The good days will take place after their dark exile days.
• Micah 5:2: The famous verse on the Lord's birth in Bethlehem. This prophecy is mentioned in many Nativity hymns.
• Micah 5:5: 7 refers to the perfect earthly servants. 8: refers to the heavenly angels.
• Micah 7:8: is very important to discuss with high school youth.
• Micah 7:18: Talks about God's forgiveness.

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. How was Samaria the transgression of Jacob?
2. Would Micah really go stripped and naked?
3. What was the sin of the false prophets?
4. Mention the prophecies in this book and their fulfillment in the New Testament.
5. Why should Israel’s enemy not rejoice?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. Who will be a witness against the people?
   a) Micah b) Israel c) the Lord God d) Samaria.
2. Make yourself bald and cut off your _______, Because of your precious _______; enlarge your baldness like an _________, for they shall go from you into __________.
3. The evildoers covet:
   a) fields b) houses c) both of these
4. The boundaries were determined by _________.
5. The One to be ruler in Israel will come out of _________.
6. For now He shall be ________ to the ends of the _______; and this One shall be ________.
7. Who did God send to redeem Israel from the house of bondage?
   a) Moses b) Aaron c) Miriam d) all of these