When
Micah the prophet wrote concerning the Lord's coming down to the
earth, the effect of His appearance was “the mountains shall be
molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the
fire, and as the waters that are
poured down a steep place.” In
chapter one and verse five of his prophesy, Micah gave the reasons
why the Lord was coming with such fury. We read:
For the transgression
of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of
Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it
not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are
they not Jerusalem?
The
verse begins, “For the transgression of Jacob is
all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel.” Micah began
with the word “For” which means “because or on account
of” “the transgression” or “rebellion” “of
Jacob” which means “heel catcher or supplanter” “is
all this”. “Jacob” or “Israel” had rebelled
against the ways of God Almighty, and this was to bring the judgment
of God upon them. Not only would the judgment come upon them, but
also “and for the sins” or “missing of the mark” “of
the house of Israel” which refers to the dwelling places or
habitation of “God prevails” or “governed by God”. Rather
than being people who were ruled by God and His ways, the people of
Jacob and the house of Israel rebelled against the Lord God Almighty.
The verse continues, “What
is the transgression of Jacob? is it
not Samaria?” Micah next
presented a rhetorical question, “What is the
transgression”, and though
they did not know where this place of rebellion against God existed
in their lives, “of Jacob”?
Micah answered his question with another question which infers the
answer “yes”, “is it not Samaria” which
means “"watch mountain" and was “the region of
northern Palestine associated with the northern kingdom of the 10
tribes of Israel which split from the kingdom after the death of
Solomon during the reign of his son Rehoboam and were ruled by
Jeroboam. It was also the capital city of the northern kingdom of
Israel located 30 miles (50 km) north of Jerusalem and 6 miles (10
km) northwest of Shechem”. “Samaria” was said to be
where “high places” of worship of false gods took place,
and those who worshipped false gods there were bringing the judgment
of God upon themselves.
Finally
the verse says, “and what are the high
places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?” Micah
continued with an indictment of “Judah”
when he wrote the question, “and what are the high
places” or “ridge,
height, bamah which is a technical name for cultic platform” “of
Judah” which means “praised”. He again answers his own
question with a question as he asked, “are they not Jerusalem”
which means “teaching of peace”. Not only were these “high
places” or “bamah” of the people placed in Samaria, but
they were so present in “Jerusalem” that Micah accused the
entire city of being a high place.
As we think about these
words of Micah, we may be inclined to think that we cannot relate to
these “high places” of the worship of false gods. However,
the “high places” such as “Samaria” and
“Jerusalem” may be in some other form or fashion for us.
Anything that we give our time, money, resources, efforts and energy
towards may become a false god in our lives and lead us to
“rebellion” against the One and true Creator God. Perhaps
there are habits, hobbies, activities and functions which have taken
priority over the Lord Jesus in our lives, and these questions of
Micah could be directed toward them. Let us allow the Lord to show us
any area of rebellion in our lives against Him, and may we humble
ourselves before His throne when He identifies them in our lives.
Next
time Micah shares more of the judgment against Samaria and Jerusalem,
so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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