Micah 1:1- 2

Micah was one of the members of a quartet of writing prophets who burst onto the world scene during the eighth century B.C. (The others were Isaiah, Hosea and Amos.) He prophesied concerning both Judah (the two tribes in the south, with their capital in Jerusalem), and Israel (the ten tribes in the north, having their capital at Samaria). At one point, the prophet Jeremiah’s life was saved by a quotation from Micah (Jer.26:18; Mic.3:12). Who can doubt that God’s Word is powerful? Here are certain other things we can say about The word of the LORD…

  • It comes ‘to’ (and through) real people (1a): It comes to real people with real names (such as Micah) who come from real places on the map; geographical sites (like Moresheth). E.M. Bounds commented that people are always looking for better machinery, but ‘God’s methods are men.’ Are you willing to be a ‘mouthpiece’ for God’s communication to people?
  • It comes to historical eras (1b): …during…reigns… God’s Word breaks into human history. It is unstoppable. The history of the Bible tells us that there are many kings/rulers who put the ear plugs in. They do not want to hear. But God’s Word comes whether it finds the welcome mat outside the palace gates or it doesn’t! The ultimate expression of God’s Word coming into history was when The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. (John 1:14a).
  • It has ‘to do’ with life in the real world (1c): It had to do with what was going on in Samaria and Jerusalem. The Message. God’s Word has ‘to do’ with everyday life on the streets of this world, and, as we shall see, it often is at odds with it; at variance with what is ‘going on’. It confronts it. It comes with force and there is a clash. It raises up a clear standard and states that certain things are plain wrong. The Word of God comes to us where we are. It does not hold itself aloof from dirty, nitty-gritty life lived at street level. It has ‘to do’ with what is being done there. There is a version of the Bible that is called, ‘The Word on the street.’ How appropriate that is!
  • The Word of God will sometimes be ‘against’ (2): God wants to be ‘for’ people. That’s what the cross says. But before God can be ‘for’ any of us, we have to face up to what He is against. He is against all sin, and He calls us to repent of it and trust in Jesus that we may be saved. God will not spare us on this point, precisely because He wants the best for us. He wants us to realise how badly ‘out of plumb’ we are, and He calls us to be reconciled through the cross.

  Prayer: Let your Word be wrapped in my flesh today, and enable me to take it to the streets.