Pray Thru the Bible

God Speaks

5 Mobilize! Marshal your troops!
    The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem.
They will strike Israel’s leader
    in the face with a rod.

² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
    whose origins are in the distant past,
    will come from you on my behalf.
³ The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies
    until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then at last his fellow countrymen
    will return from exile to their own land.
⁴ And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
    for he will be highly honored around the world.
⁵     And he will be the source of peace.

When the Assyrians invade our land
    and break through our defenses,
we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us,
    eight princes to lead us.
⁶ They will rule Assyria with drawn swords
    and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod.
He will rescue us from the Assyrians
    when they pour over the borders to invade our land.

⁷ Then the remnant left in Israel
    will take their place among the nations.
They will be like dew sent by the Lord
    or like rain falling on the grass,
which no one can hold back
    and no one can restrain.
⁸ The remnant left in Israel
    will take their place among the nations.
They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
    like a strong young lion among flocks of sheep and goats,
pouncing and tearing as they go
    with no rescuer in sight.
⁹ The people of Israel will stand up to their foes,
    and all their enemies will be wiped out.

¹⁰ “In that day,” says the Lord,
“I will slaughter your horses
    and destroy your chariots.
¹¹ I will tear down your walls
    and demolish your defenses.
¹² I will put an end to all witchcraft,
    and there will be no more fortune-tellers.
¹³ I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars,
    so you will never again worship the work of your own hands.
¹⁴ I will abolish your idol shrines with their Asherah poles
    and destroy your pagan cities.
¹⁵ I will pour out my vengeance
    on all the nations that refuse to obey me.”

6 Listen to what the Lord is saying:

“Stand up and state your case against me.
    Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.
² And now, O mountains,
    listen to the Lord’s complaint!
He has a case against his people.
    He will bring charges against Israel.

³ “O my people, what have I done to you?
    What have I done to make you tired of me?
    Answer me!
⁴ For I brought you out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from slavery.
    I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
⁵ Don’t you remember, my people,
    how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed
    and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead?
And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal,
    when I, the Lord, did everything I could
    to teach you about my faithfulness.”

⁶ What can we bring to the Lord?
    Should we bring him burnt offerings?
Should we bow before God Most High
    with offerings of yearling calves?
⁷ Should we offer him thousands of rams
    and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
    to pay for our sins?

⁸ No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.

⁹ Fear the Lord if you are wise!
    His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem:
“The armies of destruction are coming;
    the Lord is sending them.
¹⁰ What shall I say about the homes of the wicked
    filled with treasures gained by cheating?
What about the disgusting practice
    of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?
¹¹ How can I tolerate your merchants
    who use dishonest scales and weights?
¹² The rich among you have become wealthy
    through extortion and violence.
Your citizens are so used to lying
    that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.

¹³ “Therefore, I will wound you!
    I will bring you to ruin for all your sins.
¹⁴ You will eat but never have enough.
    Your hunger pangs and emptiness will remain.
And though you try to save your money,
    it will come to nothing in the end.
You will save a little,
    but I will give it to those who conquer you.
¹⁵ You will plant crops
    but not harvest them.
You will press your olives
    but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves.
You will trample the grapes
    but get no juice to make your wine.
¹⁶ You keep only the laws of evil King Omri;
    you follow only the example of wicked King Ahab!
Therefore, I will make an example of you,
    bringing you to complete ruin.
You will be treated with contempt,
    mocked by all who see you.”

Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com

We Respond

Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding each chapter of Micah 5 and 6:

1. What does this chapter tell me about God?

2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?

Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.  

Micah 5

1. God is concerned about small or little-known people, places, or things such as Bethlehem Ephrathah. He will use them to express His glory.

2. When people honor God, follow His ways, and submit to His discipline, He will give them victory over their enemies, and they will live undisturbed in the land.  

Micah 6 

1. God holds people (and nations) accountable for their decisions and actions. 

2. People are designed to fear the LORD, to do what is just and right, to lovingly show mercy, and to walk humbly with God Almighty.

Prayer:

3. How might I pray regarding Micah 5 and 6?  

Thank You, LORD God, that You are concerned about small or little-known people, places, or things like me, my family, and my community. Please use us to express Your glory. Please help us to honor You, to follow Your ways, and to submit to Your loving discipline. When we do these things, You promise in Your word (the Bible) to give us victory over all our enemies. Then we will live undisturbed in the land. LORD God, You do hold people (and nations) accountable for their decisions and actions. You designed human beings to fear You, LORD, to do what is just and right, to lovingly show mercy, and to walk humbly with You, Almighty God. Jesus Christ came to earth, lived, died, was resurrected, and sent the Holy Spirit to indwell people to make this possible. May the LORD receive glory from all that His servants say and do. AMEN

Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)

4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Micah 5 and 6?

• I will ask the LORD to show me my significance to Him.
• I will not complain but graciously submit the next time Father God must discipline me because I can trust that He is doing it for my good and His glory.
• I will look for ways to show mercy to someone today because God has shown mercy to me.
• I will check my thoughts and attitudes and confess when I have been arrogant, then ask the Holy Spirit to help me to change.  

Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.