8.24.25 – Micah 2

SPEAKER 01 : 0:09

Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.

SPEAKER 02 : 0:25

Today we are in Micah chapter 2. We’ll listen to all 13 verses of the reading of Micah chapter 2 from Faith Comes by Hearing.

SPEAKER 04 : 0:34

Micah 2

SPEAKER 05 : 0:37

Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds. When the morning dawns, they perform it because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and seize them and houses and take them away. They oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.

SPEAKER 04 : 0:55

Therefore, thus says the Lord. Behold, against this family I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be a time of disaster.

SPEAKER 05 : 1:12

In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you, and moan bitterly and say, We are utterly ruined.

SPEAKER 03 : 1:21

changes the portion of my people, how he removes it from me, to an apostate he allots our fields.

SPEAKER 05 : 1:29

Therefore you will have none to cast a line by lot in the assembly of the Lord. Do not preach, thus they preach. One should not preach of such things. Disgrace will not overtake us. Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Has the Lord grown impatient? Are these his deeds? Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly? But lately my people have risen up as an enemy. You strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war. The women of my people you drive out from their delightful houses. From their young children you take away my splendor forever. Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction. If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, I will preach to you of wine and strong drink, he would be the preacher for this people. I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob. I will gather the remnant of Israel. I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men. He who opens the breach goes up before them. They break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the Lord at their head.

SPEAKER 02 : 2:59

From my journal in 1991, I wrote about this chapter. I quoted verse 6. But if they do not speak out concerning these things, reproaches will not be turned back. In 2006, when I read Micah 1 through 3, I did not make a note on chapter 2. So let’s go on to the next journal. In 2015, I read Micah 2 and 3 on the same day. Here’s what I wrote about chapter 2. Evil. God punishes. People don’t want to hear from God. Verse 6, it says, do not preach. They want approval for their behavior, according to verse 11. But God assembles a remnant and preserves them and leads them, according to verses 12 through 13. Yes, Lord, in our day, preserve a remnant. Here in Micah 2, Micah gets all over the powerful, those who have the right to take the land away from the people. Let’s look at verse 2. They covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them away. They oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance. The next verse pronounces the judgment on those people. It says, How does this relate to you and me today? We also have those who have power. Whether it be the government, whether it be church leaders, whether it be business leaders, people have power over other people. And when powerful people misuse that power, God is not pleased. So if you are listening today and you have a position of power, this passage may convict you to never abuse the power God has given you. If you are one under the authority of others, Pray for your leaders that they will not misuse the power in their hands. As Micah calls out the powerful, people say, don’t preach that. Look at verse 6. Do not preach, thus they preach. One should not preach of such things. Disgrace will not overtake us. We can park right here for a moment. I believe the practical application of this part of this chapter is simple. Micah was telling the truth. He was preaching what he heard from the Lord. Remember in verse 1 he says, Today we have a lot of preachers who are not hearing from the Lord. Many are not even preaching his word anymore. And God cannot be pleased. As Micah proclaimed God’s truth, people wanted to muzzle him. It’s true in our world today, isn’t it? The truth hurts. The truth convicts. The truth stirs the heart. So many don’t want to hear truth anymore. Let’s look at a New Testament passage in 2 Timothy chapter 4, beginning with verse 1. Paul is telling Timothy, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. I believe we’re seeing that today. God cries out, preach the word. But many pastors are telling stories. They’re certainly not preaching the word of God in pulpits today. Partly it’s their fault and partly it’s our fault because we have many who do not want to hear the truth of the word of God in our day. We have itching ears. We want to accumulate for ourselves teachers who suit our own passions. So I believe the greatest need in the church today is to come back to the Bible, to come back to biblical truth. I hope and pray that you attend a church that’s preaching the Word of God. If you’re not, this passage may cause you pause. Maybe the Holy Spirit is pricking your heart. Maybe it’s time to consider a new place to worship the Lord. Maybe it’s time for many of us Christians to demand the preaching of the Word of God in our pulpits again today. Micah preached the truth and it wasn’t popular. Preaching the truth will not be popular in our culture today either, but I’m sure that preaching the truth will please the Lord God Almighty. Micah accuses the people of his day of itching ears, of tickling ears that want to hear something other than the truth. Let’s look at verse 11. If a man should go about in utter wind and lies, saying, I will preach to you of wine and strong drink, he would be the preacher for this people. God forgive us for not demanding biblical preaching in our day. Father, we thank you for the prophets. The prophets weren’t popular, but they preached what they heard from you. In our day, we need prophets. We need preachers who will preach what they hear from you, who will preach biblical truth to their congregations once again. Holy Spirit, convict our hearts to go find a place where we can sit under the teachings of the Word of God once again. Guide and direct our thoughts and our steps in your name. Amen. By the way, if you do sit under the teaching and the preaching of the Word of God, go hug your pastor, go thank your pastor, and say thank you for standing up and preaching the truths of the Scriptures. And may God bless you as you do. Amen.

According to a recent Barna research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? Ruthless. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. Christians have only one spouse. That’s called monotony. So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one best-selling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Allen J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep ADDBIBLE, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air.