2020 has just begun, and at Christ Church, we are embarking on a new study of the Old Testament prophet Micah. Micah is the lesser-known contemporary of Isaiah. Where Isaiah prophesied in the court of the King of Judah, Micah came from the small country town of Moresheth. But Micah’s message was not limited to the people of his town – there is evidence that the kings of Judah, including Hezekiah, heard the warnings of Micah. In any event, Micah’s message was inspired by the Lord God, and it is a message not just for his day, but for ours as well.

Much of Micah’s message is hard to hear: pronouncements of judgment and warnings to turn back to the Lord. In a day in which the Church is eager to hear God’s judgment about a wicked world but less eager to hear about the sins of the Church, Micah challenges us. But Micah is not only a bearer of bad news; in addition to his message of warning, he brings a message of hope. The prophet brings a message that God’s people are to trust in the Lord God to deliver them not only from their enemies, but also from their sin. God is faithful to His covenant and shows Himself as the great pardoning God in the message of Micah. Are there any more encouraging words than those at the end of Micah’s prophecy?

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

I hope that you will be blessed by God’s Word from Micah this year.