Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20100307.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Micah: An Eloquent Presentation Of God's Salvation From Ungodly Leadership
Part VI: Cycle Three Of Doom And Hope: God's Call For Trust In Him Versus All Other Competitors
(Micah 5:10-14, 15)
  1. Introduction
    1. 1 John 5:21 calls us Christians to keep ourselves from idols, a command that at first seems awkward given the fact that Biblical Christians do not typically bow down to worship graven images!
    2. However, as Dr. Ryrie's Study Bible footnote there observes, "An idol is anything that substitutes for God," a truth that needs clarification, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to 1 John 5:21.
    3. Micah 5:10-14, 15 in its context markedly illustrates this truth, and we view it for our insight as follows:
  2. Cycle Three Of Doom And Hope: God's Call For Trust In Him Versus All Other Competitors.
    1. The literary chiasmus that comprises Micah's prophecy has as its third major cycle of "doom and hope" Micah 5:10-14, the section on "doom," followed by the Micah 5:15 section on "hope."
    2. This whole cycle strikingly clarifies how idolatry can creep into the mindset of God's people and take over their way of thinking to where they actually end up in full-blown idol worship, and how God has to counter this problem often in dramatic, sin-winnowing trials (as follows):
      1. Speaking of God's future work to punish before blessing His sinful people, Micah predicted that Messiah would cut off Judah's war horses and chariots, Micah 5:10; Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1487. This reveals Judah had subtly made an "idol" out of her chariot fleet, so God would destroy it:
        1. As far back as Moses' directives concerning the activities of her kings, in Deuteronomy 17:14-16, God directed that Israel's kings were not to multiply horses for themselves to defend the nation from foreign invasion, for Judah and her kings were not to exchange their trust in the Lord for trust in horses for the sake of national defense, Ibid. p. 295.
        2. However, the nation had failed at precisely this point, so God promised to overthrow their horses and chariots just like He overthrew the Egyptian chariot army at the Red Sea in a time when Israel had no choice but to trust in the Lord for her national defense, Micah 5:10 with Ex. 14:9-13, 23-30.
      2. Judah's kings and people had come to rely on their fortified cities for protection from invading nations. However, this reliance had become an "idol" in competition for the people's trust in the Lord, so the Messiah would destroy them, Micah 5:11; Ibid.
      3. Reliance on horses and chariots, and trust in fortified cities had spilled over into regular idolatry in false pagan idol worship, so the Messiah would destroy these idols in Judah, also, Micah 5:12-14:
        1. Witchcraft and the occult had been used by the people of Judah for insight into the future that they might protect themselves, so the Messiah would eradicate these practices, Micah 5:12; Isaiah 8:19.
        2. The people of Judah had also resorted to worship before carved images and sacred pillars in open paganism, so the Messiah would eradicate these from the land as well, Micah 5:13a NIV.
        3. In addition to replacing the worship of God with the worship of foreign idols, Judah had carved her own idols to worship them, so the Messiah would destroy these from the land, too, Micah 5:13b.
        4. Finally, the people of Judah had become involved in the worship of vile Asherah images, and such idols with the fortified cities upon which Israel had relied in intangible idolatry opposite trusting the Lord would together be destroyed by the Messiah, Micah 5:14 ESV; Ibid., p. 1487-1488.
      4. After Messiah will have purged the nation from these "idols," intangible things like horses, chariots and fortified cities, or tangible pagan figurines, He would use His wrath to execute vengeance on the Gentile nations that had threatened Judah and fueled her bias to look to intangible and tangible idols in the first place! He would destroy them for not obeying Him like Israel had not obeyed Him, Mic. 5:15!
Lesson: Israel failed to trust in God for her national security, opting instead to rely on horses, chariots and fortified cities, and this misplaced trust of "intangible" idolatry led to tangible pagan idolatry God had to punish. However, once the Messiah purges His people of ALL such intangible and tangible idols, He will deliver them from their Gentile foes, whose threat had fueled their initial idolatrous bent!

Application: (1) May we rid ourselves of all tangible and intangible idols! (2) Then, may we leave all our fears with God lest we like Judah set up false idols to handle them! (3) May we trust in God alone!