Hosea, Micah, Nahum and other books

so this would be yesterday's post if I had had a computer! haha, but no worries now. I actually read a lot, from a lot of different places! I started in Hosea--I was going to reread it just to be reminded--and then there was a cross-reference to Micah in the first few verses--and so began my ADD "journey through the Bible" yesterday!

As I started reading Micah, I thought, "Well, it's another prophet book, so it's probably a little bit like Hosea." and I found that to be somewhat true--Micah's not as romantic =] haha. But it does show God's justice and redemptive capacity.

In chapter one verse five something popped out at me-- "And why is this happening? Because of the rebellion of Israel--yes, the sins of the whole nation. Who is to blame for Israel's rebellion? Samaria, its capital city! Where is the center of idolatry in Judah? In Jerusalem, its capital!" The first thing I noticed was Samaria and Jerusalem--the Samaritans and the Jews. The two ethnic groups that butted heads a lot--both of them were at fault. One was not greater than the other. The second thing that stood out was that it was these nations' capitals that led them astray.I just thought it was interesting...both nations were guilty, both nations needed a Savior--no matter how righteous one nation thought it was over the other. verse six says that the Lord would destroy Samaria--"...her streets will be plowed up for planting vineyards"--this I took note of as well--God makes it new--destroys the old city and makes it into a vineyard. Is that not how he works with us too? "if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone the new has come!"--2 Corinthians 5:17. So, moving forward, God destroyed Samaria and then in verses 8 and 9, Micah laments and mourns because "it has reached into Judah, even to the gates of Jerusalem."--sin affects everyone, so easily.

new lesson i learned! --ha, I learned a lot of little different ones in Micah. Nothing hugely profound--until later...

So down in verses 10-15, there were a lot of puns--a lot of figurative language that I thought was pretty neat. It listed different cities in Judah and each one of them was told to do or not do something. The interesting thing about it was the names of the cities meant something and each city fulfilled something about their name. example--vs. 10 Beth-leaphra, or House of dust--"you people of Beth-leaphra, roll in the dust to show your despair." vs 11 Beth-ezel, or adjoining house "the people of Beth-ezel mourn, for their house has no support." There were more and all were interesting. Names in Bible times said something of who you were. I learned this in a Nooma video a while ago. It talked about Jacob, and that when he was wrestling with the angel of the Lord and the angel asked him "what is your name?" but really what it meant to ask that of someone then was "who are you?" and that angel was the one who told Jacob his new name would be Israel--"wrestles with God" or "struggles with God"--and from him came the nation of Israel--the tribe everything, and their nation surly has struggled with God...like in Hosea or Micah. (sorry, long side note there!)

moving forward in Micah. It reminded me a lot of what is happening in our world today. --how Micah described the people and what would happen...especially chapter 2 verse 6--talked about how the people didn't want Micah to prophesy such a "dark tale" about them.--they were in denial and didn't want to have to take responsibility for what they had done. Micah replied, "If you would do what is right, you would find my words comforting." Just like today, when people are told things in honesty, that maybe they dont want to hear--if they were to do something right instead, those honest words would be a comfort...but otherwise, not so much.

Another parallel to today was the beginning of chapter 3--talking about how the leaders of Israel "are the very ones who hate good and love evil."...

It goes back and forth--like a wrestling match...--God's restoration, Israel's rebellion, God's justice, Israel's pleading for mercy, God's forgiveness, and so on... I learned lots of mini-lessons in this book.

the Lord's future reign

hope for restoration

rescue

the promise of God to be with us always

where Jews got the idea that their messiah would be a military leader

God's unending compassion and grief and love for his people--"O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me! For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery...Don't you remember, my people,...when I the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness."--6:4-5

What God wants from us 6:8 "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."

ch. 7--the misery of Micah turned to hope--he was grieved that God's people had turned against him, "I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest who can find nothing to eat"--BUT "As for me, I look to the LORD for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, i will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light."

And God's promise of compassion: "Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them to the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." 7:18-20

Micah's pretty good =]

so i decided to push forward and read Nahum too--the book right afterward...i didn't get too far into it, but the second verse stood out "The Lord is a jealous God..."--"he is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree..."--and then verse 3, "the Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, ...he displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm..." =] vs. 7 "the Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him."...i only read a little further and decided to read something else--I was kinda sporadic and ADD yesterday!

I read from a book called WIRED for a Life of Worship by Louie Giglio. It talked about the woman at the well...who was a Samaritan! and Jesus was a Jew...it wouldn't have stood out to me had I now read from Micah earlier... It talked about how we worship in spirit and in truth. --that is what God truly wants from our worship. --which is what we've been talking about at youth for the past few weeks. ...and then I went and read from a book of my mom's and it talked about the woman at the well and Jesus...and true worship! I was a bit founddumbed! =]

all this to say--the biggest lesson I learned yesterday was about reading the word. If I hadn't read in Micah I wouldn't have gotten the whole significance of the Samaritans and Jews, or had it reiterated to me that true worship is in spirit and truth--that God desires that we "do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with our God." It reminded me that when I read Bible, God reveals himself, and I could have missed out on the little connections that were made in the other books i read, had I not read Bible...

I read more last night from a devotional book I found, but I'll save that for later, because I learned something completely different from it!