No Rest for the Wicked
Micah 2:4-11
July 5, 2015
Commentary
by
Jed Greenough
Do you get tired of what I have to say? I suppose some do and never come back and search for what they want to hear else where.
Do you get tired of some of the scriptures we have had week after week? I suppose some do and attendance suffers.
Last week when we were still in Amos I talked of how I felt that the latter verses of Amos 8 applied to us today as there you read of those who wandered all over trying to hear the word of the Lord.
Much of what we can hear today is a social gospel or a prosperity gospel or an entertaining gospel. Those who pant after the Lord want to hear the true gospel that is no longer popular.
In 1 Corinthians 10 we read that Israel served as an example for us, “to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” They “were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.”
In today’s Micah 2:4-11 we find just such a warning where we read that they were wanting false prophets. They were saying don’t prophesy about the truth prophesy instead what we want to hear.
Micah said, “If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ that would be just the prophet for this people!”
As you study you can look at the context of that time and their situation, but I would have you remember what we said above about these being examples and warnings for us.
Are you tired of this kind of message and these types of scriptures? If so I’m concerned and you should be also.
2 Timothy 4:1-4New International Version (NIV)
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
For Discussion:
Discuss the reality of wanting to hear pleasant things versus the unpleasant.
Discuss the challenges some face to keep the message “popular”.
Discuss Israel serving as an example and warning to us.
Discuss the different messages heard today.
Discuss the danger and fallout of those messages.
Discuss what appears to be success resulting from those messages but really is not.
Upcoming Lessons
7-12-15 No Tolerance for Corrupt Leaders and Prophets or No Tolerance for Corrupt Officials Micah 3:5-12
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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