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00:01 “Their best one is like a brier, 00:03 “their most upright one 00:05 is worse than a thorn hedge.” 00:08 This is an example 00:10 of many agricultural metaphors 00:13 that Micah used in his writing. 00:15 But who was he talking about? 00:17 Why did he say this, 00:19 and what lesson can we take away from today’s text? 00:23 To find the historical setting, 00:26 it’s helpful to look at the “Table of the Books of the Bible” 00:28 that appears on page 1662 00:30 of the printed edition of our New World Translation. 00:33 But if you’re using the JW Library app, 00:36 this is what you need to do. 00:38 Please follow along. 00:40 First, go to your home page for the Bible. 00:45 In the menu bar at the top, 00:47 you’ll see the word Introduction on the left. 00:51 At the bottom of the list that comes up, 00:53 you’ll see “Names and Order of the Books.” 00:56 Tap that. 00:58 And don’t be put off by the fact 01:00 that you’re only seeing the names in order of the books. 01:03 Rather, scroll all the way down to the bottom, 01:06 and there you will see “Table of the Books of the Bible.” 01:11 Tap that. 01:13 You can bookmark it if you’d like to get there faster the next time. 01:17 And then scroll down to Micah. 01:19 What do we learn about the context of our day’s text? 01:23 It was written by Micah; we knew that. 01:25 Where was he? 01:26 In Judah. 01:28 When did he write this prophecy? 01:30 Sometime before the year 717 B.C.E. 01:33 And what time period does his writing cover? 01:36 The 60 years spanning from 777—717 B.C.E. 01:41 counting backwards toward the time of Jesus. 01:43 Now what was happening during those 60 years? 01:45 We have a chart in Appendix A6 that helps us. 01:50 Again, if you’re following along in JW Library, 01:53 go to the upper left-hand corner of your screen 01:55 and tap the menu bar, “Names and Order”; 01:58 that is to say, go back. 02:00 There you’ll see toward the bottom of the list Appendix A. 02:04 Or you can always go back to the home page 02:06 and select Appendix A from the menu ribbon. 02:09 In any event, when you get to Appendix A, 02:11 you’ll see the option for “A6 Chart: 02:14 Prophets and Kings of Judah and of Israel.” 02:18 And remember, we’re looking for what life was like 02:21 during the 60 years between 777 and 717 B.C.E. 02:25 So likely, Part 2 would reveal what we’re looking for. 02:28 Tap Part 2. 02:30 There we find this beautiful chart. 02:32 What does it tell us? 02:34 That Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea 02:38 and that his service as a prophet in Judah 02:40 ran during the reigns of Jotham for 16 years, 02:43 wicked King Ahaz for 16 years, 02:47 but also most of Hezekiah’s 29-year reign. 02:53 Meanwhile, what was happening up in the northern ten-tribe kingdom? 02:57 Look at the chart again on the right 03:00 starting in 777 B.C.E. 03:03 Nineteen years are left of Pekah’s reign, 03:06 and then nine years of Hoshea’s rule, 03:09 but here things began to destabilize. 03:12 We see the Assyrian monarchy moving in 03:15 exerting its influence in Israel’s affairs. 03:18 And then, in 740 B.C.E., 03:20 it’s all over for the northern ten-tribe kingdom. 03:24 Did those events have an influence on the south? 03:28 Certainly, it fed the Assyrians’ pride, 03:31 fueling their belief that they could come in 03:33 and overtake Judah in the same fashion. 03:35 And what do we know about Jotham, 03:38 Ahaz, and Hezekiah? 03:41 Well, it was during Jotham’s reign 03:43 that Judah began to experience military pressure 03:46 from an alliance between King Pekah 03:49 and King Rezin of Syria, 03:52 and that alliance would eventually weaken Judah’s defenses 03:56 and leave them open to brutal attacks 03:59 by the Edomites in the southeast 04:02 and the Philistines coming from the west. 04:05 However, none of that humbled wicked King Ahaz. 04:10 He led a debauched life, he sought refuge with pagan rulers, 04:14 he adopted their way of worship, 04:16 and he even sacrificed his own sons 04:18 in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. 04:21 No wonder Micah wrote what he did in the words of today’s text. 04:26 Let’s go back and read it now from Micah 7:2-4: 04:33 “The loyal one has perished from the earth; 04:37 “among men there is no one upright. 04:41 “All of them lie in ambush for bloodshed. 04:45 “Each hunts his own brother with a dragnet. 04:48 “Their hands are expert at doing what is bad; 04:51 “the prince is making demands, 04:55 “the judge asks for a reward, 04:58 “the prominent one makes known his desires, 05:01 “and they work it out together. 05:03 “Their best one is like thorns, 05:07 “their most upright one 05:09 is worse than a thorn hedge.” 05:13 So, what’s the meaning of the metaphor? 05:16 The topic: the unfaithful Israelites. 05:19 The image: 05:21 a patch of briers and thorns. 05:24 The point of similarity: 05:26 just as getting stuck in briers, or a thorn hedge, 05:29 injures anyone who walks into it, 05:31 these corrupt Israelites harmed anyone with whom they had dealings. 05:36 Now, how far did the corruption go? 05:38 Back in verse 2, it said it was all-pervasive. 05:41 There was no one, not even one who was upright. 05:44 Verse 3 indicated it reached the highest levels of society. 05:48 The prominent expressed their wishes, 05:50 the judges accepted bribes to carry out those wishes, 05:53 and they all were in cahoots. 05:55 They worked it out together. 05:58 Now verse 3 says this included the prince. 06:03 Who would have been the prince 06:06 in the days of King Ahaz? 06:10 Hezekiah? 06:12 Might Micah have written those words 06:15 during the actual reign of Hezekiah? 06:18 If so, how would Hezekiah respond? 06:22 Wasn’t he a good king? 06:24 Wouldn’t he say: “Now wait a minute, Prophet. 06:26 You’ve got it all wrong”? 06:28 Would he get offended? 06:29 Would he imprison Micah for sedition? 06:34 We gain a fascinating insight from a conversation 06:37 that took place a century or so later 06:39 recorded by Jeremiah in chapter 26. 06:42 Notice what it says in Jeremiah 26:18, 19: 06:49 “Micah of Moresheth was prophesying 06:51 “in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, 06:54 “and he said to all the people of Judah, 06:56 ‘This is what Jehovah of armies says,’” 06:58 quoting Micah 3:12; 07:01 verse 19: 07:03 “Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah then put him to death? 07:08 “Did he not fear Jehovah and beg for Jehovah’s favor, 07:13 “so that Jehovah changed his mind 07:15 concerning the calamity that he had spoken against them?” 07:20 Hezekiah repented 07:23 at what Micah preached 07:27 —fascinating insight. 07:30 Did Micah stir in young Hezekiah 07:34 a desire to be a better student of God’s law? 07:38 Did Hezekiah, as a prince, 07:41 then write the 119th Psalm 07:46 with its famous concluding words: 07:49 “I have strayed like a lost sheep. 07:51 “Search for your servant, 07:53 for I have not forgotten your commandments”? 07:57 Although we can’t say for certain, 07:59 it’s all within the realm of possibility. 08:03 And what we do know is that Hezekiah 08:08 took Micah’s counsel to heart 08:10 because Micah was patient; 08:13 Micah stuck with his assignment. 08:16 Even though Micah wrote the words of today’s text, 08:20 he refused to give up hope 08:23 in Jehovah’s ability 08:26 to bring about changes 08:28 in people’s hearts and people’s thinking. 08:32 Micah’s patience paid off. 08:35 He waited on Jehovah. 08:37 He saw wonderful results right in his own lifetime. 08:41 And you too are acting loyally 08:45 in a very disloyal world. 08:49 What will be the effect of your patient endurance 08:53 on others today?
00:01 “Their best one is like a brier, 00:03 “their most upright one 00:05 is worse than a thorn hedge.” 00:08 This is an example 00:10 of many agricultural metaphors 00:13 that Micah used in his writing. 00:15 But who was he talking about? 00:17 Why did he say this, 00:19 and what lesson can we take away from today’s text? 00:23 To find the historical setting, 00:26 it’s helpful to look at the “Table of the Books of the Bible” 00:28 that appears on page 1662 00:30 of the printed edition of our New World Translation. 00:33 But if you’re using the JW Library app, 00:36 this is what you need to do. 00:38 Please follow along. 00:40 First, go to your home page for the Bible. 00:45 In the menu bar at the top, 00:47 you’ll see the word Introduction on the left. 00:51 At the bottom of the list that comes up, 00:53 you’ll see “Names and Order of the Books.” 00:56 Tap that. 00:58 And don’t be put off by the fact 01:00 that you’re only seeing the names in order of the books. 01:03 Rather, scroll all the way down to the bottom, 01:06 and there you will see “Table of the Books of the Bible.” 01:11 Tap that. 01:13 You can bookmark it if you’d like to get there faster the next time. 01:17 And then scroll down to Micah. 01:19 What do we learn about the context of our day’s text? 01:23 It was written by Micah; we knew that. 01:25 Where was he? 01:26 In Judah. 01:28 When did he write this prophecy? 01:30 Sometime before the year 717 B.C.E. 01:33 And what time period does his writing cover? 01:36 The 60 years spanning from 777—717 B.C.E. 01:41 counting backwards toward the time of Jesus. 01:43 Now what was happening during those 60 years? 01:45 We have a chart in Appendix A6 that helps us. 01:50 Again, if you’re following along in JW Library, 01:53 go to the upper left-hand corner of your screen 01:55 and tap the menu bar, “Names and Order”; 01:58 that is to say, go back. 02:00 There you’ll see toward the bottom of the list Appendix A. 02:04 Or you can always go back to the home page 02:06 and select Appendix A from the menu ribbon. 02:09 In any event, when you get to Appendix A, 02:11 you’ll see the option for “A6 Chart: 02:14 Prophets and Kings of Judah and of Israel.” 02:18 And remember, we’re looking for what life was like 02:21 during the 60 years between 777 and 717 B.C.E. 02:25 So likely, Part 2 would reveal what we’re looking for. 02:28 Tap Part 2. 02:30 There we find this beautiful chart. 02:32 What does it tell us? 02:34 That Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea 02:38 and that his service as a prophet in Judah 02:40 ran during the reigns of Jotham for 16 years, 02:43 wicked King Ahaz for 16 years, 02:47 but also most of Hezekiah’s 29-year reign. 02:53 Meanwhile, what was happening up in the northern ten-tribe kingdom? 02:57 Look at the chart again on the right 03:00 starting in 777 B.C.E. 03:03 Nineteen years are left of Pekah’s reign, 03:06 and then nine years of Hoshea’s rule, 03:09 but here things began to destabilize. 03:12 We see the Assyrian monarchy moving in 03:15 exerting its influence in Israel’s affairs. 03:18 And then, in 740 B.C.E., 03:20 it’s all over for the northern ten-tribe kingdom. 03:24 Did those events have an influence on the south? 03:28 Certainly, it fed the Assyrians’ pride, 03:31 fueling their belief that they could come in 03:33 and overtake Judah in the same fashion. 03:35 And what do we know about Jotham, 03:38 Ahaz, and Hezekiah? 03:41 Well, it was during Jotham’s reign 03:43 that Judah began to experience military pressure 03:46 from an alliance between King Pekah 03:49 and King Rezin of Syria, 03:52 and that alliance would eventually weaken Judah’s defenses 03:56 and leave them open to brutal attacks 03:59 by the Edomites in the southeast 04:02 and the Philistines coming from the west. 04:05 However, none of that humbled wicked King Ahaz. 04:10 He led a debauched life, he sought refuge with pagan rulers, 04:14 he adopted their way of worship, 04:16 and he even sacrificed his own sons 04:18 in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. 04:21 No wonder Micah wrote what he did in the words of today’s text. 04:26 Let’s go back and read it now from Micah 7:2-4: 04:33 “The loyal one has perished from the earth; 04:37 “among men there is no one upright. 04:41 “All of them lie in ambush for bloodshed. 04:45 “Each hunts his own brother with a dragnet. 04:48 “Their hands are expert at doing what is bad; 04:51 “the prince is making demands, 04:55 “the judge asks for a reward, 04:58 “the prominent one makes known his desires, 05:01 “and they work it out together. 05:03 “Their best one is like thorns, 05:07 “their most upright one 05:09 is worse than a thorn hedge.” 05:13 So, what’s the meaning of the metaphor? 05:16 The topic: the unfaithful Israelites. 05:19 The image: 05:21 a patch of briers and thorns. 05:24 The point of similarity: 05:26 just as getting stuck in briers, or a thorn hedge, 05:29 injures anyone who walks into it, 05:31 these corrupt Israelites harmed anyone with whom they had dealings. 05:36 Now, how far did the corruption go? 05:38 Back in verse 2, it said it was all-pervasive. 05:41 There was no one, not even one who was upright. 05:44 Verse 3 indicated it reached the highest levels of society. 05:48 The prominent expressed their wishes, 05:50 the judges accepted bribes to carry out those wishes, 05:53 and they all were in cahoots. 05:55 They worked it out together. 05:58 Now verse 3 says this included the prince. 06:03 Who would have been the prince 06:06 in the days of King Ahaz? 06:10 Hezekiah? 06:12 Might Micah have written those words 06:15 during the actual reign of Hezekiah? 06:18 If so, how would Hezekiah respond? 06:22 Wasn’t he a good king? 06:24 Wouldn’t he say: “Now wait a minute, Prophet. 06:26 You’ve got it all wrong”? 06:28 Would he get offended? 06:29 Would he imprison Micah for sedition? 06:34 We gain a fascinating insight from a conversation 06:37 that took place a century or so later 06:39 recorded by Jeremiah in chapter 26. 06:42 Notice what it says in Jeremiah 26:18, 19: 06:49 “Micah of Moresheth was prophesying 06:51 “in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, 06:54 “and he said to all the people of Judah, 06:56 ‘This is what Jehovah of armies says,’” 06:58 quoting Micah 3:12; 07:01 verse 19: 07:03 “Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah then put him to death? 07:08 “Did he not fear Jehovah and beg for Jehovah’s favor, 07:13 “so that Jehovah changed his mind 07:15 concerning the calamity that he had spoken against them?” 07:20 Hezekiah repented 07:23 at what Micah preached 07:27 —fascinating insight. 07:30 Did Micah stir in young Hezekiah 07:34 a desire to be a better student of God’s law? 07:38 Did Hezekiah, as a prince, 07:41 then write the 119th Psalm 07:46 with its famous concluding words: 07:49 “I have strayed like a lost sheep. 07:51 “Search for your servant, 07:53 for I have not forgotten your commandments”? 07:57 Although we can’t say for certain, 07:59 it’s all within the realm of possibility. 08:03 And what we do know is that Hezekiah 08:08 took Micah’s counsel to heart 08:10 because Micah was patient; 08:13 Micah stuck with his assignment. 08:16 Even though Micah wrote the words of today’s text, 08:20 he refused to give up hope 08:23 in Jehovah’s ability 08:26 to bring about changes 08:28 in people’s hearts and people’s thinking. 08:32 Micah’s patience paid off. 08:35 He waited on Jehovah. 08:37 He saw wonderful results right in his own lifetime. 08:41 And you too are acting loyally 08:45 in a very disloyal world. 08:49 What will be the effect of your patient endurance 08:53 on others today?
