Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
MICAH 7
Israel’s Misery
1 What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
none of the early figs that I crave.
2 The faithful have been swept from the land;
not one upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;
they hunt each other with nets.
3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil;
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.
5 Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
6 For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.
7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.
Israel Will Rise
8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,
until he pleads my case
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will see his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see it
and will be covered with shame,
she who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;
even now she will be trampled underfoot
like mire in the streets.
11 The day for building your walls will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day people will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.
Prayer and Praise
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
in fertile pasturelands.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in days long ago.
15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.”
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling out of their dens;
they will turn in fear to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
in days long ago.
Application Notes
7:1-20 This chapter begins in gloom (7:1-6) and ends in hope (7:7-20). Micah watched as society rotted around him. Rulers demanded gifts; judges accepted bribes; corruption was universal. But God promised to lead the people out of the darkness of sin and into his light. Then the people would praise God alone for his faithfulness and unfailing love.
7:1-4 Micah could not find an upright, honest person anywhere in the land. Even today, uprightness (fairness, honesty, and integrity) is difficult to find. Society admires those who obtain wealth and power and rationalizes sin. Even believers sometimes compromise Christian principles in order to get ahead. It is easy to convince ourselves that we deserve a few breaks, especially when “everyone else” is doing it. But the standards for honesty come from God. We are to be honest with others because God is honest with us, and we are to be like him.
7:5-6 Sin had affected the government leaders and society in general. Deceit and dishonesty had even ruined families, the core of society. As a result, the only way left to purify the people was God's judgment. This would draw the nation back to God and restore them from the inside out.
7:7-10 Though he began his lament feeling like a desolate harvest worker (7:1-2), Micah showed great faith in God both personally (7:7) and on Israel's behalf (7:8-10). He proclaimed that (1) he would wait upon God, because God hears and saves when help is needed; (2) God would bring his people through when times were tough; (3) Israel must be patient in punishment because God would bring them out of the darkness; and (4) their enemies also would be punished. Each of us can have a relationship with God that gives us confidence like Micah's. We don't need special qualifications. We simply need to look to the Lord for our help and follow him wholeheartedly in faith.
7:9 Micah understood that if the people would be patient and obedient while they were being punished, God would forgive them and show his goodness again (see Lamentations 3:39-41). Punishment does not mean rejection. God was punishing the people in order to bring them back to him, not to send them away from him. When you face trials because of your sin, do not be angry with God or afraid that he has rejected you. Instead, turn away from your sin, turn to God, and continue to be patient and obedient.
7:14 Bashan and Gilead were fertile areas east of the Jordan River, previously the territory of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
7:18-19 God delights in showing his unfailing love and mercy. He does not forgive grudgingly but is glad when we repent. He throws our sins into the depths of the sea, and he offers forgiveness to all who come back to him. Today you can confess your sins and receive his loving forgiveness. Don't be too proud to accept God's free offer (1 John 1:9).
7:20 In an age when religion was making little difference in how people worshiped or how they treated others, Micah said that God expected his people to do what was just and right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with him (6:8). He requires the same of Christians today. In a world that is unjust, we must act justly and do what is right. In a world of broken relationships that disregards God's love, we must love others and treat them compassionately. In a world of tough breaks, we must be merciful. In a world of pride and self-sufficiency, we must walk humbly with God. Only when we live according to God's way will we begin to affect our homes, our society, and our world.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)