Growth Group Study Booklet

Term 3 2019 – The Book of Micah

Living for Jesus By making, maturing and mobilising disciples For His Glory

Diary Dates - Page 2 Introduction to Micah - Page 3 Recommended Reading - Page 4 Space for Notes - Page 5

Study 1 – Micah 1:1-16 - Page 6 Study 2 – Micah 5:1-15 - Page 8 Study 3 – Micah 6:1-8 - Page 10 Study 4 – Micah 7:1-20 - Page 12

Space for Notes - Page 14 Micah Location Map - Page 18 Timeline of the Old Testament - Page 19

Diary Dates

Tuesday July 16 Term 3 Prayer Night Sunday July 21 Micah series begins Saturday August 17 GROW Women’s Conference Sunday August 18 Esther series begins Fri-Sat Sept 13-15 Combined Youth Camp Sunday September 15 Vision Sunday Sunday September 22 Q&A Series begins Tuesday October 8 Term 4 Prayer Night Fri-Sun Oct 11-13 Y Conference

2 Introduction to Micah

Micah prophesied during the reigns of the Judean kings Jotham (750–735 BC), Ahaz (735–715), and Hezekiah (715–687). This was about the same time as Hosea and Isaiah.

God deals with sinners in one of two ways: deserved justice, or undeserved grace. In Micah’s day, both Samaria and Judah clearly deserved God’s judgment for their oppression, idolatry, and corruption. They lived out this wickedness right alongside the motions of offering sacrifice, expecting that because they had the covenant promises and the temple in their midst, God would accept and protect them.

In his great grace, however, God sent the prophet Micah to confront their sin, warn them of judgment, and call them to repentance. Micah prophesied of the coming judgment, when God would abandon them (for a time) to the invading enemies of Assyria and Babylon, who would trample their cities and carry their people off to exile.

But while God is a righteous Judge who carries out deserved judgment, he is also a merciful Savior who gives undeserved grace and full forgiveness to those who turn to him in repentance. The specific hope Micah presented was the promise of a Shepherd- King who would gather his faithful remnant back in the land, tenderly care for them, and defeat their great enemy. The result would be that people from many nations would come to worship Israel’s God. To God’s people who had suffered under a line of failed kings and oppressive foreign regimes, Micah announced the coming of a Shepherd-King who would arise from Bethlehem, saying, “He shall be their peace” (Mic. 5:2–5).

Ultimately, Jesus himself is the long-anticipated Shepherd-King who has made peace with God. He has done it, however, not through the raw power of military deliverance but through “the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:20). He did not come to destroy but to be destroyed, laying down his life for his sheep (John 10:15). He now rules over his people in perfect justice and abundant mercy, empowering his people, by his Spirit, to walk humbly in his just and merciful ways (1 John 2:6)—the very life Israel in Micah’s day had abandoned.

Because of this Shepherd-King, all those who look to Christ in trusting faith experience his kindness instead of his anger. They can expect that God will “pass over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance” (Mic. 7:18) because the prophet who confesses, “I have sinned against him [the Lord],” also proclaims, “he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication” (v. 9). Ultimately the transgression of all such persons has been put upon God’s firstborn, Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24–26). Christ will “bear the indignation of the LORD” on their behalf (Mic. 7:9). Though we may suffer and fall in our life’s battle with evil, we shall rise, as the prophet believed he himself would, due to the Lord’s vindication (vv. 8–9)— and, as indeed will all those who are united to Christ by faith (Rom. 6:5). This is the wonder of the gospel in Micah.

Introduction to Micah, by Nancy Guthrie (ESV Gospel Transformation Bible)

3 Recommended Reading

Suggestions for further reading related to the themes of Micah:

What is the Mission of the Church? The Goldsworthy Trilogy By Kevin DeYoung By Tom Schreiner “Making sense of Social Justice, Shalom Volume 1, “Gospel and Kingdom”, is the and the Great Commission” best place to start to learn about the gospel in the Old Testament.

Generous Justice Micah For You By Timothy Keller By Stephen Um “How God’s grace makes us just” An excellent & readable guide to the book of Micah

Top Recommendation

4 Notes

Resources used in preparing this study booklet: - Stephen Um, Micah For You, The Good Book Company (2018). - Stephen Um, Micah: What Does God Require of Us?, The Good Book Guide series (2018). - Nancy Guthrie, ‘Introduction to Micah’, in The ESV Gospel Transformation Bible (2013). - Brian Aucker & Dennis Magary, ‘Study Notes on Micah’, in ESV Study Bible (2008) - Bruce Waltke, A Commentary on Micah, Eerdmans Publishing Company (2007). - Website: www.visualunit.me 5 STUDY 1 Micah 1:1-16

Kick Off: How well do you take it when someone directs strong criticism at you? How would you like to grow in hearing criticism in a better way?

Key Verse: Micah 1:7

Big Idea: Israel had to be confronted with the sin of its idolatry if it was to avoid destruction.

Investigate & Apply:

1. Read Micah 1:1. What can you learn about the book and its author from this introductory verse? (See also the map and timeline at the end of the booklet).

Read Micah 1:2-7.

2. What picture of God do we get from verses 2-4?

3. From verse 5-7: a) What is causing God to act in this way?

b) What consequences is Micah warning of?

4. Verse 7 hints at two different kinds of idolatry among God’s people. What do these dangers look like for Christians living today, and how can we guard against them? a) Worship of wealth

b) Worship of sexual pleasure

Read Micah 1:8-16. Micah addresses the towns located on the likely path an invading army would follow, and he uses the local meanings of each town’s name to describe the punishment each will receive. (See also the map at the end of the study booklet.)

5. What point do you think Micah is making about the false promises of idolatry by using each town’s name like this?

6. a) If the Sunshine Coast had a name that reflected the wrongly directed worship of those who live here, what would you suggest it could be?

b) As Christians living on the Sunshine Coast, how do you think we are going at resisting the influence of our culture’s idols?

c) How can we play a part in helping those around us see that their wrongly directed worship will fail & disappoint them?

Prayer: In your group prayer time:

1. Share prayer requests and pray for one another in your group.

2. Use a copy of the Lakeshore Church prayer points (either from Sunday’s bulletin or from the weekly email) to pray for people and events across the church. Read Ahead: For next week’s sermon and growth group, read Micah 5:1-15.

7 STUDY 2 Micah 5:1-15

Kick Off: How would you like to be more independent or self-sufficient? Why is this so appealing, do you think?

Key Verse: Micah 5:4

Big Idea: Israel’s hopes of rescue will only be fulfilled in Jesus, the good shepherd

Investigate & Apply:

Read Micah 5:1-5a.

1. What is the basic sequence of events that lie ahead for Israel? (See also Micah 4:10)

2. Verses 2-5a describes a future rescuer of Israel. List everything that these verses reveal about this rescuer.

3. Jesus called himself “the good shepherd” (John 10:14). What does Micah 5:1-5 reveal about what he meant by this?

Read Micah 5:5b-15.

4. In verses 5-6, what does Micah promise will happen in the short term? (See also Jeremiah 26:17-19)

5. In the long term, what does Micah promise that the shepherd-rescuer will do with his people? a) In verse 7:

b) In verse 8-9:

c) In verses 10-14:

6. a) How does our natural self-sufficiency get in the way of enjoying having Jesus as our good shepherd?

b) In verses 10-14, God will remove things that cause Israel to “depend on man” (v7) or on idols. What would it look like for God to “cut off” those things in your life that cause you to be self-sufficient, so you can more closely follow the good shepherd?

Prayer: In your group prayer time:

1. Share prayer requests and pray for one another in your group.

9 STUDY 3 Micah 6:1-8

Kick Off: What do you think are some of the worst injustices that occur in our world today?

Key Verse: Micah 6:8

Big Idea: Following Jesus means showing justice and mercy to others, just as he has showed justice and mercy to us.

Investigate & Apply:

Read Micah 6:1-5.

1. List all the “court room” language in verses 1-2. What scene is being set?

2. a) What does God want his people to remember (verses 4-5)?

b) So what is the answer to the questions in verse 3?

Read Micah 6:6-8.

3. How do you think a religious Israelite might answer the questions in verses 6-7?

4. Read Amos 5:21-24. What, in fact, is the answer to God’s questions in verses 6-7?

5. According to verse 8, what is “good”? In your own words, what do you think each of the three requirements means?

10 6. a) How does remembering what God has already done for Israel (verses 4-5) help his people understand how to “act justly and love mercy”?

b) How does remembering what God has done for us in Christ help us understand how to “act justly and love mercy”?

7. How might Christians today make the same mistake that Micah addresses in these verses?

8. What does it look like for you to act justly and love mercy in our church, workplaces, families and community?

Prayer: In your group prayer time:

1. Share prayer requests and pray for one another in your group.

11 STUDY 4 Micah 7:1-20

Kick Off: What are some different ways that people can react to terrible news or struggle? Are there better or worse ways to react?

Key Verse: Micah 7:18

Big Idea: The gospel gives us resources to react to trials with hope.

Investigate & Apply:

1. Read Micah 7:1-6. a) What is Micah reacting to?

b) How does he react (verse 1)?

c) The Bible contains many “laments” like this (e.g. Psalms, Lamentations). Why is it helpful to know that lament can be a godly reaction to terrible news?

d) Why do you think we are so often uncomfortable about this kind of honest reaction?

Read Micah 7:7-20.

2. After his lament, how would you describe Micah’s different responses to this terrible situation? a) In verse 7:

b) In verse 8-9:

c) In verse 14:

d) In verse 18-20:

3. How do these hopeful responses to bad situations encourage you as you think about difficulties that you face?

4. Out of the various responses to suffering in this passage (including lament), which would you like to grow in, or practice more regularly? How could you do that?

5. What are some of the ways that the hopes and prayers of Micah 7 point to and are fulfilled in Jesus?

Prayer: In your group prayer time:

1. Share prayer requests and pray for one another in your group.

13 Notes

14 Notes

15 Notes

16 Notes

Diary Dates