Automatic Transcript Generated:
Speaker 1
So Linda ask Micah mentions Judah and Israel. Is he speaking of the two divisions of the nation or using the names as a synonym?
Speaker 2
I have to say I don’t quite understand Linda, sorry. What you’re I say about with regard to synonym, I think there’s two ways to read it. One, are you saying that is God meaning that Michael meaning to use them interchangeably, that Juda and Israel are the same thing? Are you meaning that they might be metaphorical to something else? So I’ll address both scenarios really quickly. So first I think let’s look at the very beginning of Micah. Micah, and it says the word of the Lord that came to Micah in the days of Jotham. Ahaz, and hezekiaha sorry, king of Judah. And we know that’s a historical fact. These were kings, kings of Judah, specific location, literal Judah. And then it goes on to say which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. I think here sort of suggests, okay, this might be literal, but it doesn’t have to be. If you go and then read Micah, for example, it says, all this is for the transgression of Jacob. Judah was a son of Jacob. Israel is another name for Jacob. Sometimes the Bible might use them interchangeably. So here let’s say it’s using Jacob. So it’s referring to all the children of Israel and for the sins of the house of Israel.
Speaker 2
So here you have the Hebrew paralyzed, says all this for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. It seems clear here god again, it’s talking about all of the children of Israel, not just the tribe of Judah, not just what became like the eleven tribes that broke away from Judah and became Israel. If you’re looking for a historical back, if you need to go back and read, there’s a story of where Solomon started, strained, didn’t do things right. And God then gives a prophecy that, hey, Solomon, I’m going to rip away the eleven tribes from you. You’ll keep Benjamin and actually be ten tribes. So it’s Judah and Benjamin and then ten tribes get sent away. And we don’t count the Levites. The ones that moved away became Israel, and they become headquartered in the city of Samaria. Just like today, when we talk about Washington DC. And decisions made in Washington DC, we know we’re really talking about the United States. And if we talk about Moscow, we know we’re talking about Russia. It’s sort of the same concept. So when you’re talking about Jerusalem, you’re talking about the capital of Judah and that kingdom.
Speaker 2
And then when you would hear Samaria, it’s the capital of what was the northern kingdom or Israel, and that’s where it fits together. So we’re going to be seeing these terms popping up. Michael one now, verse six, or back to verse five, it says, what is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah, are they not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the fields, places for planting, a vineyard. I will pour down her stone, pour down her stones into the valley, and I will uncover her foundation. Okay, so it’s going back and forth, back and forth between Jacob, between Samaria, between Judah, Israel, Samaria, back and forth. Really god’s not really drawn to distinction. I think the emphasis here, it’s all of God’s people, at least God’s people at this time, descendants of Jacob, Nai talks about, for her wounds aren’t curable, for it has come to Judah, it has come to the gates of my people, to Jerusalem. So right here it’s been more precise talking about specifically Judah and Jerusalem and those people, not the northern kingdom. And then if you read Micah 113 says, oh inhabitant of Lakisha, harness the chariots to the swift SIDS.
Speaker 2
She was the beginning of sin, the daughter of Zion. That’s usually more referring to Jerusalem, but the transgressions of Israel were found in you back and forth. Seeing the pattern here, it’s interesting that we start off a lot with these references to Jerusalem, to Israel, to Samaria, but ultimately we end up at in chapters four and five, god now talking about more people in general and emphasizing more people will come to Jerusalem, people will come to Zion. And the emphasis is a bit different. Guidelines now doesn’t seem to be so exclusive or just talk about his specific people. And now God mentions other nations. We see that, for example, four, starting at verse one, it says, now it shall come to pass in the later days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains. It shall be exhausted above the hills, and people shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, come and let us go to the mountain of the Lord, the house of God of Jacob, and he will teach his ways and we will walk in his path where out of Zion the law shall go forth and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Speaker 2
And then we could debate for a while. OK, is this talking about at some point Jerusalem itself again will become the CenterPoint and the focal point where everybody will come. And I believe that will be the case because we hear in Revelation that there is a new Jerusalem and it will come and descend, and I believe it will land back down to where Jerusalem is today, and that will be the capital, and people will all overcome and this verse will be carried out that way. But also there is maybe a fulfillment of this verse in the sense of what happened with the Christian movement and how God Jesus established a new church. And really it started off with the Jews. The Jews were the ones that proclaimed this new religion. But who are the keepers of it today? It’s the Gentiles. Most of the Jews there are Jews that became Christians, but then there were just by overwhelming numbers overrun by the Gentiles. And so now the Gentiles are in the faith and we’re now God’s people. So there’s many ways to splice it. I don’t think it’s necessarily something to get so hung up on.
Speaker 2
Is it being literal or not? Yes, I think there’s literal applications for it, for sure. If you look at what happened to Israel and to Judah, this was literally fulfilled in some ways. And then there seems to be spiritual applications, especially when you get the mic of four and five.
Speaker 3
Definitely. I’m sorry, we’re all done.
Speaker 2
I’m done.
Speaker 3
I was just like I really like this question. I’m sorry. If I can just add, like, my two cent, if that’s yeah, I’d love.
Speaker 2
To hear your thoughts on this.
Speaker 3
So as far as when it comes to Judah and Israel, was it Judah or is it Jacob? Because I thought it was originally the question, was it’s Jacob in Israel? Am I mistaken? Because Judah in Israel?
Speaker 2
The question I asked about Judah and Israel.
Speaker 3
Okay, yeah. And then, I mean, that could have definitely been the division of the two nations, but then being used as a synonym, that definitely happens. Like, you see that all over Michael, like in Michael, chapter three, verse eight, where he says basically he’s filled with the Spirit of God. He says, and to Clara and to Jacob, his transgression into Israel, his sin. And in a sense, it’s basically saying the same thing, like a synonym, like this person is asking. And I really think that I guess my two cent on this is just it’s almost like Jewish poetry and how he keeps saying, like, exactly.
Speaker 2
Hebrew parallelism.
Speaker 3
Exactly. And you see that like in the Book of Psalms all over the place. Like Psalms, chapter 59, verse one, he says, Deliver me from my enemies of God, defend me from them that rise up against me. He says, Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloody men. He’s asking the same thing twice in the same verse, but in a slightly different way. And so I think that it’s just showing emphasis, and that’s really what I think Michael is getting out here. He’s just showing emphasis and repeating israel, Jacob, Judah, whatever. It’s all supposed to be God’s people.
Speaker 2
All of them going astray, all of them sinning, and maybe some of them led others to air, but it doesn’t matter. They all aired.
Speaker 3
Exactly. I think that Michael is just repeating the names and saying basically the same thing. I’m going to show your sins, I’m going to show you a transgression. He’s just basically doing that for emphasis, just to make a point and trying to make something substantial of it to gain attention, because these people were not listening to God at this point. So he’s like, what can I do to make you listen. I think sometimes God does that just to gain our attention, because we’re stiff neck people. We don’t always listen to God.
Speaker 2
Yeah. And God is worrying about destruction that would come. I think when Micah came, it mentioned the destruction of Israel. So, yes, Israel had already been destroyed, but Juda had not yet. And then it’s about how Judah would be destroyed, just like Israel. And sure enough, both then eventually end up with being scattered across the nation. And it’s like, who’s a Jew today? There’s a lot of people who say they’re Jews, but might not actually be descendants of these twelve tribes.
Speaker 3
Yeah, definitely. All right. I know we’re kind of overtime, so I’m not sure should we wrap it up or should we answer one more? Let’s see. Actually, if we do the next one, and I know I can answer that in about 30 seconds, and I can.
Speaker 2
Do the line after that really quickly, too.
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