September 3, 2025 • 34 mins
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to witness the footsteps of the Almighty? To see mountains melt like wax and valleys split apart at His presence?
The latest episode of In the Field Audio Bible transports you to the rolling hills of Moresheth Gath, where a humble shepherd named Micah received visions that would shake kingdoms. Through immersive first-person storytelling, you'll feel the warm limestone beneath you, smell the wild thyme in the air, and watch as the stars emerge over ancient Israel while Micah shares his earth-shattering encounter with God.
This isn't just a reading of scripture—it's a journey into the heart of prophecy. As Micah reveals his vision of divine judgment against the corruption in Samaria and Jerusalem, you'll discover a God whose holiness demands justice but whose love offers redemption. The vivid imagery of mountains melting and valleys splitting open becomes a powerful metaphor for how God's presence transforms both nations and individual hearts.
The narrative skillfully bridges the gap between ancient text and modern application. What are the high places in your own life? What mountains of pride need to melt before the Lord? What valleys of compromise need to be exposed to His light? These reflections transform Micah's distant prophecy into a mirror for personal examination that speaks directly to our contemporary spiritual challenges.
Whether you're seeking deeper biblical understanding or simply a moment of peace in God's Word, this episode offers both historical insight and spiritual renewal. Join us as we walk alongside Micah, experiencing both the terrible majesty and tender mercy of a God who shakes mountains yet counts the hairs on your head. Share this powerful encounter with someone who needs to hear it, and remember—we cannot unhear what we have heard or unsee what we have seen once we've encountered the living God.
Music Credit: "Heavenly Gates" by Hector Gabriel
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
In the Field Audio Bible (06:23):
Today, we are stepping into the
sandals of a shepherd prophetwhose heart burned with both
sorrow and divine fire.
Close your eyes just for amoment and let me take you back
nearly 3,000 years to therolling hills of Moresheth Gath,
where a simple man named Micahreceived visions that would
(06:44):
shake kingdoms.
My name is Micah and I amnothing more than what the Lord
has made me, and I am nothingmore than what the Lord has made
me a keeper of sheep, a tillerof soil, a man whose hands know
the roughness of rope and theweight of a shepherd's staff.
(07:05):
But the Almighty God, the onewho formed the mountains and
created the wind, has chosen tospeak through these weathered
lips, and I, I, cannot remainsilent.
Sit with me here, friend, onthis rocky outcrop where I often
(07:27):
bring my flock, feel the warmlimestone beneath you, still
holding the heat of the day,though the sun now hangs low
like a bronze shield against thewestern sky.
The air carries the scent ofwild thine and the dust that
rises from the well-worn passbelow, where merchants and
(07:49):
travelers make their way betweenthe great cities of our land,
way between the great cities ofour land.
From this very spot, I can seethe smoke rising from
Jerusalem's Temple Mount to thenorth, that holy city that
should be the crown of allnations, yet has become a den of
corruption.
And there, to the west, thecoastal plains stretch toward
(08:14):
the great sea, where thePhilistine cities squat like
toads in the marshland, theiridols glinting in the fading
light.
But it is not the beauty ofthis land that weighs upon my
heart today, though the Lord hasblessed it with milk and honey.
No, it is the vision that cameto me, a vision so terrible, so
(08:40):
consuming, that my very bonestrembled within me like reeds in
a storm wind.
I was here tending my sheep asthe morning mist clung to the
valleys below, when suddenly theheavens seemed to tear open
like a curtain in two.
The word of the Lord came uponme with such force that I fell
(09:07):
Stretched upon this very stone,my face pressed against the
earth that God formed with hisown hands.
Micah, the voice thunderedthrough my soul, not with sound
that ears can hear, but with thepower that shakes the
foundation of a man's being.
See what I see, feel what Ifeel.
(09:32):
Speak what I command you tospeak and oh, dear friend, what
I saw, what I was made towitness.
The Lord, god Almighty, he whodwells in unapproachable light,
(09:53):
stepping down from His holydwelling place, unapproachable
light.
Stepping down from his holydwelling place.
I watched as his feet touchedthe high places of the earth and
the mountains melted beneathhim like wax before a flame.
The valley split apart, as ifthe very ground were crying out
in anguish.
(10:14):
You see that village down there,nestled in the valley, like a
child in its mother's arms.
Those are my people farmers andshepherds, potters and weavers,
simple folk who rise with thesun and sleep when darkness
falls.
Their oil lamps flicker now inthe gathering dusk and I can
(10:34):
smell the smoke from theircooking fires, the aroma of
barley bread and roasted grain.
These are the people I love,the ones I've watched grow, from
children playing in the dust tomen and women with families of
their own.
Old Joe Ash, there, mending hisnets by lamplight.
(10:55):
I helped birth the lamb thatbecame his prize, ewe Sarah,
grinding grain for tomorrow'sbread.
I was there when she wed youngAsher and I blessed their union
with a song of joy.
But the vision, the visionshowed me what is coming upon
(11:16):
them, upon all of us.
Because of the sins of Samariaand Jerusalem, the great cities
have become like festeringwounds Poisoning the whole body
of our nation.
The rulers devour the poor likewild beasts.
The priests teach for hire, theprophets divine for the money.
(11:36):
Justice has become a mockeryand righteousness lies trampled
in the streets like trash.
I have walked those streets,friend.
I have seen with these eyes thepalaces built with blood money,
the ivory beds where thewealthy recline while orphans
starve at their gates.
I have watched as judges takebribes with one hand while
(11:59):
holding the scales of justicewith the other.
The very stones of Jerusalemcry out against the violence and
corruption that flows throughher streets like an open sewer.
And Samaria, oh Samaria, thatnorthern capital, sits upon her
(12:25):
hill like a harlot, adorned withjewels stolen from the temple
of God.
Her idols fill every high place.
Her shrines to foreign godsmultiply like weeds after rain.
The golden calves that Jeroboamset up have spawned a thousand
abominations and the peoplebowed down to gods of wood and
(12:46):
stone, while forgetting the onewho brought them out of Egypt
with a mighty hand.
But you must understand this isnot merely the anger of a mighty
hand.
But you must understand this isnot merely the anger of a man
speaking.
This is the broken heart of theAlmighty God, the one who chose
Israel as his treasuredpossession, who made the
(13:08):
covenant with Abraham, isaac andJacob.
He is like a husband whosebeloved wife has played the
harlot, like a father whosechildren has spat in his face
and run to embrace his enemies.
The vision showed me the Lord'sfootsteps, making the mountains
(13:33):
quake and the hills melt away.
I saw him coming down from hisholy habitation, and the earth
itself could not bear the weightof his righteous judgment.
The foundations of themountains cracked like pottery,
the valleys were cleft in two asif by a giant's axe, and I
understood, with a clarity thatpierced my soul like a sword,
(13:54):
that this judgment is not somedistant threat.
It is coming as surely as thesun rises and sets, as certain
as the rains come in theirseason.
The Assyrian armies are alreadysharpening their swords.
Their chariots are beingprepared, their siege engines
are constructed.
They are the rod of God's anger, the instrument of his wrath
(14:19):
against a people who haveforgotten their first love.
Look there, beyond those hillsto the north, can you see the
dust clouds on the horizon?
Even now, the merchants speakin hushed tones of armies,
gathering of kings, makingalliances of the great powers
(14:39):
stirring like lions awakeningfrom sleep.
The political winds areshifting and those who have eyes
to see can read the signs.
How my heart breaks for mypeople, these simple folk who
tend their flocks and work theirfields, who have been led
astray by corrupt leaders andfalse prophets.
(15:02):
They are like sheep without ashepherd, scattered and
vulnerable, unaware of thewolves that circle ever closer.
I think of little Miriam, whobrings me fresh cheese from her
goat each morning, her eyesbright with innocence and trust.
I think of old Benjamin, whoseback is bent from years of
(15:25):
working the terrace fields, whostill rises before dawn to offer
his prayers to the God of hisfathers.
What will become of them whenthe storm breaks, when the
armies come like a floodsweeping away everything in
their path?
Yet even in this darkness, evenas I tremble at the vision of
(15:46):
coming judgment, I know that theLord is righteous in all His
ways.
His anger burns not fromimpulse or cruelty, but from
perfect justice and holy love.
Cannot look upon sin withindifference, cannot allow evil
to triumph without consequence.
The very attributes that makehim worthy of worship his
(16:10):
holiness, his justice, his truth.
They demand that he act againstthe corruption that has
infected his people likegangrene.
And so I must speak, though myvoice trembles and my heart is
heavy as lead.
I must cry out like a watchmanon the wall, warning of the
(16:33):
approaching danger.
I must become like a mourningdove lamenting over the
desolation that is to come.
For this is my calling, myburden, my sacred trust To be
the voice of the Lord in thisdark hour, to speak his words,
whether they bring comfort orterror, whether they are
(16:55):
received with joy or rejectedwith scorn.
The stars are beginning toappear now, those ancient lights
that have watched overcountless generations of my
people.
They have seen the glory ofDavid's kingdom and the wisdom
of Solomon's reign.
They have witnessed thedivision of nation and the slow
(17:17):
decay that has brought us tothis moment of crisis, and they
will remain, when we are gone,silent witnesses to the justice
and mercy of the eternal God.
Come then, beloved friend.
Let us descend together intothe valley of God's word.
Let us listen as the Lordspeaks through his servant,
(17:40):
though the message may make usweep and cause us to rend our
garments in grief, for in hiswrath he remembers mercy, and
even in judgment, he provides away of hope for those who will
turn from their wicked ways andseek His face.
The night wind carries thescent of coming rain, and I hear
(18:04):
in its whisper the voice of theOne who controls the storm.
Now let's take a moment to quietour hearts and listen to the
word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,
conviction and encouragement,whether you're sitting in a
(18:26):
quiet place or out in the world.
Allow scripture to meet youright where you are.
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the book
of Micah, chapter 1, the wordof the Lord that came to Micah
(19:11):
of Moresheth in the days ofkings Jotham Ahaz and Hezekiah
of Judah.
He says For lo, the Lord iscoming out of his place and will
(19:39):
come down and tread upon thehigh places of the earth.
Then the mountains will meltunder him and the valleys will
burst open like wax near thefire, like waters poured down a
steep place.
All this is for thetransgression of Jacob and for
the sins of the house of Israel.
(20:00):
What is the transgression ofJacob and for the sins of the
house of Israel?
What is the transgression ofJacob?
Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place ofJudah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
Therefore, I will make Samaria aheap in the open country, a
place for planting vineyards.
I will pour down her stonesinto the valley and uncover her
(20:22):
foundations.
All her images shall be beatento pieces, all her wages shall
be burned with fire and all heridols I will lay waste, for as
the wages of a prostitute, shegathered them and as the wages
of a prostitute, they shallagain be used For this.
I will lament and wail.
(20:43):
I will go barefoot and naked.
I will make lamentation likethe jackals and mourning like
the ostriches, for her wound isincurable.
It has come to Judah, it hasreached the gate of my people to
Jerusalem.
Tell it not in Gath weep, notat all.
In Bethlehephra.
(21:04):
Roll yourselves in the dust,pass on your way.
Inhabitants of Shaphir, innakedness and shame the
inhabitants of Zanon, do notcome forth.
Beth Ezel is wailing and shallremove its support from you, for
the inhabitants of Meroth waitanxiously for good.
(21:26):
Yet disaster has come down fromthe Lord to the gate of
Jerusalem.
Harness the steeds to thechariots.
Inhabitants of Lachish, it isthe beginning of sin to the
daughter Zion, for in you werefound the transgressions of
Israel.
Therefore, you shall giveparting gifts to Moresheth.
(21:47):
Gath the houses of Egzib shallbe a deception to the kings of
Israel.
I will again bring a conquerorupon you, inhabitants of
Moresheth.
The glory of Israel shall cometo Adullam.
Make yourselves bald and cutoff your hair for your pampered
children.
Make yourselves as bald as theeagle, for they have gone from
(22:11):
you into exile.
The words have been spoken,friend.
The oracle that the Lord burnedinto my soul has been delivered
(22:34):
.
And now we sit here together inthe gathering darkness, the
weight of divine truth settlingupon us like the evening dew
upon the grass.
Look how the stars have emergedwhile we listen to the word of
the Lord.
Those same celestial witnessesthat watched over Abraham when
(22:58):
God made his covenant, thatguided the wise men to the
Christ child, that will shineuntil the day when God makes all
things new.
They remind us that his wordendures forever, outlasting
kingdoms and empires, outlivingthe rise and fall of nations.
(23:18):
Outliving the rise and fall ofnations.
I see the tears glistening onyour cheeks, caught by the
starlight.
Yes, weep, my friend.
Weep as I have wept, as everytrue prophet must weep when
confronted with the holiness ofGod and the sinfulness of man.
(23:39):
These are not tears of despair,but tears of recognition, the
soul's response when itencounters divine truth.
Down in the valley, below theoil lamps in the windows grow
dimmer as my people settle intosleep, unaware that the very
(23:59):
foundations of the world Areabout to be shaken.
The merchants secure theirgoods, the farmers check their
flocks one last time the motherstuck their children into bed
With whispered prayers andgentle songs.
Life continues, it's ancientrhythm, even as the storm clouds
(24:25):
of judgment gather on thehorizon.
But you and I, we have heardthe footsteps of the Almighty.
We have felt the mountainstremble beneath his tread.
Go back to, but you and I.
But you and I, we have heardthe footsteps of the Almighty.
(24:54):
We have felt the mountainstremble beneath his tread.
We have witnessed the valleysplit apart like broken pottery.
We cannot unhear what we haveheard, cannot unsee what we have
seen.
We are forever changed by thisencounter with the living God.
(25:15):
Oh, go back, do, but you and Iagain.
But you and I, we have heardthe footsteps of the Almighty.
We have felt the mountainstremble beneath his tread.
We have witnessed the valleyssplit apart like broken pottery.
(25:38):
We cannot unhear what we haveheard, cannot unsee what we have
seen.
We are forever changed by thisencounter with the living God.
Think with me now about how wehave witnessed together in this
first chapter of Micah'sprophecy.
Go back to think.
Think with me now about how wehave witnessed together in this
(26:06):
first chapter of Micah'sprophecy.
The Lord came down, not ingentle whispers or comforting
visions, but in terrible majestythat made the very earth
convulse.
The high places melted like wax, the valleys were cleft in two.
This is not the domesticateddeity that so many prefer.
(26:28):
This is the God who spokeworlds into existence, who holds
the oceans in the hollow of hishand, who weighs the mountains
in scales and the hills in abalance.
And why did he come?
Because of the oh, go back.
(26:48):
And why did he come?
Because of the transgression ofJacob, because of the sins of
the house of Israel.
Samaria, that northern capitalhad become like a heap of ruins
in the field and a place forplanting vineyard.
I'll go back to.
And why and why did he come?
(27:11):
Because of the transgression ofJacob, because of the sins of
the house of Israel.
Samaria, that northern capitalhad become like a heap of ruins
in the field, a place forplanting vineyards.
Her carved images were brokenin pieces, her idols burned with
(27:31):
fire.
All that seemed so permanent,so established, so secure,
reduced to rubble by the breathof the Almighty.
But here is what pierces myheart deeply friend, this
judgment did not fall uponstrangers or enemies.
These were God's chosen people,the descendants of Abraham
(27:53):
Isaac and Jacob.
These were the ones he haddelivered from Egypt with signs
and wonders, whom he had fed inthe wilderness, whom he had
brought into the promised landflowing with milk and honey.
The wound is incurable,spreading from Samaria to Judah,
reaching even to the gate ofJerusalem itself.
(28:17):
The infection of sin had spreadthrough the entire body of the
nation.
Okay, go back.
The wound is incurable,spreading from Samaria to Judah,
reaching even to the gate ofJerusalem itself.
The infection of sin had spreadthrough the entire body of the
(28:39):
nation like gangrene, corruptingeverything it touched, and so
the great physician had nochoice but to use the knife of
judgment to cut away thediseased flesh, lest the whole
body perish.
As you prepare to return to yourown life, your own daily walk,
(29:06):
let me ask you these questionsthat the Lord has burned into my
own heart through this prophecywhen are the high places in
your own life, those elevatedareas where you have set up
altars to false gods, perhapsnot carved images of wood and
stone, but idols nonetheless?
The altar of material successwhere you sacrifice time with
family and communion with God?
(29:27):
The shrine of personalreputation, where you offer up
integrity and truth to maintainyour image?
The high place of comfort andsecurity where you worship the
gifts rather than the giver.
What mountains in your lifeneed to melt before the presence
(29:49):
of the Lord?
Those towering obstacles ofpride, those peaks of
self-reliance that block yourview of God's glory.
The mountain of unforgivenessthat casts its shadow over your
relationships.
The summit of control where yourefuse to surrender your will
(30:12):
to his perfect plan.
What valleys in your heart needto be split open?
Those low places where you havehidden secret sins, thinking
they were safe from God's sight.
The valley of compromise, whereyou have made peace with
behaviors that grieve the HolySpirit.
The ravine of spiritualcomplacency, where you have
grown comfortable with distancefrom the Lord.
And here, friend, this is wherethe rubber meets the road in
(30:39):
your daily life.
Micah's prophecy is not merelyancient history.
It is a mirror held up in ourown souls, a diagnostic tool
that reveals the condition ofour hearts before a holy God.
In your workplace, whenpressure mounts and deadlines
(30:59):
loom, do you maintain yourintegrity, like Daniel in
Babylon, or do you bow down tothe golden image of success at
any cost?
When your colleagues engage ingossip or dishonest practices,
do you stand apart, like Micahon his hill, or do you join the
(31:21):
crowd heading toward destruction?
In your financial dealings, doyou remember that everything you
have is a stewardship from God?
Or have you fallen into thetrap of the wealthy oppressors
who coveted fields and seizedhouses?
Do you use your resources tobless others and advance God's
kingdom or, primarily, to buildyour own empire?
(31:42):
The God who spoke through Micahis the same yesterday, today and
forever.
His standards have not changed.
His holiness has not diminished.
His love has not grown cold.
He still calls out to waywardhearts, still offers forgiveness
to repentant sinners, stillpromises to heal the land when
(32:07):
his people humble themselves andpray.
And so, beloved friend, thoughwe have walked together through
this valley of divine judgment,do not despair, for the same God
who must punish sin is also theGod who provides salvation.
The same voice that thunderedfrom heaven in wrath is the
voice that whispers.
Come unto me, all you who laborand are heavy laden, and I will
(32:34):
give you rest Until we meetagain on these ancient hills,
until we sit together once moreunder the stars that declare his
glory.
May you walk in the light ofhis truth, may you find strength
in his presence, and may younever forget that you are loved
with an everlasting love by theGod who shakes mountains and
(32:54):
splits valleys, yet counts thevery hairs upon your head.
Thank you for joining me todayas we journey through the book
of Micah, chapter one.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your
day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation and every step
(33:19):
of obedience.
If this time in God's word hasencouraged you, take a moment to
share it with someone who mightneed it.
And be sure to join me nexttime as we continue walking
through the scriptures, learning, growing and staying faithful
in the field of life.
Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet, trust in
(33:43):
God's call, and rest in Hisunchanging love.
This is In the Field Audio Bible, where we Listen to the Bible
One Chapter at a Time.
Today, we are stepping into the
sandals of a shepherd prophetwhose heart burned with both
sorrow and divine fire.
Close your eyes just for amoment and let me take you back
nearly 3,000 years to therolling hills of Moresheth Gath,
where a simple man named Micahreceived visions that would
(06:44):
shake kingdoms.
My name is Micah and I amnothing more than what the Lord
has made me, and I am nothingmore than what the Lord has made
me a keeper of sheep, a tillerof soil, a man whose hands know
the roughness of rope and theweight of a shepherd's staff.
(07:05):
But the Almighty God, the onewho formed the mountains and
created the wind, has chosen tospeak through these weathered
lips, and I, I, cannot remainsilent.
Sit with me here, friend, onthis rocky outcrop where I often
(07:27):
bring my flock, feel the warmlimestone beneath you, still
holding the heat of the day,though the sun now hangs low
like a bronze shield against thewestern sky.
The air carries the scent ofwild thine and the dust that
rises from the well-worn passbelow, where merchants and
(07:49):
travelers make their way betweenthe great cities of our land,
way between the great cities ofour land.
From this very spot, I can seethe smoke rising from
Jerusalem's Temple Mount to thenorth, that holy city that
should be the crown of allnations, yet has become a den of
corruption.
And there, to the west, thecoastal plains stretch toward
(08:14):
the great sea, where thePhilistine cities squat like
toads in the marshland, theiridols glinting in the fading
light.
But it is not the beauty ofthis land that weighs upon my
heart today, though the Lord hasblessed it with milk and honey.
No, it is the vision that cameto me, a vision so terrible, so
(08:40):
consuming, that my very bonestrembled within me like reeds in
a storm wind.
I was here tending my sheep asthe morning mist clung to the
valleys below, when suddenly theheavens seemed to tear open
like a curtain in two.
The word of the Lord came uponme with such force that I fell
(09:07):
Stretched upon this very stone,my face pressed against the
earth that God formed with hisown hands.
Micah, the voice thunderedthrough my soul, not with sound
that ears can hear, but with thepower that shakes the
foundation of a man's being.
See what I see, feel what Ifeel.
(09:32):
Speak what I command you tospeak and oh, dear friend, what
I saw, what I was made towitness.
The Lord, god Almighty, he whodwells in unapproachable light,
(09:53):
stepping down from His holydwelling place, unapproachable
light.
Stepping down from his holydwelling place.
I watched as his feet touchedthe high places of the earth and
the mountains melted beneathhim like wax before a flame.
The valley split apart, as ifthe very ground were crying out
in anguish.
(10:14):
You see that village down there,nestled in the valley, like a
child in its mother's arms.
Those are my people farmers andshepherds, potters and weavers,
simple folk who rise with thesun and sleep when darkness
falls.
Their oil lamps flicker now inthe gathering dusk and I can
(10:34):
smell the smoke from theircooking fires, the aroma of
barley bread and roasted grain.
These are the people I love,the ones I've watched grow, from
children playing in the dust tomen and women with families of
their own.
Old Joe Ash, there, mending hisnets by lamplight.
(10:55):
I helped birth the lamb thatbecame his prize, ewe Sarah,
grinding grain for tomorrow'sbread.
I was there when she wed youngAsher and I blessed their union
with a song of joy.
But the vision, the visionshowed me what is coming upon
(11:16):
them, upon all of us.
Because of the sins of Samariaand Jerusalem, the great cities
have become like festeringwounds Poisoning the whole body
of our nation.
The rulers devour the poor likewild beasts.
The priests teach for hire, theprophets divine for the money.
(11:36):
Justice has become a mockeryand righteousness lies trampled
in the streets like trash.
I have walked those streets,friend.
I have seen with these eyes thepalaces built with blood money,
the ivory beds where thewealthy recline while orphans
starve at their gates.
I have watched as judges takebribes with one hand while
(11:59):
holding the scales of justicewith the other.
The very stones of Jerusalemcry out against the violence and
corruption that flows throughher streets like an open sewer.
And Samaria, oh Samaria, thatnorthern capital, sits upon her
(12:25):
hill like a harlot, adorned withjewels stolen from the temple
of God.
Her idols fill every high place.
Her shrines to foreign godsmultiply like weeds after rain.
The golden calves that Jeroboamset up have spawned a thousand
abominations and the peoplebowed down to gods of wood and
(12:46):
stone, while forgetting the onewho brought them out of Egypt
with a mighty hand.
But you must understand this isnot merely the anger of a mighty
hand.
But you must understand this isnot merely the anger of a man
speaking.
This is the broken heart of theAlmighty God, the one who chose
Israel as his treasuredpossession, who made the
(13:08):
covenant with Abraham, isaac andJacob.
He is like a husband whosebeloved wife has played the
harlot, like a father whosechildren has spat in his face
and run to embrace his enemies.
The vision showed me the Lord'sfootsteps, making the mountains
(13:33):
quake and the hills melt away.
I saw him coming down from hisholy habitation, and the earth
itself could not bear the weightof his righteous judgment.
The foundations of themountains cracked like pottery,
the valleys were cleft in two asif by a giant's axe, and I
understood, with a clarity thatpierced my soul like a sword,
(13:54):
that this judgment is not somedistant threat.
It is coming as surely as thesun rises and sets, as certain
as the rains come in theirseason.
The Assyrian armies are alreadysharpening their swords.
Their chariots are beingprepared, their siege engines
are constructed.
They are the rod of God's anger, the instrument of his wrath
(14:19):
against a people who haveforgotten their first love.
Look there, beyond those hillsto the north, can you see the
dust clouds on the horizon?
Even now, the merchants speakin hushed tones of armies,
gathering of kings, makingalliances of the great powers
(14:39):
stirring like lions awakeningfrom sleep.
The political winds areshifting and those who have eyes
to see can read the signs.
How my heart breaks for mypeople, these simple folk who
tend their flocks and work theirfields, who have been led
astray by corrupt leaders andfalse prophets.
(15:02):
They are like sheep without ashepherd, scattered and
vulnerable, unaware of thewolves that circle ever closer.
I think of little Miriam, whobrings me fresh cheese from her
goat each morning, her eyesbright with innocence and trust.
I think of old Benjamin, whoseback is bent from years of
(15:25):
working the terrace fields, whostill rises before dawn to offer
his prayers to the God of hisfathers.
What will become of them whenthe storm breaks, when the
armies come like a floodsweeping away everything in
their path?
Yet even in this darkness, evenas I tremble at the vision of
(15:46):
coming judgment, I know that theLord is righteous in all His
ways.
His anger burns not fromimpulse or cruelty, but from
perfect justice and holy love.
Cannot look upon sin withindifference, cannot allow evil
to triumph without consequence.
The very attributes that makehim worthy of worship his
(16:10):
holiness, his justice, his truth.
They demand that he act againstthe corruption that has
infected his people likegangrene.
And so I must speak, though myvoice trembles and my heart is
heavy as lead.
I must cry out like a watchmanon the wall, warning of the
(16:33):
approaching danger.
I must become like a mourningdove lamenting over the
desolation that is to come.
For this is my calling, myburden, my sacred trust To be
the voice of the Lord in thisdark hour, to speak his words,
whether they bring comfort orterror, whether they are
(16:55):
received with joy or rejectedwith scorn.
The stars are beginning toappear now, those ancient lights
that have watched overcountless generations of my
people.
They have seen the glory ofDavid's kingdom and the wisdom
of Solomon's reign.
They have witnessed thedivision of nation and the slow
(17:17):
decay that has brought us tothis moment of crisis, and they
will remain, when we are gone,silent witnesses to the justice
and mercy of the eternal God.
Come then, beloved friend.
Let us descend together intothe valley of God's word.
Let us listen as the Lordspeaks through his servant,
(17:40):
though the message may make usweep and cause us to rend our
garments in grief, for in hiswrath he remembers mercy, and
even in judgment, he provides away of hope for those who will
turn from their wicked ways andseek His face.
The night wind carries thescent of coming rain, and I hear
(18:04):
in its whisper the voice of theOne who controls the storm.
Now let's take a moment to quietour hearts and listen to the
word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,
conviction and encouragement,whether you're sitting in a
(18:26):
quiet place or out in the world.
Allow scripture to meet youright where you are.
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the book
of Micah, chapter 1, the wordof the Lord that came to Micah
(19:11):
of Moresheth in the days ofkings Jotham Ahaz and Hezekiah
of Judah.
He says For lo, the Lord iscoming out of his place and will
(19:39):
come down and tread upon thehigh places of the earth.
Then the mountains will meltunder him and the valleys will
burst open like wax near thefire, like waters poured down a
steep place.
All this is for thetransgression of Jacob and for
the sins of the house of Israel.
(20:00):
What is the transgression ofJacob and for the sins of the
house of Israel?
What is the transgression ofJacob?
Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place ofJudah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
Therefore, I will make Samaria aheap in the open country, a
place for planting vineyards.
I will pour down her stonesinto the valley and uncover her
(20:22):
foundations.
All her images shall be beatento pieces, all her wages shall
be burned with fire and all heridols I will lay waste, for as
the wages of a prostitute, shegathered them and as the wages
of a prostitute, they shallagain be used For this.
I will lament and wail.
(20:43):
I will go barefoot and naked.
I will make lamentation likethe jackals and mourning like
the ostriches, for her wound isincurable.
It has come to Judah, it hasreached the gate of my people to
Jerusalem.
Tell it not in Gath weep, notat all.
In Bethlehephra.
(21:04):
Roll yourselves in the dust,pass on your way.
Inhabitants of Shaphir, innakedness and shame the
inhabitants of Zanon, do notcome forth.
Beth Ezel is wailing and shallremove its support from you, for
the inhabitants of Meroth waitanxiously for good.
(21:26):
Yet disaster has come down fromthe Lord to the gate of
Jerusalem.
Harness the steeds to thechariots.
Inhabitants of Lachish, it isthe beginning of sin to the
daughter Zion, for in you werefound the transgressions of
Israel.
Therefore, you shall giveparting gifts to Moresheth.
(21:47):
Gath the houses of Egzib shallbe a deception to the kings of
Israel.
I will again bring a conquerorupon you, inhabitants of
Moresheth.
The glory of Israel shall cometo Adullam.
Make yourselves bald and cutoff your hair for your pampered
children.
Make yourselves as bald as theeagle, for they have gone from
(22:11):
you into exile.
The words have been spoken,friend.
The oracle that the Lord burnedinto my soul has been delivered
(22:34):
.
And now we sit here together inthe gathering darkness, the
weight of divine truth settlingupon us like the evening dew
upon the grass.
Look how the stars have emergedwhile we listen to the word of
the Lord.
Those same celestial witnessesthat watched over Abraham when
(22:58):
God made his covenant, thatguided the wise men to the
Christ child, that will shineuntil the day when God makes all
things new.
They remind us that his wordendures forever, outlasting
kingdoms and empires, outlivingthe rise and fall of nations.
(23:18):
Outliving the rise and fall ofnations.
I see the tears glistening onyour cheeks, caught by the
starlight.
Yes, weep, my friend.
Weep as I have wept, as everytrue prophet must weep when
confronted with the holiness ofGod and the sinfulness of man.
(23:39):
These are not tears of despair,but tears of recognition, the
soul's response when itencounters divine truth.
Down in the valley, below theoil lamps in the windows grow
dimmer as my people settle intosleep, unaware that the very
(23:59):
foundations of the world Areabout to be shaken.
The merchants secure theirgoods, the farmers check their
flocks one last time the motherstuck their children into bed
With whispered prayers andgentle songs.
Life continues, it's ancientrhythm, even as the storm clouds
(24:25):
of judgment gather on thehorizon.
But you and I, we have heardthe footsteps of the Almighty.
We have felt the mountainstremble beneath his tread.
Go back to, but you and I.
But you and I, we have heardthe footsteps of the Almighty.
(24:54):
We have felt the mountainstremble beneath his tread.
We have witnessed the valleysplit apart like broken pottery.
We cannot unhear what we haveheard, cannot unsee what we have
seen.
We are forever changed by thisencounter with the living God.
(25:15):
Oh, go back, do, but you and Iagain.
But you and I, we have heardthe footsteps of the Almighty.
We have felt the mountainstremble beneath his tread.
We have witnessed the valleyssplit apart like broken pottery.
(25:38):
We cannot unhear what we haveheard, cannot unsee what we have
seen.
We are forever changed by thisencounter with the living God.
Think with me now about how wehave witnessed together in this
first chapter of Micah'sprophecy.
Go back to think.
Think with me now about how wehave witnessed together in this
(26:06):
first chapter of Micah'sprophecy.
The Lord came down, not ingentle whispers or comforting
visions, but in terrible majestythat made the very earth
convulse.
The high places melted like wax, the valleys were cleft in two.
This is not the domesticateddeity that so many prefer.
(26:28):
This is the God who spokeworlds into existence, who holds
the oceans in the hollow of hishand, who weighs the mountains
in scales and the hills in abalance.
And why did he come?
Because of the oh, go back.
(26:48):
And why did he come?
Because of the transgression ofJacob, because of the sins of
the house of Israel.
Samaria, that northern capitalhad become like a heap of ruins
in the field and a place forplanting vineyard.
I'll go back to.
And why and why did he come?
(27:11):
Because of the transgression ofJacob, because of the sins of
the house of Israel.
Samaria, that northern capitalhad become like a heap of ruins
in the field, a place forplanting vineyards.
Her carved images were brokenin pieces, her idols burned with
(27:31):
fire.
All that seemed so permanent,so established, so secure,
reduced to rubble by the breathof the Almighty.
But here is what pierces myheart deeply friend, this
judgment did not fall uponstrangers or enemies.
These were God's chosen people,the descendants of Abraham
(27:53):
Isaac and Jacob.
These were the ones he haddelivered from Egypt with signs
and wonders, whom he had fed inthe wilderness, whom he had
brought into the promised landflowing with milk and honey.
The wound is incurable,spreading from Samaria to Judah,
reaching even to the gate ofJerusalem itself.
(28:17):
The infection of sin had spreadthrough the entire body of the
nation.
Okay, go back.
The wound is incurable,spreading from Samaria to Judah,
reaching even to the gate ofJerusalem itself.
The infection of sin had spreadthrough the entire body of the
(28:39):
nation like gangrene, corruptingeverything it touched, and so
the great physician had nochoice but to use the knife of
judgment to cut away thediseased flesh, lest the whole
body perish.
As you prepare to return to yourown life, your own daily walk,
(29:06):
let me ask you these questionsthat the Lord has burned into my
own heart through this prophecywhen are the high places in
your own life, those elevatedareas where you have set up
altars to false gods, perhapsnot carved images of wood and
stone, but idols nonetheless?
The altar of material successwhere you sacrifice time with
family and communion with God?
(29:27):
The shrine of personalreputation, where you offer up
integrity and truth to maintainyour image?
The high place of comfort andsecurity where you worship the
gifts rather than the giver.
What mountains in your lifeneed to melt before the presence
(29:49):
of the Lord?
Those towering obstacles ofpride, those peaks of
self-reliance that block yourview of God's glory.
The mountain of unforgivenessthat casts its shadow over your
relationships.
The summit of control where yourefuse to surrender your will
(30:12):
to his perfect plan.
What valleys in your heart needto be split open?
Those low places where you havehidden secret sins, thinking
they were safe from God's sight.
The valley of compromise, whereyou have made peace with
behaviors that grieve the HolySpirit.
The ravine of spiritualcomplacency, where you have
grown comfortable with distancefrom the Lord.
And here, friend, this is wherethe rubber meets the road in
(30:39):
your daily life.
Micah's prophecy is not merelyancient history.
It is a mirror held up in ourown souls, a diagnostic tool
that reveals the condition ofour hearts before a holy God.
In your workplace, whenpressure mounts and deadlines
(30:59):
loom, do you maintain yourintegrity, like Daniel in
Babylon, or do you bow down tothe golden image of success at
any cost?
When your colleagues engage ingossip or dishonest practices,
do you stand apart, like Micahon his hill, or do you join the
(31:21):
crowd heading toward destruction?
In your financial dealings, doyou remember that everything you
have is a stewardship from God?
Or have you fallen into thetrap of the wealthy oppressors
who coveted fields and seizedhouses?
Do you use your resources tobless others and advance God's
kingdom or, primarily, to buildyour own empire?
(31:42):
The God who spoke through Micahis the same yesterday, today and
forever.
His standards have not changed.
His holiness has not diminished.
His love has not grown cold.
He still calls out to waywardhearts, still offers forgiveness
to repentant sinners, stillpromises to heal the land when
(32:07):
his people humble themselves andpray.
And so, beloved friend, thoughwe have walked together through
this valley of divine judgment,do not despair, for the same God
who must punish sin is also theGod who provides salvation.
The same voice that thunderedfrom heaven in wrath is the
voice that whispers.
Come unto me, all you who laborand are heavy laden, and I will
(32:34):
give you rest Until we meetagain on these ancient hills,
until we sit together once moreunder the stars that declare his
glory.
May you walk in the light ofhis truth, may you find strength
in his presence, and may younever forget that you are loved
with an everlasting love by theGod who shakes mountains and
(32:54):
splits valleys, yet counts thevery hairs upon your head.
Thank you for joining me todayas we journey through the book
of Micah, chapter one.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your
day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation and every step
(33:19):
of obedience.
If this time in God's word hasencouraged you, take a moment to
share it with someone who mightneed it.
And be sure to join me nexttime as we continue walking
through the scriptures, learning, growing and staying faithful
in the field of life.
Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet, trust in
(33:43):
God's call, and rest in Hisunchanging love.
This is In the Field Audio Bible, where we Listen to the Bible
One Chapter at a Time.
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