Youth Teacher: 3rd Quarter 2015

By Rebecca Irwin-Diehl

Youth Teacher is a quarterly publication used to help the Sunday school teacher discuss issues pertaining to youth ages 12-17. Sections such as Biblical Emphases give background knowledge of the lesson. All lessons include relevant life concerns and lesson applications to help the teacher relate the Bible to the lives of young people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Mar 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781681670096

Book preview

MICAH 2:4–11

RESOURCES NEEDED

• New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition, #35 (NNBH, #13)

• God’s Promises Bible

• Boyd’s Commentary for the Sunday School

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

People do not want to be confronted with their social and moral abuse of others. What is the result of their failure to acknowledge their evil ways? Micah prophesied that God would give no rest to those who practice evil against God’s faithful ones.

TARGET EMPHASIS

SEEKERS FOR JESUS: Younger teens know that poor choices often have negative consequences, and they have the ability both to choose wisely for themselves and to recognize injustices committed by others.

TEEN SCENE: Older youth can live out their faith by pursuing justice, and they understand that taking action is a powerful way they can show God’s love for the world.

BIBLICAL EMPHASES:

1. The prophet Micah criticized the leaders of Israel and Judah for stealing land from the poor—the very people God’s followers were called to help.

2. Micah promised that God would judge Israel and Judah for their unjust actions.

3. God punished Israel and Judah for their unjust actions.

LESSON OVERVIEW

I. Man’s Plans vs. God’s Plan (Micah 2:4–5)

The prophet Micah preached during the eighth century B.C. at the same time as Amos, Isaiah, and Hosea. It wasn’t an easy time in the history of Israel to be a preacher. God’s people were messing up in a big way. In today’s lesson, Micah warned God’s people that they would be punished for their wicked deeds.

Land was the primary source of wealth in ancient times. Most people lived in rural areas (including Micah himself), and they depended on the land in order to grow food and raise the livestock that provided them with milk, cheese, and meat, not to mention leather and wool for clothing. Without land, people had no way to provide for their families. Land and land ownership held a special place in Israel’s traditions. According to Joshua 14–21, the land was divided among Israel’s tribes and families, but God remained its true owner. It was handed down from generation to generation as a sacred trust; and laws were established to prohibit seizure of another’s property (Daniel J. Simundson, The Book of Micah in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 7 [Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996], 550). These laws helped the families keep the land within the family line. There were times when the land would be leased to other individuals. However, when the Year of Jubilee arrived, the land would be restored to its original family owners (see Lev. 25). The Year of Jubilee occurred every fiftieth year. It was intended to rebalance the scales of the economy, which over time became unbalanced when life brought bad weather, poor health, untimely death, or unwise decisions.

Unfortunately, because of humanity’s selfish tendencies, Jubilee was not often honored. Many in Israel found ways to take advantage of the poor by taking more of their money and land. This created a system where the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. Youth can understand this situation. Youth, especially those who are in poverty, will know how difficult it is to rise out of this condition. They also will understand how those in power often exert their power at the expense of others.

But the prophet Micah spoke to the Israelites about their injustices. He told the Israelites that God was not pleased by their actions. While the greedy Israelites concocted plans to take advantage of the poor, the Lord schemed against the sinful Israelites. Micah 2:3 reads, Therefore thus says the LORD: Now, I am devising against this family an evil from which you cannot remove your necks; and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be an evil time (NRSV). In the same way that the rich were driving out the rightful owners to steal the land, God was going to deprive them of their own inheritance—and the poor would have a turn at taunting their former oppressors. The injustice against the poor would be stopped because the people would no longer have any means to take advantage of the poor. Although Micah 2 doesn’t specifically state whom God would use to discipline Israel, we know that God’s judgment came by the hand of the Assyrians. The Assyrians were a wicked nation, but God created them into a powerful nation that overtook Israel and their land. God warned the Israelites that the day of their destruction was coming so that they had the opportunity to repent from their sinful ways. Many of the Israelites lived without concern for the poor, but they would realize God was displeased with their actions when the Assyrians overtook them. But God knew that the Israelites would choose not to repent. And God warned them that they would sing a sad song when the Assyrians overpowered them: ‘We are utterly ruined; the LORD alters the inheritance of my people; how he removes it from me! Among our captors he parcels out our fields’ (v. 4, NRSV).

II. False Prophets (Micah 2:6–11)

Israel was not warned about their impending destruction from Micah alone. God called many prophets during the eighth century B.C., such as Hosea and Amos, to warn the Israelites that they would be disciplined if they did not change their ways. But the Israelites also heard messages from false prophets who did not believe that God would judge them. They told the Israelites not to believe Micah’s prophecies. They responded to Micah by saying, ‘Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us’ (v. 6, NIV). Because God had promised to bless Israel, they figured that God would not allow such disaster upon their lives, no matter how badly they behaved. Sometimes youth also justify their own actions. They don’t want to admit that their wrongful actions are sin. They are not always eager to take responsibility for their actions, just as the Israelites didn’t.

The false prophets also dismissed Micah’s prophecies because of a common notion that was accepted in the ancient world. During that time, every nation had its own god. These nations used war to prove whose god was the most powerful. They believed that the gods equipped the nations to fight, and whoever won the war had the strongest god. Thus the Israelites thought that their God would never allow a wicked nation that believed in a pagan god to overtake Israel. But God did not need to win wars to prove His ability. His focus was on showing His chosen people how to live righteously. And because they would not listen, they had to be disciplined.

Assyria captured Israel during Micah’s lifetime, which proved his prophecies to be true. However, God said that Assyria was not Israel’s only enemy. Verse eight reads, But you rise up against my people as an enemy; you strip the robe from the peaceful, from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war (NRSV). Now the Israelites who were oppressing the poor were the enemies of Israel. These people were taking advantage of the women and children within the community, which was a direct violation of God’s laws (see Exod. 22:22). Israel thought God would not use a wicked nation to carry out His will, but Israel was becoming a wicked nation.

When Assyria captured Israel, the Promised Land was taken. This land was the place of rest that God had promised His people through a covenant with Abraham, but it was tainted by wickedness. It was no longer a place of rest for the poor, who had suffered at the hands of