From today’s reading in Tyndale’s One Year Chronological Bible dated 7/20:

Micah reminds Israel of God’s goodness and their failure. He says all the Lord required of them was to be just, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord. Instead, the people walk in wickedness and follow the practices of the evil kings of Israel, Omri and Ahab. Therefore, judgment is upon them. 

Micah says there’s not one faithful man among them – “The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net.” However, knowing the Assyrians are about to invade, Micah does not put his hope in man but in the Lord – “Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation, My God will hear me.”

Micah ends with a prayer asking the Lord to shepherd His people like He did when He brought them out of Egypt so the nations would fear Him and His people would return to Him. Micah knows that God’s mercy is great and that He is working His plan to send a Savior to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves; to cleanse us from our sins and give us a heart that loves the Lord and desires obedience to His word. One day Jesus will come and fulfill these words from Micah – “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” Jesus Christ will pay the debt for our sins by His sacrifice on the cross, tossing them into the depths of the sea – “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

As the Lord said, the Assyrians are now invading Judah. Hezekiah, king of Judah, tells the people not to fear the Assyrians –  “‘Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.’ And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sends the Rabshakeh (a title meaning “chief of the princes”) to tell Judah not to listen to King Hezekiah, and not to trust the Lord to deliver them from the Assyrians. The Rabshakeh says, “But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, ‘Do not answer him.’ Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.”

Will Hezekiah fear the Assyrians and cave under their words, or trust the Lord and stand firm on His Word? Keep reading to find out. (Micah 6:1-7:20, 2 Chronicles 32:1-8, 2 Kings 18:13-18, Isaiah 36:1-3, 2 Kings 18:19-37, Isaiah 36:4-22)