Reading: Romans 8:1-17 In verse 3 Paul says that the law was weakened. It is not the law which caused death; it was because of our sin that the law brought death. The law was good: if you disobey God’s commandments, you will surely die. No matter how hard you try to make up for… Continue reading Meditation: Romans 8:3

Reading: Romans 7:13-8:4 Paul starts this chapter with the words There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. With that, he connects what follows with what he said at the end of chapter 7. In 7:24 he writes Wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of… Continue reading Meditation: Romans 8:1-4

Reading: Micah 7; Jeremiah 31:31-34 God will show His glory again to His people and to the world, in the great deeds which He will do for His people. Part of His greatness is also His mercy. Micah says in verse 18: Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 7 (2)

Reading: Micah 7 At the beginning of chapter 7, it seems as if the situation for Micah is very depressing. That is because of all the godlessness in the land, the spiritual misery of God’s people. It is a huge spiritual disaster, a spiritual desert. There is no reason for joy. It is all misery. Look… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 7

Reading: Micah 6:8; Psalm 119:97-112 To walk with God: When the Bible speaks about walking with God, then it speaks about having a close relationship with God. God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, in the cool of the day. But that one day, that Adam and Eve sinned, they did not want… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 6:8 (2)

Reading: Micah 6; Romans 12:1-3 What does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. They are all three expressions of one attitude. It is not just what you do. It is not the sacrifices that you bring. Even if you gave the best… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 6:8

Reading: Micah 6; Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Now Micah addresses the people of Judah in the form of a court case. The LORD has a case against His people; He is lodging a complaint, an indictment against Israel, we read in verse 2. And then in verse 3 to 5, we hear the charge. The LORD tells what He… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 6

Reading: Micah 5; Psalm 23 In verse 4 Micah speaks about the promised King who will shepherd His flock. The promised King will be a good shepherd! This is a reminder of the glorious days under king David. The promised King will be like David, who was shepherd before he became king. As such he… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 5:2-4 (3)

Reading: Micah 5; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Bethlehem is the city of David. There is where it all started. When God called David, that was a new start, after all the judges and of king Saul. However, after David, it went wrong again. More and more, the kings got involved in political games and went for their own… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 5:2-4 (2)

Reading: Micah 5; Matthew 2:1-12 Bethlehem is the place where David was born and grew up. In Bethlehem also the Saviour should be born, the true Son of David. God’s choice for Bethlehem as the place for the birth of the Saviour is the rejection of those who rule in Jerusalem. This was already announced… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 5:2-4

Reading: Micah 4, Revelation 21.   Verse 3 and 4 speak about that beautiful prospect, when the Word of God reigns. Those well known words ‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares’. Many people misuse these words for their doctrine of pacifism. This is a promise that comes to fulfillment, if we listen to the Word of… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 4:1-5 (3)

Reading: Micah 4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13   God had not chosen Israel as His people because of their own goodness. In Deuteronomy 7, Moses reminds the people that God had chosen them out of His love. Not because they were such a great people:  The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 4:1-5 (2)

Reading: Micah 4 Micah prophesies about a beautiful future for the mountain of the LORD’s temple and for Jerusalem. It may come as a surprise, right away after what he prophesied at the end of chapter 3, where he spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem. The situation in those days was not very positive: the… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 4:1-5

Reading: Micah 3; Romans 10:5-21 Unveiling the sins of God’s people. Preaching about sin. Admonition. That is something, that is not very popular. Many don’t want to hear it. It is so important that others have a positive opinion about us, that they see that we are good; it is so important that we are better… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 3 (3)

Reading: Micah 3; Acts 4:32-37 In the first part of chapter 3, Micah addresses specifically the leaders of Israel. When he uses the names Jacob and Israel, then that reminds them of the covenant which God made with Jacob, who was also called Israel. These names are used in general for the people of God.… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 3 (2)

Reading: Micah 3; 2 Timothy 4:1-5 Micah does not preach to be honoured by human beings. He is an instrument of God’s Spirit. He would have liked it much more to preach things that the people like to hear and to prophesy positive things. But he also knows that that is not the truth. The… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 3

Reading: Micah 2; Ezekiel 34   God will gather the remnant of His people together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in a pasture. Now that the rulers over the people abuse their power for their own profit and do not pastor the flock, God will destroy them and He will take care… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 2:12-13

Reading: Micah 2; Isaiah 3:13-4:6 This chapter speaks about God’s grace for His people, especially the verses 12-13. A remnant will be saved. This is comforting, but also threatening. Imagine that God would say to you, God’s people: only a remnant of you will be saved, only a small group. The rich and the powerful,… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 2:1-11

Reading: Micah 1:10-16; 2 Kings 19:1-19 Micah prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. What he describes in the verses 10-16 is probably the attack of Sennacherib on Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah, as described in 2 Kings 18 and 19. In 2 Kings 19, Hezekiah brought this before the LORD… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 1:10-16 (2)

Reading: Micah 1:8-16; 2 Kings 8:17-37 In verse 10-16 Micah speaks about the country of Judah. ‘It has come to Judah’, he said in verse 9. It has come to the gate of my people – to Jerusalem. From Samaria, the focus now shifts to Jerusalem. The people must know that the fate of Samaria… Continue reading Meditation: Micah 1:10-16