Daily Bible Encouragement

Micah 7:11-13 11 The day for building your walls will come,     the day for extending your boundaries. 12  In that day people will come to you     from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates     and from sea to sea     and from mountain to mountain. 13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,     as the result of their deeds. Over the past couple of day...

Micah 7:10 10 Then my enemy will see it     and will be covered with shame, she who said to me,     ‘Where is the Lord your God?’ My eyes will see her downfall;     even now she will be trampled underfoot     like mire in the streets. “Where is the Lord your God?” It’s a common question. Even when it isn’t asked in quite those words, it lies behind many of the things people say to us. “How can the...

Micah 7:8-9 8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy!     Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness,     the Lord will be my light. 9 Because I have sinned against him,     I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case     and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light;     I will see his righteousness. I’m not a massive TV watcher but I do love a good legal drama! I’m...

Micah 7:7 7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,     I wait for God my Saviour;     my God will hear me. In yesterday’s verses we saw how human help is no help at all when it comes to being rescued from God’s righteous judgment. In today’s verse, we see where Micah has put his confidence: ‘But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord’. ‘But’ is a really powerful word throughout the Bible. I...

Micah 7:4b-6 The day God visits you has come,     the day your watchmen sound the alarm.     Now is the time of your confusion. 5  Do not trust a neighbour;     put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace     guard the words of your lips. 6  For a son dishonours his father,     a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law –    ...

Micah 7:2b-4a Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;     they hunt each other with nets. 3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil;     the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes,     the powerful dictate what they desire –     they all conspire together. 4 The best of them is like a brier,     the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. Today’s verses continue the theme of yesterday’s. Micah loo...

Micah 7:1-2a 1 What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit     at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat,     none of the early figs that I crave. 2 The faithful have been swept from the land;     not one upright person remains. Although we’re reading a book called Micah, there’s very little of Micah in it. Because he is a prophet, the spotlight is not o...

Micah 6:16 16 You have observed the statutes of Omri     and all the practices of Ahab’s house;     you have followed their traditions. Therefore I will give you over to ruin     and your people to derision;     you will bear the scorn of the nations.’ Yesterday we saw one set of consequences of the people’s rejection of God - they will experience frustration and futility, as they lose the blessin...

Micah 6:13-15 13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy you,     to ruin you because of your sins. 14 You will eat but not be satisfied;     your stomach will still be empty. You will store up but save nothing,     because what you save I will give to the sword. 15 You will plant but not harvest;     you will press olives but not use the oil,     you will crush grapes but not drink the wine. Yesterday...

Micah 6:9-12 9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city –     and to fear your name is wisdom –     ‘Heed the rod and the One who appointed it. 10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,     and the short ephah, which is accursed? 11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,     with a bag of false weights? 12 Your rich people are violent;     your inhabitants are liar...

Micah 6:6-8 6 With what shall I come before the Lord     and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,     with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,     with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,     the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  ...

Micah 6:3-5 3  ‘My people, what have I done to you?     How have I burdened you? Answer me. 4 I brought you up out of Egypt     and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you,     also Aaron and Miriam. 5 My people, remember     what Balak king of Moab plotted     and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,     that you may know the righ...

Micah 6:1-2 Listen to what the Lord says:  ‘Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;     let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 ‘Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;     listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people;     he is lodging a charge against Israel. For most of chapter 5 Micah has been speaking of a future time, when a promis...

Micah 5:10-15 10 ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will destroy your horses from among you     and demolish your chariots. 11 I will destroy the cities of your land     and tear down all your strongholds. 12 I will destroy your witchcraft     and you will no longer cast spells. 13 I will destroy your idols     and your sacred stones from among you; you will no longer bow down     to the work of...

Micah 5:7-9 7 The remnant of Jacob will be     in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord,     like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone     or depend on man. 8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,     in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest,     like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes,     and n...

Micah 5:5-6 5 And he will be our peace     when the Assyrians invade our land     and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds,     even eight commanders, 6 who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,     the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians     when they invade our land     and march across our borders. I said yesterday t...

Micah 5:3-4 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned     until the time when she who is in labour bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return     to join the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock     in the strength of the Lord,     in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness     will reach to the ends of the earth. As I’ve said...

Micah 5:1-2 1 Marshal your troops now, city of troops,     for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler     on the cheek with a rod. 2 ‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,     though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me     one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,     from ancient times.’ Even if you’ve never read the rest of Mic...

Micah 4:11-13 11 But now many nations     are gathered against you. They say, ‘Let her be defiled,     let our eyes gloat over Zion!’ 12 But they do not know     the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan,     that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing-floor. 13 ‘Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,     for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hooves of bronze,    ...

Micah 4:9-10 9 Why do you now cry aloud –     have you no king? Has your ruler perished,     that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labour? 10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,     like a woman in labour, for now you must leave the city     to camp in the open field. You will go to Babylon;     there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you     out of the hand of your enemies. In ve...

Micah 4:6-8 6 ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will gather the lame;     I will assemble the exiles     and those I have brought to grief. 7 I will make the lame my remnant,     those driven away a strong nation. The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion     from that day and for ever. 8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,     stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored...

Micah 4:5 5 All the nations may walk     in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord     our God for ever and ever. I find today’s verse intriguing! What does it mean to walk ‘in the name of ‘ something or someone? Most of the time, when this phrase crops up in the Old Testament it seems to be to do with speaking. People bless or prophesy ‘in the name of the Lord’ - in othe...

Micah 4:3-4 3 He will judge between many peoples     and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into ploughshares     and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation,     nor will they train for war any more. 4  Everyone will sit under their own vine     and under their own fig-tree, and no one will make them afraid,    ...

Micah 4:2 2 Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,     to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways,     so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion,     the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. We’ve seen already in Micah just what a mess the people have got themselves into, when they’ve misunderstood what it means to be ‘...

Micah 4:1 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Here at the start of chapter 4 we get another of the abrupt changes in focus that we saw at the end of chapter 2. One minute everything is darkness and judgement, and the next minute there’s a startlingly unexpected inj...