Micah 3. Leaders and Their Motivations. The Holy Spirit.
Key Notes: Micah helped Jeremiah's case. Outline of the Holy Spirit.
3:1–4 The heads of Israel hated good and loved evil. They chewed up people like so much meat. Then they cried to the Lord for help but He hid His face from them.
3:5–7 The prophets prophesied peace--or war--depending on how they were treated. For them also the darkness will fall and no answer will come from God
3:8 In contrast, Micah is full of the Spirit of God to denounce Israel's sin.
3:9–13 On account of the rulers who perverted justice, priests who taught for money and prophets who could tell fortunes--while leaning on the Lord for His blessing--Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, a plowed field.
A hundred-forty years later, the prophecy of Micah 3:12 would be retold. Jeremiah was facing death for prophesying that Jerusalem would "be desolate, without inhabitants" (Jer.26:1–9). The point is that prophesying evil concerning Jerusalem was treason, and subject to the death penalty. When he was brought before king Jehoiakim for judgment, the princes said that Jeremiah should not be executed, because of a legal precedent. Micah had said "Zion shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height" years before. (Jer.26:16–18). He had not been put to death; in fact, Hezekiah had begged the favor of God and evil did not come upon the land in his day. (Jer.26:18–19). Another prophet named Uriah who prophesied against Jerusalem did not fare so well and was hunted down when he escaped to Egypt and executed by Jehoiakim. (Jer.26:20–23). Micah was exonerated.
Micah was full of the Spirit of God. Let us digress to examine the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.
Is the Holy Spirit a person, or an impersonal force? “The Holy Ghost” of the King James Bible conjures an apparition to the modern mind. The word Spirit—or wind-- is neuter in Greek, so the English reads: "The wind blows where it wills…." (Jn.3:8). But when Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit, He uses the personal pronoun "He". In Jn.16:12–15, the personal pronoun is used of the holy Spirit 8x. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity.
Some have denied His deity:
Gnostics thought He was an emanation of the father-mother god.
Arians, believing Jesus was a created being, and thought the Holy Spirit was a created force.
Some Quakers deny His unique indwelling, believing that everyone has a spark of the divine.
The Holy Spirit has personal emotions.
grief. Isa.63:10, Eph.4:30
love. Rom.15:30
groaning and sighing in intercession. Rom.8:26–27.
The Holy Spirit performs personal actions.
commanding. Acts 8:19
forbidding. Acts 16:6
appointing. Acts 7:51
teaching. Jn.14:26
Personal actions are done against the Holy Spirit.
lying to. Acts 5:3,4.9
resisting. Acts 7:51
quenching. I Thes.5:19
insulting. Heb.10:29
blaspheming. Matt.12:31
The Holy Spirit is God.
He carries the attributes of God: He is the Spirit of holiness, power, of life, truth, and wisdom. He is omnipresent.
He is included in the Trinitarian formulas:
“…in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matt.28:19
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit….” (IICor.13:14)
“pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourself in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 21)
What is the Holy Spirit's primary work?
His primary role is to reveal and glorify Christ. “He shall not speak of Himself... but He shall glorify Me.” Jn.16:14. This is His subordinate role in the Trinity.
His work is glorifying Christ in the believer. He works in our conscious minds.
Revealing Christ to the believer. Jn.16:14
Confirming to us that we are in Christ. Rom.8:16
Teaching Jn.16:13, reminding Jn.14:26, inspiring us. IITim.3:16
Giving gifts, ICor.12:4–1 abilities, and offices. I Cor.12:27–30
He also works in less tangible ways in us and in the world.
Regeneration. Jn.3:3–7. “Born of the Spirit”
Transforming us into Christ's image. IICor.3:17,18
Indwelling us. Jn.14:17; Rom.8:9
Sealing our redemption. Eph.1:13
Endowing us with moral graces—love, joy, peace, long-suffering….Gal.5:22
Sanctifying us. ICor.6:11, IPet.1:2
Unifying the Church. Phil.1:1–2
Giving ecstatic utterance. I Cor.14:2, 6, 13.
Interceding for us. Rom.8:26
Resurrecting us. Rom.8:11
Convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Jn.16:8
?Restraining evil. IIThes.2:7
The Holy Spirit is active in the physical earth.
*Creation and preservation of the earth.
"...and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." (Gen.1:2)
“By His Spirit the heavens were made fair. " (Job 26:13)
"If He were to take back His Spirit to Himself...all flesh would perish together". (Job 34:14)
"When you send forth your Spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the ground." (Psa.104:30)
He works In the human body
Mary's miraculous conception. Lk.1:37
Samson's physical strength. Judg.6:34
In the conscious mind.
*Bezaleel: "...I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every craft.” Ex.31:1–5
*Moses: “I will take some of the Spirit which is upon you and put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you.” Num.11:17 (administration)
*Joshua: “full of the Spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him." Deut.34:9 Num.27:16 (administration, warfare)
*Othniel: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel; he went out to war and the Lord gave Cushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand.” Judg.3:10 (judging, warfare)
*Gideon: "The Spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him". Judg.6:34 (for judging, war).
*Saul: “The Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul”. ISam.11:6 (for ruling, and war).
*David: "The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me, His word is upon my tongue." IISam.23:2 (Psalm-writing)
*Amasai. "The Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, 'We are yours, O David...'" IChron.12:18 (loyalty to the king)
*Zechariah: “The Spirit of God took possession of Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest and he stood above the people and said to them: Thus says God, Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord?” IIChron.24:20 (prophecy)
*Ezekiel: "The Spirit lifted me and took me away...." Ezek.3:14 (prophecy)
Differences between the OT and NT economy
In OT, the Holy Spirit was not the seal of the inheritance. He came upon people for specific missions, not permanent indwelling.
Samson "did not know that the Lord had left him." Judg.16:20
“Now the Spirit of God departed from Saul….” ISam.16:14
David prayed "Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” Psa.51:11.
In NT, Jesus said "I will pray the Father and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth." (Jn.14:16). "He dwells with you and will be in you." Jn.14:17.
John explains that the promised Holy Spirit "had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (Jn.7:39). The death and resurrection of Christ came, then Pentecost and the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Cross was essential; Pentecost was climactic. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer permanently since then. “Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him." Rom.8:9