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JONAH-A MESSAGE OF “UNIVERSAL” MERCY
BACKGROUND
First of all, who was Jonah? What do we know about him?
We know that he lived during the reign of King Jereboam II, so he’s prophesying at about the same time as the prophet Amos.
He’s mentioned 2 Kings 14:25 as the prophet who prophesied the restoration of Israel’s border under King Jereboam II.
Jesus refers to the book of Jonah as a foreshadowing of his own death and resurrection.
The book of Jonah doesn’t claim to have been written by Jonah himself.
It’s a unique book in that it doesn’t contain the prophecies OF a prophet but is rather a story ABOUT a prophet.
And Jonah is also not your typical prophet. He’s not portrayed as a hero in the story. He’s disobedient, stubborn, ill-tempered, and uncompassionate. So not your usual kind of prophet story either.
NOTE
Also, I’d like to begin by making a quick statement about the nature of the Book of Jonah. There are elements of this story that many may find difficult to accept or believe. Most notably, how a man can survive, physically, inside the belly of a whale for three days? How could that even work? So the dilemma is: Do we read this story as a historical narrative? Or do we read it more literarily? Like, a parable. Is it literal or literary? The problem with accepting it as completely historical is that you really have to go to some great lengths to defend the idea that a person can be swallowed by a whale for three days and live. On top of that, there’s no historical evidence that there was ever a mass repentance amongst the Assyrian people. Now, true, we can always say that “Anything is possible with God,” and I would agree that statement. But could we also perhaps entertain the idea that there may be some metaphorical elements in the story? It definitely reads like a parable in places and there is poetry in its approach. Especially in chapter 2, which contains Jonah’s prayer, offered from inside the belly of “the beast”. In Biblical times, death and hell were often represented by a sea monster. Sometimes that monster was referred to as Leviathan and Leviathan was a mythical beast. For a scriptural example of this, check out Isaiah 27:1
“In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”
So would you read that literally or metaphorically? Is Jesus really going to go out and kill some poor sea creature with a sword? What would be the purpose of that? No, Isaiah is saying that the Lord will overcome death and hell. That’s the dragon that is in the sea. You also see this imagery in the Book of Mormon where Jacob refers to death and hell as a “monster” in 2 Nephi 9 (See 2 Nephi 9:10). And Jacob comes from an Old Testament background. His parents, Lehi and Sariah are from Jerusalem.
So which is Jonah? Historical or a parable. Personally, I take the middle ground. I believe there really was a prophet named Jonah who was called to teach the people of Nineveh. I mean, Jonah IS mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. And the book of 2 Kings is definitely a historical book. So on the one hand, I don’t believe that Jonah was just a mere fictional character. But, I also think that the book of Jonah was mainly written as a vehicle to teach us something—that that’s the author’s main intent. He’s writing a sermon, not a newspaper article.
So, I suppose it doesn’t matter which side you fall on, it’s the message of Jonah that holds the power. I just hope we don’t get too hung up on the “being swallowed by a whale” aspect of the story, or feel we need to defend a biblical tale to the skeptic that may very well be symbolic in nature. So with that out of the way, let’s just focus on the message of the story now and I think that’s where God would prefer we spend our time anyway.
ICEBREAKER
So as an icebreaker to the story, I sometimes just like to show some funny comics that I’ve collected over the years related to the story of Jonah. Since the idea of being swallowed by a whale is so fantastic, it lends itself to humor. So here are some of my favorites. Now a quick note to any of you teachers out there who may have purchased or decide to purchase my PowerPoint slides for this lesson. I always want to be careful of copyright laws, so I can’t include these in that purchase. But I can show them to you here, and you could find them yourselves by doing a quick google image search for Bible Jonah comics yourselves. They can be a fun way to introduce the story here.
THE STORY
And that’s what we need to establish first here—the story. But we’ve got to be careful that we don’t spend so much time with the story that we shortchange the message. So to review the story a little more quickly, you could do the following handout activity with your students. What you’ll give them is a summary of the story of Jonah, but there are some errors in it. Their task is to correct the story so that it reads accurately. Encourage them to use their scriptures and the chapter headings in Jonah for help if they need it. And what they’ll do is cross out any words or phrases that are incorrect, and then write in the correct detail underneath it. After you’ve given them sufficient time to complete it, ask for volunteers to point out the mistakes made and their corrections. If they correctly identify one, you could throw them a Swedish Fish as a reward.
So here’s the story:
Jonah was called by God to teach the people of Jerusalem how righteous they were and that they needed to continue. Jonah was very excited to go and ran down to the city of Joppa to take a horse cart to Bethlehem. But while on the way, there was a great earthquake that nearly destroyed his horse cart. The other people on the horse cart felt that Jonah’s disobedience was the cause of the earthquake and willingly decided to throw him off. When Jonah landed on the ground a giant cow ran up to him and swallowed him whole. For five days and nights he sat in the belly of the cow. After complaining to the Lord , eventually the cow spit him out and Jonah continued on to Jerusalem. When Jonah told the people of the city that they needed to change, they refused. Jonah was happy at this and thanked God that the people would not be destroyed. God praised Jonah for his attitude.
Corrections
So here are the possible corrections your students might identify.
It wasn’t the people of Jerusalem that he was called to preach to, but the people of Nineveh.
He wasn’t called to tell them how righteous they were, but how wicked they were and that they needed to repent.
Jonah was NOT excited to go and ran down to the city of Joppa to take a BOAT, not a horse cart, boat to the city of Tarshish not Bethlehem.
On the way, there was a storm, not an earthquake.
And the other people on the boat reluctantly decided to throw him overboard.
When Jonah landed in the water a giant fish or whale swallowed him whole. Not a cow, of course.
For three days and nights, Jonah sat in the belly of the fish.
After praying to the Lord, eventually the fish spit him out.
The people didn’t refuse to change at Jonah’s words, but they whole heartedly repented.
Jonah was not happy at this and hoped that God would destroy the city.
And God rebuked Jonah for his attitude.
Now that activity allows you to review the story for anyone who’s not as familiar with it in a short amount of time. And then you can spend the rest of the class time discussing its meaning and how it can be likened unto ourselves. I feel that each chapter of Jonah contains a different lesson—a relevant truth or principle that we can apply to our own lives. So let’s take each chapter in turn.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Jonah 1-Running from the Lord
In Jonah chapter 1, God asked Jonah to do something that he didn’t want to do. If you look at a map, Tarshish is in almost the exact opposite direction from Nineveh. Nineveh lays 500 miles east of Joppa. Tarshish lays 2000 miles west of it. It’s almost as if Jonah was looking for the farthest place from Nineveh he could find. So the question for us is: Do we have any Nineveh’s in our lives? These could be callings, commandments, standards, duties, that we, for whatever reason, just don’t want to follow. We’d rather run the opposite direction from them. I don’t want to go to Church every week. I don’t want to pay my tithing. I don’t want to serve a mission. I don’t want to study my scriptures daily. I don’t want to serve in that difficult calling. I don’t want to live that standard in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. If we’re honest with ourselves, I imagine that every single one of us probably has some kind of Nineveh to grapple with. And the story of Jonah can teach us a lesson about running from the Lord’s calls. What happens when we decide to disobey or run from the Lord’s calls? Well, what happened to Jonah? Let’s just brainstorm a quick list of all the consequences of Jonah’s decision to run from the Lord. Let’s mark all that we can find in the following verses:
Jonah 1:4-7, 15, 17 and we could also add Jonah 2:2-7
1:4 There was a tempest.
1:5 They feared
1:5 They cast their wares overboard. So they lost some things because of this. They experienced loss.
1:6 There was a threat of perishing
1:7 Evil came upon them
1:15 Jonah was cast into the deep
1:17 Swallowed by the whale
2:2 Affliction
2:2 He finds himself in the belly of hell (And that would be a verse I would point to as evidence that the whale Jonah finds himself in, is not a literal whale. But the whale of spiritual death and hell)
2:3 In the deep
2:3 Compassed about with floods
2:3 Billows and waves passed over him
2:4 Cast out of God’s sight
2:5 Waters compassed about him even to the “SOUL”. (another phrase suggesting the metaphorical nature of the whale)
2:5 the depth closed round about him, the weeds wrapped around his head.
2:6 At the bottoms of the mountains
2:6 He feels that he is trapped within the earth.
2:6 Corruption
2:7 His soul fainted.
So you see that there is lots of evidence of the negative nature of running from God. It may also be a good exercise to ponder why the belly of a whale would be a good metaphor for what happens when we run from God. If he were literally inside a whale, how do you think he would describe that experience?
Cramped and claustrophobic. He would feel trapped.
Scary
Cold
Dark
Hopeless
Smelly
What’s the lesson for us? What happens to us when we run from God? Well, these are the results.
And can you relate? At any time when you ran from God or his instructions, did you feel any of these things? Have you ever experienced a tempest before because of disobedience? When we run from God, he may often send a storm or two our way to help us to turn around. Fear, affliction, darkness, hopelessness. It’s a great way to describe the consequences of sin. And the smelliness? I would put it this way, when we run from God, life stinks. We may find ourselves trapped by addictions or the aftereffects of our decisions. We may find ourselves spiritually in the belly of the whale—that great monster of the deep—spiritual death and hell.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever felt that darkness and restriction. Sadly I can admit that I have. I’ve been there. I’ve been in the belly of that whale before, and it’s not pleasant.
The truth of Jonah chapter 1 then may be: Running from the Lord can only lead to storm, suffering, darkness, and captivity.
Jonah 2-Out of the belly of the whale.
Jonah 1 presented us with the problem. Jonah chapter 2 gives us the solution and the result. What did Jonah do after he found himself in the belly of the whale? Mark what you find in Jonah 2:1, 2, 4, 7 and 9.
2:1 He prayed to the Lord in the depths of his regret
2:2 He cried to God by reason of his affliction
2:4 He looked again toward God’s holy temple.
2:7 He remembered the Lord, and his prayer came unto God.
2:9 He was willing to sacrifice unto God with the voice of thanksgiving.
So for us. What should we do if we find ourselves feeling one of those emotions from our previous list? Or when we find ourselves in the belly of our regrets and addictions and consequences? Pray! Cry out to God. And I can promise us that no matter what we’ve done, he will hear us. There is nothing we could do that would make us unworthy of his love and help. When things get dark, and life stinks, remember the Lord and turn to him for help. I also really love that one from verse 4. He looked towards the temple. If it’s been a while since we’ve been to the temple, or our actions have made us unworthy of entering his house for a time, let that serve as a motivation for us to get worthy—to work through those issues and return to him. Look to the temple and seek to return there. And we may have to make some sacrifices. But hopefully we can be grateful and have a heart full of thanksgiving to a God that provides a way out of the belly of the whale.
And what were the results of that prayer? We could mark those as well.
Jonah 2:2 He heard me, thou heardest my voice.
Jonah 2:10 He brought Jonah back on to dry land. In other words, he delivered him from the monster. He pulled him out of the depths of that dark, cold, cramped, and hopeless environment. He snatched him from the jaws of hell and placed him safely onto to dry land once again. And in the context of the story, can you imagine how good that would feel after spending three days and nights in such conditions? To have your feet on dry land once again? To see the light of day and feel the warmth of the sun? To be free from the confinement? To smell the fresh air? And know that you are not dead, but have been given a second chance?
So what would you say is the lesson of Jonah chapter 2? When we find ourselves in the depths of hell and consequence, if we call upon God in humility, he will hear us, have mercy on us, and pull us out of them. God was merciful to Jonah. He forgave him and gave him a second chance to do what he had asked. And the Lord can and will do the same thing for us. He’ll give us the opportunity to try again. God did not allow Jonah to perish. Jonah 1:17 tells us that God “prepared” the whale to swallow him up. He prepared a way for him to be saved. Being in the belly of a whale may not have been a pleasant experience, but it was better than drowning. It’s the whale that ends up saving Jonah’s life. I think that whale could also represent repentance. Repentance has been prepared by God to save us. It can set our feet back on dry ground. Repentance isn’t always easy though. It’s the changing of our heart. I believe forgiveness comes easily, but not the process of returning home. It can be like sitting in the belly of the whale.
Now there is a New Testament equivalent and a Book of Mormon equivalent of this same message. Can you think of what they would be? If not, let me help you out with a multiple-choice question. Which two stories best match the message and narrative of Jonah and the whale? At least the first two chapters.
A. The Parable of the Sower, and the story of Samuel the Lamanite on the Wall
B. The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the story of Alma the Younger
C. The story of Jesus walking on water and the story of Nephi and the brass plates
D. The story of the widow’s mite, and the story of Ammon defending King Lamoni’s flocks.
The answer is B. The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the story of Alma the Younger. Jonah is the prodigal son. After running from the house of his Father, the prodigal son also fell upon hard times. But he made his way back to his Father and cried out to him in the depths of his regret. And what did his father do? He welcomed him back, gave him another chance, and rejoiced at his return. He was set on dry ground once again.
Then there’s the story of Alma the Younger in the Book of Mormon. Now that’s a perfect illustration of the Jonah principle. Alma also ran from the commandments and guidance of God. And what happened to him? He was swallowed up in darkness and torment for a time as well. If you read Alma’s description in Alma 36 of what it felt like to face the regrets of his life as he lay in his spiritual coma of sorts (for three days and three nights as well) you’ll get the same sense as Jonah’s description of being inside the whale. He felt racked, tormented, harrowed up, fearful, filled with horror, and the pains of a damned soul. He felt like he was drowning and encircled about, like Jonah. But what did Alma do in the depths of that hell? He too cried out to God. And God heard him an “snatched him” out of what he refers to as “the darkest abyss” (Mosiah 27:29 and set him upon dry ground.
If a man like Alma the Younger was worthy of God’s mercy and deserving of a second chance, than any of us are as well. He will listen to us if we call to him. He will hear us if we pray. And the great fish of torment and guilt and regret will spit us out and free us from the darkness, the cold, the confinement, and the smelliness of sin.
Jonah 3-God’s Mercy
So now the story shifts back to Jonah’s original instruction. Teach the people of Nineveh and warn them of the coming calamities that would befall them for their wickedness. And so Jonah walks in and gives a very, very short message, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” And that’s it. It makes you wonder if Jonah is just trying to do the bare minimum, here. He doesn’t mention God, he doesn’t mention their sins, he doesn’t mention what they should do about it, just, “You’re going to be destroyed.” And that’s it. Which we learn later is exactly what Jonah wants to have happen. But, these are some of the most interesting people in the entire Old Testament. Lo and behold, what do they do? They do what so many Israelites in the Old Testament couldn’t do with a whole lot more preaching, and concern and instruction thrown their way. They actually believe in the prophet’s words and do something about it. They repent! They change! Therefore what does God do?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
So what’s the simple principle of Jonah 3? God will forgive ANYONE who is willing to change. He forgave Jonah for his disobedience, and now he’s forgiving the Ninevites. God finds no pleasure in the suffering of the wicked. So if people are willing to change, he will remove his penalties for sin. It’s like Jeremiah taught:
8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. (Jeremiah 18:8)
And these aren’t Israelites here. These are the Assyrians. Probably the worst people the Israelites would be able to think of from their time. One of the great messages of the book of Jonah is of God’s universal love and mercy for all people.
As Nephi taught in 2 Nephi 26:33
“and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”
Jonah 4-Our Mercy
But now we shift back to Jonah in chapter 4. And Jonah is one of the most interesting missionaries you’ll ever meet. Most missionaries, when they discover that their teaching has been effective, when they see the lives of those they teach improve because of their efforts, they rejoice. It’s the missionaries greatest joy. But not Jonah. How does he react in chapter 4 verses 1-3.
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
Wait, what??? He’d rather die than see the Ninevites forgiven. In fact, we learn something a little more about the reason for why he ran in the first place. He was worried that they might repent. He knew that God was a merciful God and was afraid they might repent, and that God would forgive them. Chapter 4, verse 2 is actually the lesson of chapter 3—God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, of great kindness and revokes the calamities he pronounces if people are willing to change. So Jonah gets angry at God for loving his enemies. This is a Bible story that really flips things around. You have a prophet that is rebellious and stubborn, and then you have a Pagan people that are humble and repentant. That’s irony. Not what you’d expect.
So God asks Jonah a really good question? Doest thou well to be angry? Or in other words, “Do you feel like you have the right to be angry here? Is your anger justified, Jonah? The obvious answer here is “no” his anger is not justified. Jonah didn’t want to afford the Ninevites the same mercy that God had just offered him. And so Jonah just seems to ignore the question, walks outside the city, builds a little shelter, and then sits down to wait and see what will happen to the city. More than likely, to watch it get destroyed. You know, wait for the fireworks to begin. Perhaps he’s hoping that this change in the Ninevites will be short-lived, that the people will repent of their repentance, and turn back to their wicked ways. And then, he can relish in the destruction of this people that he detests so deeply. Again, not your typical “prophet” here.
And so God decides to do a little object lesson for Jonah to make a point. He has this little gourd, or vine grow out of the ground and provide Jonah with shade. And then the next day it dies. And Jonah throws a fit and wants to die again. And at this point we’re all like, “Oh brother, ok Lord, maybe you should grant his request.” But God is merciful and continues to be patient with Jonah. And so he asks his question once again. “Are you justified in your anger?” But this time over the death of this little plant. And Jonah snaps back, “Yes. I am justified. You should just kill me now.” And now, with that situation as the backdrop, God attempts teach him the lesson. He basically says, “Jonah, you are more concerned about the death of this little, insignificant vine, that you didn’t even plant, than an entire city of my children. Aren’t people more important than plants, Jonah? Shouldn’t I be concerned as their God for their salvation? Especially considering that they don’t even really know the difference between right and wrong.
And that’s it! The story ends. Rather abruptly. We don’t get to hear how Jonah responds to that message. I would really love to read a Jonah chapter 5. I wonder what it would say. Did he change? Did he realize the error of his ways? Did he go back home and give a powerful homecoming talk about what he learned? Who knows? But that’s not the point! The author isn’t concerned about what Jonah learned. He wants to know what we’ve learned. It’s almost as if God is “breaking the fourth wall” in the story and turning to us, as the readers, looking us in the eye, and asking us that question. “Are you justified in YOUR anger?” I believe he’s wanting all of us to turn inward and ask ourselves if we see any “Jonah” inside of us. Do we have any measure of his problem? And what was Jonah’s problem? What was it that was causing him to feel and act this way? I would answer, prejudice, or hatred even. A dislike so deep for another people, that he feels he would rather die than see them forgiven. The Ninevites were enemies to the Israelites. And they had a reputation for being one of the most brutal and bloodthirsty civilizations in the Bible. In fact, one of the major values of the Book of Nahum is in the way that it sets up the Book of Jonah. It tells us how wicked and brutal the Ninevites were. Just read Nahum 3:1-4 for an idea of what I’m talking about here:
1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
So these were wicked, violent people.
But I believe that the author is asking us to look inside and ponder if there is any group of people like that for us? Is there anyone out there that we feel justified in disliking? I mean, we may be very good, honest, and kind people, but is there some part of us that hates or detests some other group of people out there for whatever reason. People that are different from us in some way. People that hold different religious, political, intellectual, or cultural ideas or lifestyles. People from a different social class, faith, or nation that we view as the enemy? People that are even sinful, mean, or immoral? And here in the last chapter of Jonah, God looks at us and asks, “Are you okay with the fact that I love YOUR enemies? That I’m willing to forgive them if they change? That they are my children too, and that their souls are just as precious to me as yours? Is our hate justified?” The rhetorical answer: No, you’re not justified in hating anybody. Hate is not a part of my plan. When we relish in the thought of the destruction of others or rejoice in their misfortunes, who are we acting like? Whose attitude are we mirroring? That’s the adversary’s attitude, not Christ’s. Satan loves to see pain and suffering in others. But God wants his people to be Christlike.
So what’s the lesson of Jonah 4? Because I have been forgiven much, I too must forgive.
TRUTH
So look at those truths one more time from the Book of Jonah.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A personal question for us to ponder. Which message did you most need to hear today and why?
Is there some commandment or calling or standard you’re running from right now? Then Jonah chapter 1 is for you.
Are you finding yourself in the belly of the whale? Suffering from the consequences of poor choices or regrets? Jonah chapter 2 is for you.
Are you discouraged by all the hate and violence and wickedness you see in the world? Jonah chapter 3 is for you.
Or, are you struggling to forgive or find love in your heart for some person or group of people? Is there hate in your heart for any of God’s children? Then Jonah chapter 4 is for you.
CONCLUSION
So you can see that the Book of Jonah has something for everyone, doesn’t it. It’s a great little story. Very simple and very relevant. And I pray that we’ll remember these lessons as I’m sure that we all have a little “Jonah” inside of us. Instead of condemning him or pointing our fingers at his faults, hopefully we can do as the author obviously wants us to do—to use the book of Jonah as a mirror and ask ourselves “Is it I?” So instead of running from God and his counsels, we can follow them. Instead of despairing in the depths and darkness of our whales, we can call out to the Lord for mercy and find hope in his willingness to give us second chances. Instead of dwelling on our prejudice and angers, we can afford all people the benefit of God’s universal grace and love.
MICAH-UNSTOPPABLE
BACKGROUND-WHO WAS MICAH?
Now, Micah. Who was he and what do we know about him?
1
ICEBREAKER
So much like Isaiah, Micah who was a master of symbolism. And so to get my class into symbol interpreting mode, I like to do the following activity as an icebreaker. I come up with some random images and display them on the screen and give them a sort of creative challenge. Take any one of these objects and compare them to the church or the gospel. How are they similar? How do they relate? The Church is like a ________ because . . . And, as a teacher, I truly have no idea what my students are going to do with these. I’m not trying to influence or direct them to some comparison that I have in mind. You just allow them to let their creative juices flow. And whenever I do this kind of activity, I’m always amazed at the imagination and originality of my students. It’s a testament to the power of the human mind to make connections out of seemingly unrelated things. If you like, you could offer a reward to the person that you feel comes up with the most original and unique idea. Or a little treat to anyone who comes up with one and is willing to share it. So maybe just one example of my own here to give you an idea of what I mean.
The Church is like a train, because it always moves forward and carries us speedily towards our divine destination.
Now you see what you can come with.
TRANSITION
This activity is a great illustration of what Micah is going to do. He’s a pretty creative prophet actually. One of the great contributions of the Book of Micah is in the symbolic images he gives us for the latter-day Church and its work. We’ve already seen one example of this kind of image in the Book of Daniel—that of the rolling stone that grows and grows, destroys the great statue, and eventually fills the whole earth. But Micah is going to give us four of them!
So to study these, I have a matching activity. I’ve put together a handout with a number of different pictures. Your assignment is to read the identified references and match them to the correct picture. What image best matches the description in the scripture reference. But that’s only half the assignment. After you’ve identified the picture, I want you to ponder and write what you feel that image teaches us about the latter-day Church of Christ. Ok, so here we go:
Image #1-The Sheep and the Breaker
Micah 2:12-13
12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.
So the picture match would be of the flock of sheep. Now that’s an image that we’ve seen before. David compared God’s people to a flock of sheep watched over by the good shepherd. Isaiah used sheep imagery, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and others too. Jesus is going to draw heavily on that image in the New Testament. But Micah takes the “Church=Flock” idea a little further. He does something different with it. This flock has been placed in a sheep fold—a type of pen or corral. So they are hemmed in or held back by the walls of that enclosure. And there are so many of them that they are crowding each other, and they want to get out! And they are making a huge amount of noise “by reason of the multitude” of them. So it’s not a calm, pastoral kind of image, with the sheep quietly and contentedly grazing in the fields. This is an agitated flock of sheep, excited and full of energy. Now what does that teach us about the latter-day Church? In that image we get all the connotations of the Lord’s people like sheep. There’s a gentleness to the image. Sheep are not considered the most ferocious of animals, are they? They are united together as a flock, fed, and protected by their good shepherd. But we get more here. In Micah’s portrayal of the flock, they are also a force of nature to be reckoned with. They are a huge flock, and the world is trying to hem them in to the sheep fold, to corral and control them, but they’re not having it. They want to get out! They’ve got something to say, something to do. And they can’t be held back by those walls of the world. The world wants to silence them, but they are loud and continue to bleat and call out. That’s the kind of sheep we want to be. We want to be full of positive, loud, energy. We’ve got a mission to accomplish, and we’re excited to go out and fulfill it. But there’s those darn walls and gate holding us back. So who comes to help us out. The “breaker” comes. Oh I love that title for Jesus. Christ is the breaker. The breaker down of all barriers. He comes and smashes that gate—breaks it open. And what do the sheep do? They start to pour through that opening—off they go! Can you see that in your mind’s eye? All those sheep surging out. And Jesus is running at their head, huge smile on his face. His flock is breaking out all over the world. They can’t be stopped. Trying to hinder the energy and power and volume of the Church of Jesus Christ is like trying to stop hundreds of animated, eager sheep from breaking out of a corral. Can’t be done. You’ll be overpowered by their collective size and sound.
So what kind of a sheep are you in Christ’s flock? Are you running? Or are you inert and motionless, content to just feed on the gospel grass on your own? Are you noisy? Rejoicing, sharing, teaching, inviting all to come join us? Or are you silent and reticent? Are you stubborn and defiant against the walls of the world, not willing to let them hem you in or corral you? Or are you content to sit within the sheepfolds the world has built for us? No. I want to be like Micah’s flock of sheep! Gentle AND powerful at the same time. We are the sheep of the latter-days.
Let’s do another one.
Image #2-The Ox and the Sheaves
Micah 4:12-13
12 But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.
13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
The second picture match is that of the ox clomping his hoofs over the sheaves of grain. In ancient Israel, oxen or bulls were sometimes used to thresh wheat. Because of the ox’s massive weight, the wheat could be separated from the chaff. The good stuff could be gathered. That’s what you have to do with wheat in order to make it edible. But in order to do that, a great amount of energy must be expended. And these oxen in Micah are special oxen. They have iron horns, and brass hoofs. Metal. What does this image suggest about the latter-day church? It suggests strength and power. Once again, like the flock of sheep, we get the idea of unstoppability. There is vigor and might in that organization. We’re not a soft and fragile Church. We’re oxen with metal hooves and horns. We see that comparison symbolized in the baptismal fonts of our temples. There too we’re represented by oxen. And why is the font on their backs? Because they have a work to do. Oxen are work animals. And they have a burden of responsibility placed upon their sturdy and able backs. In Micah’s imagery, they are threshing grain. What does that suggest about us? That’s one of our great responsibilities in the last days. To separate the good from the bad. The wheat from the chaff—to gather the grain of Israel together. As we do missionary, temple, and humanitarian WORK throughout the world, we create “gain” and “substance” for the Lord.
So, some more questions to ask ourselves? Are we engaged in that work? Are we stomping? Are we out their expending our energy for godly gain and substance? Are our hooves made of brass and iron or have we allowed them to get soft and brittle? Let’s get stomping! Let’s flex our spiritual muscles, and get to work! We are the iron-hooved oxen of the latter days.
Image #3-The Dew on the Grass
Our next image. A gentler one this time. Micah 5:7
7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
What’s the church compared to this time? The match is of the picture of the dew on the grass. What does that image teach us about the church? Once again, it’s an image of unstoppability. God’s work cannot be hindered. It would be like trying to stop the dew from forming on the grass in the morning. Or like trying to stop a rain shower from watering the pastures. Can’t be done. They tarry not for man, nor wait for the sons of men. Mankind has nothing to do with it. It’s the work of God. Like the rolling stone of Daniel that was cut out of the mountain “without hands”. The latter-day work is divine, not mortal. We’re like dew and raindrops, not statues and cities. Those things are carved and built up by men. But not the Church. In fact, all of Micah’s symbols for the Church are natural ones. Sheep, oxen, dew, and in a moment here, lions. They are created and formed by God! What else is suggested by this image here? Dew and rain showers are refreshing, life-giving, and nourishing. They cause things to grow. That’s what we do as disciples of Christ. We bring nourishment and renewal to the world. We cause growth! So the church grows in number and strength and size. But also, it causes people to grow. The faith and potential of the individual members of it, increases and multiplies.
So are we growing with it? Are we refreshing and nourishing the world? Are we cultivating our testimonies and capacities and spiritual gifts? Are we bringing the life and vitality of the gospel of Christ to many? We are the dew and raindrops of the latter days.
Image #4-The Lion among Sheep
Micah 5:8-9
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
So this one is a bit more severe in its symbolism. Perhaps to balance out the fragility of the former image in verse 7. Because God’s people are not fragile. So the picture match here is of the lion. Interesting. We are like both sheep AND lions.
What does this image suggest about the latter-day church? We have opposition and enemies. There WILL be forces out there that will TRY to stop us. From the days of Joseph Smith to now, the Church has faced one continual round of antagonism, criticism, and condemnation. But what has it amounted to? Nothing. The Church continues to grow and flourish. They are like sheep trying to stop a lion. It’s a bit of a violent image, but can you picture it? What would a young, hungry lion do if it found itself amongst a flock of juicy, delicious sheep? It would go through, and tread down, and tear in pieces, and nobody could deliver those sheep from it. AGAIN, something that all of the images have in common, the unstoppability of God’s work. But this time the focus is on what happens to those who try to oppose it. They will not be successful in destroying or obstructing it. That famous oft-quoted declaration of Joseph Smith’s known as “The standard of truth” comes to mind here:
“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”
Can you see the lion amongst sheep in that statement? Therefore, we need to be lions. We need to roar the gospel message to the world. And we can stop worrying so much about the anti’s, and the nay-sayers, and the apostates. Their efforts will amount to little.
TRUTH
So what’s the combined truth of all these symbols together?
The latter-day Church will labor, grow, nourish, surge, call out, and refresh AND NOTHING can stop it.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Which symbol of Micah inspires you the most?
What will it inspire you to do! Let’s apply this lesson to our daily lives. How will you live up to Micah’s vision?
CONCLUSION
Well, I hope we’ve all caught the spirit of Micah’s symbolism here. I pray that our spirits have been stirred and enthused as we’ve pondered these images. They can be incredibly motivating if we seek to internalize and connect with them. This is who we are as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We’re gentle and formidable. Meek and mighty. Refreshing and reckoning. Like the rolling stone of Daniel that either gathers you into it or crushes you, all of these images suggest the two-fold nature of Christ’s servants and church in the last days. We are sheep and lions at the same time. A wonderful and accurate contradiction of terms or oxymoron. Collectively, we have an incredible and unstoppable potential. A marvelous work and a wonder to perform. And I personally am grateful, that I get to play, in some way, a small part in it.
ADDITIONAL TRUTHS FROM MICAH
And that, by far is my favorite aspect of the Book of Micah, but there are other gems worthy of mention in it. Maybe just a few quick thoughts.
Micah 4:1-7
Micah is another place where you can teach the symbolism of the temple as the mountain of the Lord. Now we already did that activity back in Isaiah 2, so we won’t go over it again here. In fact, Micah uses the exact same words as Isaiah does, so it leads us to believe that either Isaiah was inspired by Micah or Micah was inspired by Isaiah. We don’t know who wrote this prophecy first, but Micah does give us some additional thoughts on the image. Look at Micah 4:4-7 for some extra insights on the mountain of the Lord and the blessings it brings. For example. “None shall make afraid” in verse 4, and “we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever” in verse 5.
Micah 6:6-8
The insight from Micah 6:6-8 is excellent.
6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
This contains a message similar to the one we saw back in Amos. That God prefers righteousness over outward displays of religion. What’s the best way to come before God? Is it with offerings, and thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil, or offering our own children to him? No. It’s simple. He’s shown us what is good and what the Lord really requires. Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. That’s it! That’s what he really wants. It’s like my parents used to say around Christmas time and we asked them what they wanted for Christmas. They would always, “Good children. That’s what we want most.” God’s like that too. That’s his greatest desire.
Micah 7:5-7
Take a quick look at Micah 7:5-7
5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
In other words, people may not always be true to you. Do not rely on the arm of flesh. Not even spouses or children can be 100% reliable. BUT, there is one relationship you can always rely on. And that’s God. God will hear you and will always be there for you.
Micah 7:8-9, 18-19
Finally, some powerful verses in the final chapter of Micah on the character of God.
Micah 7:8-9
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
And :18-19
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
This is what’s He’s like. When we fall, he helps us get back in. When we’re in the dark, he’ll light the way for us. When we’re being accused, he’ll plead our cause. He pardons iniquity, retains not his anger, and delights in mercy. He has compassion on us and casts our sins into the depths of the sea. How can we not love a God like that.
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