1. A CRISIS IN JUDAH Sun, Feb 15

a. What kind of things were going on in Judah when Ahaz ascended to the throne? 2 Kings 16:2–4. “The accession of Ahaz to the throne brought Isaiah and his associates face to face with conditions more appalling than any that had hitherto existed in the realm of Judah. Many who had formerly withstood the seductive influence of idolatrous practices were now being persuaded to take part in the worship of heathen deities. Princes in Israel were proving untrue to their trust; false prophets were arising with messages to lead astray; even some of the priests were teaching for hire. Yet the leaders in apostasy still kept up the forms of divine worship and claimed to be numbered among the people of God.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 322. b. How did God respond to these abominations? Jeremiah 7:30–34. “By perverted conceptions of divine attributes, heathen nations were led to believe human sacrifices necessary to secure the favor of their deities; and the most horrible cruelties have been perpetrated under the various forms of idolatry. Among these was the practice of causing their children to pass through the fire before their idols. . . . In times of great apostasy these abominations prevailed, to some extent, among the Israelites.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 337.

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2. WARNINGS FOR TODAY Mon, Feb 16

a. Besides Isaiah and Jeremiah, whom else did God call to prophesy to Judah—and why? Micah 1:1–5; 2:1, 2, 7. b. In the reign of Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, how was Micah to confront the false prophets—and why is this also needed today? Micah 3:5–8; 2 Timothy 4:3, 4. “When God sends to men warnings so important that they are represented as proclaimed by holy angels flying in the midst of heaven, He requires every person endowed with reasoning powers to heed the message. The fearful judgments denounced against the worship of the beast and his image (Revelation 14:9–11), should lead all to a diligent study of the prophecies to learn what the mark of the beast is, and how they are to avoid receiving it. But the masses of the people turn away their ears from hearing the truth and are turned unto fables. The apostle Paul declared, looking down to the last days: ‘The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.’ 2 Timothy 4:3. That time has fully come. The multitudes do not want Bible truth, because it interferes with the desires of the sinful, world-loving heart; and Satan supplies the deceptions which they love.“But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ in its support.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 594, 595. c. Describe the danger of self-righteous exclusiveness. Micah 3:9–12. “[Micah 3:9–11 quoted.] These words faithfully described the corrupt and self-righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem. While claiming to observe rigidly the precepts of God’s law, they were transgressing all its principles. . . . While they slew their Saviour because He reproved their sins, such was their self-righteousness that they regarded themselves as God’s favored people and expected the Lord to deliver them from their enemies.”—Ibid., p. 27.

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3. A PROPHESIED RESTORATION Tue, Feb 17

a. What delayed the judgment foretold by Micah—and how does this reflect God’s mercy? Jeremiah 26:18, 19. b. What promise does God give to those who overcome—and how does this point to the restoration of Eden? Micah 4:1, 2, 6–8. “Satan, by means of his success in turning man aside from the path of obedience, became ‘the god of this world.’ 2 Corinthians 4:4. The dominion that once was Adam’s passed to the usurper. But the Son of God proposed to come to this earth to pay the penalty of sin, and thus not only redeem man, but recover the dominion forfeited. It is of this restoration that Micah prophesied when he said, ‘O Tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion.’ Micah 4:8.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 682.“The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts when the names entered in the book of life come up in review before the Judge of all the earth. The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in His blood be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home, and crowned as joint heirs with Himself to ‘the first dominion.’ Micah 4:8. Satan in his efforts to deceive and tempt our race had thought to frustrate the divine plan in man’s creation; but Christ now asks that this plan be carried into effect as if man had never fallen. He asks for His people not only pardon and justification, full and complete, but a share in His glory and a seat upon His throne.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 483, 484. c. How did Micah and others prophesy of this final victory? Micah 4:10–12. “The prophets to whom these great scenes were revealed longed to understand their import. . . .“To us who are standing on the very verge of their fulfillment, of what deep moment, what living interest, are these delineations of the things to come—events for which, since our first parents turned their steps from Eden, God’s children have watched and waited, longed and prayed!”—Education, p. 183.

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4. OUTPOURING FROM HEAVEN Wed, Feb 18

a. In an abundant outpouring of God’s mercy, how was the prophecy of Micah 5:1, 2 revealing the eternal divine nature of Christ fulfilled—yet how was its beauty overlooked? Matthew 2:3–6. “Through patriarchs and prophets, as well as through types and symbols, God spoke to the world concerning the coming of a Deliverer from sin. A long line of inspired prophecy pointed to the advent of ‘the Desire of all nations.’ Haggai 2:7. Even the very place of His birth and the time of His appearance were minutely specified. The Son of David must be born in David’s city.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 697.“At the time of Christ’s first advent the priests and scribes of the Holy City, to whom were entrusted the oracles of God, might have discerned the signs of the times and proclaimed the coming of the Promised One. The prophecy of Micah designated His birthplace; Daniel specified the time of His advent. Micah 5:2; Daniel 9:25. God committed these prophecies to the Jewish leaders; they were without excuse if they did not know and declare to the people that the Messiah’s coming was at hand. Their ignorance was the result of sinful neglect. The Jews were building monuments for the slain prophets of God, while by their deference to the great men of earth they were paying homage to the servants of Satan. Absorbed in their ambitious strife for place and power among men, they lost sight of the divine honors proffered them by the King of heaven.”—The Great Controversy, p. 313. b. What was revealed as God’s plan for the remnant of Israel? Micah 5:7. “He who is at peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made miserable. Envy will not be in his heart; evil surmisings will find no room there; hatred cannot exist. The heart that is in harmony with God is a partaker of the peace of heaven and will diffuse its blessed influence on all around. The spirit of peace will rest like dew upon hearts weary and troubled with worldly strife.“Christ’s followers are sent to the world with the message of peace. Whoever, by the quiet, unconscious influence of a holy life, shall reveal the love of Christ; whoever, by word or deed, shall lead another to renounce sin and yield his heart to God, is a peacemaker. . . .“The sweet savor of Christ surrounds them. The fragrance of the life, the loveliness of the character, reveal to the world the fact that they are children of God.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 27–28.

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5. THE LORD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS Thu, Feb 19

a. What wonderful appeal did Micah make during the reign of Ahaz, inviting erring Israel to return to their allegiance to God? Micah 6:2–5. “God has a controversy with all who practice the least injustice; for in so doing they reject the authority of God and imperil their interest in the atonement, the redemption which Christ has undertaken for every son and daughter of Adam. Will it pay to take a course abhorrent to God? Will it pay to put upon your censers strange fire to offer before God, and say it makes no difference?”—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 373. b. What heart-longing plea of many people does God desire to answer? Micah 6:6, 7; Jeremiah 8:22; John 1:29. “It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. . . .“It is not enough to perceive the loving-kindness of God, to see the benevolence, the fatherly tenderness, of His character. It is not enough to discern the wisdom and justice of His law, to see that it is founded upon the eternal principle of love. Paul the apostle saw all this when he exclaimed, ‘I consent unto the law that it is good.’ ‘The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.’ But he added, in the bitterness of his soul-anguish and despair, ‘I am carnal, sold under sin.’ Romans 7:16, 12, 14. He longed for the purity, the righteousness, to which in himself he was powerless to attain, and cried out, ‘O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?’ Romans 7:24, margin. Such is the cry that has gone up from burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages. To all, there is but one answer, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ John 1:29.”—Steps to Christ, pp. 18, 19.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS Fri, Feb 20

1. Of what history should we be aware when planning our worship? 2. What is to characterize the doctrines of God’s church in the last days? 3. Why was Micah able to be filled with hope for the future? 4. Explain the contrast between the Jews in Christ’s day and the final remnant. 5. What makes it possible for God to reach the heart of His erring children?