Come Broken – Woman at the Well – John 4 – Part 1

Posted on April 11, 2026 by dkoop

The story of the nameless Samaritan woman at the well, recorded only in the Gospel of John, is a revealing one, full of many truths and powerful lessons for us today.

In John 4:4–42 we read about Jesus’ conversation with a lone Samaritan woman who had come to get water from a well (known as Jacob’s well) located about a half mile from the city of Sychar in Samaria.

This was an extraordinary woman. She was a Samaritan, a race of people that the Jews utterly despised as having no claim on their God, and she was an outcast and looked down upon by her own people. This is evidenced by the fact that she came alone to draw water from the community well when, during biblical times, drawing water and chatting at the well was the social highpoint of a woman’s day. However, this woman was ostracized and marked as immoral, an unmarried woman living openly with the sixth in a series of men.

The story of the woman at the well teaches us that God loves us in spite of our bankrupt lives. God values us enough to actively seek us, to welcome us to intimacy, and to rejoice in our worship. As a result of Jesus’ conversation, only a person like the Samaritan woman, an outcast from her own people, could understand what this means. To be wanted, to be cared for when no one, not even herself, could see anything of value in her—this is grace indeed.

In this post, lets look at the background of this passage.

The territory of Samaria lay between Judea and Galilee—thus Jesus’ itinerary meant that he had to go through Samaria on the way. Since the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, many of the strict Jews traveling from Judea to Galilee took a route around Samaria (through Perea, east of the Jordan River), even though that route took more time. But for those who were trying to make the best time, it was faster to go through Samaria to Galilee.   The necessity must be understood in a different way: Jesus went to Samaria to give the Samaritans what he had given to Nicodemus—the offer of eternal life by being born again. And, furthermore, by going to Samaria and bringing the gospel to the despised Samaritans, he showed that he was above the Jewish prejudices.

Where did these prejudices come from? Samaria was a region between Judea and Galilee where Jews of “mixed blood” lived. In Old Testament days, when the northern kingdom of Israel, with its capital at Samaria, fell to the Assyrians, many Jews were deported to Assyria.

Who are the Samaritans? 

A Samaritan in the Bible was a person from Samaria, a region north of Jerusalem. In Jesus’ day, the Jewish people of Galilee and Judea shunned the Samaritans, viewing them as a mixed race who practiced an impure, half-pagan religion.

Samaritans, as a people distinct from the Jews, are first mentioned in the Bible during the time of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 4:17; Nehemiah 2:10). Both Ezra 4 and a fifth-century BC Aramaic set of documents called the Elephantine Papyri point to a schism between the Jews and Samaritans during this Persian period.

The Samaritans saw themselves as the keepers of the Torah and the true descendants of Israel, from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. They had their own unique copy of the Pentateuch, the first five books of Moses, and believed they alone preserved the original Mosaic religion. Samaritans also had a unique religious system and established their primary worship site on Mount Gerizim. They considered the Jerusalem temple and the Levitical priesthood illegitimate.

The historian Josephus and Jewish tradition trace the origin of the Samaritans to the captivity of the northern kingdom under Assyria in 721 BC. Jews of the northern kingdom intermarried with Assyrians after the captivity and produced the half-Jewish, half-Gentile Samaritan race. When the Jews accused Jesus of being a “Samaritan” in John 8:48, they were rudely suggesting that He was a half-breed, born of an unfaithful mother.

In New Testament times, the Jews despised Samaritans and would have nothing to do with them. The Samaritans were still living primarily around Mount Gerizim (John 4:1–42), but also kept to their own villages (Matthew 10:5; Luke 9:52). Scripture mentions encounters with Samaritans in towns bordering Samaria (Luke 17:11–19) and on roads between Jerusalem and Jericho (Luke 10:29–37).

When Jesus stops at a well and asks a woman for a cup of water, she incredulously responds, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (John 4:9, ESV). The apostle adds the explanatory note that “Jews do not associate with Samaritans” (John 4:10). Unbeknownst to the Samaritan woman, Jesus was there to give her “living water” from a well that never runs dry—Himself (John 4:10).

The encounter at Jacob’s well is symbolically and theologically rich. Jesus uses water, a basic human need, as a metaphor for eternal life. The woman, however, interprets Jesus’ words in a literal way (John 4:11), but Jesus wants her to see beyond actual water to spiritual water—the water of life. Her greatest need is not water from Jacob’s well but water for her wearied soul.

The encounter is a key example of the gospel’s universal appeal, showing Jesus’ willingness to connect with those marginalized by society.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: You Version

Sources:

— Life Application Bible Commentary

— Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-Samaritan.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Samaria.html

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Come with Your Doubts – Thomas – John 20: 24-29

Posted on April 7, 2026 by dkoop

John’s Gospel records numerous appearances of Jesus after the resurrection in Chapter 20. Jesus made a special visit to an individual that we can easily relate to:  Thomas who had expressed his doubt that Jesus has been raised from the dead.  Today we will see how Jesus deals with doubts and failures in the disciple’s lives and in ours as well.

Let me ask you a few questions to get us started:
Have you ever felt like you missed something big that everyone else seemed to know? Have you ever felt like you were not spiritual enough because of you have some doubts?
Have you ever felt like you could really believe even more in Jesus if you could have an experience with him?
If you have ever felt this or anything like this you would be in good company with Thomas.

I think that Thomas gets a bum rap. Whenever someone mentions Thomas, they don’t just say “Thomas”, they always say “Doubting Thomas” as if there were a bunch of people named Thomas in the Bible and it is necessary to say “Doubting” to get the right one. I have a news flash for you. Thomas is the only Thomas in the Bible. Thomas is enough.  The guy has caught grief for 2000 years.  To be honest, I feel for the guy. He is often singled out as having an inferior faith because he actually expressed his doubt in the resurrection. He made his reservations known out-loud. And because of that he has the dubious distinction of being the poster child for skepticism.

It is important to note that Jesus was not offended or angered by the request Thomas made. Jesus responds with love and kindness.

That’s what we are looking at today, doubts from Thomas

WHAT ABOUT DOUBT?  (John 20:24-29)

We look today at Thomas, from John 20:24-29. This is Jesus’ 6th appearance after His resurrection, exactly one week later. The rumors had been flying, but many people still claimed to have seen Him, including most of His disciples, except Thomas. Thomas had not been around when Jesus appeared to the other disciples behind locked doors 7 days before.  Maybe Thomas just didn’t know where the disciples had gathered. They were scattered after the arrest and were in hiding. It is easy to imagine that Thomas had gone off on his own and had not found his way to the rest of the group. Thomas was probably Galilean. I would not be surprised if he left the city entirely, maybe he even went home, and did not come back until he realized that none of the others had left. Maybe he was with the group, but had left on some errand.

24 One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.

  • I Will Miss Opportunities To Experience Jesus If I Separate Myself From The Community Of Faith.

I am not sure where Thomas was but I do know one thing. When we separate ourselves from the community of faith, it is not unusual for us to miss an experience with Jesus. We talk about finding God when we are alone with nature, but the reality is that we are more likely to encounter God when we are with other believers.

I thought about this in my own life, experiences with God, how he helps me with messages, gives me direction, convicts me of sin, but the greatest experiences by far were when I was gathered with other believers.  There have been profound insights I learned in church, Sunday school, times when I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly. Here at our church I often have a tear of joy, gratitude or are moved deeply when we sing.  I was talking to someone this past week that came here and then has not been in a while and they described coming and feeling the Holy Sprit all around them. I’ll never forget when I felt the Jesus knocking on the door of my heart and I accepted him at a revival service when I was 11 years old.  Or when I was baptized, when I was called into the ministry, (by the way at the time some of these things didn’t make a lot of sense to me until later) but I could not deny the experience that God had showed up.  When I married Niki, and on and on, these incredible experiences were in the company of others, not on some lake fishing or on a golf course somewhere.  This is how Jesus works.

There is a story about a little 5-year-old girl who happened to be ill on Palm Sunday. Her older brother came home from church and gave her a palm frond. She asked what it was for and he explained how all the children took palm fronds and laid them in Jesus path as he entered. The little girl began to cry. “What’s wrong?” “I have been going there all this time, Jesus finally shows up, and I missed it.” Maybe Thomas felt like that.
We don’t know where Thomas was that first day. Perhaps due to fear, depression, disillusionment, discouragement, withdrawal seemed to be his only method of dealing with the supposed loss of his friend and master, Jesus.
When you get depressed, where do you go? Do you run from others? Do you hide? Do you get away from it all? Do you pretend it’s not happening? Or do you get with others who could help you? It’s OK to hurt, to be disillusioned. It’s OK to be depressed from time to time. It’s OK to not be perfect, or functioning perfectly 100% of the time. You certainly don’t need to escape from reality for long periods of time when you’re hurt. It has been my experience that this is a church that people can turn to in troubles, not run away from. When you separate yourself is when you miss Jesus.

25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

  • It’s Ok To Have Legitimate Doubt.

Notice how Thomas deals with his doubt. He brings it into the open. He isn’t hostile or unpleasant. He just doesn’t believe it and he says so. He says, “Show me.” He also doesn’t leave the group. Even though he is now something of an outsider, he hangs in there and gives things time to work themselves out. This is not some excuse. He is willing to be shown.  That’s why I say “Legitimate Doubt” some people claim to have doubt but it’s a smoke screen or an excuse to live the way the want to live.  In other words deep down they would say, “I would rather live my life the way I feel like it than follow Christ. I would rather be a material girl and spend all my money on me then to follow Christ.

Let’s play a little game. I’ll write a word below, and you say its opposite:

Up ______, Black______, Girl ______, Faith ______

That last one is tougher isn’t it? What exactly is the opposite of faith? Lee Strobel says the opposite of faith is NOT doubt.  The opposite of faith is unbelief, or unwillingness to believe. All people of faith, have times of doubt or areas of doubt in their lives. All the heroes of faith struggled with doubts, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and David, Job and Jonah and on and on.

Imagine for a moment that you are a teacher. One student spends the day staring out the window or nodding off to sleep. The second pays attention but not fully because they have the uncanny ability to regurgitate everything back on exams. The third is full of questions and obviously wrestles with everything you say. They test and try to see if what you say is true especially during homework. Which student will actually believe what you have taught? The second student may get the better grades, but the third student is the one who has internalized the lesson. Doubts and objections are a sign that the student is engaged and growing.

Doubt can be like a fork in the road. We can use our doubt as an opportunity to mature our faith and grow in our relationship, or we can use it as an excuse to isolate ourselves and pull away. “Doubting Thomas” became “Believing Thomas” because he stayed with the other disciples in spite of his doubts. He was rewarded with a closer knowledge of Christ.

What about you? Are you discouraged? In your relationship with the Lord, has something happened to bring doubts into your mind? Are you looking for proof of Jesus’ love, of God’s power, of the Spirit’s usefulness in your life?  Well, the good news is, even as Thomas was looking for proof, proof came looking for him!

26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.

  • Am I Seeking Jesus?  …He Will Find Me.

Behind closed, locked doors of fear, Jesus once again appeared. He met the confused and frustrated followers where they were at, not simply waiting for them to rise to His level. And something very encouraging Jesus looked right at Thomas, the one who loved Jesus but got lost in doubts, and singled him out. If you are lost, Jesus is looking for you. The Bible says He would leave the 99 to find the lost 1. If you were the only one who needed it, He would come looking for you.

I began today by sticking up for poor ole Thomas. And I think his reputation needs a little polishing. He really wasn’t such a bad guy. In fact, he was no different from the other disciples; he was just a week late! The other disciples also needed a personal encounter with the risen Jesus JUST AS MUCH AS THOMAS DID. Until Jesus appeared all of them reacted with fear and disbelief.

Faith and understanding began only after Jesus made himself known personally to each of them. And isn’t it exactly the same for us. We remain with doubts and fears until the Lord comes through the locked doors of our hearts. The miraculous news in all of this is that Jesus searches and finds us.  The stone door that sealed the tomb couldn’t stop him. He had conquered death and he was going to make it known to his friends and to the world. And no flimsy wooden door could stop him from coming into the disciples’ room. And when they saw him they were changed. We all need a personal encounter with the Lord before we can declare, “my Lord and my God.” A second-hand Jesus just will never do. We need God to break into our locked hearts and to give us that encounter.  That’s what Jesus did for Thomas and that’s what he wants to do for you.

 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

  • Jesus Invites Me To Experience Him

Jesus responds to this in a way that many churches would not. So often in churches, we’re quick to get an attitude. “If you don’t believe like we believe, take a hike! Hit the road! Adios! Happy trails loser!  And yet Jesus doesn’t do that. Look what He said:

“Put your finger in there. Look at my hands. Reach out your hand, and put it in this hole in my side. TOUCH IT… EXPERIENCE IT… LIVE IT… BREATHE IT… EAT IT… SLEEP IT… LIVE IT… And once you experience me, it will result in faith it will result in your believing.

Jesus was saying,  “Whatever you have to do, do it. Whatever it takes for you to get to the place of faith do it. He was saying, “I’m opening the door. I’m giving you the leeway. I’m giving you the opportunity to substantiate this faith for yourself, to explore every logical line of thought. I’m giving myself to you, to find out what you need to find out, in order that your faith might be perfected.”

That’s really what He’s looking for anyway.  He’s got enough half-hearted followers. He’s looking for someone who really wants to experience Him.  He wants someone who wants to live for him, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’re all in God’s employment.  But He’s looking for career Christ followers.  He’s had enough weekend warriors, part-time employees. He’s had enough fill in work. He’s had enough seasonal labor. He’s looking for someone full time, all the time.

Unless you’ve had a Thomas kind of experience, you can’t be that kind of Christian; unless you’ve had an intimate experience with Him; until you’ve familiarized yourself with the scars that liberated you; until you’ve seen the place where the blood flowed; unless you’ve seen the nail prints that bought your freedom; until then, you can’t live the way He wants you to.

Jesus has a heart for a generation like Thomas, a generation that has to touch Him. For a generation that isn’t just going to settle for the story they have to live it for themselves. I see that in many of us here, help and make a difference, teach the children and help with the youth.  Its amazing that we have so many involved in serving, its amazing that we have built this church with our own hands. We are not just going to talk about missions or send money we are going to go!  It is truly amazing that our church  has gone to Mexico, Alaska, Guatemala twice, and India 5 times, Nepal, Uganda, Kenya, Israel, and the Philippines.  We not only want to support missions but go and experience missions.

I’ve got news for you today.  Christ wants you to experience Him!  “Reach out with your finger.” In other words, “Your exploring this is okay. I welcome your curiosity about my divinity.” “Look at my hands.” In other words, “EXAMINE ME. I can stand up to your inspection. “Put your hand in my side”  In other words, “Delve into me, if that’s what it takes you to figure me out.”

Are you a Thomas? Is seeing believing for you? I’m inviting you today to a Faith that is HANDS ON. This isn’t just a story that’s demanding a blind faith. Look what happened in Thomas, He walked in with doubt. He TOUCHED CHRIST. And He walked out with an intimate relationship.
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

  • What’s Keeping Me From Believing In Jesus?

You see, Thomas wasn’t a doubter – he just wanted something to believe in. He wasn’t content with what others said – he had to experience it himself. He wanted to use his eyes to see what he could commit his life to. He wanted to be sure of what he wanted to commit his life to.
And Jesus wants to do the same for you. He wants to show up behind the closed doors of your life, and say, “See how I died for you,” and then call you to live for Him, a life fuller and more abundant, more prosperous and useful. He wants to take you past the doubts in your life that hold you back from serving Him with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and all your strength. He is calling you to a cause bigger than yourself. The risen Lord Jesus is calling you to new life following Him. And if you don’t live with a passion and purpose, meaning and fulfillment, you haven’t found all that Jesus died to give you.
What will it take for you to trust Him in faith in all issues in your life: financial, emotional, spiritual, sexual, relational, or marital?
What will it take for you to believe that you matter to God? What will it take for you to believe that if people need Jesus not only for eternity but also for today? What will it take for you to believe that God made you to be included in the process to bring them back to Him? What will it take for you to believe that church is not a matter of do’s and don’ts but of relationships? What will it take for you to believe that God loves you just exactly the way you are, but loves you too much to let you stay that way? What will it take for you to believe that He wants to take you further in your walk instead of letting you stagnate like maybe you’ve been doing for too long? What will it take for you to believe that there’s more for you than coming week after week, festering in that critical nature, judging all that happens around you, sitting back waiting to be entertained?  Today I am encouraging you to deeper walk of faith, for some of you put your MONEY where your mouth is, for some of you get in the game, SERVE. I am calling you to step up in faith. Trust His Word on all levels. Take Him at His Word. He is calling you to fall in love with Him. And He’s calling you to do all you can for as long as you can to help others fall in love with Him.

One of the greatest tragedies for people would be to live in darkness when they could live in the light…
Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. Then she had an operation in an Ontario hospital. She said, “I just can’t believe it,” as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes. She wept – when for the 1st time in her life she saw a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted her eyes and she could now see.
The amazing thing about her story, however, was that 20 years of her blindness was unnecessary. She didn’t know that surgical techniques had been developed, and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of 30.
The Dr. said, “She just figured there was nothing that could be done for her condition. Much of her life could have been different.”

How about you? Are you still living with regret? Living in the darkness?  Jesus is here today to warm your heart, to show you the light, he asks you to join him in a cause that is exciting and life changing.  Reaching people for Jesus, helping people grow like Jesus.  Today as we pray, perhaps you can relate to Thomas, will you give your missed opportunities to Jesus?  Will you say Jesus, I do want to know you, help me to see you help me to experience you.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

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You’re Invited! Come and See – Gospel of John

Posted on April 4, 2026 by dkoop

New Message Series!  Come and See – The Gospel of John

 Description: “Come and see” in John’s Gospel is a powerful, personal invitation to experience Jesus firsthand rather than just hearing about him.  This statement from Jesus represents a challenge to skeptics to examine evidence, and an invitation to personal transformation. In this series we will see people investigating Jesus’s teachings, and transformation personally.   We too will be reminded us that Christianity is about knowing Jesus, not just knowing about him.  Join us for our series, “Come and See” and experience Jesus too!

Come and See (Gospel of John) 6 weeks

Dates Titles              Characters/Scripture                                Events

April 5 – Come with your Doubts -Thomas/Resurrection – John 20               EASTER

April 12 – Come Broken – Woman at the well – John 4

April 19 – Come with your Questions – Nicodemus – John 3

April 26 – Come with your Grief – Mary, Martha, Lazarus – John 11   Communion

May 3 – Come Back to Jesus – Peter after resurrection-

May 10– Come with your Problems – Mary John 2                                    Mothers’ Day

Introduction:

In the first chapter of John, the apostle introduces his readers to Jesus, the Son of God. John writes that Jesus is the pre-existent and co-eternal Word of God who became flesh (John 1:1 and 14), the creator of the universe (verses 3 and 10), the life and true light of men (verses 4, 5, and 9), the only begotten Son of God “full of grace and truth” (verse 14), superior to Moses (verse 17), and the only one who has seen the Father (verse 18). As the Gospel of John unfolds, readers are repeatedly prompted to “come and see” who Jesus is and engage with Him.

In John 1:36, John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God. When two of his own disciples hear this, they immediately begin to follow Jesus (verse 37). One of the disciples was Andrew, Simon’s Peter’s brother (John 1:40). The other, unnamed disciple could be John the apostle (“the disciple whom Jesus loved,” see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). Jesus turns to both of John’s disciples and asks a simple yet profound question: “What are you seeking?” (John 1:38). The you here is directed at the two men, but it has universal application, as does the same word in John 3:3 and John 3:5. That is, Jesus’ question extends beyond Andrew and the unnamed disciple. Jesus wants to know whether we seek after Him for superficial reasons, such as fame or curiosity, or if we earnestly desire to have our sins forgiven and become genuine disciples. This question challenges everyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ. What are we really seeking?

Jesus knows our thoughts (John 2:24–25), yet He still wants us to articulate what is on our minds. John’s two disciples cannot answer the question, so they reply with a question of their own, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” (John 1:38). The word staying means “abiding,” which is how the ASV renders it. In a gentle manner, Jesus says to them, “Come . . . and you will see” (verse 38). It is not an accident that the word come precedes see. We must first come to Jesus before we can fully understand who He is. And the longer we abide (or remain) with Him, the more He reveals Himself to us (verse 41). The disciples come, “and they spent that day with him” (verse 39). They did not delay, and neither should we. Tomorrow is promised to no one (James 4:14). So, if we wish to see Jesus, we must do so today.

“The next day,” Jesus finds Philip and says to him, “Follow me” (John 1:43). Philip then finds Nathanael and says to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (verse 45). Did Philip come to this conclusion on his own? No, it was revealed to him from heaven (Matthew 16:17). Nathanael skeptically asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46, ESV). Philip knows that the best remedy for preconceived opinions and doubt is for people to “come and see” the Messiah for themselves (see also John 4:29–30), and that’s what he invites Nathanael to do. Nathanael comes to Jesus and is rid of false presumptions (John 1:48–51).

In John 11:34, Jesus asks where His friend Lazarus is buried. “Come and see, Lord,” they respond. Before Jesus arrives at the tomb, He weeps (verse 35). He wept because He sympathized with those who were suffering (verse 33; Lamentations 3:33; Hebrews 4:15). He wept because He is grieved over sin and death. He wept because He is distressed about His coming crucifixion (Luke 12:50; 22:44). He wept because He dreaded the unimaginable wrath that would be poured upon Him for the sins of everyone (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). And He wept because He knew that raising Lazarus to life would prompt the religious leaders to finally put Him to death (John 11:45, 53). Burdened as He was, Jesus still went to Lazarus’ tomb and called him out of the grave (verse 43), and “the dead man came out” (verse 44). As Jesus had told Mary, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25, ESV). He has the same message for everyone today.

Do we believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God? Do we believe that He is the Messiah, the Christ? Do we believe that He is the resurrection and the life? If so, then let us “come and see” the risen Savior that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

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Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/come-and-see.html

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Key Teachings about God from Micah

Posted on March 31, 2026 by dkoop

The name Micah comes from the Hebrew word Micayehû, which means “who is like Yahweh?” indicating that men named Micah had parents who were devout believers in Yahweh (or Jehovah, translated “LORD” in our bibles).

Micah was the author of the book by the same name. He is described as being from Moresheth, a small but important town in southwest Judah near the Philistine territory. Micah was given a word from the Lord about the future of Samaria and Jerusalem (Micah 1:1). Micah was a prophet in Judah for 59 years, during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. He prophesied in Judah while Hosea and Amos prophesied in Israel, and he was a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah.

He is sixth in the order of those we call Minor Prophets, so called because their writings are comparatively short. It was the prophet Micah who foretold of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6). His is a message of both hope and doom, declaring the lovingkindness of God toward those who repent and turn to Him (Micah 7:18–19). And Micah condenses God’s requirements into this familiar refrain: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Key Teachings about God

 1. God’s Judgment is Pronounced

The prophet Micah reminds us that, despite God’s zero-tolerance toward our sin and those who plan it or premediate it.

1 Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. 2 They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance.  3 Therefore, the LORD says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. Micah 2:1-3 (NIV)

He is also ready and waiting to forgive and restore those who repent. Even in the midst of strong warnings to Judah, Micah includes the hope that God will relent on the promised judgment if they will turn from evil. He ends his book with this thought: “He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). Christians can take comfort in those words as well. Because of the Messiah that Micah prophesied, Jew and Gentile can enjoy the benefits of God’s forgiveness when we turn from evil and “walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

 2. God’s Kingdom is Proclaimed

Micah 4:2 contains an interesting prophecy that people from around the world will come to Jerusalem to learn about God. It reads, “Many nations shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’” Based on this verse, many have wondered if everyone will need to go to Jerusalem to worship God in the last days.

It is important to first identify when this prophecy will be fulfilled. When the Old Testament prophets speak of “the last days” (e.g., Micah 4:1), they usually refer to the tribulation period or the millennium (Deuteronomy 4:30; Ezekiel 38:16; Daniel 2:28; 10:14; Hosea 3:5). In Micah 4, the prophet shifts from the theme of judgment in the previous chapter to a theme of future blessing in Jerusalem when God Himself will rule (Micah 4:3). This would correspond with the millennial kingdom, during which the Messiah reigns from His throne in Jerusalem.

Micah 4:2 teaches that, during the millennium, people from many nations will come to “the mountain of the Lord”—a reference to Zion, or Jerusalem. People from all over the world will come to the temple (“the house of the God of Jacob”) to learn God’s Law and obey it.

The fact that people from every nation come to Jerusalem does not mean that everyone must travel to Jerusalem during the millennium. Most likely, people will be able to worship the Lord from anywhere in the world: “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

To the Jewish people who saw themselves as God’s only people, the mention of people from many nations coming to the temple is significant. God had always made Himself known to people of all backgrounds who turned to Him (such as the Ninevites who repented in Jonah 3), but He was still the “Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 12:6). Micah’s prophecy highlights the fact that the millennial kingdom will consist of people of many cultures, races, and nationalities serving the King. The prediction foreshadows the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Some say that today’s interest in Holy Land tours fulfills Micah 4:2. While a visit to Jerusalem can be an enriching and faith-building experience for believers, it does not fulfill Micah’s prophecy. It will take more than tourists and travel agents to bring in the millennium. It will take the Lord Himself coming in power and great glory (Luke 21:27) to establish His throne, comfort His people (Isaiah 51:3), and usher in worldwide peace (Micah 4:3).

Next, the perfect kingdom would need a PERFECT KING.

 3. God’s Messiah is Promised

Micah 5:2 predicts, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” The verse clearly speaks of a coming king in Israel, but does it predict the coming of the Messiah?

Micah 5:2 makes a couple of predictions. First, the birthplace of this future “ruler of Israel” would be Bethlehem Ephrathah. Since there were two locations known as Bethlehem at the time of Micah’s writing, the addition of Ephrathah is significant. It specifies the Bethlehem in Judah, the portion of Israel in which the capital, Jerusalem, was located. Bethlehem was considered “little,” or insignificant, among the cities of Judah, yet would serve as the birthplace of this future ruler.

Second, the coming ruler of Jewish background was one “whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.” What else could this refer to other than the Messiah? Only the Messiah fits the description of a ruler in Israel whose origin was from times past. In fact, “from ancient days” is sometimes synonymous with “eternal” (as in Habakkuk 1:12). Only the Jewish Messiah could be a ruler in Israel from eternity past.

This interpretation is strengthened by the fact that the Jewish religious leaders in the first century identified Micah 5:2 as a Messianic prophecy. In Matthew 2, wise men from the East visited King Herod in Jerusalem and asked where the king of the Jews had been born. Herod assembled all the chief priests and scribes, and “he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea,’” basing their answer on Micah 5:2.

Only Jesus Christ fits the Messianic claims of Micah 5:2. He was born in Bethlehem Ephrathah (Matthew 2; Luke 2:1-20). Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the ruler of Israel (John 4:25-26). He also fits the description as being “from ancient times” or eternal (John 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17). No other ruler in Israel fits these requirements. Dozens of other direct prophecies in the Old Testament (some scholars cite hundreds) fit Jesus’ birth, ministry, and death.

Jesus told the Jews that the Law and the Prophets provided a clear witness that He was who He claimed to be. “These are the Scriptures that testify about me,” He said (John 5:39). Still today, those who investigate the prophecy of Micah 5:2 and other Messianic passages find compelling evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Micah closes his book with talk about God’s forgiveness, and how when we are justified in Christ, God forgets our sins so completely that they might as well be buried at the bottom of the ocean.

Micah 7:19: “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Another verse, Isaiah 1:18, says that God will make our scarlet sins as white as wool. Psalm 103:12 expresses the thought in yet another way: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

In Christ,  our sins are sent very far away from us, so that they can no longer affect us. It does not mean that we, as believers, no longer sin or that our sins are erased from God’s mind. It only means that our sins no longer have any bearing on our salvation. Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection is the only means by which we are saved (Acts 4:12). When we trust in Christ, we come under a new paradigm. Although our sins still grieve God and cause ruin in our lives and in the lives of others, our salvation is secure (Romans 8:1, 31–39).

The fact that our sins are at the bottom of the ocean is a comfort. We are no longer judged by our sins (Romans 8:1), and that fact frees us to live life in a way that pleases God. When we fear judgment, ironically, we are tempted to sin even more, because we want to escape from the fear of judgment, and sin is often pleasurable for a time (see Hebrews 11:25). But, eventually, the fear of judgment returns. This is a vicious cycle. Spiritual growth requires that we recognize the total forgiveness that exists in Jesus Christ and that we rest in that forgiveness.

Many people do not believe they require salvation. They believe that they are good enough to reach heaven on their own merit, and they do not accept the truth about their own fallen state. These people are deceived, and they do not have a relationship with God (1 John 1:8, 10). Every person needs God’s forgiveness and salvation—a relationship based on dependence on His grace. If we admit that we are sinners and trust in Christ, He forgives and cleanses us (1 John 1:9). Our sins are no longer part of the equation and will not be remembered (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12).

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Sources: https://www.gotquestions.org/Micah-in-the-Bible.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/last-days-Jerusalem.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/Micah-5-2-Messianic.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/sea-of-forgetfulness.html
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