Bible 1611 - Snares

The Book of Micah

by Richard St.James

Snares

Micah 5:13 “Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”

1. Imagery
2. Groves
3. Fury

1. Imagery

Verse thirteen: “Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

When men turn away from God, they become prone to the of foolishness and to vanity. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” [Romans 1:21] From those sin-darkened minds of men comes part and parcel … a fascination with images.

[Images = impressions] [Images come from the imaginations within the heart of men.]

Now, there are good “imaginations” and there are evil “imaginations”. It is those wicked “imaginations” of men’s hearts that lead to all mischief. “An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,” [Proverbs 6:18]

Now images lead to the “imagery” that is being generated in the secret places of men. These secret places of “imagery” are from “the chambers” of “imagery”. The Spirit of God through the prophet Ezekiel shows us what certain men will do in the dark from within the secret confines of their “chambers”. The Scripture pointing to this is located for us in Ezekiel chapter eight, verse twelve: “Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.” [Ezekiel 8:12]

Now, notice this: the fascination with images [or imagery] involves a worship of the works of men by men; “thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.”

Hear this: God commands men everywhere to worship HIM, and for men everywhere not to worship the works of his own hands. This is a basic truth shown throughout the word of God [The Bible].

Furthermore, God has commanded [in Exodus chapter twenty] in the giving of the Law, that Israel should not ever get involved with the making of any likeness of things in heaven or in the earth … which likeness comes from their imaginations. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” [Exodus 20:4]

Now, note this: the images, or the imagery, that comes by way from revelation of God … to be fashioned, or produced for the tabernacle in the wilderness or for the temple in Jerusalem are not part of this prohibition. There is to be made a great distinction here.

What God expressly commands through the prophets and the written word of God in the use of images forms the exception, i.e. the brazen serpent in the book of Numbers.

The images, or imagery, that comes from sin-darkened minds of men is what is prohibited by God in the Law of God.

[Isaiah 42:8] “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

[Psalm 97:7] “Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.”

Now, what about the forms of imagery? Images, or imagery, can take several different forms in the Bible.

Images can be graven or carved. [Psalm 78:58] “For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.”

Images can be molten. [Isa 42:17] “They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.”

Images can be standing [or statues].

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines: "STATUE, n. [L., to set; that which is set or fixed.] An image; a solid substance formed by carving into the likeness of a whole living being; as a statue of Hercules or of a lion."

Now, here is a question for you. What should Israel have done with these images or statues if they were obedient to God? Israel should have destroyed them! This we can most certainly know from Deuteronomy chapter seven, verse five: “But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.” [Deuteronomy 7:5]

Further, come down to verse twenty-five and see this: “The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.” [Deuteronomy 7:25]

Crystal clear: note how king Josiah handled the matter in Second Chronicles chapter thirty-four, verse seven: “And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.” [2 Chronicles 34:7]

2. Groves

Verse fourteen: “And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.”

Now, images and imagery are quite often located … in a grove. This is exactly what we see in Exodus chapter thirty-four, in verse thirteen: “But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:” [Exodus 34:13].

The grove is a concentration of altars most often found on a high hill under green trees and forms a forum for the many images [graven, or molten, or statues] whereby men promote a form of a dark religion which is subservient to the spiritual wickedness in high places. [This is what Judah was caught up in … in Micah’s day.

Now, to learn more about these “high places” we need to go to the book of First Kings in chapter fourteen, verse twenty-three: “For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.” [1 Kings 14:23] Do you see in that verse these words: high places – images – groves – every high hill and every green tree?

The fascination with the groves is what provokes God’s anger and dooms Israel to be rooted out their land.

Here is the prophecy for the judgment in the same chapter in verse fifteen: “For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger.” [1 Kings 14:15]

Now, what about us in our day? Are there images and groves still to be found in our land today? Oh, yes, my friend, these groves [and their attendant imagery] is very much in our land. For instance, in Palmyra, New York is located one such “grove”. It is called Hill Cumorah [with its Morman Moroni obelisk]. The occult underworld religions are promoted on these high places [hills] with all their imagery and they hold all their attendants verily captive to the Devil himself.

It would behoove us to learn what has happened to Judah. When will we ever learn?

3. Fury

Verse fifteen: “And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”

Judah’s fascination with the religion of nations and their penchant for the practices in the occult, which involved the graven images, the standing images and the groves, can only have one result; God’s anger … with God’s judgment!

There is something else, because the Gentile’s have had this effect on the people of God, they too will experience God’s anger … with God’s judgment … “such as they have not heard.”

Gum in Your Ears Or Gummed Up Works

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Micah

Micah 5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Micah 5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which
travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Micah 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Micah 5:5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

Micah 5:6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

Micah 5:7 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.

Micah 5:8 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.

Micah 5:9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

Micah 5:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I
will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy
chariots:

Micah 5:11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

Micah 5:12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

Micah 5:13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images
out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

Micah 5:14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

Micah 5:15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.