The Gospel According To Micah

Most people do not understand elements of the gospel that are emphasized in the minor prophets. For example, without the minor prophets, we are at risk of not cherishing or fearing the “day of the Lord” (Joel 2). Likewise, we’d fail to understand and appreciate themes like the wrath of God (Micah 2:3) and social justice (Micah 6:8) in light of the Christ event. Micah is often overlooked, but this commentary presents a compelling case for why he matters. The author argues that while Micah is often lumped in with minor prophets, he deserves to be taught on his own. He also suggests that while many have read and preached Micah, they have missed the gospel. For instance, a minor prophetic book like Micah is sometimes used by advocates for social justice to advance a progressive, social gospel agenda, which runs the risk of applying the text in a way that urges people toward progressive political positions disconnected from Jesus. Take Micah back and marvel at the glory of the Lord with the insights and commentary in The Gospel According to Micah.

Micah LeMon had one slight problem when he started bartending nearly twenty years ago: he had no idea what he was doing. Mixology, he came to understand, is based on principles that are indispensable but not widely known. In The Imbible, LeMon shares the knowledge he has gained over two decades, so that even beginning bartenders can execute classic cocktails--and riff on those classics to create originals of their own. A good cocktail is never a random concoction. LeMon introduces readers to the principal components of every drink--spirit, sweet, and sour or bitter--and explains the role each plays in bringing balance to a beverage. Choosing two archetypes--the shaken Daiquiri and the stirred Manhattan—he shows how bartenders craft delicious variations by beginning with a good foundation and creatively substituting like ingredients. Lavishly illustrated in color and laid out in an inviting and practical way, The Imbible also provides a thorough overview of the bartender’s essential tools and techniques and includes recipes for over forty drinks--from well executed classics to original creations exclusive to this book. Both a lesson for beginners and a master class for more experienced bartenders, LeMon’s book opens the door to endless variations without losing sight of the true goal--to make a delicious cocktail.

The Book of Micah confronts idolatry, superstition, confusion, alienation, inhumane acts against one's neighbors, and desolation of one's being at the most profound personal and societal level. When preaching through this prophetic book, John Calvin had no more difficulty applying Micah's prophecies to his sixteenth-century countrymen than do preachers today. Calvin's twenty-eight sermons on Micah were preached in no political or theological vacuum. They were powerful Christian directives, meant both to instruct and edify Geneva's citizens, writes Benjamin Wirt Farley. Many of these are mirrored in his sermons and are either alluded to indirectly or occasionally referred to openly from the pulpit. These sermons make clear that, for Calvin, the Word of God is clearly the immutable, incontrovertible, and irrefutable truth of God, Farley continues. It is a verite certaine that supercedes all other forms of truth, the sole authoritative basis for faith and life. Any departure from it, or reliance on any other foundation, leads to the very sins denounced by Micah.

“You have a call, Elder Wilder.” When missionary Micah Wilder set his sights on bringing a Baptist congregation into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he had no idea that he was the one about to be changed. Yet when he finally came to know the God of the Bible, Micah had no choice but to surrender himself—no matter the consequences. For a passionate young Mormon who had grown up in the Church, finding authentic faith meant giving up all he knew: his community, his ambitions, and his place in the world. Yet as Micah struggled to reconcile the teachings of his Church with the truths revealed in the Bible, he awakened to his need for God’s grace. This led him to be summoned to the door of the mission president, terrified but confident in the testimony he knew could cost him everything. Passport to Heaven is a gripping account of Micah’s surprising journey from living as a devoted member of a religion based on human works to embracing the divine mercy and freedom that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God’s Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) “Gospel Glimpses” highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) “Whole-Bible Connections” show how any given passage connects to the Bible’s overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) “Theological Soundings” identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God’s grace on every page of the Bible. The books of Jonah, Micah, and Nahum announce the judgment of God through his prophets—flawed messengers who nevertheless served as vehicles for God’s compassion, calling their hearers to repent of their evil, turn from their false gods, and worship the one true God. Over the course of 12 weeks, this study helps readers see the steadfast love, mercy, and patience of the Lord, the deliverer and protector who offers forgiveness to all who turn from their sin and trust in him. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

In this masterful commentary, respected biblical scholar Bruce Waltke carefully interprets the message of the prophet Micah, building a bridge between Micah's ancient world and our life today. Waltke's Commentary on Micah quickly distinguishes itself from other commentaries on this book by displaying an unprecedented exegetical thoroughness, an expert understanding of historical context, and a keen interest in illuminating the contribution of Micah to Christian theology. Tackling hard questions about date and authorship, Waltke contends that Micah himself wrote and edited the nineteen sermons comprising the book. Waltke's clear analytical outline leads readers through the three cycles of Micah, each beginning with an oracle of doom and ending with an oracle of hope, decisively showing that hope wins over doom. Learned yet amazingly accessible, combining scholarly erudition with passion for Micah's contemporary relevance, this book will well serve teachers, pastors, and students alike.

Eminently qualified to write this groundbreaking book, Philip King is known as both an archaeological and biblical authority. Defining biblical archaeology as the "process of correlating archaeological evidence with the biblical record," he sees the function of this discipline as the illumination of the events recorded in the Bible in order to clarify the text. In Amos, Hosea, and Micah, King offers an enlightening and elegant commentary on the eight-century prophets from an archaeological perspective.

Where is God in times of disaster? What are God's people to do about moral decay in society? The books of Joel, Micah, and Habakkuk offer special insight on these perennial problems. David Prior's exposition provides careful study and measured application for today's church, and points to a transcendent God who gives hope in uncertainty.

Most people do not understand elements of the gospel that are emphasized in the minor prophets. For example, without the minor prophets, we are at risk of not cherishing or fearing the "day of the Lord" (Joel 2). Likewise, we'd fail to understand and appreciate themes like the wrath of God (Micah 2:3) and social justice (Micah 6:8) in light of the Christ event. Micah is often overlooked, but this commentary presents a compelling case for why he matters. The author argues that while Micah is often lumped in with minor prophets, he deserves to be taught on his own. He also suggests that while many have read and preached Micah, they have missed the gospel. For instance, a minor prophetic book like Micah is sometimes used by advocates for social justice to advance a progressive, social gospel agenda, which runs the risk of applying the text in a way that urges people toward progressive political positions disconnected from Jesus. Take Micah back and marvel at the glory of the Lord with the insights and commentary in The Gospel According to Micah.

A fictional account of the life of Christ “illuminated by ferocious wit, gentle passion, and poetry”—from the Nobel Prize-winning author of Skylight (Los Angeles Times Book Review). For José Saramago, the life of Jesus Christ and the story of his Passion were things of this earth: a child crying, a gust of wind, the caress of a woman half asleep, the bleat of a goat or the bark of a dog, a prayer uttered in the grayish morning light. The Holy Family reflects the real complexities of any family, but this is realism filled with vision, dream, and omen. Saramago’s deft psychological portrait of a savior who is at once the Son of God and a young man of this earth is an expert interweaving of poetry and irony, spirituality and irreverence. The result is nothing less than a brilliant skeptic’s wry inquest into the meaning of God and of human existence. “Enough to assure [Saramago] a place in the universal library and in human memory.”—The Nation “Fiction that engages the mind as well as the spirit.”—Kirkus Reviews “Mixes magic, myth, and reality into a potent brew.”—Booklist Praise for José Saramago “The greatest writer of our time.”—Chicago Tribune “A literary master.”—The Boston Globe “Saramago is the most tender of writers . . . With a clear-eyed and compassionate acknowledgment of things as they are, and a quality that can only be termed wisdom. We should be grateful when it is handed to us in such generous measure.”—The New York Times “Saramago’s fiction operates in a realm not far from fable: the territory of Kafka, Gogol, and Borges.”—Los Angeles Times