A voice cries out in the desert: “Clear a way for the LORD." Matthew 31-3.

 Matthew chapter three opens with a fast-forward of about 25 years.

The headline from the Berean Study Bible (and most of them say the same thing) reads:

“John the Baptist Prepares the Way”

“And in those days John the Immerser comes, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea,”
(Matthew 3:1 LSV)

FYI: The LSV = The Literal Standard Version of The Holy Bible is a registered copyright of Covenant Press and the Covenant Christian Coalition (© 2020).

I don’t know if the LSV carries any extra importance, but I like to check to see if it offers some insight that others may have missed. Immediately I am delighted because of the emphasis on John being the Immerser. This word can be substituted with baptizer; however, it is what he did, not who he was, a Baptist. Amir Tsarfati told the story of a person approaching him after a tour lecture and asked, so, was Jesus Catholic or Protestant? One part of the obvious is that there were no church affiliations as there was no church as yet. If you insist that John was such and such, then he was more of an evangelist who called the nation and Herod (who was half-Jewish by blood) to repentance.

In the series “The Chosen,” John (the immerser) is portrayed as someone a bit unusual, to say the least. He has a classic, Jewish, sarcastic sense of humor, and if you think about the comments he made to the Pharisaical crowd that came to be baptized by him, he called them vipers – a bit of a harsh jab. Our introduction to John has him jumping out from behind a bush as his cousin, Yeshua, and a couple of the disciples walk by. Jesus smiled and was glad to see John. Philip was one of those disciples from John’s team and threw his arms around John’s neck, demonstrating how loved he was. Several episodes convey to us how attached Andrew was to John. (When talking about the disciples, you can begin to see where making a distinction as to which John you are referring to can come in handy.)

Pay attention to where John is immersing, Judea, which was, at one time, the Southern and separate kingdom from Israel to the North. The wilderness of Judah runs North to South and parallels the Dead Sea. 

The point is that I have no idea how Jesus and John got together, for, as you can see, there are close to 90 kilometers or 70 miles between the two.

“Turn away from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” (Matthew 3:2 TLV)

He was referencing Jesus, the Son of God, and, by the way, the Messiah. 

Almost all of Israel looked for and longed for the Messiah, as He would free them from the bondage of the Romans. Well, that was not going to happen.

Matthew describes John the baptizer as the one crying out. However, the designation “crying in the wilderness” certainly makes it sound pessimistic.

I started this blog almost twenty years ago, and that is what I named it, The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Experience has taught me that few listen, and I am not just talking about listening to me; they don’t listen to God either. So the idea of a wilderness speaks to me of the barrenness of our souls without the Word of God being poured into them. You would be foolish if you are willing to depend on someone else doing the pouring; this has to be you.

“This is he who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah when he said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness (shouting in the desert), Prepare the road for the Lord, make His highways straight (level, direct).” [Isa. 40:3.]
(Matthew 3:3 AMP)

I have used the Amplified as they frequently give you the related passage. It is Matthew who gives us this.

“And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” (Matthew 11:14 NASB)

So, allow me a moment here. Elijah was lifted off this earth without dying, and scripture tells us that:

“... it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment “ (Hebrews 9:27 NASB)

Well, when did Elijah get his turn?

I do not know, and I will not accept the idea that he was reincarnated as John the baptizer. Just the fact that Jesus refers to Elijah in terms of coming back merely promotes the idea that Elijah did not die and must yet die. Consider the fact the two witnesses, who come from God, stand in the streets of Jerusalem witnessing about Jesus as the Messiah and the glory of God, will die after their time is done (3.5 years.) But, after lying dead in the street for three days, they will rise again and return to the Lord.

Appointed is the Greek word apokeimai and means reserved or awaited.

I will let you in on a little-known fact. There is nothing that will prevent this body from dying. The body, which carries the broken DNA chain that motivates us to sin, has to be purified. A passage that almost everyone has heard at least once tells us that our works will be tried by fire; this is probably part of the bema seat judgment and where the body will die.

You are aware that Jesus died? Right! Then you should also be mindful that He came back to life and continued to walk this earth for forty more days, sharing the good news.

John didn't refuse to answer. He told them clearly. John 1:19-23.

 I am writing to people who have been taught poorly or were taught falsehoods, and some errors are intentional. I will include myself in this next weakness within the Christian community, and that is that WE do not nor will not pick up the Bible and read it. I can speak bluntly about this because I had to make a hard decision to fix this weakness in myself. In 2007 I started a job with early work hours, so I would give myself an extra hour before work to go to McDonald's, eat breakfast and read my Bible. So many people whimper about where they should start reading; I have suggestions, but there is a better time or place. I needed to know who God was and what His character was like, so I started with Matthew's gospel, where I saw His Son, Jesus, and slowly worked my way through the New Testament. Every day brought questions and challenges, and I wrote them down as I asked God my hard questions, all of which got answered.

I never spent a tremendous amount of time focused on John the Baptist.

The NASB entitles this next section, The Testimony of John the Baptist.

We covered a couple of details about John the Baptist in my previous post. In terms of teIn my previous post, we covered some details about John the Baptist. In terms of temperament, and I am imagining here, I perceive a touch of sanguine because he is outgoing and, to a degree, social. The other trait that I see is choleric. I say this because John comes across as short-tempered and irritable, much like the Apostle Paul (who may well be one of those being sent to verbally accost him.) He had, by the way, called them a den of vipers. 

Now apply the personality traits that we can only assume to the following few verses where we see John in action.

“This was John’s answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?””
(John 1:19 GW)

• “The Jews sent priests.”

We are not told who did the sending as even within the priests and council members, there was a hierarchy. I can see leaders sending lower-ranking members to go and challenge the man they obviously perceive as acting as though he is replacing them. However, John may not have felt that way.

If what I said seemed odd to you, think about this incident.

“Very early, while it was still night, Yeshua got up, left, and went away to a place in the wilderness; and there He was praying. Then Simon and those with him hunted for Yeshua. And when they found Him, they said to Him, “Everybody’s looking for You.” He said to them, “Let’s go somewhere else, to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also—this is what I came for.” And He went throughout all the Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and driving out demons. A man suffering from a dreaded skin disease came to Jesus, knelt down, and begged him for help. "If you want to," he said, "you can make me clean."(GNB) .” Moved with compassion, Yeshua stretched out His hand and touched him. He said, “I am willing. Be cleansed.”
(Mark 1:35-41 TLV & GNB)

There was no doubt that Jesus could heal, but to be cleansed was what the priests did, and apparently, religion was corrupt enough to demand payment for the procedure where you were reintroduced back into the community. So this man asked Jesus to heal him and pronounce him cleansed. But, if you follow the narrative, Jesus sternly warned the man to keep his mouth shut about Jesus pronouncing him clean. He knew this was a boundary that would feed into a deadly fight with the Pharisees. Considering that John's daddy was a priest, they knew who John was.

“When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the division of priests named after Abijah. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.”
(Luke 1:5 GW)

Their question had no politeness connected to it. It is more of a challenge, similar to who do you think you are. The other side of this coin is that Jesus' own disciples, and several of them left John to join Jesus, did not understand that He was the Messiah, as they were looking for a warring messiah that would free them from Roman oppression, etc. This misconception stayed with them until they were filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room after Jesus left the earth.

“John didn’t refuse to answer. He told them clearly, “I’m not the Messiah.”
(John 1:20 GW)

Adam Clarke wrote: “John renounces himself, that Jesus may be all in all.” Really, at this point, John is enjoying some freedom, but the day is coming after denouncing the actions of Herod."

“For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,”
(Matthew 14:3 TLV)

John is close to death, so he sends some of his disciples to Jesus to do what?

“Now when John heard in prison about the works of the Messiah, he sent word through his disciples and said to Yeshua, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
(Matthew 11:2-3 TLV)

““What then? Are you Elijah?” they asked him. “I am not,” said John. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he answered.”
(John 1:21 TLV)

• Are you Elijah?

  The answer is NO.

• Are you the prophet?

  Just a touch on the repetitious side. Wasn't Elijah a prophet? Yes, he was, and NO he never died because God took him, and this piece of evidence sort of mandates that Elijah must physically die. 

John told them straight out, I am not Elijah. Then who is this other prophet? Adam Clarke says this is the prophet spoken of by Moses, Deuteronomy 18:15,18.

“Instead, he will send you a prophet like me (Moses) from among your own people, and you are to obey him.”
(Deuteronomy 18:15 GNB)

I had no idea that Moses was a prophet.

“I will send them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will tell him what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command.”
(Deuteronomy 18:18 GNB)

This line, “I will tell him what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command,” says much about the character of Jesus.

“He will speak in my name, and I will punish anyone who refuses to obey him.” (Deuteronomy 18:19 GNB)

Every word that Jesus spoke was focused on the instructions of the Father, no matter how random those words may have seemed.

“So they said to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(John 1:22 TLV)

I am not sure it mattered what the answer was; no matter how ridiculous, it just needed to quell the angst of the Jewish leadership. 

“He said, “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of Adonai,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
(John 1:23 TLV)

The words that stand out in my mind are the same that I chose for my blog.” Why did I choose that? Because I felt, and still feel, like I am sharing God's voice and no one is listening. Someday soon, they will hear. 

It is never too late to make straight the way of Adonai, as long as you have breath in your lungs.

Release the four angels who are bound. Rev 9: 12-14

 We ended the last post with descriptives of locusts, which have stingers in their tails; they act like scorpions; and, they are led by a fallen angel, named Abaddon and Apollyon, which just happen to be the names for Sheol/hell. The clues that we are given are so obvious, that I suspect John wanted us to figure out who it is. We are told in Revelation 9:1, that this fallen angel had obtained the keys to death and hell.

Wow, first off, why would anyone give this loser the keys to hell?

The answer lies in Adam's actions, or lack thereof, in the garden. It was an act that was sealed when Adam bit into that fruit. In a sense, this is one of those great mysteries spoken of in scripture, but it is only a mystery to those who do not wish to understand.

Consider that Satan told Jesus, all these kingdoms of the world, are mine to give.

The question is, how did Satan obtain such power and authority?

And again, we are back to Adam. God had given the man complete authority over the earth, and he relinquished that authority to Satan. God had to honor the man's actions, no matter how destructive. That seems like a no-win situation, but Jesus, as Pastor JD Farag consistently says. So God had a plan, and the garden was the opening volleys that would put Satan away permanently, and sort out those who would choose to love and follow Him.

Does Satan still have these keys and therefore the power of fear over hell?

In the first chapter of the Revelation, John describes hearing a voice. When he turned to see who was speaking, he sees Jesus. It is the description of Jesus that is mind-blowing.

Revelation 1:13-18 DRB And in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. (14) And his head and his hairs were white as white wool and as snow. And his eyes were as a flame of fire: (15) And his feet like unto fine brass, as in a burning furnace. And his voice as the sound of many waters. (16) And he had in his right hand seven stars. And from his mouth came out a sharp two-edged sword. And his face was as the sun shines in his power. (17) And when I had seen him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying: Fear not. I am the First and the Last, (18) And alive, and was dead. And behold I am living forever and ever and have the keys of death and of hell.

In the process of His death and resurrection, Jesus stripped those keys out of Satan's hand.

Back to the locusts.

The sting is so severe that the victims will want to die, but they cannot.

Doesn't it seem odd that John would describe something as mundane as a locust with such detail?

I have never seen a locust much larger than about four inches, and yet, these have extensive details such as:

• A gold-tone crown on their heads.

• Bronze breastplates.

• Human-looking faces.

• Hair like a woman.

• And, there is that stinger, which does not belong on a locust.

End of page one.

The locusts seem to form militaristic squadrons as they attack humans with their lion-like teeth. The finale to this horror is the fact that these locusts have stingers in their tails. Imagine a locust curling its tail over its head and stinging you.

One woe is past:

Since Revelation chapter six began there has been an onslaught of woes. 

How does it get worse?

Revelation 9:12 DRB One woe is past: and behold there come yet two woes more hereafter.

How much time has passed at this point?

We have no known references to a calendar, and therefore cannot say. Nothing tells us that God's fury is being poured out in deliberate, five-month segments. We do know that the effects of the stingers cause the victims to suffer for five months; they will want to die, but they cannot.

When the wrath of God begins to be poured out in Revelation six, verse two, one of the first things we see is the entrance of the antichrist persona. Based upon this, all I can tell you is that if you, the reader is experiencing these things, then you are in the seven years of God's wrath.

Revelation 9:13-14 NASB (13) Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, (14) one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."

In Revelation 8:1, we are introduced to the trumpet judgments (it is really a shofar blast, but that only makes sense to a Jew, and so our Bible translations like to call it a trumpet blast.) 

We are currently on the sixth trumpet blast.

“Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

Are you kidding me; it only took one angel to kill all the unprotected first-born in Egypt that night.

What are these angry and most likely fallen angels, going to do?

Jude 1:6 NASB And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

Pay attention to the way the words are laid out. I could interpret this to be saying that these angels are being held so that they can help to bring God's judgment on the great day. The terminology forces you to understand that judgment will come, and that the phrase “the great day” is referring to, NOT just one day, but the time we understand as the seven-year period in which God's wrath is poured out in judgment.

Has God used a variety of methods to bring about judgment?

The answer is a decisive yes. For example, He used Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire to judge Israel for ignoring the Sabbath years in which they should have given the land rest.

How can we define this great day?

Joel 2:30-31 NASB "I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. (31) "The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

End of page two.

1 Corinthians explains that we, who are confirmed in Christ, are not lacking as we await our redemption, because Christ will find us blameless in the day of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:6-8 NASB (6) even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, (7) so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, (8) who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, that is good news, but why?

It is good because judgment, which is wrath, is not meant for the body of Christ, and that means believers.

2 Peter speaks of the day of the Lord, but here it is described with blunt honesty. We are told that the heavens will pass away and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, all while people continue to try to survive on the earth.

2 Peter 3:9-10 NASB The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

The Revelation itself gives us something that may explain what these angels will do, but we have to jump forward in this saga, momentarily.

Revelation 12:1-4 NASB A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; (2) and she was with child; and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. (3) Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. (4) And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

When we get to Revelation chapter 12, it is best to understand this as a history lesson.

• The woman clothed with the sun, is Jesus, giving birth to, not only Israel, but to Jesus as well.

  This is not meant to push you into astrology, as that is the demonic version of astronomy, but we have a well-defined reason to understand the stars – astronomy, if you wish.

  • Isaiah 7:14 NASB "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

    The Hebrew word for sign is 'ôth and means a signal, a flag, a beacon, or a mark. The language the Holy Spirit chose to use was common, and so those who heard these words understood what a virgin was; they also comprehended the process of birth, but these words would not come to pass, in a physical sense, during any of their lifetimes. This means that they were to look at the stars and their alignments, for they were well aware of the patterns and the meanings. Remember that I said we are looking at Astronomy, not astrology, as astrology is demonic.

 End of page three

What do some of these scriptural examples look like?

For most, reading this paragraph immediately pulls them into the Zodiac, all of which is a perversion of what God designed to be prophetic beacons in the heavens.

It is evident that the purpose of the signs is multifaceted. 

A touch of honesty, when someone explains a relationship between scripture and the associated astronomical signs, I find it fascinating, for at least a moment, and then I forget what I heard.

When Jesus was born, is this when God, the Father, began pointing out the signs?

The answer is NO, and we have the Magi, who followed the signal that led them to Jesus, to confront such a question, as a portion of our evidence. Read Matthew 2:1-16.




Did the Magi hit the timing exactly and arrive at the moment of Jesus birth?

NO, but God did time it so that what the Jews deemed the lowest of humans, the shepherds, would be the first to see Him. The IVP Bible Background Commentary suggests this “Due to the proximity to Jerusalem, some scholars have suggested that the flocks here are the temple flocks raised for sacrifice. This narrative would have challenged the values of many religious people, who despised shepherds.”

The Magi, on the other hand, arrived at a time when Jesus was about two years old. We know this because, Herod, after interviewing the Magi, had all boys two years and younger, in the region of Bethlehem, killed.

• Genesis 1:14 NASB Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;

  The stars and their alignments, as I have already stated, are for signals.

One of the tremendous events, alluded to by Revelation 12 and these star signs were Israel and the birth of a nation.

• Isaiah 66:7-8 NASB "Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. (8) "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.

This star alignment was recently brought forth, as Virgo had the sun in the area of her womb just as Revelation 12 spelled out.






Revelation 6:15-17 shows the kings, the rich, and the strong, who are hiding in their luxury, underground, caves, as they cry out hide us from the great day of the Lord. And in Revelation 16:14 the description includes a war associated with the day of the Lord.

End of page four.

A look at Micah. Chapter 1 verse 5. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?

Maybe you don't ask questions, but I do. I ask questions like: Why is Micah giving this prophecy? Merely asking that question prompts a dozen others, such as, what impact was the known world having on the prophet Micah; what were the immediate things that affected him; and, was he the only one who felt this way? We covered enough ground in the previous posts on Micah to answer the question without going much farther. Fortunately, Micah 1:5 answers many of these questions.

Micah 1:5 NASB All this is for the rebellion of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
The Amplified Bible puts it this way,

• “All this is because of the transgression of Jacob,
• “and the sins of the house of Israel.”

The verse itself asks, and then answers the question when it says, "Is it not Samaria?

But then, there is this covert question within the verse that asks,
“What is the high place of Judah?” Again, an answer is given, but what does it mean when it says, “Is it not Jerusalem?”

When you read any mention of Samaria in the New Testament, you would think it was a forbidden city to the Jews; that was not the case; however, the hatred and animosity of the Samaritans indeed ran deep for a very long time. This disgust and hatred began developing over 930 years earlier. Perhaps this brief history lesson may help us understand where this disgust and hatred began.

A brief history lesson – from the Chronological Bible.
We are told that “the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah were one of gradual decay with only brief interludes of hope. The two nations spent most of their existence as vassal states, serving first the Neo-Assyrian Empire (934-612 B.C.) and then the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626-539 B.C.) Israel was destroyed by the Neo-Assyrians; Judah [in the south] by the Neo-Babylonians. Israelite kings built a new capital for the northern kingdom at Samaria.

King Ahab [of the northern kingdom] rebuilt the stables at Megiddo and made it once again a great city. He also built a palace at Hazor as part of the renovation of the city. His economic power made him an international force. According to an inscription of Shalmaneser 111 of Assyria, 'Ahab the Israelite' brought 2,000 chariots and 10,000 infantry to the battle of Qarqar (853 B.C.) Israel appears in other important inscriptions of the period. The famous Moabite Stone tells how King Mesha of Moab rebelled successfully against Israel in the 9^th century B.C.

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser 111 (840 B.C.) shows conquered kings paying tribute to the Neo-Assyrian emperor. King Jehu of the Northern kingdom, Israel, is one of those shown kissing Shalmaneser's feet. Records and annals of Assyrian kings reveal multiple contacts between the Neo-Assyrian empire and the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

The Neo-Assyrian empire fell around 612 B.C. to the Medo-Persian empire approximately (612 B.C. - 609 B.C.), but in its place arose the Neo-Babylonian empire, which would ultimately destroy Jerusalem and carry the kings of Judah into exile. The Assyrians were one of the great superpowers of the ancient world, with an empire centered on the Tigris River. While they were skilled in the arts, they were also unspeakably cruel and tortured prisoners on a regular basis.

The other superpower in the East was the Babylonian kingdom. One of their greatest kings was Nebuchadnezzar, whose armies destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

Biblical books that relate to this period come from three groups, the first consisting of portions from Kings and Chronicles. The second group of books relates to the Neo-Assyrian period and includes the prophetic writings of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jonah, and Zephaniah.”

“Amos and Hosea preached in Israel, with an emphasis on social and economic injustice.” To give you an example, look at what the prophet Micah has to say.
Micah 3:2-5 CJB  Yet you hate what is good and love what is bad. You strip off their skin from them and their flesh from their bones,  3)  you eat the flesh of my people, skin them alive, break their bones; yes, they chop them in pieces, like flesh in a cauldron, like meat in a pot.' "  4)  Then they will call to Adonai, but he will not answer them; when that time comes, he will hide his face from them, because their deeds were so wicked.  5)  Here is what Adonai says in regard to the prophets who cause my people to go astray, who cry, "Peace" as soon as they are given food to eat but prepare war against anyone who fails to put something in their mouths:

While Micah's words are metaphorical, the weight they carry is tremendous. Micah is speaking to the community and religious leadership, as evidenced in Micah 3:1.
Micah 3:1 NASB And I said, "Hear now, heads of Jacob, And rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know justice?

Our history lesson continues with excerpts from the Chronological Bible.

“Isaiah was a counselor to the kings of Judah. He worked through two major international crises, which he saw as God's rule over the nations.” “Micah,” on the other hand, “was a rural contemporary of Isaiah who also preached against injustice, but lifted up a vision of a day of peace and salvation.”

“The third group of books relates to the Neo-Babylonian period. Parts of the book of Daniel tell the story of a Jewish youth exiled to Babylon, while the book of Lamentations mourns the destruction of Jerusalem. Included in this third group are prophecies from Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Nahum, Ezekiel, and Obadiah.
Jeremiah lived through the destruction of Jerusalem; Habakkuk records the pain of seeing the Babylonians on the march, while asking the question – where is God; Nahum rejoices over the defeat of Assyria; Ezekiel was the first prophet to write from exile in Babylon; and Obadiah, is a song of anger against the people Edom for their part in the destruction of Jerusalem.

Samaria was the capital of the Northern kingdom, Israel.

Samaria was taken by Shalmaneser (2Ki_17:6) in 724 B.C., razed to the ground by Hyrcanus (Josephus, Ant. l. xiii. c. 18); restored by Herod, and called Sebastê; and is now a small village called Sebusta, its ancient site being converted into gardens. The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury

2 Kings 17:5-6 NASB Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6) In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

In Micah 1:6 (NASB), we are told, “For I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the open country, Planting places for a vineyard. I will pour her stones down into the valley And will lay bare her foundations.”
Samaria is right in the middle of the Megiddo valley, a place destined to be one of the bloodiest places on earth.

2 Kings 17:7-23 is titled by the NASB, in speaking about Samaria and Judah, as

Exile(s) Because of Idolatry

2 Kings 17:7-18 NASB Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods 8) and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced. 9) The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. 10) They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11) and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did, which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things, provoking the LORD. 12) They served idols, concerning which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing." 13) Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets." 14) However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God. 15) They rejected His statutes and His covenant, which He made with their fathers, and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them. 16) They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17) Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him. 18) So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.

It is not clear to me why, but the king of Assyria decided to have the land resettled. We see this process in 2 Kings 17 starting at verse 24.

2 Kings 17:24 NASB  The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

But look at who the Assyrian king put there: Babylonians from Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sephar-vaim, and “settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. There were no Israelites left. There was, as far as we know, no one who understood to put their trust in the God of Israel.

Watch what happens next.
At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the LORD; therefore, the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 2 Kings 17:25 NASB)

The next voice we are made aware of is either those settlers of Samaria who are surviving, or they are counselors to the king, giving him a heads-up.

So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land." Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land." 2 Kings 17:26-27 NASB)

Watch how the Assyrians respond to this disaster.

So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. 2 Kings 17:28 NASB)

Now the Assyrians would not have known this, nor cared about it, but didn't we just read that no one in Israel followed God's ways or instructions?
I get it, this is another of those examples where we are shown the extreme when you know there had to be good people in this mix. Look at 2 Kings 17:7-18, and you will understand how I might say there was no one left who followed after God.

So maybe they got lucky, and this priest is adept at what he is doing. Perhaps, he is even teaching these people, who probably couldn't care less, how to live under the commands of Jehovah. However, watch what happens next.

But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 2 Kings 17:29 NASB)

At this point, if I were from Judah in the south, my reasons to hate those from Samaria may be starting to develop, especially since there isn't a Jew among them. Based on 2 Kings 17:29, I don't see nations, I see one nation, Babylon, but Babylon is a collection of conquered peoples, some fortunate enough to live. When the Assyrian king places these people there, they use the facilities that Israel built to false gods for their own; these places of “worship” were everywhere.

This integration of people made their own cities. As best I can figure, there were five different nations represented here.
The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 2 Kings 17:30-31 NASB)

Here is where it all turns against them.

They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. They feared the LORD and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile. 2 Kings 17:32-33 NASB)

Alright, the language is a little deceptive because of this phrase, “They also feared the LORD.” The word LORD is y^ehôvâh – yeh-ho-vaw', “(the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.”

So, where did these people come to recognize and/or fear God?
Fear is the Hebrew word yare, meaning to fear: The implications are that they became...frightened.

• They literally feared God.
• They appointed priests from among themselves to administer over the high places.
• And, they served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from whom they had been carried away.

If they kept that to themselves, perhaps they would not have been a bother. On the other hand, this was land God had chosen for His people, not the nations.

To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel; with whom the LORD made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. 2 Kings 17:34-35 NASB)

Now, when it says, to this day, it is not, as a rule, talking about October 29, 2018. The author is talking about the time frame in which they are living. Can I exclude any application in the future? Not necessarily. If I took the command, “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them,” and applied it today, does it work? Absolutely.

About 730 years later, when Jesus was admonishing the Pharisees and the Jewish people, the commandments were just as valid.

Now, to get to the point. Jesus strolled through Samaria because He was on a mission. We are not privy to the details until they start to unfold before us, but the impact, after this meeting with the Samaritan woman, demonstrated what kind of fruit He came to pick. He came to rescue people.

Go to John chapter 4, and you can experience the shock in the woman and the religious banter as she tried to claim a heritage based upon “their father, Jacob.” Jacob was buried in Samaria.

Knowing now that one Jewish priest was placed among the representatives of five non-Jewish nations, who chose instead to serve the gods they were comfortable with, how could they call themselves any form of Jewry simply because they decided to claim an inheritance through Jacob?

They were not Jews by any stretch; they were stepchildren at best. 
Now, is it still that way? No, I would say that day, Jesus made himself real to them, and thus began an amazing series of changes for the better.

A look at the book of Micah, an overview.

As I told you in my previous post, I was recently in Emmett Idaho. On the ranch, there was no internet or phone service, and I was the volunteer groundskeeper for a week. My ability to post was non-existent. I managed to squeeze in a few minutes on the laptop computer, as I worked on the questions for a home group I am involved with and began looking at Micah while I was there.
No one has asked me, but I will tell you whether you ask or not, as to how I come up with ideas for posts. My primary sources were “men's Bible study,” and some of the twisted messages that come from the pulpit. Since I have separated myself from much of that, I have to listen to the Holy Spirit and my friends for ideas. Sitting at the table on a peaceful morning, it occurs to me that I need to look into the book of Micah, and so I did.
One other thing, I have no problem with using reasonable information from commentaries, Biblical dictionaries, and encyclopedias like the ISBE, as long as they ring true to what the Holy Spirit is trying to say. I know that last aspect is vague, but there are times when you open a resource, and immediately your gut responds with a NO, or at least, what is this person trying to say. Some, like a man I knew who has a Theological Doctorate, merely wants to fling large words around because it makes him sound important.

On the book of Micah

When I look at the overview of Micah, I am told, by almost every commentator, that little is known of the Prophet beyond his name, his place of origin, and the personal tone of his book. And yet, even I can find a historical setting which indicates that Micah's career extended from the reign of Jotham 752 BC to Hezekiah's reign which ended in 720 BC. Simple math could put Micah in the range of 50 years old at minimum.

Street columns, Ancient Samaria.

J. Vernon McGee tells us “There are many Micah's mentioned in the Scriptures, but this man is identified as a Morasthite, since he was an inhabitant of Moresheth-Gath, a place about twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem, near Lachish.”
The book itself centers on the threat of the Assyrian invasions that occurred throughout this period, beginning around 730 BC, culminating in 701 BC against Judah.
Micah 1:1 MKJV  The Word of Jehovah that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
From J. Vernon McGee – (Most commentators say the same thing.)
“Micah the Morasthite means that he was a native of Moresheth of Gath, which is southwest of Jerusalem. Although he was in the kingdom of Judah, he prophesied to both kingdoms, but his main message was directed to the northern kingdom. I have often wondered about that. His contemporary, Isaiah, was a prophet to the southern kingdom; and perhaps, since Micah was probably a younger man, he felt that Isaiah could take care of the southern kingdom while God directed him to speak to the northern kingdom. You will never misunderstand Micah because he makes it very clear to whom he is speaking.”

Still gleaning information from J. Vernon McGee -
...Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, Israel. The city was built originally by Omri, king of Israel, and was the seat of idolatry. It was made famous—or infamous—by Ahab and Jezebel who built there a temple to Baal. The city stood in a very lovely location, but it lies in ruins today... The desolate ruins bear mute testimony to the accuracy of Micah's prophecy concerning Samaria.”

Micah was from Gath; yes, the same place as Goliath.

David, as something other than a child, facing Goliath.

Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions, tells us: môrashtı̂y - Morasthite see Moreshethgath = “possession of Gath” 1) an inhabitant of Moresheth.

E.W. Bullinger helps to establish the beginnings of Micah's prophetic voice.
“MICAH begins, apparently, a year or two before the end of Jotham’s reign, Isaiah, in that case, had already been prophesying some seventeen or eighteen years.”

By comparing Micah 4:10 with Isaiah 39:5,6, we have another case of similar words occurring in two different prophets. Note that we are told that Micah also functioned during the days of Hezekiah; it may be presumptuous to assume that Micah prophesied to or against Hezekiah as Isaiah did.

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the LORD. 'And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.'" Isaiah 39:5-7 NASB

Continuing with Bullinger's exposition/commentary -
"In this ease, the period covered by Micah and Isaiah was almost exactly the same (cp. Mic_1:1 with Isa_1:1; and see Appdx-77). It is no wonder that the circumstances did call for similar utterances, constituting a confirmation of the Word of Jehovah "by the mouth of two or three witnesses." Both were independent, without any idea of "copying" one from the other, as is alleged by the writer in The Encyclopedia Britannica, eleventh (Cambridge) edition, 1910, 1911, vol. xviii, p. 357, who says: "it is impossible that much, if any, of these chapters (Mic. 4-7) can be ascribed to Micah himself". This is said in the face of the fact that Jeremiah (Mic_26:16-19) definitely quotes and refers to Micah."

Since Bullinger points out how similar Isaiah is to Micah, I choose to give you Isaiah 1:1 here.
The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Isaiah 1:1 NASB
Some notable differences would be Isaiah's reference to King Uzziah, something Micah did not do. Both are speaking toward Judah and Jerusalem; however, Micah chooses to use the term Samaria, which was the capital of the Northern kingdom.

I want to add one more thing here –
I have come to understand the Jewish concept of prophecy, and it does not include the flash and pizzazz we have become accustomed to. Prophecy is repeated patterns to the Jew, and the idea of two or three witnesses is an essential part of the verification process.

The ISBE defines Uzzi'ah for us – His name means the (strength of Jehovah). King of Judah B.C. 809-8 to 757-6. In some passages, his name appears in the lengthened form Azariah: After the murder of Amaziah, his son Uzziah was chosen by the people, at the age of sixteen, to occupy the vacant throne; and for the greater part of his long reign of fifty-two years, he lived in the fear of God, and showed himself a wise, active and pious ruler. He never deserted the worship of the true God, and was much influenced by Zechariah, a prophet who is mentioned only in connection with him. 2Ch_26:5.

Under the reign of Uzziah,
''the southern kingdom was raised to a condition of prosperity which it had not known since the death of Solomon. The end of Uzziah was less prosperous than his beginning. Elated with his splendid career, he determined to burn incense on the altar of God but was opposed by the high priest Azariah and eighty others. See Exo_30:7-8; Num_16:40; Num_18:7. The king was enraged at their resistance, and, as he pressed forward with his censer, he was suddenly smitten with leprosy. This lawless attempt to burn incense was the only exception to the excellence of his administration. 2Ch_27:2. Uzziah was buried "with his fathers," yet apparently not actually in the royal sepulchres. 2Ch_26:23.”

A few other Prophets around this time frame.
Isaiah 1:1 NASB The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Obadiah 1:1-2 NASB The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom--We have heard a report from the LORD, And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, "Arise and let us go against her for battle"-- 2 "Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised.
Nahum 1:1-3 NASB The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. 2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; The LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

The Word from Micah is concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
In considering Samaria, I am reminded of the hatred and racism that we see in the gospels, as the Jews would walk the longest way just so that they would not have to pass through Samaria. And then there was the interaction Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well. That well was within Samaria, and her comments pointed out some of the hatred and prejudice she lived with on a daily basis.

Names that are mentioned: Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, several of which were Kings of Judah.
The reason I emphasize the names is that they may give us some insight into why the Word came. Keep in mind; nothing is random or by accident; and, you cannot separate the Word given from the human emotions that are a part of the speaker, in this case, Micah. The idea here is to find the link and possibly the reasons behind the “Word” given by Micah.

Jotham

The ISBE tells us that Jotham was the - Twelfth king of Judah, son of Uzziah and Jerusha, daughter of Zadok (2Ki_15:32-38; 2Ch_27:1-9).
Jotham was 25 years of age at the time of his father's attack of leprosy and was at once called upon to take the administration of the kingdom (2Ki_15:5; 2Ch_26:21). In doing this, he not only judged the people of the land by presiding at the administration of justice but also was over the household of the king, showing how complete was the isolation of his father. He was thus king in all but name and is invariably spoken of as reigning in Jerusalem. His reign lasted for 16 years (2Ki_15:33; 2Ch_27:1), 759-744 (others put later). While the father loved husbandry and had much cattle (2Ch_26:10) - external affairs with which he could occupy himself in his retirement - to the son fell the sterner duties and heavier responsibilities of the state.

Ahaz

Again we turn to the ISBE.
“The name is the same as Jehoahaz; hence appears on Tiglath-pileser's Assyrian inscription of 732 bc as Ia-u-ha-zi. The sacred historians may have dropped the first part of the name in consequence of the character of the king.”
Ahaz was the son of Jotham, king of Judah. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 20 years (according to another reading 25). The chronology of his reign is difficult, as his son Hezekiah is stated to have been 25 years of age when he began to reign 16 years after (2Ki_18:2). If the accession of Ahaz be placed as early as 743 bc, his grandfather Uzziah, long unable to perform the functions of his office on account of his leprosy (2Ch_26:21), must still have been alive. (Others date Ahaz later, when Uzziah, for whom Jotham had acted as regent, was already dead.)
“Although so young, Ahaz seems at once to have struck out an independent course wholly opposed to the religious traditions of his nation. His first steps in this direction were the causing to be made and circulated of molten images of the Baalim, and the revival in the valley of Hinnom, south of the city, of the abominations of the worship of Moloch (2Ch_28:2, 2Ch_28:3). He is declared to have made his own son “pass through the fire” (2Ki_16:3); the chronicler puts it even more strongly: he “burnt his children in the fire” (2Ch_28:3). Other acts of idolatry were to follow.” [These acts are spelled out in detail in 2Chronicles 28.]

Hezekiah

Hezeki'ah. (the might of Jehovah). The ISBE informs us that he was the twelfth king of Judah, son of the apostate, Ahaz and Abi or Abijah, ascended the throne at the age of 25, B.C. 726. Hezekiah was one of the three most perfect kings of Judah. 2Ki_18:5. Sir_49:4. His first act was to purge, repair and reopen, with splendid sacrifices and perfect ceremonial, the Temple. He also destroyed a brazen serpent, said to have been the one used by Moses, in the miraculous healing of the Israelites, Num_21:9, which had become an object of adoration.”
“He refused to acknowledge the supremacy of Assyria. 2Ki_18:7. The instant war was imminent Hezekiah used every available means to strengthen himself. 2Ki_20:20.”

 “It was probably at this dangerous crisis in his kingdom, that we find him sick and sending for Isaiah, who prophesies death as the result. 2Ki_20:1. Hezekiah's prayer for longer life is heard. The prophet had hardly left the palace when he was ordered to return and promise the king immediate recovery and fifteen years more of life. 2Ki_20:4. An embassy coming from Babylon ostensibly to compliment Hezekiah on his convalescence, but really to form an alliance between the two powers, is favorably received by the king, who shows them the treasures which he had accumulated. For this, Isaiah foretells the punishment that shall befall his house. 2Ki_20:17.”