The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet 1608 Micah 1

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Micah is the sixth book among the twelve wondrous works called the Minor Prophets, which are not really "minor" at all in terms of their importance. It is only because these twelve books are shorter in length than the writings of the other prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah that they are called "minor". Of course, if we called them the "short" prophets there would be people reading this study who would think that "the prophets who wrote them were not very tall" (No, really!). 

Nevertheless, in all the Hebrew manuscripts and printed Hebrew Bibles the twelve Minor Prophets are written and printed in unbroken sequence and are combined together to form one book, just as the twelve Tribes of Israel, each a separate entity in Israel, combined to form one nation.

We shall begin our study of Micah in the same manner we begin studying all the prophets and that is by understanding the meaning of his name. People often overlook the fact that names have significant meanings in the Bible and the names of the prophets reflect the nature or character of their work. For instance, "El" in Hebrew means God and is the suffix of many names such as:

Samu-el = Asked of God or God-heard
Ezeki-el = God is strong or God strengthens
Dani-el = God is Judge
Jo-el = Yah is God
Micha-el = Who is like unto God?

Isai-ah = The Salvation of God
Jeremi-ah = Whom God raises up, launches forth
Obadi-ah = Servant of God
Zephani-ah = Hidden of God
Zechari-ah = Remembered of God
Mic-ah = Who is like God?
Yah-shua = God's Savior = Jesus

Jeremiah 10:6
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

No, Satan always appears as an "angel of light" to enlighten the minds of men and women. And it is written that he shall soon be cast out of heaven with his angelic entourage (Rev. 12:7-9) and he will come to this earth as Jesus Christ though he will be the the false-Christ, the spurious messiah, the "Instead of Jesus", as in an imposter. The apostle Paul made it perfectly clear in 2 Thes. 2 that Satan will come showing great signs and wonders and sit in the temple of God claiming that he is God.

2 Thes. 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Micah 1:1
The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

The very first thing we learn is that this Book of Micah is the Word of the LORD, not the words of men or a man, though a prophet was used as the instrument of His communication! Therefore, if you are one who "loves the Lord" (Jn. 14:15) and seeks His wisdom which comes from understanding and keeping His commands, i.e. His Word, then labor prayerfully (as in do a little work according to 2 Tim. 2:15) to understand this incredible Book of Micah. Always remember Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

Let us see what the second important thing is we learn from Micah 1:1.

Micah 1:1
The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Micah 1:2
Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

Deut. 32:1
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Isaiah 1:2
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

So what shall the Lord GOD say to those who plead ignorance on the day He returns and who claim they have been good Christians? Shall He not ask, "Have you never read the Book of Micah? How about Joel? How about Amos? How about Deuteronomy or Revelation?" Well, read Mat. 7:21-23 and you will discover exactly what He will say to those foolish virgins who go to church every Sunday and volunteer to help with all sorts of charities and church activities and say Lord, Lord, and teach their traditions in the name of Christ:

Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Make no mistake about it. The Lord God is soon coming to do some "treading" of the winepress as announced in the next verse for the very reason just stated (see Micah 1:5).

Micah 1:3
For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

Rev. 19:11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.

Rev. 19:14
And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

[15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Isaiah 46:9
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

Rev. 19:16
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Micah 1:1
The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

* Note: For those who receive this study in plain text format you will not be able to see that we highlighted the first letter of each of the names of these kings to form an English acrostic, JAH.

Jotham = "Yah is upright"

Jotham followed Yahveh but unlike Hezekiah he did not take down nor interfere with the "high places" at which the people worshipped other gods. In other words, he allowed gross idolatry to continue in the land.

Ahaz = "Possessor"

Ahaz did not walk in the ways of the Lord. He was a flaming idolater who even caused his son to "pass through the fire" (2 Kings 16:3) which is Molech worship, and he sacrificed and burnt incense on "high places and under green trees". To wit, Ahaz was not buried in the royal sepulcher. It should also be pointed out that Hosea, Micah and Isaiah all prophesied during the entire reign of idolatrous Ahaz.

Hezekiah = "Strength of Yah"

Hezekiah was a good king and did walk in the ways of the Lord. He cleansed the temple of all idolatrous images, including even the image of the brazen serpent (which Moses made in the wilderness) because the people were burning incense to it. Hezekiah also called a solemn assembly and brought back the feast of Passover. He did however pay tribute for awhile to Sennacherib to stave off invasion but after hearing the wise counsel from Isaiah he humbled himself before the Lord and trusted in Him for deliverance. Now that is real "strength"!

Micah 1:1
The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Next we will discover where "watch mountain" (which is what Samaria means) lies today and learn "the naked truth" about what the actual "sin of Samaria" is!

There are two important things concerning "Samaria" and "Jerusalem" that one must know and understand in order to "See" the vision of the prophet Micah, whose name in Hebrew means "Who is Yah? or Who is like Yahveh?" The first thing one needs to know is that although these cities historically were the capitals of the House of Israel and the House of Judah respectively, the second and third verses in the Book of Micah let us know that his vision concerning Samaria and Jerusalem was for the same time as the visions of Joel and Amos and Daniel, etc., i.e. for "time of the end" when as Micah 1:3 states that " the LORD (shall) cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth." Remember also that Micah was a Morasthite from Moresheth-gath (Micah 1:14) which means "Possession of the Winepress" which further documents the timeframe of Micah's vision to the wise of this generation who know from studying God's Word that the "treading of the winepress" by He who "possesses the winepress" occurs at the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

Here it is:

Rev. 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

[16] And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

*Note: Does it make sense to you that the United States of America, the greatest superpower in the history of the world, would be left out of endtime Biblical prophecy? Of course not! So if you don't know who and where the true house of Israel is today, then contact Artisan Publishers at www.artisanpublishers.com and purchase the little booklet The Abrahamic Covenant, by E. Raymond Capt.) or log unto pamphlets (Live Links to->>)#1064 and #1020 on this web site.

The second important thing we must learn and understand in order to "See" the vision of the prophet Micah is what the "sin of Samaria" is. This is extremely important for it is for this very reason, i.e. because of the "sin of Samaria", that the LORD comes forth out of His place to "tread the winepress" in His vineyard! However be forewarned that the "sin of Samaria" is a very difficult thing for most Christians to "see and understand" because they could not even begin to imagine that their church or church denomination could possibly be connected in any way to the apostasy which is so widespread among today's churchianity, even though Jesus Christ told us that the majority would be deceived by Christian ministers in these last days (Mk. 13:6). 

You see, by its very definition a person who is deceived does not know he or she is deceived. How could they possibly know? They are deceived! Have you ever met anyone who told you that what they believe to be true is actually not true? In other words, how could one believe that which he or she deems to be true, to also be in error, for then he would no longer believe it to be true, but rather error? Furthermore, if you do not know something then you do not know that you do not know it. 

For example, if you did not know that the Scots in their own Declaration of Independence known as "The Writ of Arbroath" trace their lineage back to their forefathers who came out of Egypt, then you did not know you did not know that. But now you do! Check it out.

We learned in our last study that the LORD is going to come forth out of His place, and come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth, and He informs us through Micah of His reasons for doing so! 

Let us read and understand what those reasons are from the letter He wrote to us by the hands of His prophet.

Micah 1:3
For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

[4] And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

"The mountains (nation) shall melt under Him as wax before the fire and flow into the valleys like water running down a steep hill."

The next verse gives us the reason for His wrath to come:

Micah 1:5
For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?

transgression = òLÛtÆpesha€peh'-shah Strong's #6588
From H6586; a revolt (national, moral or religious):—rebellion, sin, transgression, trespassive

H6586 òLÛtÈpaòsha€paw-shah'
A primitive root (rather identical with H6585 through the idea of expansion); to break away (from just authority), that is, trespass, apostatize, quarrel:— offend, rebel, revolt, transgress (-ion, -or).

sin = äShÈç— chatÖtÖaò�aòh,khat-tawth'Strong's #2403
From H2398; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender:—punishment (of sin), purifying (-fication for sin), sin (-ner, offering).

The sin of America is spiritual adultery, which is apostasy, which is IDOLATRY! It is the profanation of the high places (churches) which should be Beth-els, "houses of God" where the Word of God is to be taught, but which are instead Beth-avens, "houses of emptiness", because even though they call themselves Christian, most of them, are void of His Word, being taught book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. 

You see, all the pestilences and social ills we have in our country are simply manifestations of the root cause, which is the lack of proper spiritual nutrition, the lack of "daily bread" from the table of the Lord. Jesus Christ said in Mat. 24 and Mark 13 that in the last days there would be famine in the land and Amos documents that He was speaking spiritually of that "daily bread" which comes from the Bread of Life, the Word of God.

Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

[12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

1 Kings 12:27
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

Here is something you may not know, thanks to the churches. The translators of the King James Bible wrote two letters in their introductory to their work. 

The first one, which you can read in most any King James Bible, they wrote to King James himself praising him for authorizing and commissioning the translation, which properly interpreted means "Thanks for the funding!" (I jest... sort of.)

The second letter was written to YOU, the English reader, giving you the behind the scenes look into the mechanics of their work and the criticism and buffeting they endured from guess who? That's right, the religious community! Of course you cannot read this letter in most any King James Bible, today, because the publishers at the behest of the religious community have removed it from your eyes because it exposes them to the light of truth! 

Here is just one excerpt from that "Translators to the Reader":

Let us now continue in 1 Kings with the "sin of Samaria".

1 Kings 12:28
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

[29] And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

[30] And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

[31] And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

Mark 13:5-6
And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:

[6] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Now "take heed" to what else Jeroboam did.

1 Kings 12:32
And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

[33] So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

2 Kings 13:6
Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)

Now check out "grove" (2 Kings 13:6) worship in a Bible Dictionary. The "grove" is where our Easter originates which our people blindly and vainly keep in the name of Christianity.

grove =  äøˆLÙà äøˆéLÙà �aõsheòraòh �aõsheòyraòh ash-ay-raw', ash-ay-raw' Strong's #842
From H833; happy; asherah (or Astarte) a Phoenician goddess; also an image of the same:—grove. Compare H6253.

The image of a male's penis! (There I said it!)

Again, it is because of the "transgression of Jacob" which is "Samaria", i.e. the sin of Samaria, that makes our Father so angry. He is soon going to put a stop to it and destroy churchianity and idoltratous worship in His vineyard when He comes forth out of His place and treads upon the high places of the land.

Micah 1:6
Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.

The churches and religious systems (churches) of this nation, that Satan has built, are coming down. They will be leveled and plowed under like a field overturned and ready for planting. The Lord will come down out of His place (vs. 3) and will tear down the walls of the fake temple (religion) Satan has built (stones, i.e. '666', "The little rock, Satan, and his offspring/grand-children, his little pebbles") of the high places and expose her very foundations. The false priests, the hirelings, have built up a false sense of security with their traditions like the Rapture Theory and have whitewashed the truth of God's Word with their traditions of men. 

Ezekiel 13:2
Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

[3] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

These foolish prophets have not "seen" the visions of the prophets like Micah and Joel and Daniel that the sons and daughters "see" in these last days (Acts 2:17). 

They do and teach their own thing!

[4] O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

[5] Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

[6] They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

[7] Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

Ezekiel 13:14
So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Micah 1:7
And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

So ready or not, like it or not, or know it or not, He is soon coming to tread upon the high places (churches) of the land!

We documented in previous studies that Micah's vision concerns that which shall befall our people in these last days. However, some scholars and critics are quick to point out the historical fulfillment of prophecies and then claim those fulfillments are all there is and all that was intended to be foretold. Of course by admitting that there was an historical fulfillment of the prophecies they are actually admitting that God's Word came to pass and is therefore true.

Nevertheless, they are correct in stating that there was an historical fulfillment of many of the prophecies and visions of the prophets. The part they miss is that all those "things" happened to our ancestors as types so we could "See" an enactment, an example, to give us a clear PICTURE to be able understand what shall befall us spiritually in these last days when HIS STORY repeats itself. 

Here is what Paul said following his short dissertation of the history of our fathers who "were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea", etc. (1 Cor. 10:11).

1 Cor. 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

You see, there are a lot (the majority) of our beloved Christian brothers and sisters who go to churches and follow the traditions of men and who truly believe they are in good standing with the Father. Furthermore, many of them (the majority) feel safe and secure because they have been told they are going to be raptured away into the clouds when the Assyrian invasion occurs (i.e. when the "vile-person" comes). 

That means they not only have not read and understood 2 Thes. chapter 2 but it is evident that they do not know Bible history very well because the ENTIRE endtime scenario of the coming of the false-christ (the king of Babylon) and the great tribulation has already been ACTED OUT and can be read and understood by anyone who desires to take the time to study His Word. Have you ever studied to understand the entire Book of Ezekiel for example? Here is what Paul has to say about the "things" that happened of old that are written for our admonition:

[12] Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

But if you have not "taken heed" then do not cry to your Father when He comes to tread the winepress and you find you are one of the squishees! Again, we were just told by our Father through the apostle Paul to study what happened to our ancestors and guess WHERE that information is recorded? That's right, in the Word of God, actually mostly in the Old Testament. So "Take heed" and study ALL of God's Word, lest like our forefathers who listened to their preachers (instead of the prophets) who told them they would not be invaded and taken captive, you FALL as prey in like manner as they did. By the way, the same prophets who warned our forefathers are "alive" today and they are here to warn us!

There names are Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, Micah, John, etc., etc. Most people however would rather listen to some preacher or minister than listen to God's prophets. Oh well! There is nothing new under the sun, is there?

Earlier we learned that the great sin of our people (the sin of Samaria) is false religion set up and disguised as Christianity, the likes of which will surely lead our people to worship the False Messiah when he is cast out of heaven to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9). We also learned that God is going to turn our land into "an heap of the field" and "pour down the stones (666) thereof into the valley" and lay her foundations BARE (Micah 1:6) and her "graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces" and "all the hires thereof shall be burned with fire" and "all the idols thereof will He lay desolate" (Micah 1:7).

We now come to verses 8-16 in this first chapter of Micah which tell in a uniquely structured format the whole sad story of the inevitability and the incurability of that which we just read concerning Samaria being "turned into an heap of the field". It begins with a lamentation and mourning cry (vs. 8) and ends with His call to lamentation and mourning for this generation of children (vs. 16).

It should be pointed out that in the Hebrew manuscripts there are frequent Paronomasias in verses 10-14.  Paronomasias are figures of speech that are a play on words which sound alike, i.e. they tend to rhyme, but which do not necessarily have the same sense or meanings. An example in English would be our saying "No Pain, No Gain". Paronomasias  make sense, they rhyme, and they're fun to say. (For further study on the Paronomasias see appendix 6 in the "Companion Bible" and the notes on Micah 1:10-14, page 1254.)

We now begin with the lamentation and mourning cry:

Micah 1:8
Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.

[9] For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

Micah will now give us his vision and expound upon the sad story to befall our people by prophesying (teaching us) using the names (in mostly Paronomasia form) of twelve cities located to the southwest of Judah beginning with Gath, which as you should know well by now means "winepress", the subject that is being discussed. All one needs to do in order to understand what is being said in these verses is to look up the meaning of the names of each of these towns and put that together with the words spoken by Micah concerning them.

Micah 1:10
Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.

Do not go weeping and crying out to God when He comes to tread the winepress, especially if your church was more important than "seeking Him" and "drawing close to Him" through His Word. Where is common sense in Christianity today? Is the question not valid that asks "How it is that if Jesus Christ is the Word of God a person can say he or she truly knows Him if he or she does NOT know the Word?" Go figure! And if you do not take the time to know Him, then how shall He say He knows you? James 4:8 instructs us to "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you..."

Think about it as we read what our Christian brothers and sisters whom we addressed earlier will say to the Lord on that great day He returns.

Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Sorry you foolish virgins who sought Beth-el (i.e. church) instead of seeking Him through His Word thereby filling your lamps with oil. You were told by the prophet Amos to seek Him and not Bethel! Amos 5:4-5 "For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: [5] But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought".

"Dust-town, roll yourself in the dust", even like those who "lick the dust like a serpent". Micah 7:17 "They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee."

You know who the one is who is lower than a snake's belly and eats dust, don't you? He is the "glistening one" who is soon coming as the false messiah and the majority of Christians will worship him as Jesus Christ. You cannot get any lower as a Christian than rolling in the dust with Satan, now can you? Genesis 3:14 "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"

Micah 1:11
Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Beth-ezel; he shall receive of you his standing.

Your beauty shall become shameful nakedness. The Paronomasia in Hebrew is "Saphyir es Suafir", i.e. "Saphyir" now becomes "es Suafir"!

"Lo yatsah... tzanan" means "not gone out hath the inhabitants of Outhouse". There will be no safe haven as in there will be no more green pastures to go out into (for they will have all been consumed by the locust).

Again, her wound is incurable and there is none who can help. Your neighbors cannot help you.

[12] For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.

Though many are expecting good (like a rapture) because they think they stand, yet shall they drink bitter waters and grieve bitterly as their goods are taken away.

[13] O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.

Lachish was the first town in Judah to be infected with the incurable virus of false religious worship from the high places, the groves of Samaria. So "larekesh... lakish", i.e. go ahead and yoke up a chariot to the fastest horses you can and see if you can escape the swiftness of His coming! Good luck, Christian! There is none like Yahveh!

[14] Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

You cannot buy your way out for your possessions and your wealth cannot save you. You shall give them all up to the "possessor of the winepress".

"Akzib... le akzab". The houses of False Religion shall be proven false! You see, when the "high places" are leveled to the ground and "the foundations are discovered" there will be found nothing but "sand". Matthew 7:26 "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand."

We already read that "not everyone that saith unto Him, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven". How many times and in how many different ways can it be said: Foolish men (virgins) may think themselves to be good fatihful Christians and are expecting good things at Maroth, but how bitter and shameful it will be when they stand naked and exposed as harlots because of the "sin of Samaria". Yes, spiritually speaking (in their ignorance of His Word) they wholeheartedly participate in the idolatrous grove worship and sexual orgies of Astarte. Have you ever read the Book of Hosea?

[15] Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.

God will bring forth a false one (a possessor, i.e. heir) to become the leader of our people. In other words, He shall send the Assyrian (the false Messiah) to possess the land. And what of our supposed great leaders? They will flock to him and then shall hide themselves in caves for the shame of their spiritual nakedness when the Messiah returns!

Rev. 6:15
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

Why will they hide themselves? Because they will be ashamed to face Him and they will be fearful of His wrath because of their idolatry, their participation in the "sin of Samaria"!

[16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

[17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Micah 1:16
Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

Who shall be able to stand? Will you?