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MEMORY VERSE: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).

Suggested Reading: Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, pp. 306–313.

“Those who have a humble, trusting, contrite heart, God accepts, and hears their prayer; and when God helps, all obstacles will be overcome.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 539.

1. IN GOD’S EYES Sun, Feb 22

a. With what simple explanation was the prophet Micah bidden to summarize our duty toward God?

Micah 6:8: He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

“The words and law of God, written in the soul, and exhibited in a consecrated, holy life, have a powerful influence to convict the world. Covetousness, which is idolatry, and envy, and love of the world, will be rooted from the hearts of those who are obedient to Christ, and it will be their pleasure to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God. Oh, how much is comprised in this, walking humbly before God! The law of God, if written in the heart, will bring the mind and will into subjection to the obedience of Christ.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 201.

b. How are we reminded about the need for sterling integrity?

Micah 6:11: Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?

“A slight deviation from truth, a little variation from the requirements of God, is thought to be, after all, not so very sinful, when pecuniary gain or loss is involved. But sin is sin, whether committed by the possessor of millions or by the beggar in the streets. Those who secure property by false representations are bringing condemnation on their souls.”—Ibid., vol. 4, p. 311.

2. OUR CONDITION VS. GOD’S GLORY Mon, Feb 23

a. What apt description is given of the condition of God’s professed people in Micah’s day?

Micah 7:2–4: 2 The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. 3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. 4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.

“This was indeed a time of great peril for the chosen nation. Only a few short years, and the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel were to be scattered among the nations of heathendom. And in the kingdom of Judah also the outlook was dark. The forces for good were rapidly diminishing, the forces for evil multiplying.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 324.

b. What perspective helps us stay focused on our need for God?

Micah 7:5–7: 5 Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; 6 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. 7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Psalm 60:11: Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!

c. Describe the precious hope all are privileged to grasp by faith.

Micah 7:8, 9: 8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.

“Heaven’s plan of salvation is broad enough to embrace the whole world. God longs to breathe into prostrate humanity the breath of life. And He will not permit any soul to be disappointed who is sincere in his longing for something higher and nobler than anything the world can offer. Constantly He is sending His angels to those who, while surrounded by circumstances the most discouraging, pray in faith for some power higher than themselves to take possession of them and bring deliverance and peace. In various ways God will reveal Himself to them and will place them in touch with providences that will establish their confidence in the One who has given Himself a ransom for all, ‘that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.’ Psalm 78:7.”—Prophets and Kings, pp. 377, 378.

d. How does Micah plainly extol the character of God?

Micah 7:18, 19: 18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

“Glorious truth!—just to His own law, and yet the Justifier of all that believe in Jesus.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 116.

3. JUST, MERCIFUL, COMPLETE Tue, Feb 24

a. How can we summarize the perfect balance in God’s character?

Nahum 1:3: The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

“He who dwells in the heavenly sanctuary judges righteously. His pleasure is more in His people, struggling with temptation in a world of sin, than in the host of angels that surround His throne.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 176.

“The long-suffering of God is wonderful. Long does justice wait while mercy pleads with the sinner.”—Ibid., p. 177.

b. In realizing that the mercy of God is vital to our existence, of what else do we need to be continually mindful?

Nahum 1:5–8: 5 The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. 7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. 8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

“God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish; but His forbearance has a limit, and when the boundary is past, there is no second probation. His wrath will go forth and He will destroy without remedy.

“When men, being in power, oppress and spoil their fellow men, and no earthly tribunal can be found to do justice, God will interpose in behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. He will punish for every act of oppression. No earthly wisdom can secure wrongdoers against the judgments of heaven. And when men put their trust in earthly powers instead of their Maker, when they become lifted up in pride and self-confidence, God will in His own time make them to be despised.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 946.

“The world has become bold in transgression of God’s law. Because of His long forbearance, men have trampled upon His authority. They have strengthened one another in oppression and cruelty toward His heritage, saying, ‘How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?’ Psalm 73:11. But there is a line beyond which they cannot pass. The time is near when they will have reached the prescribed limit. Even now they have almost exceeded the bounds of the long-suffering of God, the limits of His grace, the limits of His mercy. The Lord will interpose to vindicate His own honor, to deliver His people, and to repress the swellings of unrighteousness.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 177, 178.

c. How do we know that sin will not reappear in the new earth?

Nahum 1:9: What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.

4. A MODERN SCENE Wed, Feb 25

a. What scene does Nahum depict as pointing to the last days before Christ’s return—and what should this make us consider as a priority in today’s fast-paced environment?

Nahum 2:3, 4: 3 The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet. The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished. 4 The chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning.

John 9:4: We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

“Sound an alarm through the land. Tell the people that the day of the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly. Let none be left unwarned. . . .

“We have no time to lose. The powers of darkness are working with intense energy, and with stealthy tread Satan is advancing to take those who are now asleep, as a wolf taking his prey. We have warnings now which we may give, a work now which we may do, but soon it will be more difficult than we imagine. . . .

“The coming of the Lord is nearer than when we first believed. The great controversy is nearing its end. Every report of calamity by sea or land is a testimony to the fact that the end of all things is at hand. Wars and rumors of wars declare it. Is there a Christian whose pulse does not beat with quickened action as he anticipates the great events opening before us?

“The Lord is coming. We hear the footsteps of an approaching God, as He comes to punish the world for its iniquity. We are to prepare the way for Him by acting our part in getting a people ready for that great day.”—Evangelism, pp. 218, 219.

“Every power lent us by God, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, is to be sacredly cherished to do the work assigned us for our fellow men who are perishing in their ignorance.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 180.

“Every church member who has a knowledge of the truth is expected to work while the day lasts; for the night cometh, wherein no man can work.”—Ibid., vol. 9, p. 26.

b. Describe the fate of all who reject God’s mercy—receiving His fury, as shown toward Nineveh in Assyria.

Nahum 2:8–11: 8 Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away. “Halt! Halt! ” they cry, but none turns back. 9 Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! There is no end of the treasure or of the wealth of all precious things. 10 Desolate! Desolation and ruin! Hearts melt and knees tremble; anguish is in all loins; all faces grow pale! 11 Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb?

“With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps account with the nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to repentance, this account remains open; but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath begins. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. Mercy no longer pleads in their behalf.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 364.

5. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF Thu, Feb 26

a. How is Assyria’s downfall depicted—and why is this especially relevant now?

Nahum 3:7, 12, 13, 18, 19: 7 And all who look at you will shrink from you and say, “Wasted is Nineveh; who will grieve for her? ” Where shall I seek comforters for you? 12 All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs—if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater. 13 Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars. 18 Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains with none to gather them. 19 There is no easing your hurt; your wound is grievous. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil?

“Great was the glory of the Assyrian realm; great was its downfall.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 365.

“The pride of Assyria and its fall are to serve as an object lesson to the end of time. Of the nations of earth today who in arrogance and pride array themselves against Him, God inquires, ‘To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth.’ ”—Ibid., p. 366.

b. How is a similar scene soon to occur?

Revelation 18:7–11, 15–18: 7 As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see. ’ 8 For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her. ” 9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come. ” 11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 16 “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste. ”And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city? ”

“[Revelation 18:11, 3, 15–17 quoted.] Such are the judgments that fall upon Babylon in the day of the visitation of God’s wrath. She has filled up the measure of her iniquity; her time has come; she is ripe for destruction.

“When the voice of God turns the captivity of His people, there is a terrible awakening of those who have lost all in the great conflict of life. While probation continued they were blinded by Satan’s deceptions, and they justified their course of sin. The rich prided themselves upon their superiority to those who were less favored; but they had obtained their riches by violation of the law of God. They had neglected to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to deal justly, and to love mercy. They had sought to exalt themselves and to obtain the homage of their fellow creatures. Now they are stripped of all that made them great and are left destitute and defenseless. They look with terror upon the destruction of the idols which they preferred before their Maker.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 653, 654.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS Fri, Feb 27

1. According to Micah 6:8, what three simple things are required of us?

2. Why only is there hope even for the worst sinner?

3. Why is humility a necessary virtue God values, especially today?

4. As many today are doomed to Nineveh’s fate, what should we prioritize?

5. In what sense does the fall of Babylon relate to a neglect of Micah 6:8?