READING FOR JANUARY 19, 2026: MICAH 7 JOHN 12, PSALM 144:9-15 MICAH 7 The prophet shows that, as a resident of Judah, he was not immune from feeling God’s punishment/discipline directed against the kingdom, even though he himself was faithful to God. That may have relevance for Christians in America, which has been losing its Christian orientation in recent decades. His pain is not only felt through material limitations, but more significantly through the breakdown of goodwill among people. The relationships of citizen to leader, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, wife to husband, and parent to child are totally dysfunctional and cannot be trusted because of extreme self-centeredness.
Despite this personal and national pain from God, Micah determines not lose faith in God. He knows that God will eventually rescue him in ways that will be obvious to His enemies. The exact time is not clear from the text of this prophesied deliverance for God’s people and the accompanying worldwide destruction. As for us, we know as believers that even if deliverance doesn’t happen in this earthly life of ours, it will certainly happen in the next life.
Although the prophet is certain of this great day, he still prays for its arrival (vs. 14). In a way, don’t we do the same when we pray to the Father for His Kingdom to come to earth as it is in Heaven. The early Christians often greeted one another with the ancient Aramaic expression “Maranatha,” which means “Come Lord!” We also should long for this day.
This assurance prompts Micah to offer praise for God’s character and works:
- He pardons wrongdoing for those who trust Him, called His remnant (vs. 18).
- His anger gives way to mercy. This happens for believers today because of the cross (vs. 18).
- He casts our sins into the sea so that we stand pure before Him in Jesus’s righteousness (vs. 19).
- We will experience truth and favor forever as God’s covenant people (vs. 20).
JOHN 12 This chapter opens with a dinner given in Jesus’ honor when he returned to Bethany and ate with his old friends. (Did you notice who was serving and who was at his feet? ☺ And no one says anything about it. Apparently, Mary and Martha have found peace with their unique ways of relating to Jesus) Here is the much-loved story of Mary anointing Jesus with precious ointment. We love the way she loved him with such reckless abandon – costly in dollar value and social status. But we’re a bit confused about how Jesus respond- ed to her action. It’s hard to understand (and difficult for Bible translators), but it seems evident he received it as a gift from her and perceived the anointing to be a prophetic act pointing to his soon-coming death.
John 12 takes place as the spring feast of Passover was approaching, but it is filled with symbols of Hanukkah, a winter festival remembering Judas Maccabaeus’ defeat of pagan invaders and cleansing of the Temple in 164 BC. At that time, Judas became king of Israel, and his followers entered the city waving palm branches in celebration. Now as Jesus is entering the city for Passover, crowds rush to meet him with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna” which means “God, save us!” In this pageantry Jesus and his followers were enacting or fulfilling both Passover and Hanukkah, declaring that Jesus was Israel’s true king who was coming to claim his
READING FOR JANUARY 19, 2026 CONTINUED: JOHN 12, PSALM 144:9-15 throne and set Israel free once and for all. Even the fact that Jesus entered the city riding a donkey added to this imagery, drawing on Zechariah’s prophecies. What they didn’t realize yet, though, was that in order for this to come to pass, Jesus would have to fulfill Passover in another way – by becoming the Lamb sacrificed to deliver his people from death.
Remember that at the wedding in Cana, Jesus said that his time had not yet come (John 2:4) and later when the leaders tried to arrest Jesus, they were not able to because, John told us (7:30), his hour had not yet come. Now we see events moving toward a climax and Jesus himself declares (12:23), “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”
What prompted him to say this? Gentiles (Greeks) were asking to see him. They ask to see Jesus, and he goes off on a seeming tangent about seeds and plants and life and death and servants and masters. Why does he answer like this? It seems that he is saying that if the Gentiles are seeking him, if they want to receive this life he is offering, if they want to come into the fold of the true Shepherd, the time has come for him to bring his earthly work to completion. The salvation and deliverance he would offer would come through his death. The time had come for him to lay down his life for the sheep – the sheep of Israel and the sheep of other flocks that he would bring in.
This chapter is the final public appearance of Jesus until the trial and crucifixion. It is his final public teaching. He uses it to urge people to receive him and his words, to step into the light while the light is still available. He reminds them that he has come for their benefit so they may have light and life, the light and life that comes from God and that will carry them through into eternity. He doesn’t condemn those who don’t believe but insists that the truth of his teaching will be known and that truth will be the judge on the last day.
The book of John shifts at this point, and Jesus begins to walk toward the cross. The journey will take us through the following week, with symbolic actions (John 13), tender and deeply theological teaching (John 14-16) and prayer that invites us into the very heart and life of our Savior (John 17)
PSALM 144:9-15 What does David do when faced with enemies? He sings a newly composed song and accompanies himself with that day’s equivalent of the piano (10 strings instead of today’s 88). Notice his singing and playing are directed at God, not a concert audience. Do we minimize the power of music to communicate praise to God and to appeal to Him for action on our behalf? Perhaps the last five verses represent the stanzas of this new song. Verse 11 pleads for deliverance from David enemies. Lord, defeat any force thwarting our church’s service for You. Verse 12 prays for establishing Israel’s sons and daughters. Lord, establish the faith of all our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren at our church who don’t know you. Verses 13-14 ask for adequate food. Lord, we thank you for blessing us with food enough to share with others; help us continue this ministry. Verse 15 affirms that those whose God is the Lord will be blessed. Lord, may we at YMC seek first the kingdom of God and not be distracted by lesser gods of entertainment, comfort, and self-absorption.
