A Walking Maniac

16 months TODAY and you’re FINALLY cruising all over the place completely on your own. The crawling days are over, there’s no turning back. I’m thankful not to have rushed this new milestone. I’m becoming less and less of a freak about you growing up…I’m not exactly thrilled about it—but the emotional basket case I once was about you leaving the baby stage is long gone. Seeing you explore, trying new things (although very cautious when doing so), becoming quite the independent tike brings me a new sense of pride….and endless laughter. Your Frankenstein/penguin style of walking these days constantly has your dad and I laughing (hmm, there’s an idea for a Halloween costume). Our prayer is still the same for you bud.

What does the Lord require of you?! Micah 6:8 answers the question --- "To do justice, to love kindness, and to WALK humbly with your God." How will the world know that you are WALKING humbly with your God? They will know by the way you treat people. Those who WALK humbly with their God have a passionate concern for justice being done in society, and a deep concern to treat people lovingly and mercifully.

We love you and are so proud of you. Happy 16^th month Birthday!! ????

Just for fun. The more I study or learn about Micah The Minor Prophet the more I love that we named you that.

THE PUNS OF MICAH

"The latter part of the 1st chapter (1:10-16) reveals the prophet's skill as a communicator. He uses a play on words, showing that he is as clever a punster as he is a strikingly gifted poet!" (Briscoe). Efforts to render these into English may be seen in the translations of Moffat and Phillips. It is "the longest series of sustained puns in the OT, in which Micah describes the advance of the Assyrian army through his section of country" (Jack P. Lewis).

For example --- Gath (1:10) sounds like the Hebrew word for tell, so it's as if he were saying, "Tell it not in Tell City." Also, in 1:10 he writes, "In Beth-le-aphrah (house of dust) roll yourself in the dust." Zaanan (1:11) means "going out," so he is saying, "Those of you in 'Go Out City' will not go out." Etc.

"Imagine an American preacher saying, 'Living in Pittsburgh is the pits,' or 'Los Angeles is not a city of angels,' or 'Wisconsin should only be pronounced Wiscon-sin.' That would get the people's attention. Micah was having a problem getting his message across to the people so he chose this dramatic vehicle to reach them" (Briscoe).

The name Micah is a shortened form of Micaiah which means "Who is like unto the Lord?" The longer form of this name appears (In the Hebrew text) in Jeremiah 26:18. In Micah 7:18 a word play is made on his name. "Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?"