Micah

Overview

Micah came from Moresheth, probably Moresheth-gath, a farming town in the Shephelah, the low hills south-west of Jerusalem. He prophesied "in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem" (1:1), roughly 740–700 BC. He was a younger contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. During his ministry Assyria destroyed Samaria (722 BC) and then overran Judah's towns under Sennacherib (701 BC), including Micah's own region. A century later, elders cited his warning that "Zion shall be plowed like a field" and recalled that Hezekiah took it to heart and repented (Jeremiah 26:18–19).

Micah's name means "Who is like the LORD?" The book plays on it in its closing words (7:18). It falls into three cycles, each opening with "Hear" and each moving from judgement to hope: chapters 1–2, chapters 3–5, and chapters 6–7. Some scholars think parts of chapters 4–7 were added later, perhaps after the exile. The book is read here as it stands.

Part 1 — Judgement on Samaria and Judah (chapters 1–2)

The LORD comes down (1:2–7). "Hear, all ye people… the LORD cometh forth out of his place… the mountains shall be molten under him." The cause is "the transgression of Jacob". "What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?" Samaria will become "an heap of the field", its stones poured into the valley and its idols beaten to pieces.

The prophet's lament (1:8–16). "Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked." Samaria's wound "is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem." Micah runs through the towns of his home region, Gath, Beth-le-aphrah, Lachish and Moresheth, punning on each name as he describes the invader's route.

Land-grabbers (2:1–11). "Woe to them that devise iniquity… upon their beds!… they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away." Families lose their God-given inheritance. Micah's hearers tell him, "Prophesy ye not." He retorts that a liar who promised "wine and… strong drink" would be the prophet this people wants.

The remnant gathered (2:12–13). "I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah." "The breaker is come up before them… and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them."

Part 2 — Corrupt Leaders and the Coming King (chapters 3–5)

Rulers who devour (3:1–4). The heads of Jacob, who should know justice, "hate the good, and love the evil". Micah uses the image of butchers who "pluck off their skin… and chop them in pieces, as for the pot." When they cry out, God will not answer.

False and true prophets (3:5–8). Prophets cry "Peace" to whoever feeds them and "prepare war" against whoever does not, so night will fall on them with no vision. "But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin."

Zion ploughed (3:9–12). Judges take bribes, priests teach for hire and prophets divine for money, "yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us." "Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps."

The mountain of the LORD (4:1–8). "In the last days" the temple mount will be raised above the hills and nations will stream to it: "for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks… neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid" (4:3–4, paralleling Isaiah 2:2–4). The lame and the outcast will be gathered, and the LORD will reign in Zion for ever.

Labour pains and rescue (4:9–5:1). Zion will writhe "like a woman in travail" and go out into the fields "even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered". The nations gathered against her do not understand God's plan.

The ruler from Bethlehem (5:2–15). "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (5:2). In Matthew 2:6 the scribes cite this verse to Herod as the Messiah's birthplace. "He shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD… And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come." The remnant of Jacob will be "as a dew from the LORD" among the nations. God will remove horses, chariots, sorcery and idols from Israel.

Part 3 — The Lord's Case and the Final Hope (chapters 6–7)

The covenant lawsuit (6:1–5). The mountains are called as witnesses. "O my people, what have I done unto thee?… For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt… and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." God recalls how Balaam blessed instead of cursing.

What the LORD requires (6:6–8). The worshipper asks: "Wherewith shall I come before the LORD?… with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression?" The answer is one of the best-known verses in the Old Testament: "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?" (6:8).

Wicked scales (6:9–16). The city keeps "the scant measure", "wicked balances" and "deceitful weights". Its people "eat, but not be satisfied" because they keep "the statutes of Omri" and the works of Ahab's house.

The prophet's lament and resolve (7:1–7). "The good man is perished out of the earth." No friend or family member can be trusted, and "a man's enemies are the men of his own house" (quoted by Jesus in Matthew 10:36). "Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."

Rising from the dark (7:8–17). "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me." Jerusalem's walls will be rebuilt, and God will shepherd his flock "as in the days of old", with wonders like those of the Exodus.

Who is like God? (7:18–20). "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity… he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy… thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."

Key themes, and the bridge to Nahum

• Justice in daily life. Micah defends small farmers against land-grabbers, corrupt judges and dishonest merchants. Faith is measured in fields, courts and markets.
• Religion without righteousness. Neither temple, sacrifice nor the slogan "Is not the LORD among us?" protects those who oppress others.
• Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly. Micah 6:8 sums up the prophets' teaching on ethics.
• A shepherd-king from Bethlehem. The hope looks back to David's small hometown and forward to a ruler of ancient origins who brings peace.
• Pardon beyond judgement. The last word belongs to a God who "delighteth in mercy" and keeps his oath to Abraham.

Micah ends in praise. God will pardon sin, cast it into the depths of the sea, and keep the promises made to the patriarchs. Assyria, the threat behind so much of Micah, is still standing when the book closes. In Jonah, Nineveh was spared when it repented. Nahum, which comes next, announces the final fall of that same city.