Micah

Writing just years before the Assyrian Empire invaded and destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, Micah realized God’s judgment was inescapable; Assyria would come.

Micah’s prophecy is an indictment of God’s people, for straying from His ways and living lives full of dishonesty, crime, and violence. Having repeatedly, consistently refused God’s offer to protect them if they change their evil ways, judgment was now certain.

Also included in Micah’s book is the declaration that God would restore some of His people. There would be a time of security and peace, ushered in by the future Messiah.

God’s Coming Judgment

Micah begins his prophecy by talking of the judgment to come, caused by Israel’s sin.

Hear, you peoples, all of you;
Listen carefully, earth and all it contains,
And may the Lord God be a witness against you,
The Lord from His holy temple.
For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place.
He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
The mountains will melt under Him
And the valleys will be split,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a steep place.
All this is due to the wrongdoing of Jacob
And the sins of the house of Israel.

– Micah 1:2-5a

Israel had long had hilltop places of idol worship scattered throughout the land. But Micah sees the evil as having moved to the capital cities.

What is the wrongdoing of Jacob [the kingdom of Israel]?
Is it not Samaria [Israel’s capital]?
What is the high place of [the kingdom of] Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem [Judah’s capital]?

– Micah 1:5b

Because of this pattern of evil, the northern kingdom of Israel, with her capital, Samaria, would soon be destroyed. All her magnificent things would be ruined.

For I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the open country,
Planting places for a vineyard.
I will hurl her stones down into the valley,
And lay bare her foundations.
All of her idols will be crushed,
All of her earnings will be burned with fire,
And all of her images I will make desolate;
For she collected them from a prostitute’s earnings,
And to the earnings of a prostitute they will return.

– Micah 1:6-7

Micah was heartbroken over the outcome he could clearly see. It drove him to behave like one who had lost someone dear.

Because of this I must mourn and wail,
I must go barefoot and naked;
I must do mourning like the jackals,
And a mourning like the ostriches

– Micah 1:8

And the population would soon do the same.

Shave yourself bald, yes, cut off your hair,
Because of the children of your delight;
Extend your baldness like the eagle,
For they will go from you into exile.

– Micah 1:16

Micah’s public was deeply committed to evil and selfish ways. Greed was a common theme.

Woe to those who devise wrongdoing,
Who practice evil on their beds!
When morning comes, they do it,
Because it is in the power of their hands.
They covet fields, so they seize them;
And houses, so they take them.
They exploit a man and his house,
A person and his inheritance.

– Micah 2:1-2

Whenever we reject God’s ways, it brings unhappy results.

Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am planning against this family a catastrophe
From which you cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk haughtily,
For it will be an evil time.”

– Micah 2:3

Foreigners would soon invade and destroy everything.

“On that day they will take up against you a song of mocking
And utter a song of mourning and say,
‘We are completely destroyed!
He exchanges the share of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the [foreigner] He apportions our fields.’”

– Micah 2:4

Micah and other prophets spoke loudly to convince people to change their ways. The people were determined to silence the prophets.

“‘Do not prophesy,’ so they [who want to silence the prophets] prophesy.
But if they [the prophets] do not prophesy about these things,
Insults will not be turned back.”

– Micah 2:6

The people accused God of being too harsh. But no, God’s ways bring benefits to those who follow them.

“Is it being said, house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient?
Are these [disasters] His works?’
[God answers,] Do My words not do good
For the one walking rightly?”

– Micah 2:7

More discussion of the people’s greed.

“Recently My people have arisen as an enemy—
You strip the robe off the garment
From unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.”

– Micah 2:8

Single mothers have long been at a disadvantage; and their children suffer for it.

“You evict the women of My people,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My splendor forever.”

– Micah 2:9

The prophets find it hard to get a hearing. But those promoting sin get an audience.

“If someone walking after wind and falsehood
Had lied and said,
‘I will prophesy to you about wine and liquor,’
He would become a prophet to this people.”

– Micah 2:11

Indictment against Corrupt Leaders

The people’s leaders are supposed to know right from wrong, and promote justice.

And I said,
“Hear now, you leaders of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not for you to know justice?”

– Micah 3:1

Instead, Israel’s leaders plundered their people.

“You who hate good and love evil,
Who tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
Who eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Smash their bones,
And chop them up as for the pot,
And as meat in a cauldron!”

– Micah 3:2-3

Because of their commitment to evil, in their day of need, the Lord will not rescue them.

Then they will cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time
Because they have practiced evil deeds.

– Micah 3:4

The leaders gave favors to those who could afford a bribe, but deprived the poor of justice.

This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray:
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They cry out, “Peace!”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.

– Micah 3:5

Because of that, in their time of trouble they would call out to God, but He would not answer them.

Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
The seers will be put to shame,
And the diviners will be ashamed.
Indeed, they will all cover their lips
Because there is no answer from God.

– Micah 3:6-7

Ultimate Restoration

God is determined to eventually build His kingdom, in spite of opposition.

And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
And the peoples will stream to it.

– Micah 4:1

It will be a time of peace. War a thing of the past, the weapons industry will convert to agriculture.

And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
Then they will beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift a sword against nation,
And never again will they train for war.

– Micah 4:3

People with no prospects in today’s society will be the movers and shakers in that new society.

“On that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble those who limp
And gather the scattered,
Those whom I have afflicted.
I will make those who limp a remnant,
And those who have strayed a mighty nation,
And the Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion
From now on and forever.”

– Micah 4:6-7

But that is in the far future. In the near term, there would be trouble.

“Now, why do you cry out loudly?
Is there no king among you,
Or has your counselor perished,
That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?”

– Micah 4:9

Micah correctly prophesied that the kingdom of Judah would be conquered by Babylon. In Micah’s day, Babylon was not yet prominent; Assyria was the empire to be feared. But it would be Babylon that would take Judah captive, and from there God would rescue them.

Writhe and scream,
Daughter of Zion [a district in Judah’s capital, Jerusalem],
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will go out of the city,
Live in the field,
And go to Babylon.
There you will be rescued,
There the Lord will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.

– Micah 4:10

In spite of the coming judgment, God would raise a rescuing king for Israel. He would come from a small town near Jerusalem.

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His times of coming forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”

– Micah 5:2

Centuries later, Israel’s religious leaders remembered this promise and knew that their Messiah would be born in Bethlehem¹.

And He will arise and shepherd His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will remain,
Because at that time He will be great
To the ends of the earth.

– Micah 5:4

Indictment of God’s People

Inviting repentance, God starts a debate with his people.

Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
Listen, you mountains, to the indictment by the Lord,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
Because the Lord has a case against His people;
And He will dispute with Israel.
My people, what have I done to you,
And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.”

– Micah 6:1-3

The people, knowing they have gone far from God, wonder how they might go about appeasing Him. If they offer Him great wealth, their most valuable possessions, would that be enough?

With what shall I come to the Lord
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
Does the Lord take pleasure in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give Him my firstborn for my wrongdoings,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

– Micah 6:6-7

But that is not what God wants.

He has told you, mortal one, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

– Micah 6:8

The people, however, aren’t behaving that way.

Can I justify dishonest balances,
And a bag of fraudulent weights?
For the rich people of the city are full of violence,
Her residents speak lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

– Micah 6:11-12

And because of that, God will bring them trouble.

So also I will make you sick, striking you down,
Making you desolate because of your sins.
You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,
And your filth will be in your midst.
You will try to remove valuables for safekeeping,
But you will not save it all,
And what you do save I will turn over to the sword.
You will sow but you will not harvest.
You will tread the olive press but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And tread out sweet wine, but you will not drink any wine.

– Micah 6:13-15

Long ago the wicked kings Omri and Ahab had set the pace. And today, their precedent was still followed.

“The statutes of Omri
And every work of the house of Ahab are maintained,
And you walk by their plans.
Therefore I will give you up for destruction,
And your inhabitants for derision,
And you will suffer the taunting of My people.”

– Micah 6:16

The prophet searches diligently for something, and is distraught not finding it. He speaks metaphorically of looking for fruit.

Woe to me! For I am
Like harvests of summer fruit, like gleanings of grapes.
There is not a cluster of grapes left to eat,
Nor an early fig, which I crave.

– Micah 7:1

What is he searching for so desperately?

The godly person has perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among mankind.
All of them lie in wait for bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a net.
As for evil, both hands do it well.
The leader asks for a bribe, also the judge,
And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul;
So they plot it together.

– Micah 7:2-3

With that standard of behavior, no one is safe.

Do not trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a close friend.
Guard your lips
From her who lies in your arms.
For son disavows father,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A person’s enemies are the people of his own household².

– Micah 7:5-6

Micah knows if he remains faithful, God will keep him safe.

But as for me, I will be on the watch for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.

– Micah 7:7

Even the best people at times commit evil acts. When we do, we ought to humbly accept God’s punishment, knowing He will forgive and bring us to a good outcome.

I will endure the rage of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the light,
And I will look at His righteousness.

– Micah 7:9

God is determined to be merciful to all who will receive His mercy.

Who is a God like You, who pardons wrongdoing
And passes over a rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy.
He will again take pity on us;
He will trample on our wrongdoings.
Yes, You will cast all their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
You will give truth to Jacob
And favor to Abraham,
Which You swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.

– Micah 7:18-20

Epilogue

Even God’s great patience can be exhausted if we determinedly press forward in our selfish, destructive ways. And when that happens, terrifying judgment becomes certain.

Yet God is determined to establish His people in a kingdom of peace and security and love. So He holds His invitation open for any who will disavow their ways and join forces with Him.