Discovering Micah
Background Information
This book and message was given by a man named Micah, who lived and served as a prophet during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, the Southern Kingdom of Israel. Related historical and prophetic Scripture passages include 2 Kgs 15:32–20:21, 2 Chr 27–32, and Isaiah 7, 20, and 36–39. The range of time when this book could have been written is 750-686 B.C.
King Jotham succeeded his father, King Uzziah – a king who ruled well but ended his reign as a leper due to pride. Jotham “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Kgs 15:3), but failed to remove the “high places,” which seem to have been syncretistic sites of worship derived from Baal worship (2 Kgs 15:34-35). His son, Ahaz, did not rule well and became so wicked that he even sacrificed his son by fire to the Ammonite god, Molech (2 Kgs 16:3).
Ahaz’s son (one he didn’t sacrifice in the fire, of course!), Hezekiah, succeeded his father, and ruled as a godly king (2 Kgs 18:3, 5). He called for a nationwide return to the Lord, which included re-opening and cleansing the Temple, which had been closed down by his father (2 Chron 28:24; 29:3-5).
During the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, Judah experienced pesky disruptions and invasions from the Northern Kingdom. It was also during this time that Assyria invaded the Northern Kingdom and carried them away captive. During Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib (king of Assyria) besieged Jerusalem but was defeated due to God’s supernatural intervention. Sadly, Hezekiah proudly invited a Babylonian envoy to tour the treasure stores of Jerusalem, a decision which prompted Isaiah to prophecy of Judah’s eventual demise to Babylon in the near future.
We know little about the prophet Micah. He was from a small town called Moresheth (1:1) and Moresheth-Gath (1:14), about 25 mi. southwest of Jerusalem, and was a younger contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. In one place, he refers to his zeal in preaching against injustice and sin as evidence that he was a true rather than a false prophet (3:8).
It’s interested to note Micah’s “appearance” in another prophetic book, Jeremiah. Nearly a century later, local leaders cited Micah’s prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction, something Jeremiah had more recently predicted, which prediction had gotten him imprisoned (3:12; cf. Jer 26:6, 9, 11). By citing Micah and the fact that Hezekiah had not executed him for this prophecy and that God had blessed him for that, the leaders were able to persuade government officials not to execute Jeremiah (Jer 26:17-19, 24).
Purpose for the Book
Though Micah did address Israel (the Northern Kingdom) in his messages, his primary focus was speaking to Judah (the Southern Kingdom). He lived outside the commercial, governmental, urban centers of his nation and exhibited a serious concern for the less-fortunate, less powerful people of society (4:6), focusing his message on the more affluent and powerful people and places of his day (1:1). In his view, these people represented spiritual problems with the nation of Judah as a whole.
Whereas Hosea focused his message primarily on religious sins, Micah focused his message primarily on the sins of social injustice. According to Kenneth Barker, Micah’s message served a threefold purpose:
“First, to present the nature of God’s complaint against his covenant people (1:2–7; 2:6–11; 3:1–4, 9–12; 6:1–16); second, to proclaim the Lord’s certain punishment of their many sins (3:8); and third, to predict God’s sure salvation to come, centering in the appearance of the Davidic Messianic Deliverer (5:2).”
Overall, his message emphasizes two important predictions (prophetic previews) for the future of God’s people, Israel: the first of God’s judgment towards Judah and Israel for their injustices (1:1–3:12), and the second of the God’s restoration of his people in the eventual millennial kingdom (4:1–5:15).
Outline and Content
Regarding the style and “feel” of this book, Bruce Waltke observes that Micah’s emphases on judgment “rest on the lofty ethical laws of God’s covenant handed down at Sinai (6:1–8),” and that his emphases on hope rest “on God’s unchanging covenant with Israel’s ancestors (7:20).” Commentator George Robinson says this about Micah’s communication and writing style:
“Vividness and emphasis, lightning flashes of indignation at social wrongs, rapid transitions from threatening to mercy, vehement emotion and sympathetic tenderness, rhetorical force, cadence and rhythm at times elevated and sublime,—these are among the prophet’s outstanding literary characteristics.”
Micah resembles Isaiah’s style in that he employs energetic, enthusiastic language and frequent figures of speech (e.g., 1:4–5, 7; 3:2–3; 4:3–4, 12–13). He also uses alliteration and assonance (e.g., 2:4, 6, 11; 5:1).
From an organizational standpoint, this book's consists of twenty short prophetic messages from Micah, delivered independently at first and then later collated together. These may generally be described as either oracles of doom or hope, and many agree that they are arranged into three observable cycles or sections. Distinctive marks of these sections are that they begin with a command to “hear” (“listen”) and then progress from themes of doom to hope.
The closing cycle, especially, reads and sounds like a court case in which Micah serves as God’s prosecutorial attorney, calling out Israel/Judah’s violations of their covenant relationship with God, the covenant given by Moses at Sinai and reiterated before Israel entered the Promised Land.
It is commonly said that Micah wrote “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable” in Judah, and he delivered his message with the earnest appeals of someone who was genuinely concerned not just obedient to his commission. Commentator Hank Jagersma suggests that Micah wrote with the passion which characterized Amos and the love which characterized Hosea.
Now, the sins Micah calls out include covetousness, idolatry, irreverence, social injustice, and syncretism, but the primary focus is on social justice – namely people in positions of influence, power, and prestige (whether material, political, or religious) abusing their position at the expense of the less fortunate. These social sins are specified (2:1-2, 8-9; 3:1-4, 9-11; 6:10-12; 7:1-6) along with other sins (1:5, 7, 13; 6:16). Also of note are Micah’s rebuke of sins committed by false prophets, who preached for covetous reasons (3:11) and whose sins resembled those of corrupt political leaders (2:6, 11; 3:5-7, 11). Additionally, Micah spoke out against the popular tendency of unjust people to cover up their sins by offering blood sacrifices (6:6-8).
Despite messages to the contrary by these false prophets, who simply said what people wanted them to say, Micah insisted that God would indeed judge them for their injustice. This judgment would come from Assyria (1:6-16) and then Babylon (4:10) and would occur as lex talionis, in which the judgment would occur in a similar way to the sins which had been committed.
Throughout this book, Micah also has much to say about God’s promise of a future regathering of Israel and a restoration of their kingdom to the land. Though nearly all of the OT prophets have something to say about the future restoration of Israel (i.e., the millennial kingdom, the perpetuity of the Davidic dynasty, etc.), Micah’s special contribution to this teaching is his prophecy of a remnant (2:12; 4:7; 5:7-8; 7:18).
Another major feature of Micah’s prophecy is what he says about the coming Messiah, who will be the ruler of the future, restored nation. He is called “the Breaker” (a conquering king, 2:13), would be a Davidic descendant (5:2), was present in OT theophanies (5:2), would rule only after a long period of tribulation for Israel (5:3), and would be a shepherd who brings peace and victory to the nation (5:4-6).
Of special note is how Micah draws attention to the incomparable character and nature of God, reflecting the meaning of his own name, since Micah means “Who is like Yah?” Consider, for instance, how he asks, “Who is a God like you?” (Micah 7:18). To answer this question, he then draws attention to the incomparable compassion, forgiveness, and mercy of God.
Personal Takeaways
God judges social injustice.
Knowing this should motivate us to abstain from social injustice ourselves and to use the blessings and privileges God has given us to be good stewards who invest well in God’s kingdom and assist others in need. We should also prevent corrupt social practices from entering and influencing our religious practices.
Religious behavior cannot cover for sinful behavior.
Just as Israelites tried to cover their sins by offering blood sacrifices, so we cannot rectify our sins by doing good works or acts of service. We must repent of our sins and turn away from them.
Patience is required as we wait for the future restored kingdom of God.
This kingdom will be governed from Jerusalem by the Messiah and will make all wrongs right. But until then, we must confidently trust in God’s Messiah, persist in righteous living, and be willing to suffer along the way.
This book and message was given by a man named Micah, who lived and served as a prophet during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, the Southern Kingdom of Israel. Related historical and prophetic Scripture passages include 2 Kgs 15:32–20:21, 2 Chr 27–32, and Isaiah 7, 20, and 36–39. The range of time when this book could have been written is 750-686 B.C.
King Jotham succeeded his father, King Uzziah – a king who ruled well but ended his reign as a leper due to pride. Jotham “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Kgs 15:3), but failed to remove the “high places,” which seem to have been syncretistic sites of worship derived from Baal worship (2 Kgs 15:34-35). His son, Ahaz, did not rule well and became so wicked that he even sacrificed his son by fire to the Ammonite god, Molech (2 Kgs 16:3).
Ahaz’s son (one he didn’t sacrifice in the fire, of course!), Hezekiah, succeeded his father, and ruled as a godly king (2 Kgs 18:3, 5). He called for a nationwide return to the Lord, which included re-opening and cleansing the Temple, which had been closed down by his father (2 Chron 28:24; 29:3-5).
During the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, Judah experienced pesky disruptions and invasions from the Northern Kingdom. It was also during this time that Assyria invaded the Northern Kingdom and carried them away captive. During Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib (king of Assyria) besieged Jerusalem but was defeated due to God’s supernatural intervention. Sadly, Hezekiah proudly invited a Babylonian envoy to tour the treasure stores of Jerusalem, a decision which prompted Isaiah to prophecy of Judah’s eventual demise to Babylon in the near future.
We know little about the prophet Micah. He was from a small town called Moresheth (1:1) and Moresheth-Gath (1:14), about 25 mi. southwest of Jerusalem, and was a younger contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. In one place, he refers to his zeal in preaching against injustice and sin as evidence that he was a true rather than a false prophet (3:8).
It’s interested to note Micah’s “appearance” in another prophetic book, Jeremiah. Nearly a century later, local leaders cited Micah’s prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction, something Jeremiah had more recently predicted, which prediction had gotten him imprisoned (3:12; cf. Jer 26:6, 9, 11). By citing Micah and the fact that Hezekiah had not executed him for this prophecy and that God had blessed him for that, the leaders were able to persuade government officials not to execute Jeremiah (Jer 26:17-19, 24).
Purpose for the Book
Though Micah did address Israel (the Northern Kingdom) in his messages, his primary focus was speaking to Judah (the Southern Kingdom). He lived outside the commercial, governmental, urban centers of his nation and exhibited a serious concern for the less-fortunate, less powerful people of society (4:6), focusing his message on the more affluent and powerful people and places of his day (1:1). In his view, these people represented spiritual problems with the nation of Judah as a whole.
Whereas Hosea focused his message primarily on religious sins, Micah focused his message primarily on the sins of social injustice. According to Kenneth Barker, Micah’s message served a threefold purpose:
“First, to present the nature of God’s complaint against his covenant people (1:2–7; 2:6–11; 3:1–4, 9–12; 6:1–16); second, to proclaim the Lord’s certain punishment of their many sins (3:8); and third, to predict God’s sure salvation to come, centering in the appearance of the Davidic Messianic Deliverer (5:2).”
Overall, his message emphasizes two important predictions (prophetic previews) for the future of God’s people, Israel: the first of God’s judgment towards Judah and Israel for their injustices (1:1–3:12), and the second of the God’s restoration of his people in the eventual millennial kingdom (4:1–5:15).
Outline and Content
Regarding the style and “feel” of this book, Bruce Waltke observes that Micah’s emphases on judgment “rest on the lofty ethical laws of God’s covenant handed down at Sinai (6:1–8),” and that his emphases on hope rest “on God’s unchanging covenant with Israel’s ancestors (7:20).” Commentator George Robinson says this about Micah’s communication and writing style:
“Vividness and emphasis, lightning flashes of indignation at social wrongs, rapid transitions from threatening to mercy, vehement emotion and sympathetic tenderness, rhetorical force, cadence and rhythm at times elevated and sublime,—these are among the prophet’s outstanding literary characteristics.”
Micah resembles Isaiah’s style in that he employs energetic, enthusiastic language and frequent figures of speech (e.g., 1:4–5, 7; 3:2–3; 4:3–4, 12–13). He also uses alliteration and assonance (e.g., 2:4, 6, 11; 5:1).
From an organizational standpoint, this book's consists of twenty short prophetic messages from Micah, delivered independently at first and then later collated together. These may generally be described as either oracles of doom or hope, and many agree that they are arranged into three observable cycles or sections. Distinctive marks of these sections are that they begin with a command to “hear” (“listen”) and then progress from themes of doom to hope.
- Opening Cycle (Chs. 1-2)
- Middle Cycle (Chs. 3-5)
- Closing Cycle (Chs. 6-7)
The closing cycle, especially, reads and sounds like a court case in which Micah serves as God’s prosecutorial attorney, calling out Israel/Judah’s violations of their covenant relationship with God, the covenant given by Moses at Sinai and reiterated before Israel entered the Promised Land.
It is commonly said that Micah wrote “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable” in Judah, and he delivered his message with the earnest appeals of someone who was genuinely concerned not just obedient to his commission. Commentator Hank Jagersma suggests that Micah wrote with the passion which characterized Amos and the love which characterized Hosea.
Now, the sins Micah calls out include covetousness, idolatry, irreverence, social injustice, and syncretism, but the primary focus is on social justice – namely people in positions of influence, power, and prestige (whether material, political, or religious) abusing their position at the expense of the less fortunate. These social sins are specified (2:1-2, 8-9; 3:1-4, 9-11; 6:10-12; 7:1-6) along with other sins (1:5, 7, 13; 6:16). Also of note are Micah’s rebuke of sins committed by false prophets, who preached for covetous reasons (3:11) and whose sins resembled those of corrupt political leaders (2:6, 11; 3:5-7, 11). Additionally, Micah spoke out against the popular tendency of unjust people to cover up their sins by offering blood sacrifices (6:6-8).
Despite messages to the contrary by these false prophets, who simply said what people wanted them to say, Micah insisted that God would indeed judge them for their injustice. This judgment would come from Assyria (1:6-16) and then Babylon (4:10) and would occur as lex talionis, in which the judgment would occur in a similar way to the sins which had been committed.
- Israel coveted and seized land from others, so God would give their land to others (2:2, 4-5).
- Jerusalem was built up with bloodshed and violent justice, so it would be plowed as a field and turned into pile of rubble (3:10, 12).
- The prophets said whatever they wanted to say, so God would stop saying anything through the prophets (3:5-7).
- People had acquired wealth through deceptive means, so they would receive no returns for actual work which they would do and would not enjoy whatever they harvested (6:10-12, 14-15).
Throughout this book, Micah also has much to say about God’s promise of a future regathering of Israel and a restoration of their kingdom to the land. Though nearly all of the OT prophets have something to say about the future restoration of Israel (i.e., the millennial kingdom, the perpetuity of the Davidic dynasty, etc.), Micah’s special contribution to this teaching is his prophecy of a remnant (2:12; 4:7; 5:7-8; 7:18).
Another major feature of Micah’s prophecy is what he says about the coming Messiah, who will be the ruler of the future, restored nation. He is called “the Breaker” (a conquering king, 2:13), would be a Davidic descendant (5:2), was present in OT theophanies (5:2), would rule only after a long period of tribulation for Israel (5:3), and would be a shepherd who brings peace and victory to the nation (5:4-6).
Of special note is how Micah draws attention to the incomparable character and nature of God, reflecting the meaning of his own name, since Micah means “Who is like Yah?” Consider, for instance, how he asks, “Who is a God like you?” (Micah 7:18). To answer this question, he then draws attention to the incomparable compassion, forgiveness, and mercy of God.
Personal Takeaways
God judges social injustice.
Knowing this should motivate us to abstain from social injustice ourselves and to use the blessings and privileges God has given us to be good stewards who invest well in God’s kingdom and assist others in need. We should also prevent corrupt social practices from entering and influencing our religious practices.
Religious behavior cannot cover for sinful behavior.
Just as Israelites tried to cover their sins by offering blood sacrifices, so we cannot rectify our sins by doing good works or acts of service. We must repent of our sins and turn away from them.
Patience is required as we wait for the future restored kingdom of God.
This kingdom will be governed from Jerusalem by the Messiah and will make all wrongs right. But until then, we must confidently trust in God’s Messiah, persist in righteous living, and be willing to suffer along the way.
Posted in Bible Talks
Tagged with Micah, Old Testament, Israel, Prophecy, Minor Prophets, Judgment, Justice, Messiah
Tagged with Micah, Old Testament, Israel, Prophecy, Minor Prophets, Judgment, Justice, Messiah
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