INTRODUCTION
The name Micah means, "who is like Jehovah". Actually Micah may
be an abbreviation for the Hebrew word Micaiah.
I Kings 22:8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, there
is yet one man by whom
we may inquire of Jehovah, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for
he
doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let
not the king say so.
The book of Micah is listed as the third minor prophet in the septuagint, after Amos and Hosea.
The book is sixth in our present day arrangement in our Bible.
Micah is mentioned in the book of Jeremiah as a prophet of God. The divine record reports the reception that Micah received as a prophet.
Jer. 26:17-19 Then rose up certain of the elders of the
land, and spake to all the assembly
of the people, saying, Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days
of Hezekiah
king of Judah; and he spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith
Jehovah
of hosts: Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps,
and
the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. Did
Hezekiah king of Judah
and all Judah put him to death? did he not fear Jehovah, and entreat the
favor of Jehovah,
and Jehovah repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them?
Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.
The context of the passage in Jeremiah in the days of Hezekiah shows Micah as a prophet of judgment.
The precise date of the book is uncertain but is likely contemporary with Amos, Hosea of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Isaiah in the Kingdom of Judah. This time period is between 730- 700 B.C.
Because Micah was a contemporary of the great prophet, Isaiah, his book is written in a similar style.
Sometimes, in fact, this book is called "Isaiah in miniature" because it is a much briefer presentation of essentially the same message as the prophecy of Isaiah.
The time that Micah lived in was very unsettled and filled with turmoil.
The Northern Kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
About 20 years later the Assyrians assaulted Judah, 701 B.C.
Unlike Isaiah who lived in the city near the temple, Micah lived in the countryside. The prophet Micah probably had very little contact with the Kings or the politicians of his time.
Micah could observe and see the injustice of the rich toward the poor.
Micah was ideally equipped to confront the ungodly of Judah and Israel.
The message of Micah from Jehovah was for the people to turn from idolatry, corruption and injustice.
The theme of this little prophecy is found in the meaning of the prophet's name.
A Bible that helps you with the meaning of Hebrew names, is often very significant and beneficial.
In the book of Genesis the name of the man who gained fame as the world's oldest man was itself a prophecy.
When Methuselah was born, his father, Enoch, learned something that he never forgot. A prophecy was hidden in the name of Methuselah.
Methuselah lived 969 years, and his name means "When he dies, it will come."
The year that Methuselah died was year the great flood came. This can show the significance of Hebrew names.
The name Micah means "Who is like God?" or "Who is like Jehovah?"
There is some suggestion that Micah may even have been a nickname given
to this prophet.
Micah is like the story of the Greek philosopher, Diogenes. Diogenes
went with a lantern looking for an honest man. Even in broad daylight
he carried a lantern in his hand. When anybody asked Diogenes,
"What are you doing with a lantern in broad daylight?" he would reply,
"I am looking for an honest man."
This is like Micah's search as he examined the people of God in light of Jehovah's will.
Micah 1:1 The word of Jehovah that came to
Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham,
Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and
Jerusalem.
The book is divided into three parts.
The first three chapters describe the punishment to come upon Samaria and Jerusalem.
The corruption of the leaders would cause the failure of the nation. The wicked treatment of the poor would not go unpunished.
We get this theme in many of the prophets, but here in this book we have the picture of the lack of godliness in the people of Samaria and Jerusalem.
The second division of the book is Chapter 4-5. Micah gives the a wonderful vision of the future peace that will come by the prince of peace in Bethlehem. Micah saw the one who is Godlike in his visions.
This is a predictive section that looks forward to the coming of Christ, the Messiah.
The third section or division, Chapters 6-7, gives us the rebuke of God concerning the sins of the people.
In the first chapter there is a picture of God coming in judgment against
this nation of Judah, because of their
failure to be godly.
God had blessed them and provided them with everything it takes to be godly.
The final words of the book shown the kindness and healing love offered by Jehovah.
In the first section you have a beautiful, poetic picture of God moving
against the wicked.
MICAH 1-3: PUNISHMENT FOR SAMARIA AND JERUSALEM
Micah was a "Morashtite," that is, from the village of Moresheth-Gath. Micah was from a very obscure and small village near the Philistine border.
The home of Micah was about twenty miles from Jerusalem.
The word of Jehovah came to Micah as seen in the statement, he "saw" the word
Micah 1:3-5 For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place,
and will come down, and
tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be melted
under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters
that
are poured down a steep place. For the transgression of Jacob
is all this,
and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob?
is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not
Jerusalem?
Micah calls on all the earth to listen to Jehovah as he speaks from his holy temple
God picks out the capitals of the two kingdoms of his people to be denounced.
Micah was therefore a country man and may have looked with suspicion on city dwellers.
What is the transgression of Jacob? Samaria. That is, the capital, the heart of the kingdom of Israel.
What is the sin of the house of Judah? It is Jerusalem the capitol of Judah.
He was opposed and persecuted by false prophets. Micah prophesied mainly
in Jerusalem during the "days of
Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah."
Micah 1:5-7 For the transgression of Jacob is all this,
and for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the
high places
of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria as
a heap of the
field, and as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones
thereof
into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof. And
all her graven images
shall be beaten to pieces, and all her hires shall be burned with fire,
and all her idols
will I lay desolate; for of the hire of a harlot hath she gathered them,
and unto the hire
of a harlot shall they return.
Samaria and Jerusalem the most influential cities, had become totally filled with idolatry.
Israel is condemned and a sentence of destruction is declared!
Micah stated that the area of Samaria was going to to be destroyed.
The wickedness of sin demanded punishment.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the free
gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Numbers 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned
against Jehovah; and
be sure your sin will find you out.
James 1:15 Then the lust, when it hath conceived,
beareth sin: and the sin, when it is
fullgrown, bringeth forth death.
The sins committed by Samaria was in the fact that the people
acquired wealth by "the wages of prostitution,"
or spiritual fornication.
The cruel and vicious Assyrians would destroy sinful Samaria.
All this prophecy is a picture of the destruction by the armies of Assyria.
Within a hundred years, the Assyrians would swarm across the country and destroy everything.
The prophet Micah shows that this is God's judgment upon his disobedient children.
Micah was disheartened and mourned because of the impending doom for Jerusalem and Judah.
Micah 1:8 For this will I lament and wail; I will go stripped
and naked; I will make a wailing
like the jackals, and a lamentation like the ostriches. 1:
There is something interesting, though hard to see in the English version.
The prophets were almost like punsters, some people say that a pun is the lowest form of humor. The Bible has many puns in it, but they are hard for us to see if we do not understand Hebrew.
If you read the original Hebrew, you see that there is pun upon pun in the names of the cities mentioned by Micah.
Micah 1:10-16 Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all: at
Beth-le-aphrah have I rolled myself in the
dust. Pass away, O inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame: the inhabitant
of Zaanan is not come forth; the wailing of Beth-ezel shall take from you
the stay thereof.
For the inhabitant of Maroth waiteth anxiously for good, because evil is
come down from
Jehovah unto the gate of Jerusalem. Bind the chariot to the swift
steed, O inhabitant of
Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the
transgressions of
Israel were found in thee. Therefore shalt thou give a parting gift
to Moresheth-gath: the
houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing unto the kings of Israel.
I will yet bring unto
thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah, him that shall possess thee: the glory
of Israel shall come
even unto Adullam. Make thee bald, and cut off thy hair for the children
of thy delight:
enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from
thee.
Micah talks about how some cities already destroyed, would be a forecast of like destruction to come upon Jerusalem and Judah.
The Assyrians and the enemies of Judah would rejoice.
Because of her wickedness, Judah would roll in the dust, naked, ashamed and bald.
Gath means "weep" and the prophet plays on that name.
And in this manner, all the way through, he picks up names of cities and then ties judgment of God with them.
In, Gath, "Weep Town, weep not".
Bathleaphrah means town of dust. "in Dust Town, roll yourself in the dust."
The meaning of Shaphir is beauty. "In Beauty Town, beauty will be shamed."
In Zaanan, which means march, " they'll march not forth.
In Zaanan, or," Neighbor Town they will end up with a useless neighbor.
In Beth Ezel , or "Bitter Town they will grieve bitterly."
Lachish, means horse, in "Horse Town, the one-horse town. "Oh, inhabitants of Horse Town."
There is one play on words after another in the words of Micah.
Micah teaches in the second chapter, the utter destruction of the people.
The people were corrupt and would pay dearly for their trifling ways.
Micah 2:1-5 Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil
upon their beds! when the
morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their
hand.
And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away:
and
they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore
thus
saith Jehovah: Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which
ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye walk haughtily; for it
is an evil time.
In that day shall they take up a parable against you, and lament with a
doleful lamentation,
and say, We are utterly ruined: he changeth the portion of my people: how
doth he
remove it from me! to the rebellious he divideth our fields. Therefore
thou shalt have none
that shall cast the line by lot in the assembly of Jehovah.
The punishment would include rulers, prophets, women and children.
The message of Micah was opposed by false prophets that plagued the people.
Micah 2:6-11 Prophesy ye not, thus they prophesy. They
shall not prophesy to these:
reproaches shall not depart. Shall it be said, O house of Jacob,
Is the
Spirit of Jehovah straitened? are these his doings? Do not my words do
good to him that walketh uprightly? But of late my people is risen
up as
an enemy: ye strip the robe from off the garment from them that pass by
securely as men averse from war. The women of my people ye cast out
from their pleasant houses; from their young children ye take away my glory
for ever. Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place;
because of
uncleanness that destroyeth, even with a grievous destruction.
If a man walking
in a spirit of falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine
and of strong
drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
The message that offers any hope is that there will be a future deliverance.
Jehovah would provide a great liberator which would allow the return
and restoration for both Israel and Judah.
Micah 2:12-13 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee;
I will surely gather the
remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah,
as a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make great noise by
reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is gone up before them:
they
have broken forth and passed on to the gate, and are gone out thereat;
and
their king is passed on before them, and Jehovah at the head of them.
The powerful in Jerusalem had plundered the inheritance of their fellow
man and their wickedness, made their destruction certain.
Evil will always raise up when good people refuse to stand up and speak
against corruption and injustice.
Then in chapter 3 you read the reason for this total judgment of God.
Micah has been seeking godliness and he looks where he might expect to find it but there is only wickedness.
Micah searches among the rulers of the nation, but there is no righteousness.
Micah looks among the prophets of God, he finds corruption, oppression, bribery, and injustice everywhere.
There is no justice in the land. Corruption and abuse is rampant.
Micah 3:1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, ye heads
of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel:
is it not for you to know justice?
The wealthy and politically powerful had mistreated and abused the people. The description of their cruelty to their own brethren is quite graphic. They are seen as having flayed the skin from off them and then ate their flesh.
Micah 3:2-3 ye who hate the good, and love the evil;
who pluck off their skin from off them,
and their flesh from off their bones; who also eat the flesh
of my people, and flay
their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces,
as for the
pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
Micah exposes the sins of Jerusalem, and he says that God will visit judgment upon the people.
The sins of the nation would insure punishment on the rulers of Israel.
Micah 3:4 Then shall they cry unto Jehovah, but he will
not answer them; yea, he will hide his
face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their
doings.
.
The pitiful pleas and cries of the rulers of Israel, in the time of
invasion by the Assyrians, will not be heard by Jehovah.
The work of false prophets made the people sin and lose confidence in Jehovah. Micah spoke the truth but the false prophets were very popular with the people.
Micah 3:5-8 Thus saith Jehovah concerning the prophets
that make my people to err; that
bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and whoso putteth not into their
mouths,
they even prepare war against him: Therefore it shall be night unto
you, that ye
shall have no vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not
divine; and the
sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them.
And
the seers shall be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; yea, they
shall all cover
their lips; for there is no answer of God. But as for me, I am full
of power by the Spirit
of Jehovah, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression,
and to
Israel his sin.
The people abandoned and forgot their responsibility to God.
The rulers of Israel and Jerusalem were strongly rebuked for their wickedness. The consequences of their sins would be the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as Micah was preaching.
Micah 3:9-12 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house
of Jacob, and rulers of
the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and pervert all equity.
They
build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads
thereof
judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets
thereof divine for money: yet they lean upon Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah
in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us. Therefore shall Zion
for your
sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain
of the house as the high places of a forest.
The prophet sums it up for us in clear language for all to know.
Micah 3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests
thereof teach for hire, and
the prophets thereof divine for money: yet they lean upon Jehovah, and
say, Is not
Jehovah in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us.
There was corruption among the classes of rulers for the nation:
1. The spiritual rulers or prophets.
2. the civil rulers both kings and princes.
These are the ones who should have been godly, yet they are the most ungodly.
They failed to recognize that they were to live by the standard of God's word.
Whenever a people forsake and disobeys God, then the nation becomes filled with corruption, oppression, bribery, agony and tears.
CHAPTER 4-5; FUTURE PEACE PROPHESIED
In the 4th chapter is a passage of wonderfully exalted vision, the prophet lifts up his eyes and looks across the centuries past the coming of Babylon, past the rise of the great eastern empire of Greece, past the Rome.
Micah saw the coming of one who is Godlike.
This is one of the most beautiful Messianic passages in the Scriptures.
Micah 4:1-2 But in the latter days it shall come to pass,
that the mountain of Jehovah's house
shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted
above the
hills; and peoples shall flow unto it. And many nations shall go and say,
Come ye,
and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God
of Jacob;
and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out
of Zion shall
go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem;
This is a clear prophetic announcement of the church. The church of Christ is the house of God established on the day of Pentecost.
I Timothy 3:15 but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know
how men ought to behave
themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth.
Isaiah prophesied basically this same message.
Isaiah 2:2-3 And it shall come to pass in the latter days,
that the mountain of Jehovah's
house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peoples
shall go
and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house
of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk
in his
paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah
from
Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem the church was established and the kingdom or church is comprised of all nations that are taught the gospel of Christ. These prophesies were minutely fullfilled on the day of Pentecost.
The passages of Micah narrow to a specific person.
Micah 4:3-4 and he will judge between many peoples,
and will decide concerning strong nations
afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into
pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, 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: for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken
it.
This again is almost directly stated by Isaiah.
Isaiah 2:4-5 And he will judge between the nations, and
will decide concerning many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn
war any more.
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of Jehovah.
This man is yet to come at the time of Micah.
The Prince of Peace has a kingdom established on peace and reconciliation and not of carnal weapons.
The church advances through love and goodness and is not built on carnal warfare.
The nations will never forget how to make war, never obey this word
to beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks until the one who knows how to
rule in godliness comes.
The fulfillment of this kingdom, is the essence of the church of Christ.
The rest of chapter 4 goes on to describe how Israel will be gathered and will ultimately defeat her enemies.
The exiles will be restored to the land, which occurred under Cyrus.
Micah 4:5-10 For all the peoples walk every one in the
name of his god; and we will walk in
the name of Jehovah our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith Jehovah,
will
I assemble that which is lame, and I will gather that which is driven away,
and
that which I have afflicted; and I will make that which was
lame a remnant,
and that which was cast far off a strong nation: and Jehovah will reign
over
them in mount Zion from henceforth even for ever. And thou,
O tower of the
flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea,
the former
dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Now
why dost
thou cry out aloud? Is there no king in thee, is thy counsellor perished,
that pangs
have taken hold of thee as of a woman in travail? Be in pain, and
labor to bring
forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now shalt thou
go forth out
of the city, and shalt dwell in the field, and shalt come even unto Babylon:
there shalt
thou be rescued; there will Jehovah redeem thee from the hand of thine
enemies.
The prophet told how that Babylon which had not yet defeated the Assyrians would capture Judah.
Assyria fell to the Chaldeans and babylonians under Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar.
Micah 4:10-11 be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter
of Zion, like a woman in travail;
for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and shalt dwell in the field,
and shalt
come even unto Babylon: there shalt thou be rescued; there will Jehovah
redeem
thee from the hand of thine enemies. And now many nations are assembled
against
thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye see our desire upon
Zion.
God would not forsake his children after the captivity of babylon. God would restore his people to their home after the time of punishment was completed. The promise of restoration is clearly revealed.
Micah 4:12-13 But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah,
neither understand they his counsel;
for he hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor.
Arise and thresh,
O daughter of Zion; for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy
hoofs
brass; and thou shalt beat in pieces many peoples: and I will devote their
gain unto
Jehovah, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
Chapter 5 opens with a new thought. The prophet says to Israel,
the birth of Messiah, his rule of peace and the destruction
of Idolatry.
Micah 5:1 Now shalt thou gather thyself in troops,
O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege
against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
It is also a picture of that day when a greater Assyrian army out of
the north shall come against Israel. The reason it comes is
given here in this verse:
Micah 5:1 Now shalt thou gather thyself in troops, O daughter
of troops: he hath laid siege against us;
they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
Now that is a rather quick reference to the first coming of the Lord Jesus when he stood before Pilate and the rulers of the nation.
As they examined Jesus they struck him with a reed, and put a crown of thorns on his head and a robe of purple on him and bowed before him and mocked him.
They struck on the cheek the ruler of Israel.
Mark 14:65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face,
and to buffet him,
and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the officers received him with blows
of their hands.
Matthew 27:27-30 Then the soldiers of the governor took
Jesus into the Praetorium, and
gathered unto him the whole band. And they stripped him, and put
on
him a scarlet robe. And they platted a crown of thorns and put it
upon
his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him,
and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spat upon
him,
and took the reed and smote him on the head.
Luke 22:64 And they blindfolded him, and asked him, saying,
Prophesy: who is he that
struck thee?
Now the prophet suddenly sees where this ruler is to come from. This
is one of the great prophetic passages of the Old
Testament. The accuracy of this prediction proves the inspiration of
the Bible.
Micah 5:2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little
to be among the thousands of Judah,
out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;
whose goings forth
are from of old, from everlasting
This term is literally, from eternity, or, from everlasting. Remember when the wise men came out of the East looking for the one born king of the Jews?
They said to the rulers of Jerusalem, "Where is he that is born king
of the Jews?" And the chief priests said, "You will
find him in Bethlehem."
Matthew 2:1-6 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea
in the days of Herod the king,
behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where
is he that is
born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to
worship
him. And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him.
And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of
them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In
Bethlehem of
Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet, And thou Bethlehem,
land of Judah,
Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee
shall come forth
a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.
How did they know where the Messiah would come from?
Because 700 years before, the prophet Micah had this to them.
"Thou Bethlehem Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem in the land of Ephraim), though you are little among the cities of Judah, yet there shall come forth from you one who is to be the ruler in Israel, whose goings-forth are from of old, from everlasting."
And then, in verse 3, there is a parenthesis:
Micah 5:3-4 Therefore will he give them up, until the time
that she who travaileth hath
brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children
of Israel. And then looking again at the one he saw coming out of Bethlehem
Ephrathah. And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength
of Jehovah,
in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God: and they shall abide; for
now shall
he be great unto the ends of the earth.
700 hundred years down the corridors of time Micah clearly perceived
the one who would rise out of obscurity and fulfill these
predictions. His goings-forth are from everlasting; he is the God-man,
the only godly man that ever walked on earth, the Godlike one.
CHAPTER 6-7; THE REBUKE OF GOD FOR THEIR SINS
The people after hearing of the great wrath of God against the heathens,
ask how they can please Jehovah.
In this passage of power and beauty, Jehovah turns to plead with his
people. Jehovah will show them the way of
faithfulness and blessing.
God had a great controversy with his people and he talked it over with them in this passage.
Micah 6:1-2 Hear ye now what Jehovah saith: Arise,
contend thou before the mountains, and
let the hills hear thy voice. Hear, O ye mountains, Jehovah's
controversy, and ye
enduring foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with
his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
Micah outlines Jehovah's displeasure and anger with his people. The people were guilty of immorality, idolatry, and injustice.
God's fierce anger was due to the ingratitude of his people. God wants the people to remember what he has done for them.
Micah 6:3-5 O my people, what have I done unto thee?
and wherein have I wearied thee?
testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and
redeemed
thee out of the house of bondage; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron,
and Miriam.
O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam
the son of Beor answered him; remember from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye
may know
the righteous acts of Jehovah.
Notice how God speaks, and what he says about the people and their attitudes toward him.
Micah 6:3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
"What have I done to you? Why do you reject me so? Why do you turn me aside? In what have I wearied you now? Tell me."
Micah 6:4-5 For I brought thee up out of the land
of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house
of bondage; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my
people, remember
now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor
answered him;
remember from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteous acts
of Jehovah.
The people are condemned and shown to be disobedient and unthankful. Jehovah is pleased only by thankful faithful children.
What do you think the people are going to say after God Declares their
sinfulness? Here is the answer of the people.
Micah 6:6-7 Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah,
and bow myself before the high God?
shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?
will
Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers
of oil?
shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for
the sin of my
soul?
What do you want God? What can I bring you? Do you want sacrifice? Is that what you want?
The question of what will please Jehovah is almost a taunt. The glorious God of heaven will inform the people of what is good and acceptable for sacrifice unto him.
Listen again to their question of what God desires from man.
Micah 6:7 will Jehovah be pleased with thousands
of rams, or with ten thousands
of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression,
the fruit
of my body for the sin of my soul?
What do you want of me God? Now listen to God's answer.
The prophet Micah tells them what is needed from them. Micah then will again rebuke their greedy wickedness.
Micah 6:8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and
what doth Jehovah require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?
That is the answer, isn't it? That is the way to please God. The children of god are to walk humbly with God.
The Israelites failed to do this so again there comes the cry of judgment.
God will at last wake them up to their sins and their wickedness.
The people had lost kindness and humility because of their greed and arrogance.
Punishment is again foretold in graphic terms by the country prophet.
Micah 6:9-16 The voice of Jehovah crieth unto the city,
and the man of wisdom will see thy
name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. Are there yet treasures
of
wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a scant measure that is abominable?
Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?
For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof
have spoken
lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore I also
have smitten thee with
a grievous wound; I have made thee desolate because of thy sins.
Thou shalt eat, but not
be satisfied; and thy humiliation shall be in the midst of thee: and thou
shalt put away, but
shalt not save; and that which thou savest will I give up to the sword.
Thou shalt sow, but
shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but shalt not anoint thee
with oil; and the vintage,
but shalt not drink the wine. For the statutes of Omri are
kept, and all the works of the house
of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I may make thee a desolation,
and the inhabitants
thereof a hissing: and ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
All their labor and wealth would be stripped from them. They would be humiliated and broken. The destruction of Israel would cause other nations to mock and belittle them. The weight of their sins would be overwhelming and they would be destroyed.
The description of their judgment is resumed and will continue until the last part of chapter 7.
The people are shown fearful and seemingly without any hope or help.
The nation begins to confess the terrible corruption that permeates the whole society.
Micah 7:1-6 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered
the summer fruits, as the
grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my soul
desireth the
first-ripe fig. The godly man is perished out of the earth,
and there is none
upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man
his brother
with a net. Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it
diligently; the prince
asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth
the evil
desire of his soul: thus they weave it together. The best of them
is as a brier; the
most upright is worse than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen, even
thy visitation,
is come; now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a neighbor;
put ye not confidence
in a friend; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
For the son
dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the
daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
The righteous always face opposition. The things of evil satisfy briefly but cannot sustain a person.
Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused
to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment
with the people
of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting
the
reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked
unto the recompense of reward.
The prophet Micah will express the faith in God and in fulfillment of the promised restoration of the nation and people.
Micah 7:7-13 But as for me, I will look unto Jehovah;
I will wait for the God of my
salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy:
when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light
unto
me. I will bear the indignation of Jehovah, because I have sinned
against him,
until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me
forth to
the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then mine enemy
shall see it, and
shame shall cover her who said unto me, Where is Jehovah thy God? Mine
eyes
shall see my desire upon her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire
of the streets.
A day for building thy walls! in that day shall the decree be far removed.
In that day
shall they come unto thee from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from
Egypt even to
the River, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. Yet
shall the land be
desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
The people will long for their lost glory and for their former power that God stripped from them
Micah 7:14-17 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of
thy heritage, which dwell solitarily,
in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in
the days of old. As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land
of Egypt will
I show unto them marvellous things. The nations shall see and be
ashamed of all
their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall
be deaf. They
shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they
shall come
trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto Jehovah
our God,
and shall be afraid because of thee.
Here is where the prophet Micah will conclude the message with a most marvelous picture of God.
Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth
iniquity, and passeth over the
transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger
for
ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness. He will again
have compassion
upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all
their sins into
the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob,
and the lovingkindness
to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
God speaks of mercy and pardon as he concludes this book. The forgiveness and pardon of God, is based on the people repenting and obeying Jehovah.
The people of God must Put away their wickedness and confess their guilt before God.
By repentance and obedience one can look to him to pardon iniquities and cast all sins into the depth of the sea.
This is a picture of forgiveness offered in the New Testament.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous
to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The people can be forgiven and redeemed and the nation restored by the
mercy and love of god.
God's people must walk humbly with God.
The apostle John says that we should walk in the light as he is in the light; that is to walk openly and in honestly, in truth.
1 John. 1:7 but if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
We must dare not try to hide anything from God.
The nation paid dearly for her sins. The pardon and restoration of God is a beautiful thing to study.
Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth
iniquity, and passeth over the
transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger
for
ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness. He will again
have compassion
upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all
their sins into
the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob,
and the lovingkindness
to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
The book starts of with accusation of sin and rebellion. The book
concludes with mercy and pardon.
Our God is so merciful and glorious it should humble everyone of us.
CONCLUSION
Believe Jesus to be the son of God, John 8:24
Repent of sins, Luke 13:3-5
Confess Christ with the mouth, Romans 10:10
Be baptized for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38
Live faithful unto death, Revelation 2:10
RETURN
HOME