Book of Micah , Background
Quick Rundown
The prophet Micah spoke to the southern kingdom of Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in the late 8th century BCE. He foresaw that Samaria (capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Jerusalem (capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah), would be destroyed because of major injustice, immorality, and corrupt religion (today a few thousand Samaritans still exist in northern West Bank). The people abandoned the covenant God made with them, taking up pagan religion from the Canaanites. The rich and powerful became ruthless, taking advantage of and exploiting the poor, ignoring the law of Moses (). Micah warned that as punishment for their sins, both kingdoms would be invaded, conquered and exiled. As predicted, Samaria fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC and Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 587-6 BC.
As you read Micah, notice how Micah’s prophecies alternate between devastating warnings of destruction and wonderful promises of restoration…warnings to blessings. Each of Micah’s three groups of oracles begins with a series of judgments, and then concludes with promises of restoration. Micah proclaimed that in compassion and covenant faithfulness will save a remnant (a few) of the people and bring them back to their own land. There they would be ruled by a righteous king and come the light of the whole world, pointing all nations to the ways of the Lord.
Title
The name of the book is derived from the prophet, who, having received the word of the Lord, was commissioned to proclaim it. Micah, whose name is shared by others in the OT (e.g. Judges 17:1; 2Chronicles 13:2; Jeremiah 36:11), is a shortened form of Micaiah (or Michaiah) and means “Who is like the Lord?” In 7:18, Micah uses a play on his own name, saying, “Who is a God like You?”
Author and Date
The first verse establishes the author as
Micah. Beyond that there is not a lot of information. Micah’s lineage is not
given but there is good reason to conclude he comes from a godly heritage given
his name. As verse 1 indicates he comes from the town of Moresheth, located in
the foothills of Judah approximately 25 miles SW of Jerusalem bordering Judah
and Philistia, near Gath. Moresheth was agriculturally productive, and similar to
Amos, Micah was removed from he national politics and religion yet chosen by
God (3:8). Micah was selected to deliver a message of judgment to the princes
and people of Jerusalem.
Micah
highlighted the prophecy unfolded during the reigns of Jotham (750-731 B.C.),
Ahaz (731-715 B.C.), and Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.). His indictments against
social injustices and religious corruption renew the theme of Amos in mid-eighth
century B.C. and his contemporaries Hosea to the North (755-710 B.C.), and Isaiah
in the South (739-690 B.C.). So this fits that which is known about the character
of King Ahaz (2Kings 16:10-18) and his son, King Hezekiah prior to his sweeping
spiritual reformations (2Chronicles 29; 31:1). His references to the imminent fall
of Samaria (1:6) position him before 722 B.C., at approximately 735-710 B.C.
Background and
Setting
In 722 B.C., during Micah’s ministry, the northern kingdom was about to fall to Assyria. Micah has dated his message with the mention of only the Judean kings. While Israel was occasionally the recipient of Micah’s words (1:5-7), his primary attention was directed towards the southern kingdom where he lived. The economic prosperity and the absence of international crises marked the rule of King Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.), during which the borders of Judah and Israel rivaled those of David and Solomon’s (2Kings 14:23-27). However, as the cycles of politics go King Jeroboam II’s borders, and power were slipping away. Syria and Israel invaded Judah, taking the wicked King Ahaz temporarily captive (2Chronicles 28:5; Isaiah 7:12). After Assyria had overthrown Syria and Israel, the good king Hezekiah withdrew his allegiance to Assyria, causing Sennacherib to besiege Jerusalem in 701 B.C. (2Kings 18, 19; 2Chronicles 32). The Lord then sent His angel to deliver Judah (2Chronicles 32:31). King Hezekiah was used by God to lead Judah back to true worship.
After the prosperous reign of Uzziah when he died in 739 B.C., his son Jotham continued the same policies, but failed to remove the centers of idolatry. Outward prosperity was only a façade masking rampant social corruption and religious syncretism. Worship of the Canaanite fertility god Baal was increasingly integrated with the OT sacrificial system, reaching epidemic proportions under the reign of Ahaz (2Chronicles 28:1-4). When Samaria fell, thousands of refugees swarmed into Judah, bringing their religious syncretism with them. But while Micah (like Hosea) addressed this issue, it was the dintegration of personal and social values to which he delivered his most stinging rebukes and stern warnings (7:5,6). Assyria was the dominant power and a constant threat to Judah, so Micah’s prediction about Babylon, then under Assyrian rule, would conquer Judah (4:10) seemed a remote possibility. So, as the prophet Amos was to Israel in the north, Micah was to Judah in the south.
Historical and
Theological Themes
Primarily, Micah proclaimed a
message of judgment to a people consistently pursuing sin and overt evil. Like
other prophets (Hosea 4:1; Amos 3:1), Micah presented his message in legal/courtroom
terms (1:2; 6:1,2). The prophecy is arranged in 3 oracles or cycles, each
beginning with the admonition to “hear” (1;2; 3:1; 6:1). Within each oracle, he
moves from doom to hope – doom because they have disregarded God’s law given at
Sinai; hope because of God’s unchanging covenant with their forefathers (7:20).
On third of the book targets the sins of the people of Judah; another third
looks at God’s punishment to come; and another third promises hope for the
faithful after the judgment. Thus, the theme of the inevitability of divine
judgment for sin is coupled together with God’s immutable commitment to His
covenant promises: 1) The combination of God’s absolute consistency in judging
sin; 2) God’s unbending commitment to His covenant through the remnant of His
people provides the hearers with a clear disclosure of the character of the
Sovereign of the universe. Through divine intervention, He will bring about
both judgment on sinners and blessings on those who repent.
Interpretive
Challenges
There are verbal similarities between Micah
4:1-3 and Isaiah 2:2-4 which raise the question of who quoted who. Interpreters
are divided, but since they were contemporaries and because they lived in close
proximity to each other prophesying during the same period, this similarity is
highly likely. Holy Spirit gave the same message through two preachers. The introductory
phrase, “in the last days” (4:1), requires an end-times (eschatological) timeframe
surrounding the Second coming of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium.
Apart from Isaiah 2:2-4, three
other passages from Micah are quoted in other places throughout the Bible.
Micah 3:12 is quoted in Jeremiah 26:18, resulting in Jeremiah’s life being
spared from a death sentence from King Jehoiakim. Micah 5:2 is quoted by the
chief priests and scribes (Matthew 2:6) in response to Herod’s query about the
birthplace of the Messiah. And thirdly, Micah 7:6 is employed by Jesus in Matthew 10:35,36 when Christ commissioned
His disciples.
Outline
I.
Introduction
(1:1)
II.
God
Gathers Evidence to Judge and Deliver (1:2-2:13)
A.
Samariah
and Judah punished (1:2-16)
B.
Oppressors
Judged (2:1-5)
C.
False
Prophets Renounced (2:6-11)
D.
Promise
of Deliverance (2:12,13)
III.
God
Judges Rulers and Comes to Deliver (3:1-5:15)
A.
The
Contemporary Leaders found Guilty (3:1-12)
B.
The Next
Leader Will Deliver and Restore (4:1-5:15)
IV.
God
Brings Indictments and Ultimate Deliverance (6:1-7:20)
A.
Messages
of Reproof and Lament (6:1-7:6)
B.
Messages
of Confidence and Victory (7:7-20)
MacArthur Study Bible, NASB, Updated Edition.
2006. Nelson Bibles, Thomas Nelson. La Habra, CA.
