..
The Word of the Lord Came to Micah
Minor Prophets Series #6
Micah began his work as a prophet about 735 B.C. and continued up until about
700 B.C. He directed most of his words to Judah, the southern part of the
divided kingdom, though some remarks are directed toward the northern kingdom of
Israel (also referred to as Samaria). It is during this time frame that the
predicted carrying away of the northern kingdom of Israel into Assyrian
captivity takes place. Israel's infidelity had finally brought forth its
bitterest fruit. It had been a long time coming and God had been more than
patient, giving His people over two centuries in which to repent.
But Micah deals mainly with the southern kingdom and the more faithful of the
two. Where Israel had one corrupt leader after another, Judah had ups and downs.
There were periods of faithfulness to God as well as periods of digression and
apostasy.
At the beginning of Micah's work, Judah is enjoying prosperity under the reign
of Uzziah not seen since the days of Solomon. Unfortunately, and as was usually
the case, Judah (also referred to as "Jerusalem" which was its capital city) did
not deal with their prosperity very well, and declined morally and spiritually.
Uzziah was succeeded by his son Jotham who was a good king and the nation
continued to prosper. After Jotham came Ahaz, who was one of the worst kings
Judah had in about every way possible. Judah saw a steep decline during his
reign. Ahaz was succeeded by Hezekiah, an exceptional king who sought to bring
about social, political and spiritual reforms. His dependence upon God brought
about the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the powerful besieging
Assyrian army. Though the king's decree brought about the needed actions,
unfortunately it seems as if the peoples' hearts were not in the reforms. One
cannot change hearts through decrees. The results are Micah's warnings that
proper actions without proper motive are not enough, and later history will show
that following wicked kings are able to reverse the progress of Judah under
Hezekiah almost overnight. It seems as if Judah is either too far gone already
or too wishy washy to be firm in their resolve to obey the Lord. For that
reason, in about another century, Judah will suffer a similar fate as Israel had
as they are also taken into captivity. Though they did
better than their brethren to the north, and because of that lasted longer,
ultimately their lack of enduring loyalty to God will bring their downfall as
well.
MICAH; AN OVERVIEW
"The word of the Lord which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham,
Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and
Jerusalem." (MICAH 1:1). There are several prominent themes of Micah's prophecy.
Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, addressed many of the same things Isaiah did.
But it seems that where Isaiah did most of his work in Jerusalem among the elite
of society, Micah did his in the country among the people. Where Isaiah dealt
with kings and leaders, civil policies and the religious leadership, Micah
chiefly dealt with the social and moral issues of the common people, and the
adverse affect the leadership was having on them.
Micah promises the coming judgment of God upon His people because of their
disobedience, including both the houses of Israel as well as Judah. His point is
that if the people deal faithfully with God and one another, Jehovah will bless
them. But if they behave wickedly, they will lose their blessings. Another
strong point is made that people cannot obtain the good graces of God by emptily
following ritual. Micah also gives a clear revelation concerning the coming
Messiah yet 700 years in the future, revealing several specific aspects about
Him and His kingdom.
THE LORD'S JUDGMENT
"For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place. He will come down and
tread on the high places of the earth...All this is for the rebellion of Jacob
and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it
not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?" (MICAH
1:3-5). The first chapter deals with the coming judgment and destruction of both
Israel and Judah. In the second and third chapters some of the reasons why are
given. They "scheme iniquity" and "work out evil on their beds!" (2:1). In other
words, they lie awake at night dreaming up evil plans for the next day. They
figure out ways to unjustly rob others of their fields, houses and inheritances
(2:2). The Lord will repay their greed by taking everything away from them
(2:3-5).
Micah also charges both false prophet and people by saying that they prefer
easy, soft prophecies to those urging repentance and warning of the dangers of
their present path. Particularly interesting is Micah's accusation of the
peoples' lack of concern for what is true and right in favor of what is
appealing: "If a man walking after wind and falsehood had told lies and said, 'I
will speak to you concerning wine and liquor,' he would be spokesman to this
people." (MICAH 2:11). Can you imagine supposed religious leaders using the
pulpit to encourage drunkeness and other illicit behavior? Micah says that such
would be right up these peoples' alley.
Micah levels more charges against the leadership of the land in chapter three.
Vividly, he portrays the rulers of using their offices to betray the people and
enrich themselves at the expense of the nation. The false prophets lead the
people astray. Judges accept bribes and religion has become big business to the
prophets and priests. For these things calamity will fall upon the nation.
Please remember that Micah is talking about events which took place seven
centuries before Christ. You might need to remind yourself of this often,
because it sounds so much like he is talking not about Israel and Judah, but
about twentieth century America.
HOPE, AS ALWAYS, IN THE COMING PROMISED MESSIAH
"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you One will go forth from Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are
from long ago, from the days of eternity." (MICAH 5:2). There are several rather
long discourses about future events, including discussions about the Messiah to
come. In the reference above, several things are stated about Him: He will
arrive in Bethlehem, a small village in Judah. He will be a ruler of Israel. He
is eternal. Jesus was born in Bethlehem (MATTHEW 2:5,6). Jesus was born to be a
king over spiritual Israel (JOHN
18:36,37). Jesus is eternal (JOHN 1:1-3). Jesus fulfilled every detail of
Micah's prophecies about Himself. The place of His birth was no lucky guess, but
by the inspiration of God (LUKE 24:27; 44-47).
Another aspect of the coming Messiah is the nature of His kingdom and gospel.
"And it will come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord will be
established as the chief of mountains. I will be raised above the hills, and the
peoples will stream into it. And many nations will come and say, 'Come and let
us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, that
He may teach us His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.' For from Zion will
go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (MICAH 4:1-2).
Several points are made here about events which would occur seven centuries
later. God's mountain, or kingdom, would be established. It would not be limited
to only those of Israel or Judah, but people from all nations would become its
citizens. Citizenship would not be by literal birth, but through receiving the
teachings of the Messiah. The kingdom and the word of the Lord would begin at
Jerusalem. Again, these prophecies find their fulfillment in first century
events. The Lord's spiritual kingdom was established (MARK 1:15; 9:1; COLOSSIANS
1:13). Following Jesus' ascension to His heavenly throne, the gospel was
preached, beginning at Jerusalem (ACTS 2:1-4). The first century saw the gospel
preached to all nations as people from various cultures responded and were added
to the spiritual kingdom of Christ, His church (MARK 16:15,16; ACTS 10: 34,35;
COLOSSIANS 1:23; HEBREWS 12:22,23).
By Jon W. Quinn
From Expository Files 4.6; June 1997
