Micah
came from the town of Moresheth in Judah, southwest of Jerusalem - other than that, we are not told
anything else about the man himself. The book doesn’t tell us how God called
him. His name can be translated as a question which asks: Who is like Yahweh?
Micah’s
prophesy came during the years of kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah (who
ruled between 750 BC and 687 BC). Hosea and Isaiah prophesied at roughly the
same time. The main themes of Micah are God’s judgement and forgiveness. In
this book we will discover the prophesy about Jesus’ birthplace and meet the
Messiah as the Good Shepherd.
The
book opens with a pronouncement against Jerusalem
and Samaria,
announcing to them that God is bringing his witness against them, like a kind
of lawsuit. In the same way that a prosecutor outlines his case, God will bring
charges against his people and back them up with evidence.
From
chapter 2 God starts to set out his case. His people have dealt cruelly and unjustly
with their fellow-men. Out of greed and jealousy they have desired what belongs
to others and taken it for themselves - both houses and fields. False prophets
have arisen amongst the people, speaking words that do not come from God. The
prophets speak what the people want to hear, for their own pride and gain. In
Micah 2:11, Micah sarcastically says that a prophet who promised plenty of
alcoholic beverages would be just the kind of prophet the people desired!
The
rulers of Israel
are criticised for doing evil, abusing the people they are supposed to be
ruling and despising justice. The leaders accept bribes, the priests preach for
money and the prophets accept cash for false fortune telling. The whole society
is twisted and corrupt, so far from the way God intended them to be. Judgement
will fall on Jerusalem and Samaria in the form of invading armies of the
Assyrians and Babylonians.
In
chapter 4 the mood suddenly changes to one of future promise. In Micah 4:1, Micah
says that ‘in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be
established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills,
and all peoples will stream to it’.
The
phrase, ‘in the last days’ is often found in prophetic writing and it usually
refers to a time in the future beyond the present era, sometimes referring to
the time of the coming of the Messiah. Micah foresees a time when God will
restore Jerusalem
and make it a focal point for the gathering of the nations. Instead of climbing
to high places to worship pagan false gods, the peoples will make the ascent to
the dwelling place of God and worship him alone.
Micah 4:3 is quite famous; in it Micah prophesies that the nations of the world will ‘beat their swords into
ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword
against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.’ Unprecedented peace will
come to the world in the last days when the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, ushers
in his new kingdom. These same words are found in the book of Isaiah 2:4. It is possible that Isaiah and Micah used a shared source for this, or
one may have borrowed this thought from the other.
In
chapter 5 we find intriguing prophesies about the coming Messiah. Micah5:2 is
often read at Christmas time. It says “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you
are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose
origins are from old, from ancient times.”
King
David came from Bethlehem
and was an unlikely choice to be king by external worldly measures. Bethlehem was a small
town with nothing really going for it.
Several
hundred years later, the greater David, the Messiah, Jesus, was born in this
same small town. The Jews anticipated that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, based on this
prophecy in Micah. Yet they didn’t recognise him when he arrived as he didn’t
come in the way they expected. Ironically, it seems that the Jews alive at the
time of Jesus knew him as the carpenter of Nazareth
in Galilee, ignorant of the fact that his birthplace was in Bethlehem. You can read more about this in
the 7th chapter of John’s gospel.
This
coming Messiah is pictured as one who will shepherd his flock, his people, and
bring them unprecedented peace.
In
chapters 6 and 7 God continues his lawsuit against his people. The charges now
include corrupt business practices, disloyalty and betrayal within families,
violence and falsehood. The downfall and destruction of Jerusalem is foretold.
However,
there is the promise of hope and restoration. In Micah 7:9 the city of God speaks with a
prophetic voice: ‘Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s
wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out
into the light; I will see his righteousness.’
The
book ends with a rhetorical question that echoes the meaning of Micah’s name: ‘who
is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the
remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show
mercy. You will again show compassion to us; you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.’
In the
Bible the language of the courtroom and legal process is loaded with significance.
God is the ultimate Judge, and he is always just in his judgements. He cannot
just ignore sin and wrongdoing, or sweep it under the carpet. Where there has
been a wrong, a judgement must be pronounced and a sentence served. In the New
Testament we encounter the concept of justification. This is also a legal term.
To justify someone means to acquit them, to declare them righteous. The Bible
teaches us that God justifies us by grace. In other words, he declares us
righteous although we do not deserve it. The penalty for our sin still had to
be paid and Jesus did this for us, taking our sins upon himself in his death on
the cross. So sinful people can be pronounced just because Jesus paid for (or
atoned) for our sins. The penalty is paid, justice is done.
Justification
doesn’t mean that God lets us off for our sins, or acts as if we’d never
sinned; it means that God’s holiness demanded a payment for our sin, and God himself
provided the means of this payment, through the death of Jesus on our behalf.
Justice and mercy meet together and love and grace are seen most clearly on the
cross.
God
issues his people with a challenge in Micah 6:8 - “He
has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To
act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
These
words have timeless relevance and if you would like to see how Christians are
working out this truth in the world today, have a look at www.micahchallenge.org.
Micah
Challenge is a coalition of Christians who take their inspiration from this
verse in Micah and campaign on issues of justice. They are working to hold
governments accountable for the promises they made to the poorest people in the
world in 2000 when the Millennium Development Goals were set. If you need some
inspiration or resources to help you get engaged with issues of justice,
poverty and action, have a look at their website. If you are involved with a
local church, think about how you could encourage people in your fellowship to
take practical steps to speak up for those who are denied justice. Love is
demonstrated in action and we are all called to do justly, love mercy and walk
humbly with God.
