Micah 1:1-16

The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. ² Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. ³ For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. ⁴ And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. ⁵ 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? ⁶ Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. ⁷ And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. ⁸ Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. ⁹ For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. ¹¹ Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing. ¹² For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem. ¹³ O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. ¹⁴ Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. ¹⁵ Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. ¹⁶ Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

The book of Micah is found in a group of 12 books that we know as the Minor Prophets. They are “Minor,” not because they are less important, but because they are shorter than the Major Prophets (Isaiah-Daniel). Micah was a prophet who preached to both the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the southern kingdom of Judah. The timing of his ministry spans the rules of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah who were kings of Judah (750-686 BC). Micah’s prophecies seem to surround the imminent Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom around 722 BC and the Assyrian invasion of the southern kingdom around 701 BC. His name is important to his prophecy because it means “Who is like YHWH (Yahweh)?” In these prophecies of judgment and hope, we find the character of God revealed in the book of Micah. Each chapter reveals to us something about God. The first chapter of Micah begins with an oracle of judgment for Samaria and Jerusalem (the capital cities of the northern and southern kingdoms). In this chapter we are reminded that God is the all-powerful, sovereign Ruler over all things and is therefore the Judge to whom all people are accountable. Further, He holds His people responsible to faithfully walk with Him. In this chapter, we learn three things about “God Our Judge.”

The first thing we see revealed to us about God as Judge is that His judgment is certain. God issues a call to all people through Micah to take note that God is leaving His heavenly throne to come to earth in judgment. We cannot miss this concept of God coming down. When the people of earth united together in rebellion against God to build the Tower of Babel, a tower that they wanted to reach to heaven, He came down to them (Genesis 11:5). It is a reminder that God is “the high and lofty One” (Isaiah 57:15) and that He is always “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1).  For Him to reach us, He must come down because He is the sovereign Lord of all. We read on and find that this judgment is specifically for the people of Israel. In verse 3 we are told that He comes down to “tread upon the high places of the earth.” “High places” were places where people erected altars and temples to worship false gods. Israel was full of idolatry. While God will eventually and does judge the whole “world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31), Israel was His covenant people and were accountable to Him. Amos 3:2 says, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” The same sentiment is echoed in the New Testament when 1 Peter 4:17 says, “judgment must begin at the house of God.” God’s judgment here is not merely to come against His people, but is a means of disciplining them to remove sin and idolatry from them. How easily divided our hearts can become. Israel was full of lip service to God, going through all of the rituals, feasts, and sacrifices, yet they served other gods and lived in sin. Are we any different? If someone looked at our lives, would they really conclude that God is “the high and lofty One” and worthy of our adoration and obedience?

Next, we have revealed to us that God’s judgment is righteous. The reasons for judgment are given in verses 5-9. He tells us plainly, “For the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel.” It is for Israel’s sin. As God deals with His people, we must not make the mistake of thinking Him to be unrighteous or too harsh in His dealings. If we read the Old Testament record of God’s dealings with Israel, we will find that He was immeasurably patient, loving, and gracious to them. He gave them every blessing, and when they sinned, He patiently called them to repentance and disciplined them as a father does his children. Yet, time and time again Israel embraced “graven images” (v. 7) and erected “high places” (v. 5) to false gods. Verse 9 tells us that the sins of the northern kingdom had even begun to affect Judah, the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom would have their cities destroyed and their people taken off into captivity by the Assyrian Empire. The threat of Assyria would then face the southern kingdom. Micah mourned for the judgment that is coming on his people saying, “I will wail and howl.”  We are reminded that even though the people of Israel rejected His Word and persecuted His prophets, Jesus still looked out over Jerusalem and cried out for the people of the city (Matthew 23:37). Speaking of God’s final judgment, Andrew Bonar once said, “I think He will weep over the lost as He did over Jerusalem. It will be something to be said forever in heaven, ‘Jesus wept as He said, Depart, ye cursed.’” Paul had the same attitude for the same people when he would have himself accursed for their salvation (Romans 9:3). As we speak of God’s righteous judgment may we have the same approach as Jesus, Paul, and Micah did. May we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). May we truly care about the souls of the people we minister to.

Lastly, we see that God’s judgment is perfect. Verses 10-16 give a list of towns found in the southern kingdom that the Assyrians would eventually lay siege to as well. Because Judah had adopted and become guilty of the same sins as the northern kingdom, they would face consequences as well. The towns listed and the corresponding statements with them in the Hebrew language are plays upon the names of the towns, the meanings of those names, and what the town was known for. They serve as a picture of God removing all of the things that Israel prided themselves in and trusted in instead of God. In the midst of these judgments on those cities, there are two names that provide a word of hope for Israel and Judah. “Mareshah” sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror” or “victor” and “Adullam” means “justice of the people.” In these two is a message for where Israel’s hope must be. It must not be in all of the other things represented by the other cities, but in a coming conqueror who will restore justice and act righteously, the Messiah. Further, a message is found in the first and last towns mentioned (Gath and Adullam). Both were involved in the life of King David. Gath is near Mount Gilboa where Saul and Jonathan both fell at the hands of the Philistines and David mourned their deaths (2 Samuel 1). It represented the darkness that would come to the world because Israel had failed to be God’s light to the world of the knowledge of God and His salvation. Adullam was where the cave was when David hid from Saul and had a group of 400 dejected people come to him (1 Samuel 22:2). It was here that David grew in his trust in the Lord and it is in the coming difficult time of darkness that God intended Israel to learn to trust completely in Him. What do we place our trust in? For life, do we trust in financial security, certain government officials, or our own abilities? For salvation, do we trust in our works, our religiosity, our reputation, or in Christ?

The world is quickly approaching judgment and we waste our time on so many less important things. Jesus is coming, the world will one day come to an end, and most Christians are content to play games with the eternal destinies of those around dus. One day all of the world will stand before God and give an account of their lives. God’s judgment is certain, righteous, and perfect. All people will stand before Him and the only hope anyone has of salvation is to trust in His Son whom He sent to be the Savior of the world. The whole book of Micah is about a prophet who cared for and was called to preach to the people of Israel and point them forward to God’s Messiah who would deliver them from sin. Do we mourn what is coming for the lost world around us? Do we care enough to give them Jesus?