Key Themes in Micah

Micah came from Moresheth, a thriving country town southwest of Jerusalem. It is likely that he grew up in an agricultural community but went to Jerusalem to deliver the word of God there. Micah knew both an agricultural life and the business and brutality of the market-place, the temple, the palace and the courts. His instinctive empathies were with the farmers; he was not lured by the glittering facade of the new culture of fine houses and get-rich-quick businesses.

The superscription (1:1) defines Micah’s ministry as the word of the Lord: it constitutes God’s communication to his people. Micah had the living experience of God impressing his word on him and with clarity he saw (1:1) God’s mind and heart. Micah’s ministry was mainly through preaching – the book perhaps contains succinct ‘sermon notes’ rather than his full scripts, maybe compiled afterwards for the sake of later generations.

Background and setting

Micah’s ministry is located during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (1:1), i.e. between 742 and 686 bc. The circumstances around him were changing in fairly dramatic ways; and the impact on his faith was inevitable. His was a costly, demanding and (in certain circles of power) an extremely unpopular ministry.

The second half of the eighth century was an affluent period for Israel and Judah. Both capitals – Samaria and Jerusalem – had begun to enjoy immense material prosperity. In the face of wealth and godlessness, bold and incisive prophets spoke the word of the Lord (1:1): Amos and Hosea in the north, Isaiah and Micah in the south. Meanwhile, the Assyrians, one of the most bloodthirsty and arrogant of history’s evil empires, emerged and became dominant. Micah’s ministry spans the reign of four Assyrian kings, each of whom made devastating inroads into the Holy Land. It was during the reign of Sargon II (722–705 bc) that Samaria fell and the shockwaves of Samaria’s demise was met with a mixture of fear and complacency in Jerusalem. When Sargon II died, Hezekiah considered it strategic to ally himself with a coalition of other states to take a stand against Assyrian imperialism. Micah and Isaiah both urged Hezekiah to repent of his alliances with Egypt, Babylon and the rest, in order to avert the same fate as had befallen Samaria and the northern kingdom.

With international mayhem all around, Micah’s voice was heard in the royal palace and among the king’s advisers, judges and religious leaders. It is not surprising that his sermons have such variety in tone and content: the national and international events elicited a variety of responses from a person so passionate for his God and his country.

Themes and relevance

Micah spells out the disobedience of God’s people, particularly in the city life of Jerusalem, and the certain judgment of the Lord which will be thorough but will leave a faithful remnant under the leadership of God’s chosen king.

The accusations are clear: increasing affluence led to increasing callousness (2:1-2) and eventually to blatant disregard of God’s laws (6:10-12). Those responsible for administering justice became involved in corruption (3:1-3, 9-11; 7:3). All this took place under the veneer of continuing religious performances (3:11). They had managed to perfect the perennial heresy of compartmentalising their religious beliefs and separating them from their daily lives.

The book is structured around three cycles, each containing warnings or threats of judgment and a promise, and each beginning with a call to ‘hear’ or ‘listen’.

First cycle (1:2–2:13)

Israel is threatened with exile on account of their sin (1:2–2:11); but the Lord will gather his chosen ‘remnant’ into Jerusalem; they will survive the siege and the Lord will become their king (2:12-13).

Second cycle (3:1–5:15)

The Lord threatens to dismantle Jerusalem (3:1-12) due to her corrupt leadership; but he promises to lift up Jerusalem high above the nations (4:1-5), to gather the ‘remnant’ within its walls (4:6-8), and to send a ruler as Messiah for this purified people, who will lead them to victory (5:1-15).

Third cycle (6:1–7:20)

The fabric of the nation has become irretrievably threadbare (6:1-16) and is unravelling (7:1-7); but the chosen remnant of God’s people will be forgiven and saved by God (7:8-20).

The sections of hope bring light at the end of a dark tunnel. The light of God’s revelation through Micah exposes the darkness in the nation, but then points to the way forward into all that God has planned for his people. Jerusalem is viewed as the centre of the divine purposes for the united country. The designation ‘Israel’, which historically and politically in Micah’s time referred to the northern kingdom, is used in respect of the whole nation. This is Micah’s way of declaring God’s original and ultimate intention that there should be one people in one nation under one government – his own.

We know that a hundred years later Micah’s prophetic message was still being asserted in the days of Jeremiah, when the city was on the brink of destruction by the Babylonians (Jer 26:18-19). Micah clearly got his message home although in his own lifetime he saw only limited success and acceptance. It is a mark of the indelible impact of God’s word that Micah continued to speak with effective force long after his death – and continues to speak today.

This blog post is extracted from the study notes of the NIV BST Bible, ahead of the publication of Obadiah, Jonah and Micah, the new Tyndale Old Testament Commentary by Daniel C. Timmer.