THE WORD OF the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2Hear, O peoples, all of you,
listen, O earth and all who are in it,
that the Sovereign LORD may witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.
3Look! The LORD is coming from his place;
he comes down and treads the high places of the earth.
4The mountains melt beneath him
and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the house of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6“Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.
I will pour her stones into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.
7All her idols will be broken to pieces;
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
Original Meaning
THIS INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE sets the tone for the first section (1:1–2:13), which deals with God’s coming to earth to establish justice through his judgment. The section is organized into several negative messages and a brief concluding promise of hope at the end.1
After a superscription that identifies the source, time period, and topic of the book (1:1), a series of short paragraphs focus on the sins of Jerusalem, which will lead to its destruction. These messages come from the early ministry of Micah before the time of Hezekiah. The initial judgment oracle (1:2–7) must come before the fall of the northern nation of Israel in 722/721 B.C., the lament (1:8–16) predates Sennacherib’s attack in 701 B.C., and the series of oracles against the powerful leaders in Judah (2:1–11) probably refers to the wicked leaders in the time of Ahaz. The common theme uniting the section is that Judah’s sin will cause God to destroy Jerusalem.
The Lord is coming against Samaria and Jerusalem (1:3); a wound will come to Jerusalem (1:9), and God will cause a disaster to strike this city (1:12). The structure of 1:2–7 includes a theophany report of God’s powerful appearance on the earth (1:2–4) and a judgment speech against Israel and Judah (1:5–7). Since there is no record of Micah’s preaching in the northern nation of Israel, the rhetorical situation must be an audience in Jerusalem that needs to learn from the situation facing Samaria.2 If they observe the similarities between what is happening in these two countries, they will realize that a similar fate awaits Jerusalem. This warning should lead them to transform their behavior so that they can avoid God’s judgment.
The Superscription (1:1)
THIS PROPHETIC BOOK begins in the usual manner: announcement of the divine source of the words that follow, the identification of the prophet who receives these words, the time periods when the prophet preaches, and a brief comment about the subject of the prophecies. This information is not part of the preaching of the prophet but was attached to these sermons when they were organized in a written form. The supernatural messages that the prophet “sees [perceives]” (ḥzh)3 carry authority; they are not just the imaginations of a human being. The divine source of these words makes them important to preserve in Micah’s day, and we too must seriously consider whether they have application to our lives in the church today. When God speaks, people must listen and learn.
The prophet Micah is from Moresheth4 (probably “Moresheth Gath” in 1:14), a city about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem in the Philistine Plain, between the major southern fortresses of Azekah and Lachish. Micah’s ministry extends from the days of the Judean king Jotham, through the reigns of Ahaz, Hezekiah, and into the years of Manasseh’s coregency with his father. This overlaps with the ministry of Isaiah, so additional background information about these kings and the situation in Judah can be gleaned from his preaching.5
God Will Come to Judge the Earth (1:2–4)
MICAH BEGINS BY describing the Lord’s appearance in a theophany. This evokes not only a sense of awe and fear but also a sense of joy in his Hebrew listeners. The awe and fear arise because the power and glory of the majesty of God are seen coming to earth. The joy arises because of the Hebrew expectation that God is coming to defend his people and defeat their enemies as he did in earlier appearances (e.g., the Exodus events).
The initial call to attention that opens this section (“Hear”) is surprisingly addressed to all the nations of the earth.6 Everyone needs to see what God is doing and saying, not just the Hebrews in Jerusalem; his words have universal application because they have lessons for all people. God appears as King of the earth, who comes from his holy “temple” (the hekal, or kingly palace) in heaven (Ps. 18:10; Isa. 26:21; Jer. 25:30) to dispense justice. God, who rules the earth from his throne, is holy; therefore, all his acts are just. God will not only judge his enemies, but he will also be a witness against all unjust defendants7 (cf. Jer. 29:23; Mal. 3:5).
The focus of attention in 1:3–4 is on the wonder of the Lord’s appearance and how it affects nature.8 The language may be borrowed from a well-known hymn that his audience recognizes and appreciates.9 By using a hymn, Micah gains his listeners’ acceptance, which would improve the persuasiveness of his sermon and the possibility that they will follow the theological logic of his presentation.10
As God reaches the high mountains11 of the earth, everything is torn from its foundation. This is perhaps the imagery of an earthquake or volcanic eruption. The rocky mountains melt like wax (Ps. 97:5), and the level plains split apart. Nothing can remain unmoved and unshaken in God’s powerful presence. If the solid ground and mighty mountains are dissolved before God’s power, surely no nation can stand before a God with this kind of awesome might.
Up to here Micah’s audience probably identifies positively with what he has said. The dramatic nature of the metaphors and the dynamic messages of this speech grab their attention. It is a popular message because the Hebrews looked forward to the day when God would come in power and judge the nations—particularly the strong nation of Assyria, which is threatening their future. But the following section contains some rhetorical surprises, for God’s awesome coming is an expression of his anger over the sins of Judah, the people listening to Micah.12
God Will Judge Israel and Judah (1:5–7)
NOW MICAH EXPLAINS why (“all this is because”) God is coming in power to judge.13 First, God accuses the northern nation of Israel of insurrection or rebellion (pšʿ ) against himself, an idea that the people in Micah’s Jerusalem audience readily support. Since Judah has recently suffered severely when Israel and Syria attacked them during the Syro-Ephraimite war (734–732 B.C.), Judah feels little love for the Israelites living in Samaria. But Micah goes on to raise two questions, comparing Israel’s sin in its capital city of Samaria with Judah’s sins in Jerusalem at its high places of worship (1:5; see 2 Kings 16 on idolatry at the time of Ahaz). This is a shocking comparison! How can anyone suggest that worship in Jerusalem is as bad as the corrupt religion practiced in Samaria?
God predicts the total destruction of the northern nation of Israel. The stones of her city walls and houses will be removed down to their foundations (Mic. 1:6), and her idols will be destroyed (1:7). The land will then revert back to its original use of being a vineyard, a fate that began to be fulfilled when Sargon II destroyed the city a few years later (721 B.C.). This curse was finally completed when John Hyrcanus devastated the place in 107 B.C.14 God is especially interested in the destruction of the idols of the fertility religion of Baalism in Israel, the real cause of his anger.
The “temple gifts” (ʾetnan, 1:7) are in fact the “wages [also ʾetnan] of prostitutes,”15 the chief source of income for these houses of prostitution. These will all be either burned (1:7a) or given to others. This strange imagery suggests that the people of Israel will not profit from the money they spend on the gold to make their idols or their sacrificial gifts to Baal. Instead, the conquering soldiers will use this gold—possibly a reference to the soldiers spending this money to hire prostitutes for themselves and further their own depraved idol worship.16 Verses 6–7 powerfully communicate God’s verdict for Israel in first-person verbs (“I will”). By focusing on Israel, Micah alleviates some of the tension created by his earlier reference to the sins of Judah, but any thinking listener in Jerusalem will not have a hard time seeing the unstated negative implications for Judah, based on the initial comparisons in verse 5. What will keep Judah from suffering a similar fate? Has not Ahaz brought similar religious abominations into the temple in Jerusalem? Will God come after Judah next?
Bridging Contexts
THE SPECIFIC CONTEXT of this message to the Hebrew people in Judah limits any direct application to the church, for it applies to the past destruction of Israel and Judah. But the theological truths it contains about God’s relationship to humankind and nature provide a basis for raising questions about its implications for us today. Just as Micah’s audience in Judah could draw lessons for themselves from what the prophet said about Israel, so we can learn things from this sermon.
The nature of God and his ways. Micah emphasizes that God is a universal God, who rules all nations and peoples (1:2); there is no person or thing outside his control. God is holy (1:2), so his rule is characterized by a just administration that is applied to everyone. God is a witness to the actions of the people in every nation (1:2), so nothing can escape his notice or his just response. God’s power is also so great that it overwhelms even the most solid and permanent aspects of nature (1:3–4); therefore, there is nothing any nation or person can do to avoid the enforcement of his just decisions.17 God’s judgment of sinful and rebellious people will result in an overwhelming and complete destruction of all they hold dear and trust in, particularly those things that replace or stand in the way of the true worship of God (1:5–7).
These principles were manifest when God delivered his people from Egypt many years earlier. God ruled over all the earth, including Egypt (Ex. 9:29; 15:18). He was a holy and righteous God, who ruled from his heavenly habitation (9:27; 15:11, 13), and in his overwhelming power he brought ten plagues of nature and separated the sea so that his people could escape (chs. 7–12; 14–15). There was nothing that Pharaoh or his people could do to escape God’s powerful judgment of their sins (9:27; 15:1–10). Egypt and the gods they trusted were destroyed (8:24; 9:6, 15; 10:7; 12:12); no other god could compare to Israel’s God (9:14).18
These same principles will be seen in the future when God establishes his final kingdom. God will again take control of the fate of all nations in his seven bowls of wrath (Rev. 15–16). In his holiness (15:4) he will bring more plagues of nature on the earth (chs. 15–16) so that no one who blasphemes the name of God can escape from his hand (16:19). The resulting destruction will bring about the final defeat of the nations and the fall of Satan and his false prophets (16:17–21; 18:1–19:21). Then the King of kings will reign triumphantly in Zion forever (chs. 21–22).
These theological truths, which formed the basis for God’s relationship to Egypt during the Exodus and his dealings with Israel and Jerusalem in the time of Micah, are still the foundation blocks for understanding God’s relationship in our present era, and they will continue to be valid until the final days of humankind. It is essential that every person understands the nature of God and his ways, so that the mistakes and misunderstandings that existed in Micah’s audience do not persist.
Contemporary Significance
THIS SECTION DOES not directly address the problems in the capital city of any nation today (based on an analogy of what was happening in Jerusalem). Thus, one should not try to apply this passage to what is going on in London, Amman, or Washington, D.C., but try to focus on the timeless principles found within this time-bound message. But there are similarities between what God was doing in Judah at the time of Micah and what he is doing now and will do in the future. Consequently, the truth of God’s divine revelation still has the ability to teach and convict women and men in quite different historical circumstances. Jesus himself said that if people are unwilling to listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if one should rise from the dead (Luke 16:31). Through this he was implying that we must listen to what Moses and the prophets have said because their words are applicable to us.
Dealing with sin. Micah 1:2–4 asks all people on the earth, now as well as then, to hear or pay attention to what God is doing and what he is going to do. Just as God witnessed the acts of people in Micah’s lifetime (1:2), the great evil in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20–21), and the violence of Nineveh (Jonah 1:2–3), he sees the evil going on in our world. He knows what is happening in the smallest tribes hidden from civilization among the jungles of the Amazon River, in the boardrooms of the major corporations that control the economies of the world, and in the bedroom of a tiny European baby.
Psalm 139 celebrates the fact that no matter where we go (heaven, Sheol, or the remotest parts of the earth), God’s Spirit is present to lead and protects us. Amos 9:2–4 takes this same truth and shows that God’s all-seeing presence makes it impossible for anyone to hide from his punishment. It is a sobering thing to imagine that God is a witness to everything we do, yet it is also a point of comfort when times are difficult.
These thoughts can lead people to respond in several ways. If we have dishonored God or rebelled against his guidance, God’s constant watching is an unwelcome concept because it convicts us of wrong. We cannot fool him—an uncomfortable situation if we try to put on a good front at church on Sunday while secretly living another life during the rest of the week. The holy God has proof of our past failures, a record of incriminating evidence, and the inside story on what really happens. In light of his complete knowledge of our lives, we cannot shrink from our responsibility, blame others for our sins, or pretend ignorance. Each person must deal seriously with the problem of sin in his or her life or be ready to accept the consequences. Yet God is willing to forgive every sin and desires that no sinner should perish (Ezek. 18:23, 32; 2 Peter 3:9); thus, fear of his judgment can be removed through the grace of his forgiving love.
Micah offers a second factor that can motivate us to deal seriously with the problem of sin. He focuses on the overwhelming and irresistible power of God, pictured as an unstoppable force that melts even the permanent fixtures of nature (Mic. 1:4). People need to realize that no military power, presidential decree, law, or personal wish can stand in the presence of a holy God when judgment is determined. If mountains melt like wax before his power, can people oppose him or defend themselves against his powerful hand?
Such a thought is not even voiced by Micah since it is so ridiculous. It would be like suggesting that people can stop the shaking of the ground in an earthquake or hold back the wind of a typhoon. No, when faced with these natural disasters, people run for cover and pray for mercy because the power of natural disasters can be enormously destructive. Yet 1:4 suggests that nature has no power when compared to the power of the God of heaven and earth. Since the Lord has this kind of might, we should all consider what we will say when we meet him and have to take responsibility for our deeds. No human being can hope to survive his anger. The only hope for us as sinners is to turn from the sin that enrages God and rest in the power of his grace, which brings forgiveness.
What God witnesses. No application of this passage would be complete without an explanation of what God has witnessed and why it makes him come in power to destroy parts of the earth. God witnessed rebellion and sin (1:5) among his chosen people, who were supposed to be a holy people, separated from the sinful ways of other people in the world (Ex. 19:4–6). God is equally displeased when he witnesses sinful attitudes and rebellion against his revealed will in his people today. Sin is especially disturbing to God when it involves the worship of anything or anyone other than God alone. The act of bowing to our own ambitions, serving ourselves, putting ourselves first, and loving our desires more than God’s is nothing less than a veiled denial of God’s lordship and divinity. If we put anything before God, he will witness that fact, and judgment will be forthcoming.
God is a witness to the sinful deeds of every individual and nation. The international chaos caused by evil choices of leaders in nations throughout the world may bring death to innocent people, but God knows what is happening. He knows what every person has done, so it is foolish to deny past failures or to believe we can get away with wrong choices. Jesus claims that all hidden and secret things will one day be revealed because God is a witness to all our deeds (Luke 12:1–3). Part of the future is thus determined by the past, so we must be aware that there are consequences for the way we live. Exercising freedom of choice is not the highest ideal for us; the discipline to make the right choice is much more important.
This passage suggests that God deals with sinful people in two ways: in surprising and undeserving grace, and in deserved justice. (1) In grace, he sends his prophets and preachers to convict people of their sins and warn them of his ways (Amos 3:7–8). This is what Micah is doing in this sermon. In his grace, God is patient and long-suffering with the wicked so that they may have an opportunity to repent (Jer. 26:17–19 shows that Hezekiah repented because of Micah’s preaching in Mic. 3:12). God did not destroy Israel immediately after Jeroboam I built the golden calves (1 Kings 11–12) but sent prophets to warn them until their final end two hundred years later. God did not immediately destroy Nineveh (Jonah 3–4) but was gracious and extended the life of that nation about one hundred and fifty years. There is no need for God to be gracious, no necessity for him to show compassion. Yet, if God immediately executed just judgment for every sin, who of us would still be alive?
(2) The second way God deals with people is in deserved justice. This is the main emphasis of Micah’s message, and it is an integral part of God’s plan that the church needs to hear. Both God’s grace and justice are based on the premise that he rules over all nations and individuals (Mic. 1:2), is a holy God who witnesses what they do (1:2), and has the unlimited power to execute his will over human beings and nature (1:3–5). If these truths are accepted, it is not difficult to believe that God will eventually bring deserving punishment on people when his undeserved patience and compassion are ignored. Divine justice should be expected for sinful rebellion against God’s revealed will, and especially for putting any person or thing in God’s place (1:6–7). This will surely lead to divine justice and destruction.
Theodicy. In a certain sense, this passage answers some of the questions that lead people to question the justice of God’s action. When a disaster happens, people often approach this issue from the perspective of what we do not understand about God’s justice after the event; that is, we try to figure out the past (the problem of theodicy).19 In this sermon Micah raises the question of theodicy (God’s just rule of the earth) from a different perspective: the prophetic declaration of divine justice before it happens. This suggests that one can come at this question from the perspective of what one already knows about how God rules the world so that one will better understand what the future may bring.
In this context, the purpose of the prophet’s message is to warn people of God’s just punishment so that they may understand what he will do. This knowledge will give them and us an opportunity to respond and avoid his judgment (see this principle in Jer. 18; Jonah 3). Micah’s message encourages his readers to examine what they believe about God’s justice.
If the church can provide people with a broad theological perspective on how the justice of God works before they face such disasters, it may be easier to accept some of the unanswered theological questions after the fact (though, of course, all the emotional issues will not be solved by this approach). Micah is telling his audience in Judah about the nature of God, and he helps his listeners understand the future administration of God’s justice. He does not answer every possible question, nor does he does try to deal with all the various ways God acts in different situations. Rather, he speaks to the needs of his audience in their historical circumstances.
In other words, Micah’s application of the justice of God does not raise issues of Satan’s role in bringing disaster into people’s lives (cf. Job 1–2), the mysterious wisdom of God’s different ways of bringing glory to himself (cf. John 9:1–3), or the testings that come to people (cf. Gen. 22; Deut. 8; Judg. 3:1; Heb. 11:17). His picture does not include these additional points because he is not trying to give a complete, systematic description of God’s justice and because these issues have nothing to do with God’s plans for Israel and Judah at this point in their history. It is thus inappropriate to make this brief treatment of God’s future just dealing with his people in Judah and Israel into a paradigm that explains all of his past and future dealings with the human race. Nevertheless, this passage can help us understand what may happen if we reject God. Nothing can stand when his judgment comes in its full power.