Micah

by Daniel M. Master

Tell Judeideh (Moresheth Gath)

Todd Bolen/www.BiblePlaces.com

Introduction

The book of Micah, the sixth part of the “Book of the Twelve,”1 provides a prophetic indictment of the northern and southern kingdoms in the second half of the eighth century B.C. The poetry of this book is often extremely difficult, but in recent years, scholars have hoped that our increasing knowledge of the history of the eighth century will provide a key for unlocking some of Micah’s most obscure passages.

Two anchors place Micah’s activity at the end of the eighth century. Micah 1:1 links the prophet to the Judahite kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, whose reigns extend from (at most) 750–687 B.C. Jeremiah 26:17–19 quotes Micah and refers to his proclamations “in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah,” again placing Micah at the end of the eighth century. The second half of the eighth century was so dynamic that even within these limits it is difficult to characterize the political or economic world of Micah. For instance, Micah speaks of the devastation of the western lowlands of Judah in chapter 1, but this area was attacked as many as four times in the eighth century. Further, Micah talks about economic injustice, but attempts to use eighth-century history to elucidate Micah’s message have been stymied by the sheer variety of economic relationships at the end of the eighth century.

Historical Background

The earliest dates for the context of Micah’s speeches have recently been provided by C. S. Shaw, who argues that the speeches of Micah begin in 747 B.C., during the early years of Jotham and the last years of Jeroboam II in the north.2 For Shaw, many of the nuances of the Chronicler’s record of these events provide important background information for the loss of the Judahite Shephelah recorded in Micah 1:10–16 (2 Chron. 26:6–8 versus 27:5 for the loss of the lowlands during Jotham’s reign).3

Other scholars place Micah’s oracles in the context of the struggle between Israel and Judah that culminated in the Syro-Ephraimite war (735–734 B.C.) as Damascus and Samaria fought against Jerusalem to install an anti-Assyrian ruler on the throne. Ahaz responded by inviting the Assyrian king into the region, an action that soon resulted in the defeat of Damascus and the beginning of Assyrian hegemony.

Still others place Micah’s message in the days when Assyria returned to end the last vestiges of Israelite independence in an attack on Samaria that culminated in Samaria’s destruction in 722/721. According to many, this event is either predicted or recorded in Micah 1 and marks the beginning of Micah’s ministry.4

Some have concluded that the Judahite king Hezekiah heeded Micah’s message in 712 when Assyria attacked a rebellion in the region once again. While likely enticed by Babylonian envoys to join in an empire-wide revolt, Hezekiah resisted, and when the Assyrians punished rebellious Philistine cities such as Ashdod, Hezekiah’s kingdom was untouched.5

The final possible eighth-century context for Micah’s oracles is the revolt of Hezekiah in 701 B.C. While Jerusalem survived the attacks, Sennacherib completely destroyed the lowlands of Judah and allowed the Philistines to dominate Judah’s western border.6 This last event is perhaps the event most frequently related to the oracles of Micah, particularly to the events described in 1:10–16.

While the exact parallels between Micah’s oracles and any of these events are disputed, Shaw argues that determining which of these events is behind Micah’s oracles is key to understanding the message of the book. Andersen and Freedman, authors of the most significant modern commentary on Micah, are equally adamant that the specific historical background of Micah provided a critical context for the early interpretation of the book, likely traveling along with the book for some time.7 After all, when the elders in the days of Jeremiah recalled Micah’s oracle, they also knew a specific date for the oracle as well as Hezekiah’s response, material not found in Micah itself but fundamental to their argument from his book. The modern reader of Micah should at least be aware of the variety of ways in which different historical backgrounds have affected understanding and even translation of several difficult passages in this book.

Economic Background

In addition to referring to military campaigns and political machinations, Micah’s message addresses the economic injustices of his time. Albrecht Alt argued that Micah was living in a time when there were two major power bases in Judah, the city of Jerusalem with its monarchy and the rest of the country still living in the old tribal ways. In Alt’s view, Micah’s critique is the voice of the countryside, decrying the impositions of the Jerusalem elites.8 Halpern also emphasizes this urban-rural dichotomy and further argues that, with refugees from Samaria increasing the size of Jerusalem and with Sennacherib decimating the lowlands, the balance between Jerusalem and the rest of the kingdom was skewed increasingly in favor of Jerusalem during the days of Micah and beyond.9

Perhaps another factor was at work. As the Phoenicians began their push westward across the Mediterranean, they created enormous trading networks enhanced by increasingly efficient transportation strategies. Throughout the eighth century, the Phoenician desire for agricultural produce for trade drove farmers throughout the region to adopt “more efficient” (and likely more ruthless) methods.10 This commercialization, an early form of “globalization,” transformed the traditional economies of the small highland states like Israel and Judah into producers for the Phoenician commercial world.11 Micah lived in dynamic economic times and through them sounds a call, not for avoidance of this new commercial world, but for justice and righteousness in the midst of the changes.