Chapter 14 MICAH
Micah is the first of the prophets to warn Judah of their impending doom. He is a contemporary of Isaiah.
The book Micah is written in the language of the Courtroom. The sentences are to be pronounced upon the Israel-(Judea) and Judah (Jerusalem) separately, then the Judge will sum up.
Judea,
But you Bethlehem Ephrath, you are one of the smallest towns in the nation of Judah. But the Lord will choose one of your people to rule the nation — someone whose family goes back to ancient times. Like a shepherd taking care of his sheep, this coming ruler will lead and care for his people by the power and glorious name of the Lord his God. His people will live securely, and the whole earth will know his true greatness,171
Jerusalem,
Enemy troops have surrounded you; As they have struck Israel’s ruler in the face with a stick, so they will strike you.172
The Judges Summary
When will you learn to come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall you come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten-thousands of rivers of oil? Shall you give your firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?173
There are two things clear to those listening but that we might not pick up immediately, First, Bethlehem supplied the lambs to the Jerusalem temple for sacrifice. Jesus himself would come from Bethlehem. Second, every year Jewish people would (and still do), put the last verse of chapter-seven together with some words from the book of Jonah. They go down to the sea, stand at the waters edge and empty their pockets into the sea while reciting The “Tasclich” (you will cast):
There is no God like you. You take away people’s guilt.
God will forgive his people who survive.
He will not stay angry with them forever, because he enjoys being kind.
He will come back and comfort us again. He will throw all our sins into the deep sea.174
In most passages of this kind it is Satan that does the accusing, but here God himself is bringing the case against Jerusalem. It is God himself that pronounces the laws by which all are to be judged. Here again we must be careful of the preacher who likes to take a verse out of context to give a false hope to those that cannot see what has gone before.
This is a courtroom scene but Micah draws the focus in on the Judge. In Chapter-six-verse-eight, we have another misunderstood verse. It is very often misappropriated in one of three ways.
Mic 6: 8 He hath shown you, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
What is the most important part of this verse? Is it to do Justly? Is it love mercy? Is it to walk Humbly? No! No! No! A person can do Justly, love mercy and walk Humbly without the gospel if he or she is predisposed by nature to do so. When a person of natural disposition stands before the judge the verdict will still be Guilty as charged because the standard was insufficient. Referring back to Leviticus and the positions of Holiness, Common and Unclean, natural disposition may be enough to get us by as a common, but the requirement is to be Holy175. You can do justly love mercy and walk humbly because the law says you are to do these things—that is living under the law. But no law has ever been written that does not leave a grey area in which a judgement must be made by those attempting to keep the law. The most important part of the verse is the link. “He has shown you O man and O woman”.
Some modern versions translate “He has told you” but that is a wrong translation. The Hebrew has it “He has Manifest to you the way” it may be translated “demonstrated the way”,“shown the way” or even “made the way”. But not “told”. Why so pernickety? Because the verse without the context relies on works, within the context it provides the grace that can avoid a guilty verdict. Without Micah chapter-five-verse-two, there is no substitute to pay the price of release and the punishment must be met. There is no Bethlehem and no sacrificial lamb!
But You, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth the one fit be ruler in Israel; His goings forth has been from old to everlasting…. I brought you up out of Egypt, and redeemed you from status of slaves; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to show you the way.176
God is not looking primarily for behaviour, but heart. Law and commands may modify behaviour but sacrifices are works without right motivation of heart. If sacrifices or behaviour are our defence the judge will have to bring in a verdict of guilty.
Micah’s contemporary, Isaiah was upper class having been born in the palace, he principally spoke severely to kings and leaders. Micah was from a humble background and spoke mainly to comfort the common folk. But for all their different in background they had a remarkably similar message. The poor of the land are oppressed by you rich brethren. Your prophets are corrupt and falsely telling the poor people the Assyrians were coming to get them. Your Priests are exploiting the people, hoarding stock taken from the poor by pretence of siege, (actually they were scoffing themselves with it). Your landlords are evicting people from houses and land including widows and orphans to make a quick profit. Your Judges are asking for bribes to fix cases. Your leaders are apathetic toward the poor and secretly organizing orgies and fertility rights while introducing idols again.
The poor people of the land were asking God “Why won’t you sort this out God”. “Micah’s people” had a double whammy. They were on the receiving end of the sins of the wealthy in the hills of Jerusalem but were also fearful of how God would deal with the whole nation when they could do nothing about it. They were complaining this was unfair.
To the rich Micah prophesied
You lying prophets promise security for anyone who gives you food, but disaster for anyone who refuses to feed you. Here is what the Lord says to you prophets: “You live in the dark, far from the sight of the sun, with no message from me. You prophets and priests will all be disgraced” 177
Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten-thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?178
Listen Jerusalem, enemy troops will surround you and strike you rulers in the face with a stick.179
But to poor in the low-lands he prophesied, ‘Don’t be afraid of the Assyrians, they are on their way out’. There is Judgement coming but God will not stay angry with you forever, because he enjoys being kind. He will come back and comfort you again once He has thrown all our sins into the deep sea. 180. Its a picture of a child sitting on the naughty seat for seventy-years but then being restored and rebuilt. Jerusalem and the Temple will be restored but after they return from punishment. To crown it, God will choose the poor town of Bethlehem to birth Messiah:
Bethlehem Ephrath, you are one of the smallest towns in the nation of Judah. But the Lord will choose one of your people to rule the nation— someone whose family goes back to ancient times.
171 Micah 5: 2-4
172 Micah 5: 1
173 Micah 6: 6-8
174 Micah 7: 18 -19
175 Leviticus 11: 45
176 Micah 5: 2 and Micah 6: 4
177 Micah 3: 5-7
178 Micah 6: 6
179 Micah 5: 1
180 Micah 7: 18