Micah

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF MICAH MICAH: The word ‘Micah’ is an abbreviation of the word ‘Micaiah’, as it came in Jeremiah 26:28, meaning "Who is like Jehovah?". The prophet Micah is a country preacher, who lived in ‘Moresheth Gath’ 20 miles south of Jerusalem, on the frontier of Palestine. According to St. Jerome ‘Moresheth Gath’, in the days of the prophet Micah, was still a little village close to ‘Eliothropolis,’ which is nowadays called ‘Beth Gebrin’. It is located in one of the valleys that extend from the coastal plain to the Jewish heights around Jerusalem. The prophet Micah was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah in Jerusalem (see Micah 1:4-5; Isaiah 2:2-5), Amos and Hosea in the northern kingdom. Having prophesied in the region of Jerusalem, most of his prophesies, that continued along 50 years, concerned Zion and Jerusalem. THE PERSONALITY OF MICAH: There is some controversy whether the prophet Micah belonged to the class of the elders of the people of Moresheth, known as "Elders of the Land", who spoke the words of the Lord in the days of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:17-18); and was accordingly one of the judges who used to sit at the gate of the city and look into the problems of the people (Deuteronomy 17:5, 21:19; Ruth 4:1). Thus, he felt committed to defend the rights of the people of his little town against the oppressive rich people of Jerusalem. Others believe he was just one of the common people of the city, who go back to the early days of King David and were loyal to the royal family and doubtful toward those who infiltrated to the throne confiscating the authority for their own benefit (2 Kings 11:18-20; 14:21). It is noticed that the prophet Micah did not oppose the royal family, but rather wished for its return to the pure life and to realize its goal. But this would not be realized in Jerusalem, but rather through the Newborn of Bethlehem (Micah 4:14-5:4)1. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND2: The Assyrian kings contemporary with that period were Tighathpileser III (745- 727 BC), Shalmanezer (722-705 BC) and Sennocherib (705-608 BC). Sennocherib led his army into the southern and western parts of Judah and subduing the towns and villages until he reached Jerusalem that he besieged for a long time without being able to take it over. As to the prophecy concerning the captivation and destruction of Jerusalem, it refers to a later era in the days of Nebuchadnezar. Assyria subdued the whole region of the Middle East except for Egypt and Jerusalem. Yet it did not occupy all those lands with its armies, but compelled them to pay taxes. And whenever a new king ascends the throne of Assyria, the nations under taxes tried to rebel against Assyria. That is why every new king had to enter into new battles against the rebelling nations. The fiercest of those battles happened on the frontier of Egypt which used to persuade those nations to rebel against Assyria to protect itself. 1 Cf. The Collegeville Bible Commentary, Minnesota, 1989, p. 510-511. 2 Cf. Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Chicago, 1966, p. 851-852. The Jerome Biblical Commentary, London, 1970, p.283. 4 These circumstances created an atmosphere of great disturbance and unrest especially in the little towns and villages that were often exposed to invasions by the Assyrian army with the inevitable enslavement of their inhabitants, whereas the members of the royal court, the priests, and the rich people lived securely behind the walls of the capital. Those misbehaved, as they practiced cruelty and oppression over the inhabitants of towns and villages, who sometimes suffered from the bypassing armies who stole and enslaved and other times from the leaders and rich people. Judah reached the climax of its power during the reign of king Uzia (Azariah) in the years 783-742 BC, who, after being infected by leprosy, was succeeded by his son Jotham, whose reign was characterized by prosperity, construction, and military conquests. Jotham was succeeded by his son Ahaz, who ascended the throne at a time when Assyria enjoyed its greatest power and fame in the world. Tighathpileser defeated Syria in the year 732 BC; and 10 years later, he took over Samariah; something that caused Judah to lose its feeling of security, especially that king Ahaz has been weak and a puppet of Assyria. After Ahaz, came his son Hezekiah, who was a reformer. He broke his relationship with Assyria, and put it in his heart to rid Judah of idolatry and its abominations, and to purify and repair the temple. As it came in (Jeremiah 26:18), these reformations were motivated by the preaching of prophet Micah. THE SPIRITUAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Micah lived in an extremely difficult time. God opened his eyes to see the transgressions of Jacob and the sins of Israel (Micah 3:8). By the spirit of prophecy he realized what would befall the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, where oppression dwelt within their walls and enemies were approaching from without. Micah was aware of the wickedness in both kingdoms - Israel and Judah, of how the rich people abused the poor, whose screams rose to heaven, and of how corruption prevailed on all levels: on members of the royal court; on the priests, and on the common people. Both the leaders and the people have sinned before God as they practiced the formalities of worship yet without true repentance, which made their worship of no value (Micah 6:7- 8). In his days Israel was taken into captivity; whereas Judah, after a chance of about a century and a half, was destroyed by its sins. “Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS BOOK: This book, quoted by all the four gospels, occupied a special position by the fathers of the Church; where St. Jerome's interpretations of this book are considered the most important.  The view adopted by the fathers of the Church in the East and the West was that this book is rich in symbols; as for example, looking at the Mount of Zion as a symbol of the Church or the New Jerusalem (Revelation 20-21), that realized the hope of Israel.  The fathers of the Church see in this book a symbol of Baptism, which grants the believer the enjoyment of the fellowship in the New Testament occupying the place of circumcision.  The book, although it included special prophecies concerning the demolition of Samariah and Jerusalem, yet it prophesied about the future glorification of 5 Jerusalem (chastisement followed by messianic glory).  God’s care for the little faithful remnant and for every single one even if the whole nation was corrupt! The prophet Micah often repeated the term "remnant" (2:12; 4:7; 5:3, 7, 8; 7:18). In all generations and in the darkest of circumstances, God keeps the little faithful remnant as His own, dear to Him.  Micah was the only prophet, who accurately designated the place of birth of the anticipated Messiah, who rules eternally (Micah 5:2); a prophecy also acknowledged by the Jews (Matthew 2:1-6).  This book reveals God’s hate of the sin, yet His strong love of the sinners. As a holy One, He does not accept evil; as a Father, He loves mankind as His own children. He never makes truce with the sin as light cannot associate with darkness. With His limitless justice full of love, the incarnated divine Word delivered Himself for the sake of the salvation of man, of his perpetual renewal, and of his glorification on a heavenly level.  With complete frankness, the prophet exposes the sins in which both Israel and Judah fell and proclaims their destructive consequences. With strong love, he opens the doors for repentance so that the repentant can enjoy the divine mercies through humility before God (6:8).  If the false prophets, for the sake of their own benefit, do not care for the oppression and abuse practiced by the higher ranks of people against the poor with no one to confront them, yet God would never keep silent.  This book reveals God’s compassion, as His prophet Micah is seen wailing and mourning like someone who lost a beloved son or daughter. And as he sees, by the spirit of prophecy, his own people led into captivity, he partakes of their bitterness by walking with them naked and barefoot. As these are feelings of the men of God in both the Old and the New Testaments we do not marvel to read in the epistles of the apostle Paul: “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also” (Hebrew 13:3). ITS GOAL: 1- Repentance is the way to salvation from the catastrophes expected to dwell because of sin. 2- The prophet encourages the believers to look forward to the work of God among humanity; that he would definitely save it from the oppression that prevails on the society. 3- He reprimands the rich oppressors, and encourages the poor to look forward to God, who is capable of saving them from oppression. Some call him "the prophet of the poor". He was not preoccupied with politics and probably had no knowledge of it. He was only preoccupied with lifting up the oppression from the poor and with defending them. The prophet Micah was a man of practical faith: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what the Lord requires of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8). No one can seek the divine truth nor love mercy toward his brethren, unless he humbles himself before God in order to gain an exalted divine grace. Although the prophet Micah, as called by several of those who studied him, ‘the man of social justice, and of practical righteousness’, yet he always confirms that this can not be 6 realized without divine help. He is a man of practical faith. 4- He draws the hearts of his listeners away from the oppression that prevailed and the destruction to be expected to the anticipated dwelling of the glorified kingdom of the Messiah. 5- The prophet Micah referred to the Babylonian captivity and mentioned Babylon by name (Micah 4:10) a century and a half before that event. He also called the people returning from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Micah 7:11). THE STYLE1 AND FEATURES OF THIS BOOK: 1- The book of Micah is characterized by the swift movement from one style to another. He uses the style of question and answer (1:5; 2:7); and that of lamentation (1:8- 16). He refers to God’s goals of the worship rituals included in the five books of Moses (6:6-8), to a personal confession by faith: “But we …” (4:1-4), to divine trials (1:2), to exposing sins as reasons for the divine verdict of perdition, to defending the poor, and to an anticipation of the coming of Savior Messiah. 2- The village life of Moresheth reflects on the style of the prophet Micah, who does not present the impression of the wilderness like the prophet Amos, nor of that of the country like the prophet Hosea, nor any reference to the royal palace in the capital like the prophet Isaiah. The prophet Micah refers to the fields owned by the country people (2:2), and to the sheaves on the threshing floor (4:12). He was also impacted by the rich people of Jerusalem, who used to come to Moresheth to practice oppression on its poor (6:11), to take what they covet by violence (2:1-2; 6:9-11), to seize the fields of those who could not pay their debts (2:2-4), and to pull the robe with the garment off their backs, although the Law commit the debtors to give them back by sunset (2:8). 3- The prophet Micah did not present any proofs to confirm his prophecies like divine visions or a testimony by the high priest to his divine call the way the prophet Amos did (Amos 7:10-17). 4- Together with simplicity as a preacher, he demonstrates unique spiritual depths. Referring to the abundant sacrifices offered by the rich people for worship, he, looking at their oppression of the poor, counts them as being hopelessly sick (Micah 3; 6:6-13). 5- The book of Micah is rich in contradictory issues. While he talks about Jerusalem expected to fall under captivity and to be destroyed, he also lifts us up to the New Jerusalem, which draws the gentiles to the Lord and from which the word of God goes to all mankind. Concerning the gentiles, he sometimes refers to them falling under divine wrath, and other times coming to faith with divine blessings. A LIST OF THE SINS OF THE NATION2: The prophet Micah states two main sins, namely mixing between the worship of the living God and idolatry with all its abominations, and practicing oppression and abusing the poor. 1. Idol worship (1:7; 6:16). 2. Devising and planning evil (2:1). 3. Deceit, lust, and violence (2:2). 4. Greed (2:2). 5. Oppression (2:2). 1 The Collegeville Bible Commentary, Minnesota, 1989, p. 509-510. 2 Cf. Henerietta Mears: What the Bible is All About, chapter 23. 7 6. Violence (2:2; 3:10; 6:12; 7:2). 7. Throwing the widows out of their houses (2:9). 8. Encouraging the false prophets (2:6, 11). 9. Corruption of the rulers: hate of good and love of evil (3:1-3). 10. Corruption of the prophets: Disregarding justice, and misinterpreting truth (3:5-7). 11. Corruption of the priests (3:11). 12. Bribes (3:9, 11; 7:3). 13. Dishonesty (6:10-11). QUOTATIONS FROM THE BOOK OF MICAH: 1. By the elders of Judah (Jeremiah 26:18 after Micah 3:12). 2. By the wise men from the east, who came to Jerusalem (Matthew 2:5-6 after Micah 5:2). 3. By Jesus the Lord of glory, as He sent the twelve disciples to preach (Matthew 10:35-36 after Micah 7:6). THE KINGDOM OF GOD  Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom of the Savior Messiah (4; 1-2).  A catholic ecumenical kingdom (4:2).  Its Law: the Messianic peace (4:3).  Its possibilities: Prosperity (4:4).  Its feature: Righteousness (4:5; 4:2). THE PROPHETS MICAH AND ISAIAH1: Micah started his prophecy 17 or 18 years after Isaiah.  Whereas Isaiah was preoccupied with the capital Jerusalem (Isaiah 1; 2:1-5; 4:2-6; 8; 5-10), Micah, on the other hand was more attached to Bethlehem. He was ‘The prophet of the people.’  Whereas Isaiah was an aristocrat strongly attached to the capital and its temple, experienced in the politics of his nation and a prominent poet, Micah was a country man, less refined than Isaiah; his style tends to be rough, like his surroundings; and abruptly moving from one place to another and from one person to another. Although he often wrote aggressively and boldly, yet, bearing a heart full of bitterness and grief, he sometimes wrote with a language of compassion and love.  Micah was a poor man, who suffered together with his poor brethren from the oppression of the rich. Behind his words was a personal bitter experience.  Whereas to Isaiah sin is defiling the temple of God (Isaiah 4:4), to Micah it is pulling the robe with the garment off the back of the poor and throwing the women of the people of God out of their pleasant homes (Micah 2:8-9). Whereas Isaiah was a preacher of faith that requires the observance of what is fitting to the secret holiness of Jehovah, Micah was the prophet of the divine justice to keep the rights of the poor. THE PROPHETS MICAH AND AMOS2: The prophet Micah, not only lived in a neighborhood close to that of the prophet Amos (Tekoa), but he was like him in several ways. He was so influenced by the spirit of 1 The Collegeville Bible Commentary, Minnesota, 1989, p. 511. 2 The Jerome Biblical Commentary, London, 1970, p.283. 8 Amos that he was called "Amos redivivus". Both of them were country men who attacked the social and economic corruption (social injustice) in their days, when the rich abused the poor. Their mission did not stop at confronting oppression, but they also attacked the bitter religious practices that prevailed in their days when bribes prevailed among the priests, the false prophets, and the judges, and when worship was no more than formalities, offering animal sacrifices and offerings without leading a holy life, nor observing the divine commandment. THE UNITY OF THE BOOK OF MICAH: Although the majority of scholars consider the book as authored by the prophet Micah (inspired by the Holy Spirit), the scholar Ewald and some others believed that chapters 6 and 7 were written by another unknown prophet in the days of king Manasseh claiming that that the nature of these two chapters is different from the first five chapters of the book. Wellhausen and Stade also believed that the contents of (Micah 7:7-20) was written after the captivity, basing their view on the similarity between this text and what is mentioned in (Isaiah 40-66). Some refuse to consider the two chapters 4 and 5 as written by the prophet Micah finding it difficult to believe that the author of the first three chapters, who wrote violent warnings and rebukes is the same one who recorded the vision of the glorious mountain of the Lord’s house in the end of days (Chapter 4) and the exalted divine promises (Chapter 5). By so saying, they present Micah as a social reformer rather than a man of God, who opens the gates of hope before the fallen souls after clearly exposing the seriousness of their corruption. John Howard Raven (and others) defended the unity of this book based on the following1: 1- The term "Hear" (1:2; 3:1; 6:1) binds the book together as written by one author. Some believe that the book is divided into three parts each of which beginning with this word. The critics depend mainly on quotations from the book and not on the book as a whole, depending on what the prophet presents in a concise way about his prophecies that covered a period of about 50 years. 2- Raven believes that the similarity between Micah 6-7 and Isaiah 40-66 confirms that Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, who wrote the chapters 40-66, authored those two chapters. 3- The difference in style probably refers to the long service of the prophet Micah for a period of about 50 years during which historical, cultural, and spiritual changes must have caused those differences. 4- What came in chapters 4-7 reveal similarities to writings in the days of Micah, of which are: Compare Micah 3:1-3 with Isaiah 2:2-4. Micah 4:3 with Joel 3:10. Micah 4:7 with Isaiah 24:24. Micah 4:9 with Isaiah 13:8; 21:3. Micah 4:13 with Isaiah 41:15-16; 23:18. Micah 5:5 with Isaiah 9:6. 1 J.H. Raven: Old Testament Introduction, 1910, p. 229 ff. 9 Micah 5:13 with Isaiah 2:8. Micah 6:2 with Hosea 4:1; 12:2. Micah 6:4 with Amos 2:10. Micah 6:7 with Isaiah 1:11. Micah 6:8 with Isaiah 1:17; Hosea 6:6. Micah 6:11 with Hosea 12:7. Micah 6:14 with Hosea 4:10. Micah 7:1 with Isaiah 24:13; Hosea 9:10. Micah 7:2 with Isaiah 57:1. Micah 7:3 with Isaiah 1:23; Hosea 4:18. Micah 7:10 with Joel 2:17. Micah 7:11 with Amos 9:11. DIVISIONS OF THE BOOK OF MICAH: The first division: Chastisement prophecies (Micah 1-3), where he concentrated on the divine verdict soon to be issued along with a strong admonition against the Jewish leadership.  With the fall of Israel (its capital Samaria) and its destruction on the sixth year of the reign of king Hezekiah as by Assyria, the most dangerous of its enemies at that time, as well as with the fall of Judah (its capital Jerusalem) into evil, the Lord did not intend to chasten them before holding the nations witness against them. Together with the chastisement, God reveals the cause of the ailment in order to seek the cure. God would not issue commands, without giving man the chance to debate with Him, to understand each other.  When God chastens, He is as though “coming out of His place” (1:3).  For the sake of chastisement, God allowed for the victory of Shalmaneser over Samaria (1:5-7; 2 kings 6, 17:4), Sennacherib over Judah (1:9-16; 2 kings 18:3), stopped the spirit of prophecy (3:6), and allowed for the devastation of Jerusalem. The second division: Glorious Messianic prophecies (Micah 4-5), where the divine grace works and the positive side concerning the reform of Zion is revealed. If Israel and Judah were corrupted, there is the need for the Savior Messiah to reform them. He reveals the ailments that dwelt upon them: 1. The Messiah is the holy Mountain (4:1) on whom the holy city is set (5:14), namely the Church, being the foundation of our faith. 2. He opens the gate before the nations (4:1, 2). 3. He grants the inner peace (4:3-5; 5:10-11). 4. He cares for the lame, the outcast and the weak. 5. He eternally reigns over Zion (the heart) (4:8). 6. He calls on the Church to come out, as though with Christ, to the wilderness to overcome the devil and to set forth to Babylon not as a captive, but as delivered and redeemed (4:10). 7. The believer, by the Newborn of Bethlehem Ephrathah (5:1-2), will become “like a lion among the beasts of the forest” (5:8) carrying the spirit of conquest, yet not by human weapons: “I will cut off your horses from your midst, and destroy your chariots” (5:10). The third division: A divine legal case (Micah 6-7) against Israel due to their breaking the divine covenant. Yet, He would be ready to debate with them. 10  He confirms to them that He would not be pleased with the literality of worship nor with the sacrifices in themselves, but He seeks the heart: “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? … What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:7, 8).  He also states that our wickedness is the cause of chastisement (6:9-11).  As a pay back for His love, He seeks from us the hidden worship (7:5, 6), the hope for arising from our fall (7:7-10), and to give Him praise (7:18-20). He started the book by a chastened nation, divided into two kingdoms, on which corruption prevailed; and ended by a glorified one people namely, the Church of Christ, the Savior of the whole world. The book ends with a prayer for the sake of their reform and the proclamation of God’s mercies: “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity, and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19) 11 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF MICAH AN AMAZING GRACE! AN AMAZING LEADER! AND AN AMAZING CITY  My Soul is terrified inside me, when Micah your prophet reveals the horror and bitterness of sin. I feel ashamed and disgraced. Sin bares me of the garment of righteousness, to become naked! It deprives me of the sweetness of life; and embitters my soul. It deprives me of my inner freedom; and turns me into a captive. It takes my strength away from me; and makes me completely feeble. It deprives me of everything; and makes me lose the taste of life.  But Your grace is rich, capable, and splendid. It scatters the darkness of my sins; and makes me shine by it. It grants me the spirit of strength and conquest; and fills me with joy. It gives me freedom to set forth and settle down in your arms. You cover me with your righteousness to let me show up before the heavenly Father. You clothe me with the heavenly glory to let me praise together with the heavenly hosts.  Sin destroys in me the spirit of leadership. It destroys my mind, my heart, my will, and all my talents. But You came down to Bethlehem to become my Leader! How amazing You are; the heavenly Leader! You, the Leader, grants me the active spirit of leadership. By You, I live strong; never to know the spirit of failure. By You, I walk like a living leader; and go victoriously through battles.  Your prophet Micah mourns Samariah and Jerusalem! In bitterness he walks naked and barefoot; screaming incessantly. With his love, I see him partake of the misery of his people, on their way to captivity. He moans together with them all. But You revealed to him a new city high on the top of the mountains. You brought him up into the High Jerusalem. You carried him up to the new world.  How an amazing divine grace, it is indeed! And how a strong and victorious leadership it is! And how a heavenly new city!