1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Who was Micah?
The only information we have about Micah is that his hometown was a place called Moresheth. (Micah 1:14) In this verse, it is called Moresheth-gath, because it was situated near the Philistine city of Gath. The Micah who is the author of this prophecy is not to be confused with another prophet also called Micah. (1Kings 22:8)
When did Micah receive and deliver His words from God?
We read in Micah 1,
All this is for the rebellion of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? For I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the open country, Planting places for a vineyard. I will pour her stones down into the valley And will lay bare her foundations. (Micah 1:5-6)
From this, we can conclude that the city of Samaria is still standing; it has not yet been destroyed by the Assyrians which they did in 722bc. Micah himself tells us that he prophesied during the reign of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (Micah 1:1) This is confirmed by Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 26:18)
What was the basic thrust of Micah’s message?
It is difficult to reduce Micah’s message down to one theme. The reason for this is that the book of Micah consists of various prophecies that the author made on different occasions and for different reasons. Hence, the book is more accurately understood to be a collection of the prophecies of Micah much like today we might have a book consisting of the collected works or writings of a given scholar. This is why the transition from one part of the book to another can often seem very abrupt.
What are these different prophecies that we find in this book?
In the first three chapters, we read of God’s verdict on His people and His punishments for their sin in chapters 1–3 Then in chapters 4–5, we see a description of the beautiful kingdom that God will build for His people and the glorious leader who will lead them. In chapters 6–7, we have the great courtroom scene where God summons His people to His judgment seat. A clue here is the introductory formula, “Hear ye!”
- Hear, ye peoples, all of you; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord Jehovah be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. (Micah 1:2)
- And I said, Hear, I pray you, ye heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel… (Micah 3:1)
- Hear ye now what Jehovah saith: Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. (Micah 6:1)