The book of Micah is one of the shortest and least known books of the Old Testament. Micah was a contemporary
of Isaiah, but younger, by twenty-five years or so. There is consensus that chapters 1, 2, 3 and 6 were authored by Micah, but the
authorship of chapters 4, 5, and 7 is uncertain.
1. Micah, speaking for God, pronounces judgment against the cities of Jerusalem (the
capital of Judah) and Samaria (the capital of Israel) for their idol worship and prostitution. Samaria was conquered early in Micah’s
ministry so this judgment against Samaria is probably not prophesy.
2-3. Micah condemns theft, fraud, and prophets who only tell
people what they want to hear. He condemns the leaders of Israel who ‘hate good and love evil’, are corrupt and have no compassion.
He says her leaders ‘judge for a bribe’, her priests ‘teach for a price’, and her prophets ‘tell fortunes for money’.
4. The
author says that in the ‘last days’ God will settle all disputes, nations will no longer train for war, God will heal the lame, and
gather the exiles.
5. The author begins by saying that a ‘siege is laid against us’, and that the invaders will strike Israel’s
ruler’. This is generally thought to refer to King Zedekiah who reigned in Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar conquered the city. The author
then says that a ‘ruler over Israel’ will come out of Bethlehem, a ruler whose ‘origins are from ancient times’; that this ruler will
‘stand and shepherd his flock’, ‘his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth’, and that he ‘will be their peace’. The author
continues, saying that he (the ruler over Israel) will ‘deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our lands’, and the people will
then ‘live securely’. Then the author lists all the things that God will destroy, such as witchcraft, carved images, and ‘nations
that have disobeyed me’. The ‘ruler over Israel’ from Bethlehem, is seen my many Christians as a clear prophesy of the coming of Jesus,
but it is anything but clear, and scrutiny of the chapter as a whole does not support this. The reasons include: Jesus was not a ‘ruler
over Israel’, he did not hold any position in government or administration; Jesus did not ‘deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades
our lands’. There is no evidence that Jesus’ ‘origins are from ancient times’ which probably refers to the ‘ruler over Israel’ being
a descendant of David. It is not possible to credibly say that since Jesus’ time the people (Jews) have ‘live(d) securely’. There
is no evidence that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, or anywhere else for that matter; and he cannot be descended from David if he was
born of a virgin.
6. Micah reminds the Israelites of what God has done for them, and that their sacrifices are not enough if
they do not act justly.
7. The author paints a picture of an evil society, shame falling on Israel’s enemies, and praises God
for His mercy.
Micah is less strident than the other prophets and has a nice turn of phrase. He comes across as a
man who stands against corruption without wanting to see everyone necessarily slaughtered. The authors of the other chapters are more
traditional and severe. Attempts to ‘shoe-horn’ Old Testament sermons into prophesies of the coming of Jesus amount to wishful thinking
at best.