Micah

Micah and Isaiah prophesied about the same time. Isaiah was of royalty and prophesied to kings and nobles whereas Micah was among the people and prophesied to the masses.

“The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah — the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it, that the Sovereign Lord may witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. … All this is because of Jacob's transgression, because of the sins of the house of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria? ‘Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of rubble. All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images.’” (Mic. 1:1-2, 5-7)

“Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.’ Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field and Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.” (Mic 3:9-12)

“In that day, declares the Lord, you will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies.” (Mic 4:10)

“For the Lord has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. … With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? … Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Mic 6:2; 6-8)

“I will give you over to ruin and your people to derision; you will bear the scorn of the nations.” (Mic 6:16)

“The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net. Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire — they all conspire together.” (Mic 7:2-3)

In the Last Days (the time after the Messiah had come) “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Mic 4:2)

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Mic 5:2)

Comment: Recall Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Key Point from Micah

➢ Kings and the people of Israel had turned away from God in their daily living and worship. ➢ No matter how one tries to worship, either under the old covenant or the one Christ gave, their worship will not be accepted without a heart and mind set on living righteously and doing God’s will. ➢ Since God is righteous, He has always wanted His creation to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly.