ZION … BE PLOWED AS A FIELD … BECOME HEAPS … AS THE HIGH PLACES OF THE FOREST

At the same time as Isaiah the son of Amoz was proclaiming his message in the courts of kings, Micah the Morasthite was mak­ing known the mind of God to the common people and their rulers. In the opening chapters, his cry is, ‘Hear, all ye people’, as he sets out the Lord’s case against them. In chapters 3-5, he raises his sights and targets the corrupt leaders, ‘Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel’. Then, from chapter 6, all have their day in court, the nation is clearly on trial, Jehovah is their judge and the call goes forth, ‘Hear ye, O mountains’, as the silent, impartial jury is called upon to wit­ness, as they had for centuries, the evidence of God’s mercy towards His people.

Although Micah was from the south of the country, his first words were directed against Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom. Micah anticipated its destruction and the captivity of its people, all of which he would witness in 721 BC.

The impending fate of Samaria is then used as a warning to Judah and, as he contemplates the coming retribution, it causes him great distress and anguish of heart, 1. 8, 9.

When, in chapter 3, he turns his attention to the rulers, it would seem that their besetting sin was avarice. The ordinary people were exploited, robbed and ruined by those who should have been their shepherds; justice could only be obtained at a price. The priests expected payment for teaching the scriptures and the prophets demanded a fee for revealing their perception of the mind of God.

For all this, ‘for your sake’, v. 12, judgement would inevitably fall upon Jerusalem. Micah’s description of the divine retribu­tion is graphic in its detail and his words would be remembered. A hundred years or so later, when the prophecy was about to be partly accomplished, Jeremiah was on trial in the days of king Jehoiakim, Jer. 26. 8-19. The death penalty had been demanded when, from an unexpected source, the words of Micah were recalled. As a direct result, Jeremiah’s life was spared; what power there is in the living word of God!