Micah

1Chapter
1The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Moreshite —what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Coming Judgment on Israel

2Listen, all you peoples; pay attention, earth and everyone in it! The Lord God will be a witness against you, the Lord, from his holy temple. 3Look, the Lord is leaving his place and coming down to trample the heights of the earth. 4The mountains will melt beneath him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside. 5All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Isn’t it Jerusalem? 6Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. 7All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again for a prostitute.

Micah’s Lament

8Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like the jackals and mourn like ostriches. 9For her wound is incurable and has reached even Judah; it has approached my people’s city gate, as far as Jerusalem.
10Don’t announce it in Gath, don’t weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah. 11Depart in shameful nakedness, you residents of Shaphir; the residents of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is lamenting; its support is taken from you. 12Though the residents of Maroth anxiously wait for something good, disaster has come from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. 13Harness the horses to the chariot, you residents of Lachish. This was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion because Israel’s acts of rebellion can be traced to you. 14Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib are a deception to the kings of Israel. 15I will again bring a conqueror against you who live in Mareshah. The nobility of Israel will come to Adullam. 16Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in sorrow for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they have been taken from you into exile.
2Chapter

Oppressors Judged

1Woe to those who dream up wickedness and prepare evil plans on their beds! At morning light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands. 2They covet fields and seize them; they also take houses. They deprive a man of his home, a person of his inheritance.
3Therefore, the Lord says: I am now planning a disaster against this nation; you cannot free your necks from it. Then you will not walk so proudly because it will be an evil time. 4In that day one will take up a taunt against you and lament mournfully, saying, “We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How he removes it from me! He allots our fields to traitors.” 5Therefore, there will be no one in the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by casting lots.

God’s Word Rejected

6“Quit your preaching,” they preach. “They should not preach these things; shame will not overtake us.” 7House of Jacob, should it be asked, “Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these the things he does?” Don’t my words bring good to the one who walks uprightly? 8But recently my people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from those who are passing through confidently, like those returning from war. 9You force the women of my people out of their comfortable homes, and you take my blessing from their children forever. 10Get up and leave, for this is not your place of rest because defilement brings destruction— a grievous destruction! 11If a man comes and utters empty lies — “I will preach to you about wine and beer” — he would be just the preacher for this people!

The Remnant Regathered

12I will indeed gather all of you, Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the middle of its pasture. It will be noisy with people. 13One who breaks open the way will advance before them; they will break out, pass through the city gate, and leave by it. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord as their leader.
3Chapter

Unjust Leaders Judged

1Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just? 2You hate good and love evil. You tear off people’s skin and strip their flesh from their bones. 3You eat the flesh of my people after you strip their skin from them and break their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.” 4Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time because of the crimes they have committed.

False Prophets Judged

5This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who proclaim peace when they have food to sink their teeth into but declare war against the one who puts nothing in their mouths. 6Therefore, it will be night for you— without visions; it will grow dark for you— without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. 7Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners disappointed. They will all cover their mouths because there will be no answer from God.
8As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.

Zion’s Destruction

9Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert everything that is right, 10who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with injustice. 11Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, her priests teach for payment, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the Lord, saying, “Isn’t the Lord among us? No disaster will overtake us.” 12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the temple’s mountain will be a high thicket.
4Chapter

The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion

1In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it, 2and many nations will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war. 4But each person will sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the Lord of Armies has spoken. 5Though all the peoples walk in the name of their own gods, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
6On that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered, those I have injured. 7I will make the lame into a remnant, those far removed into a strong nation. Then the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time on and forever. 8And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you; sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.

From Exile to Victory

9Now, why are you shouting loudly? Is there no king with you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? 10Writhe and cry out, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the Lord will redeem you from the grasp of your enemies! 11Many nations have now assembled against you; they say, “Let her be defiled, and let us feast our eyes on Zion.” 12But they do not know the Lord’s intentions or understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. 13Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will make your horns iron and your hooves bronze so you can crush many peoples. Then you will set apart their plunder for the Lord, their wealth for the Lord of the whole earth.
5Chapter

From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King

1Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod. 2Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. 3Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel. 4He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. 5He will be their peace. When Assyria invades our land, when it marches against our fortresses, we will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. 6They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade. So he will rescue us from Assyria when it invades our land, when it marches against our territory.

The Glorious and Purified Remnant

7Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or linger for mankind. 8Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue them. 9Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10In that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— I will remove your horses from you and wreck your chariots. 11I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses. 12I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune-tellers. 13I will remove your carved images and sacred pillars from you so that you will no longer worship the work of your hands. 14I will pull up the Asherah poles from among you and demolish your cities. 15I will take vengeance in anger and wrath against the nations that have not obeyed me.
6Chapter

God’s Lawsuit against Judah

1Now listen to what the Lord is saying: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your complaint. 2Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit, you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth, because the Lord has a case against his people, and he will argue it against Israel. 3My people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Testify against me! 4Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from that place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you. 5My people, remember what King Balak of Moab proposed, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from the Acacia Grove to Gilgal so that you may acknowledge the Lord’s righteous acts.
6What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin?
8Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Verdict of Judgment

9The voice of the Lord calls out to the city (and it is wise to fear your name): “Pay attention to the rod and the one who ordained it. 10Are there still the treasures of wickedness and the accursed short measure in the house of the wicked? 11Can I excuse wicked scales or bags of deceptive weights? 12For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.
13“As a result, I have begun to strike you severely, bringing desolation because of your sins. 14You will eat but not be satisfied, for there will be hunger within you. What you acquire, you cannot save, and what you do save, I will give to the sword. 15You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourself with oil; and you will tread grapes but not drink the wine. 16The statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house have been observed; you have followed their policies. Therefore, I will make you a desolate place and the city’s residents an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of my people.”
7Chapter

Israel’s Moral Decline

1How sad for me! For I am like one who— when the summer fruit has been gathered after the gleaning of the grape harvest — finds no grape cluster to eat, no early fig, which I crave. 2Faithful people have vanished from the land; there is no one upright among the people. All of them wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt each other with a net. 3Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together. 4The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchmen, the day of your punishment, is coming; at this time their panic is here. 5Do not rely on a friend; don’t trust in a close companion. Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms. 6Surely a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother, and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household. 7But I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

Zion’s Vindication

8Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 9Because I have sinned against him, I must endure the Lord’s fury until he champions my cause and establishes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see his salvation. 10Then my enemy will see, and she will be covered with shame, the one who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look at her in triumph; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.
11A day will come for rebuilding your walls; on that day your boundary will be extended. 12On that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates River and from sea to sea and mountain to mountain. 13Then the earth will become a wasteland because of its inhabitants and as a result of their actions.

Micah’s Prayer Answered

14Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that is your possession. They live alone in a woodland surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in ancient times.
15I will perform miracles for them as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt. 16Nations will see and be ashamed of all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths, and their ears will become deaf. 17They will lick the dust like a snake; they will come trembling out of their hiding places like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will tremble in the presence of the Lord our God; they will stand in awe of you.
18Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love. 19He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham, as you swore to our ancestors from days long ago.
Study
Chapter 7
CSB

What About the Crusades?

In a speech at Georgetown University, former president Bill Clinton claimed that the current increase of Islamic terrorist activity, such as 9/11, is a consequence of the Christian Crusades which occurred almost a thousand years ago. Ask about the Crusades and you will probably be told something like, “They were wars of unprovoked aggression by Christian nations against a peaceful Muslim world. The Christians were interested in gaining riches and land.” In worst-case scenarios, people reject Christianity because they’ve been told that Christian Crusaders murdered Muslims for profit and gain. They conclude that Christianity is a violent religion.

First, and foremost, it must be remembered that Christianity did not originate in the Crusades; it began on the cross of Jesus Christ. Even if the Crusaders performed horrific acts of violence and murder, these acts do not undercut the truth of Christianity nor change its essence. At most the Crusades illustrate that sinful and fallen people are capable of wrongfully using the name of Christ for personal gain.

But the Crusades were not just about gaining wealth and land. One must consider the historical context to more fully understanding the motivations of the Crusaders. The Crusades were not acts of unprovoked aggression by Christians against the Islamic world, but were a delayed response to centuries of Muslim aggression. From the very beginning of the Islamic religion Muslims sought to conquer the Christian world. In fact, the first three hundred years of Islam can be described as a period of military conquest. Muslim armies conquered all of North Africa, the Middle East, Asia Minor (modern Turkey), and most of Spain. Christian Europe had to defend itself or else be overcome by Islamic invasion. As Muslim forces pressed into Europe, Pope Urban II in AD 1095 called for the First Crusade in response to pleas of help from the Byzantine emperor in Constantinople (now called Istanbul).

In other words, the Crusades were a defensive war, not an aggressive grab for land and loot. In fact, crusading was an expensive and costly endeavor. After the success of the First Crusade nearly all the Crusaders went home. Virtually none of them recovered the cost of crusading. If one wanted to get rich, crusading was definitely not the best route to make it happen.

Many atrocities occurred in the Crusades. Understandably, war can bring out the worst in people. Even during World War II some American soldiers committed atrocities, but this does not mean the war was conducted so soldiers could commit crimes. As for the Crusades, Christians have rightly condemned the wrongs that many of the Crusaders committed.

In summary, the Crusades were not about wars of unprovoked Christian aggression against a peaceful Muslim world, neither were they motivated by a quest for riches and land. The Crusades were defensive wars that aimed to stop Muslim military advancement. The West today enjoys religious freedom and democracy because the Christian nations prevailed.

God wants his people to care about justice. As the Prophet Micah reminds us, “Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mc 6:8).

ESV

Consequences of Disobedience: Social Upheaval. In light of the curses (6:13–15), Micah laments the loss of godliness (7:1–4) and the grave disloyalty even among the closest of family members (vv. 5–6). The unit concludes with a declaration of hope in God’s salvation (v. 7).

ESV

summer fruit has been gathered … grapes have been gleaned. … The godly has perished. In gleaning the fields of the summer harvest, one expects to find leftovers. Micah’s search yields no remainder—i.e., no godly remnant—only sorrow and futility (Isa. 17:6; Mic. 6:14–15).

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The “asking” of the prince and judge and “uttering” of the great man highlight the unrelenting demands of corrupt leadership.

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day of your watchmen. As the lookout on the city wall warned of approaching danger, so the prophet announced the approaching judgment (Ezek. 3:16–21; 33:7–9; Hos. 9:8). your punishment … their confusion. The referents may be the notables of Mic. 7:3. The confusion is illuminated by the examples that follow (vv. 5–6).

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Both societal and familial relationships have disintegrated in a city under siege. daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Cf. Matt. 10:35–36.

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But as for me contrasts Micah with the unfaithful leaders of vv. 3–4 (cf. 3:8), while I will look identifies Micah with the watchmen of 7:4. “Look” and “watchmen” are forms of the same Hebrew verb. I will wait … my God will hear me. This unit, which began with a cry of mourning (vv. 1–2), ends with the quiet confidence that God will act.

ESV

Zion’s Repentance and Renewed Faith in Yahweh’s Help. Zion’s humiliation is affirmed to be both God’s just judgment and his gracious liberation as the roles with the enemy are reversed. The speakers are not identified but are probably personified cities.

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I fall … rise … I sit in darkness … light. The city is likened to a prisoner of war, near death and in a dungeon of gloom, yet the Lord provides the sure hope of freedom.

ESV

indignation of the LORD … he pleads my cause. The city recognizes that it suffers the Lord’s judgment because of its sin, but now sees the Lord as its advocate in a court case (see note on 6:1–2). out to the light … his vindication. The rightness and justice of the Lord’s action are “seen” in the freeing of the prisoner and the shaming of the enemy. Both sides will “see” it.

ESV

shame will cover. … My eyes will look upon her. A reversal of roles takes place: those nations that earlier desired to “see” Zion defiled (4:11) are now open to public scorn. Where is the LORD your God? This taunting question disputes not God’s existence but his ability to save his people from distress.

ESV

Three activities of that future day bind these verses together. (1) building … walls. The enemy “now trampled” (v. 10) contrasts with the rising security (cf. v. 8) of Zion’s walls. (2) boundary … extended. Beyond security, there is a promise of territorial expansion (Ex. 23:31; Isa. 26:15; 54:2–3). (3) They will come refers to the gathered remnant (Isa. 11:11–12; Zech. 10:9–10) and the nations (Mic. 4:1–2; Zech. 14:16). Assyria … Egypt … sea … mountain. These geographical entities express the extensive scope of salvation going out to all the Gentiles.

ESV

desolate. In this summary expression of the eschatological picture, safety is found only within Jerusalem’s wide and secure borders. Outside there is only a wasteland.

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Restoration of the Relationship between Israel and Yahweh. This section begins with a prayer that, in shepherding his flock, the Lord will silence the nations (vv. 14–17). The final words of the prophecy focus on the Lord’s faithfulness and compassion expressed in the restoration of the covenant relationship (vv. 18–20).

ESV

Shepherd your people … your inheritance is a request that Israel’s sole possessor would feed and protect the nation (Deut. 32:9; Ps. 28:9; 78:70–71). Bashan and Gilead. These fertile areas east of the Jordan were among the first lands that Israel gained (Josh. 13:19–31) and the first lands lost (2 Kings 10:32–33; Jer. 50:19).

ESV

This statement is the literary “center” of vv. 14–17. The Lord has acted in the past, and he will do so again. when you came out. The people of God in all ages are included in the deliverance from Egypt (cf. Deut. 5:3). marvelous things. This term is associated with the Lord’s acts before Pharaoh (Ex. 3:20).

ESV

see and be ashamed. “Sight and shame” describe what the nations experience when they observe God’s power (cf. v. 10). the LORD our God. The shepherd of v. 14 is now identified. fear. The similar sound and spelling of “graze” (Hb. yir‘u, v. 14), “see” (Hb. yir’u, v. 16), and “fear” (Hb. yire’u, v. 17) clarify the interaction of the Lord with Israel and the nations. God’s people are fed, and the nations fear (cf. Ex. 15:14–16).

ESV

Who is a God like you …? The question underscores the peerless nature of the God who defends and pardons his people (Ex. 15:11; Deut. 3:24; Ps. 35:10; 89:5–8; cf. Mic. 7:10). because he delights in steadfast love. This provides the basis for why God forgives and relents of his anger. The divine and prophetic confrontation as a result of Israel’s sin (1:5; 3:8) yields to the feeding (7:14) and forgiving of his inheritance (Jer. 50:17–20).

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cast … into the depths. As God cast Pharaoh’s armies into the sea (Ex. 15:4), so he will deal decisively with the sins of his people (cf. Jer. 31:34).

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faithfulness … steadfast love … you have sworn. The book rightly concludes by summarizing the foundational attributes and actions of the covenant-keeping Lord (Ex. 34:6–7; Deut. 4:31; 7:12). the days of old. God’s character (his steadfast love) moves him to keep his word (his faithfulness), and thus the old promises to our fathers (Abraham and Jacob) still stand.