Micah
Introduction
Micah was Isaiah’s contemporary. He spoke about the same situation, and yet it is easy to see a striking contrast between the two: Micah, a man from the country; Isaiah, distinguished and learned.
Micah was from Moresheth, a village at the edge of the lowland, through which all the armies of Assyria and Egypt passed. He was well acquainted with the suffering and the destruction of war, and with the exploitation of the peasants as well. One day God called him and gave him strength, justice, and courage, to go, and denounce Israel’s sins. He spoke in the name of a God whom no one loved and violently denounced the injustices which were practiced everywhere.
Some of the words which Micah addressed to Israel, whose ruin was imminent, were later modified to adapt them to the situation of Jerusalem and of the kingdom of Judah when they were undergoing a similar crisis.
1.2 The Lord is about to leave the temple where he is present; so hidden, that everyone has forgotten him.
Verse 5: The first sin of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah is found in their capitals. They are the cities that have ruined the country; those who thrive by exploiting peasants live in the cities, and it is there that the riches of the land are transformed into palaces for a few.
We only need to look at the capital cities of some countries to verify what Micah was saying: the wealth of a country is spent on things as unproductive as the idols and prostitution of Micah’s time.
In verse 8: barefoot and naked, other than the sackcloth, which was the only clothing of captives (see Is 20).
In verse 10: Micah predicts a new invasion and he describes it by playing on the names of various stages on the way.
2.1 He denounces the exploiters, those who always have legal means to despoil little people. We must not forget that the Scriptures had a code of laws—far ahead of any other nation—to defend the rights and the lives of the poor, the widows, etc. See Deuteronomy 23:16.
Everyone, naturally, is furious with the prophet who disturbs the established injustice.
Verses 12-13 probably do not come from Micah’s hand. They may have been added here later (see Ezk 34).
3.1 He denounces those who are mainly responsible: the civil and the religious authorities.
There were prophets everywhere; they became prophets in the way someone is elected to a particular position. They practiced private consultation regarding a person’s future and good luck. The role of a true prophet does not consist in getting people, who pay him for his visions and his dreams, out of trouble, but rather in denouncing evil.
Verses 9-11 again accuse the leaders and the civil servants who feel sheltered from the misery and the disasters scourging the country. The long-standing confidence in Jerusalem, a city protected by the Lord, reassures them in their false peace: for this reason, Jerusalem will be destroyed. Eighty years after this curse, Jeremiah’s contemporaries had not forgotten it (Jer 26:18).
4.1 Here, we find an oracle similar to Isaiah’s 2:2. Verses 9-10 announce the Exile. The text 11-13 is different: it resembles Isaiah’s poems about Zion, the invincible (see Is 29:1 and 31:4).
Verses 6-7 show the confidence of God’s people amid hostile forces in the world.
5.1 But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, from you shall I raise the one who is to rule over Israel. That is to say, that the Messiah will come from the line of David whose roots are in Bethlehem. It is not clear if the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, in spite of the fact that Micah seems to contrast this peaceful king, born in a rural area, with the useless kings of the capital. Later, many believed that the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem: see John 7:42. Matthew’s Gospel shows how this prophecy was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus (Mt 2:6).
6.1 O my people, what have I done to you? In what way have I been a burden to you (v. 3)? The Lord argues with his people. We see God’s love confronting his people’s indifference.
Micah is addressing a people without understanding. When they are in trouble or feel an inclination for religion, they think of expensive things: sacrifices, offerings and even the sacrifice of their children, according to the Canaanite religions.
To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (v. 8). The answer is short and clear:
– do justice is Amos’ message;
– to love mercy: see Hosea 2:21;
– to walk humbly with God: see Isaiah.
The psalm of hope which concludes the book was inserted here later, in the time of Exile.
The end (7:7) is similar to Habakkuk 3:17: the just one knows that while evil reigns, he must continue hoping for God’s justice.
