miles north east to the then important Judean trading city of Lachish. It is given that Micah prophesied during the reigns of the Southern Kingdom of Judah’s kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (Micah 1:1). The reign of Jotham lasted from 750 B.C. when be became co-regent with Uzziah and he became the sole ruler in 740 B.C when Uzziah died and continued to rule till his death in 731 B.C. The reign of Ahaz began with his co-regency with Jotham in 734 B.C and he became the sole ruler after the death of Jotham and continued to rule till his death in 716 B.C. Hezekiah began his co-regency with Ahaz in 729 B.C and became the sole ruler of Judah after the death of Ahaz and continued to rule till his death in 687 B.C. Hence, taking the upper and lower limit of the reigns of these three kings, it is clear that Micah prophesied between 750 B.C to 687 B.C. It is around the same time period that Prophet Isaiah prophesied in the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Prophets Amos and Hosea prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (See Isaiah 1:1, Amos 1:1, Hosea 1:1, See Grace – Blossom38:February11,Attachment). The times of Micah were such that wealth was overflowing in both the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. At the same time, it was also a time when the people of both Judah and Israel were indulged in sin and ungodly diversions. The destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, a momentous event in Biblical history occurred during the life time of Micah, in 722/723 B.C (2 Kings 18:10). Infact, Micah prophesied in advance about the 722/723 B.C destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel. Moreover, Micah’s prophecies about the coming judgment on the southern kingdom of Judah also came true infront of his eyes. In 702 B.C, Assyrian emperor Sennacherib invaded Judah and captured many towns of Judah including the home town of Micah, Moresheth-Gath (2 Kings 18:13). We learn from the Bible that at that time of peril, due to the repentance of King Hezekiah, God saved Jerusalem and drove away Sennacherib’s forces. The Book of Jeremiah which was written later (between 628 B.C – 562 B.C) informs us that it was due to the prophecies of Micah that Hezekiah repented and turned to God (Jeremiah 26:18,19). Truly, the prophetic book of Micah has many such wonderful aspects about it and let us study it from this issue with the help of the Holy Spirit.
(2) Verse 1 – The word of the Lord came to Micah concerning Samaria and Jerusalem and Micah’s recording of those words is the book of Micah. After Solomon, the nation of Israel got divided into two kingdoms, the northern one and the southern one. Northern Kingdom continued to be called as Israel while the Southern Kingdom was called as Judah (1 Kings 11:29-32). Many being unaware of this distinction confuse some Old Testament prophecies. Infact, to properly understand many prophecies of the Old Testament, it is necessary to understand this aspect of Israel’s history. In the time of Micah, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was the city of Samaria and the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah was Jerusalem. Henceforth, in this verse, Samaria not only denotes the city of Samaria but also the entire Northern Kingdom of Israel. Similarly, Jerusalem denotes both the city of Jerusalem as well as the entire Southern Kingdom of Judah. Even today, we can notice that the name of the capital of a state is often used to denote the entire state by news bulletins and newspapers. Indeed, the root of this present day practice appears to have come from the Bible. Since, this verse says that Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, we saw in the previous paragraph that he prophesied between 750 B.C – 687 B.C. Also, we saw in detail about Micah’s home town of Moresheth as well in the last paragraph. So, let us proceed to the next verses.
(3) Verses 2,3 – The first thing we have to note is that, in these verses the Hebrew word that is translated as ‘earth’ can also be translated as ‘land’ or ‘country’ (Strong’s no: 0776). Since in this context, Micah is speaking about the nations of Israel and Judah, ‘land’ or ‘country’ will be the most appropriate translation. Micah asks the people of these two countries to heed to the words of the Lord. He warns them that the Lord himself was going to bear witness against them. Truly, if Lord God, who can read people’s inmost thoughts and know their secret sins, became a witness against them, then they cannot hide anywhere and all their sins will be exposed. Hence, Lord God coming out as a witness against someone must seriously worry that person. Truly, if we behave in such a wrongful manner that God Himself becomes a witness against us, then our condition is unenviable indeed. For not only He is the witness, God is also the judge who delivers the judgment. If the judge himself is the witness to a crime in a court, how sure is the punishment! In the same way, God was not only going to be a witness against those two nations but also is to come down from his dwelling place and judge the people of both Israel and Judah. People of both these countries of that time used to have shrines for pagan gods on high places like hills and sacrificed to them therein (1 Kings 14:23). It is those pagan shrines Micah talks about, when he says God will tread upon (i.e. destroy) the ‘the heights of the land’. From this we can understand that the people of Judah and Israel of that time were immersed in idolatry and other such sinful acts against God.
(4) Verses 4,5 – When that judgment comes, Micah says that just as wax melts before fire, just as waters crush through a slope, God’s judgment will also be like them, 
i.e. powerful to melt even mountains and to split valleys. It is an allegory to impress upon the severity of the impending judgment on Israel and Judah. Such a severe judgment is about to visit them only because of their sins, says Micah. In verse 5, Micah once again mentions the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah separately. In Micah’s usage here, terms such as ‘Jacob’ and ‘Israel’ refer to the northern kingdom of Israel. That is why he says that the reason for the transgression of ‘Jacob’ is Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. In the same way, he also says that the reason for the many ‘high places’ of pagan shrines found in Judah is Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah. As we know, Jerusalem and Samaria were the capitals of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms of Judah and Israel respectively and capitals have an important role to play in the history and nature of any country. That is the reason Micah points them out specifically. Because, it was only in the cities of Jerusalem and Samaria that the kings and priests of both the nations lived and despite having the responsibility to lead the people in a Godly way, they themselves were indulging in sin. This in turn made the people directionless and further into the path of sin. When we study the history of Judah and Israel, we notice that whenever a righteous king assumed office, they succeeded in making the people follow God. Afterall, it was their duty. Josiah, king of Judah can be cited as a prime example for this (See Grace – Blossom 23:December09). On the other hand, the kings and priests of the time of Micah were not good examples to the people, rather they were bad examples. Micah says that it was the major reason for the sinful deeds of the people and for that they are about to be punished. Even the priests of the time of Micah led the people into evil. Even today, if the elders, pastors and senior brethren, who are to act as examples to others, forget their responsibilities and become bad examples, leading to the stumbling of many, then God will surely judge them (See 1 Corinthians 3:17).
(5) Verses 6,7 – Firstly, God Himself elaborates on the destruction that is to befall Samaria to Micah. Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel was situated upon a mountain and hence it felt secure from invaders. God says that he will demolish that security it felt and will reduce it into a ‘heap of rubble’ and an empty space where people planted vineyards. God will shake the foundations of the mountain on which Samaria existed such that the stone buildings of Samaria will fall into the valley below. Only the foundations of the stone buildings of Samaria will remain, laid bare, for all to see the judgment of God. Infact, this is what Micah said will happen in the 4th verse (melting of mountains and splitting of valleys). This prophecy by God was fulfilled in 722/723 B.C. As we saw earlier, it was in that year that the Assyrians captured the northern kingdom of Israel. They destroyed Samaria completely. Infact, as prophesied by God, even till today the foundations of the fallen buildings of Samaria are visible for everyone to see, as testimony to God’s judgment of that city. God says that He will also destroy all the pagan idols and images which the Israelites worshipped into pieces. Moreover, He also says that the gifts which the Israelites offered to those pagan shrines will all be burnt with fire. These also came true during the Assyrian invasion of 722/723 B.C by King Sennacherib. The temple gifts are usually gold and other such valuable jewels. In those times, the victorious nations in a war used to loot the conquered nation. And if they happen to find gold items during the loot, they used to melt it with fire and take it with them. Moreover, in the pagan shrines that were popular among the people of Samaria of Micah’s time, there were prostitutes attached to them. They were called the temple-prostitutes and it was considered holy to prostitute with them. For those prostitutes as well, gifts were offered. Such was the severity of the sins of the people of Israel. Because of this, many fake pagan priests became rich. But the gifts and the wealth that was gathered by them through prostitution will also be looted by the Assyrians – ‘she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used’. That is, those gifts were gathered due to the prostitution of the people of Israel. But once looted by the Assyrians, the gentile Assyrians will spend them for their own prostitution and that is why God says – ‘the wages of prostitutes they will again be used’. Truly, if we indulge in gathering the wealth of this world instead of working to spread the gospel, such wealth will only become a curse and a burden to us. We have to keep in mind that these earthly and ‘can be stolen’ wealth are of no lasting benefit indeed.
(6) Verses 8,9 – God’s prophecy about Samaria to Micah ended with the last verse. Now, Micah expresses his sorrow after hearing that prophecy. He says that he will weep and wail on account of the coming destruction of Samaria and will go barefoot and naked like a man who has lost everything. In the Jewish society of Micah’s time, walking naked expressed one’s deep sorrow (Isaiah 20:2). Jackal and Owl are creatures of the night. Micah says that like them he will also be sleepless and roam in despair. Why does Micah despair so much? Micah himself answers that question in verse 9. He says the Samaria’s plague will be incurable. To understand the significance of this, we need to look at the history of Israel. Even in earlier times as well, God had punished them with invasions when they had sinned against Him. But God had never let them go completely. He cured them after a point. But Micah knew that this time the plague of destruction that is to come upon Samaria will not be cured. True to that, the northern Kingdom of Israel that was destroyed in 722/723 B.C by the Assyrians was erased from then on in the annals of history and never rose again. That was what troubled Micah. Not only that, Micah also knew that the plague that was coming upon Samaria will also spread and attack Judah as well, coming as far as Jerusalem. As foretold here by Micah, the same Assyrian emperor Sennacherib who destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel in 722/723 B.C, invaded the southern kingdom of Judah about 20 years later in 702 B.C. As Micah says here, his armies reached even up to Jerusalem (See 2 Kings 18 & 19th chapters). However, unlike how he completely let go of Israel in 722.723 B.C, God did not let go of Judah. Henceforth, we see in the Bible that God drove away the forces of Sennacherib at the gates of Jerusalem (See Isaiah 37:33-37). The reason for that was the repentance of the then king of Judah, Hezekiah. For that repentance of Hezekiah, it is notable that prophets Micah and Isaiah were chiefly responsible. Truly, Micah who knew the prophetic words of God must have given sound advice to Hezekiah. Even we should not learn and study prophecies purely as an academic exercise but should spread their teachings and predictions to others. For example, we who know that the second world is soon to be destroyed from the prophecies of the Bible, should not stand still with that knowledge but should act fast and hard to warn the people of world about the impending destruction and advise them to repent in Christ. It infact is the work of faith we need to do.
(7) Verses 10,11 – Though the Assyrian invasion of the southern kingdom of Judah led by Sennacherib did not succeed in capturing Jerusalem, it attacked many cities of Judah and hence the people of Judah suffered greatly. Infact, the historical records of the times of Sennacherib have been found now by researchers and they bear witness to the events recorded in the Bible, increasing our confidence in the Bible. Truly, this is just another piece of evidence that has come out in the knowledge explosion of the end times, supporting the fact that very soon, science and history will bear complete witness to the Bible in each and every aspect (See Grace – Blossom33:September10,paras6,7,8). From the historical records of the times of Sennacherib, we learn that he captured near about 46 towns in the southern kingdom of Judah. Infact, Moresheth-Gath, the home town of Micah was also one of the towns captured by the forces of Sennacherib. That severe judgment on Judah was a result of the sins of the people of Judah. When that suffering came, Micah asks the people to not tell their despair in the city of Gath and not to weep at all before the people of Gath. Some might wonder, why Micah says so. When we look at the history & politics of that time, we can understand the reason. The reason Micah says so is because Gath of that time was a city of Philistines, an enemy kingdom of Judah. If the people of Judah cried and told their despair to them, then those gentiles will only think less of the God of Judah. That is why Micah asks the people of Judah to not let their despair known to the people of Gath. Truly, Micah’s love for God was great! We too must always behave in a manner that does not bring disrespect to the name of God amidst gentiles. At the same time, Micah tells the people to even roll in dust and weep in the Israelite town of Beth Ophrah. The reason why Micah picks the town of Beth Ophrah in particular comes out beautifully only when we probe it in Hebrew language. The name Beth Ophrah in Hebrew means ‘house of dust’ (Strong’s no: 01036). Hence, Micah asks poetically the people of the house of dust to roll in dust. Micah also says that the people of the town of Shaphir will have to pass in nakedness with shame when God’s judgment visited them. Here too, Micah is speaking poetically in Hebrew. The meaning of the Hebrew word ‘Shaphir’ is ‘beautiful/fair’ (Strong’s no: 08208). The such beautiful town of Shaphir will become naked (losing everything) and ashamed. Also, those of the town of Zaanan will not be able to come out because of the siege of enemy forces. Herein, Micah uses rhyme. The Hebrew word of Zaanan rhymes with the Hebrew word for come out. The Hebrew word for Zaanan sounds like ‘Saa – aa – aan’ (Strong’s no: 06630). The Hebrew word for ‘to come out’ sounds like ‘aa – Saa’ (Strong’s no: 3318). Hence, Micah rhymed when he prophesied that the people of ‘Saa – aa – aan’ (Zaanan) cannot ‘aa – Saa’ (come out). Further Micah says that there will be mourning in Beth Ezel and it will also not protect the people. Herein as well, Micah is using Hebrew poetry. The Hebrew name Beth Ezel means ‘House of neighbor’ (Strong’s no: 01018). Micah is saying that even if people ran to the town of Beth Ezel, a town whose name means house of neighbor, they will not be protected from the coming judgment and even the house of neighbor will be in mourning. From this, Micah expresses clearly and beautifully through poetic symbolism that the judgment will be so severe that no matter where people run, they will be punished, even the neighbor’s house will not be safe. The reason God allows the use of poetry and rhyme in prophetic language is to attract the attention of people such that they do not easily forget His words. Human mind easily holds onto rhymes and poetic expressions.
(8) Verses 12,13 – Micah continues to employ Hebrew poetry in expressing the words of God. The meaning of the Hebrew word Maroth means ‘bitter’ (Strong’s no: 04796). The people of the town of Maroth, that meant bitter were waiting for sweet relief to come to them but instead only bitter pain in the form of invasion came upon them. Not only to them but disaster came from the Lord even till the gate of Jerusalem. Just as Micah prophesies here, the 702 B.C invasion of Judah by Sennacherib reached till the gate of Jerusalem. But, we learn from the Bible that Sennacherib failed to conquer Jerusalem as God drove him and his forces out (See Isaiah 37:33-37). However, it is worth noting that as Micah prophesied here, the judgment did come upon till the gates of Jerusalem. In the end, Jerusalem however was protected. Micah further talks about the town of Lachish. In Micah’s time, Lachish was an important trading city in the southern kingdom of Judah. Especially, the town of Lachish of that time was very famous for its horses that were sold there. So, Micah says to the people of Lachish that in order to escape from the coming judgment on them, they should tie the horses of their city to their chariots and try to escape. Micah also goes onto say that the city of Lachish was a cause for the many transgressions of the people of Judah. Since Lachish was an important trading city, it was visited by people, chiefly traders from all parts of the world and thus it had a high floating gentile population. Because of that, many gentile practices took root in Judah through these traders who visited Lachish and thus Lachish became a root from where the sinful practices spread to other parts of Judah. That is why Micah blames it here.
(9) Verse 14 – Micah says here that even his home town of Moresheth-Gath will be affected. The wealth of Moresheth-Gath will have to be given as gifts to the invading Assyrian forces as penalties to make them part. Further, Micah once again employs rhyme in his prophecy. While talking about the town of Akzib, Micah says that that town will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel. What that means is that, the people of the town of Akzib will not side with the kings of Israel during the invasion but instead will deceive them and join hands with the Assyrians in opposition to the kings of Israel. What is interesting is that the Hebrew word for ‘deceptive’ is ‘akzab’ (Strong’s no: 0391). Do notice the poetic rhyme in Micah’s words here! The town of Akzib will do ‘Akzab’ (deception). Such minute beauties of the words of Bible come out only if we study it mindful of the original languages in which Bible was written, in this case Hebrew. Truly, they stand testimony to the fact that instead of reading through the Bible superficially, if we take effort to study in depth, we are sure to reap amazing benefits.
(10) Verse 15 – Micah says that the forces of the conqueror Sennacherib will also come against those people who live in the town of Mareshah. Micah further says that the nobles i.e. the ruling class of the northern kingdom of Israel will not be able to handle the Assyrian invasion and in the end they will flee from their capital city of Samaria to Adullam. Adullam was a place where there were lots of caves and hence was suitable for hiding. Infact, we see from the Bible that once David himself was hiding in Adullam to escape from his enemies (See 1 Samuel 22:1). What we have to keep in mind is that, in the verses we have been studying, Micah has been talking about the judgment that is to come upon both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. As we saw earlier as well, the northern kingdom of Israel that had Samaria as its capital was completely destroyed by the Assyrian invasion of 722/723 B.C. Even the capital city of Samaria was captured. Henceforth, at that time, as Micah foretells here, the nobles of northern kingdom of Israel, who lived in the capital must have escaped from Samaria and fled to Adullam to save their lives from the Assyrians. At the same time, the judgment that Micah is prophesying about some of the towns in the southern kingdom of Judah came true in 702 B.C. Assyrian invasion of Judah. But as we saw earlier, and as Micah prophesied in verse 12, that invasion came upto the gate of Jerusalem but did not destroy the southern kingdom of Judah completely. This distinction has to be appreciated, though Micah talks about both the countries simultaneously. When Micah says Judah or Jerusalem and when he says Israel or Samaria, we should be aware that he is talking about two different countries.
(11) Verse 16 – Further, Micah asks the people of Israel to shave their head in mourning, like the bald vulture, because the children of the people of the northern kingdom of Israel in whom they delighted will go into exile as part of the judgment. The Hebrew word used for vulture here can also refer to an eagle (Strong’s no: 05404). And since a common type of eagle has a white head, it appears bald and hence they are called as bald eagles even till today. In the times of the Old Testament, shaving one’s head was an expression of sorrow. As Micah foretells here, in 722/723 B.C, Assyria captured the northern kingdom of Israel and took the people of Israel as exiles to foreign lands. This is not only a Biblical truth but also a historical fact.
(12) Chapter 2 : Verses 1,2 – Till now, Micah has been talking about the coming judgment on the people and its severity. Now, Micah goes onto list the reasons why such a severe judgment was coming upon them. In particular, Micah is talking about the people of the northern kingdom of Israel (See Micah 2:7). People were very sinful and rebellious against God and his precepts. So much so that they coveted the fields and houses of others and plotted how to take them from helpless people while lying in their bed at night. They did not just stop with planning because when the morning came they carried out their evil plans because they had the power to do so. They took away people’s freedom by oppressing them and robbed their homes by fraud and took away their inheritance. Micah says ‘woe’ to such people i.e. judgment will come upon them as a punishment to their behavior. Since Micah says that these people had the power to c arry out their evil plans, he must be talking about the royal and rich families of that time. We can understand that those people were using their power and influence in sinful and wrong ways. Even we may sometime attain important and powerful positions in our church or even in our job in the world. At those times, we should not behave with selfishness and conceit and misuse our influence but rather be honest and loving. Power should not corrupt us and make us think that since we have the opportunity why not misuse it. We should never covet for not only the material possessions of others but also for the fame or position of others in either our church or even outside. If such thoughts occur in our mind, we should not let them grow but should nip them in the bud for they are dangerous. But the powerful people of the time of Micah were transgressing their own Law by not heeding to the 10th commandment that bans coveting and also the 8th commandment that bans robbing. Thus, they were guilty in the sight of the Lord.
(13) Verses 3,4,5 – Since those people were sinning in that fashion and planning evil, God says that He is also planning something – disaster against them. A disaster, so severe that they will not be able to save themselves from it, no matter how hard they try. That time of calamity will take away the pride from the people who were walking in pride. Infact, God says that other people will look at the people of Israel and ridicule them. They will the taunt the mournful song which the people of Israel will be singing then. They will be singing that they have been utterly ruined and all their possessions have been lost and divided up by their enemies. The fields which they had robbed from others through their evil plans, God would take it from them and assign to enemies and traitors. The Israelites will be singing mournfully this song. Moreover, among the people of Israel of that time, there was this practice of using lots to determine the boundaries of land. But since they would have lost all their freedom when the judgment strikes, there will be no one left in the assembly of the Lord to put lots as all the people of the northern nation of Israel would have become exiles. All these prophecies by God came true with the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722/723 B.C. At the end of that invasion, Israel was defeated completely by the Assyrians and all the people of Israel were captured and exiled by the Assyrians. The people of Israel lost all their lands. They lost all their freedom and became slaves. Their lowly state must have been certainly ridiculed by other peoples. Truly, even if God was long patient, it is certain that He will one day punish all evil. Hence, let us not do evil and always behave in a manner acceptable to God! Amen.
To be continued in the next issue –