INTRODUCTION
Micah is the sixth of the twelve
Minor Prophets. It author bore a name which is in itself a confession of faith.
Micah comes from the fuller and probably order Hebrew word Mikayahu which means
“who is like the Lord?” Like the name Michael, which means “who is like God?” the
name Micah contains a question which requires an answer. Our prophet should not
be confused with Micah Ben Imlah, whom Ahab hated.
Home
Micah is called “the Morasthite” because he was born
in Moresheth-gath. This was a town that was governed from Gath. It lay about
twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem. Like Amos, he was a native of the open
country. There is usually more true religion in the country than in the city.
Micah apparently had no special love for cities.
Personality
Micah must have been a very unusual
person. He had very strong convictions and he had the courage to speak his
convictions. The secret of his power is told in. “But as for me, I am filled
with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and might, to declare to
Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin”. As a true patriot and like
every true preacher, he fearlessly uncovered sin and pointed to Christ. He was
especially a prophet to the poor and a friend of the oppressed. His whole soul
was in sympathy with those who were downtrodden. He had Amos’ longing or
justice and Hosea’s heart of love. Micah may be said to be Amos come to life
again. His frank sincerity set him apart from the false prophets of the day.
Micah spoke his mind. The other prophets spoke the things that the people
wanted to hear, saying “peace” when they had something to eat and declaring war
against those who put nothing into their mouth.
Times
Micah prophesied “in the days of
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekaiah, kings of
Judah. This date is confirmed by evidence within the book, and also by Jeremiah
which quotes Micah. Micah, therefore, was a younger contemporary of Isaiah. He
seems to have preached both before and after the downfall of Samaria very
probably from about 735 till 715 B.C. Some scholars think he preached more than
forty years.
Under king Jotham the country lived
in great luxury. He built fortresses and palaces in Jerusalem and many a poor
man lost his life in Jotham’s building programme. Under Ahaz, Judah had to pay
tribute to Assyria. The cost of the war with Syria and Ephraim in 734 was very
high. All this fell as a heavy burden on rich and poor alike. The greedy
grasping landlords used their power to oppress the poor. They took away their
property and even put widows out of their houses, all sorts of injustice
existed in the land, the rich eating up the poor. Hezekiah attempted to improve
conditions, but in his reign things became even worse. Men stopped trusting
each other. Jerusalem became a city of bad politics. The advisers of the king
were divided in their counsels. Some advised the king to make alliance with
Egypt against Assyria others advised him to submit to Assyria. Those who
guarded the law abused their power; nobles robbed the humbler classes; judges
accepted bribes; prophets prophesied to please the rich; the priests taught for
hire. Everywhere there was a sinful desire for wealth. The rich masters of the
country laughed at the though of judgment. Right and religion were pushed aside
so that business and money-making might meet no obstacles.
It was at such a time as this that
Micah appeared and attempted to call the nation back to God and to duty.
Message
Micah’s message strengthened the one that Isaiah
preached. They lived at the same time. Isaiah belonged to the higher classes.
Micah was a simple man from an obscure village. Isaiah was a statesmen; Micah
was an evangelist and a student of the life of the people. Isaiah was concerned
with the political problems of the day; Micah was concerned with the religion
of the individual man and with problems of right and wrong in society. He was a
more common man that Isaiah taught that associated not with kings but with
common people. Isaiah taught that Zion could not be overcome. Micah taught that
it would be destroyed. The higher classes had a totally mistaken idea of God.
They thought that because they were respectable no judgment could come upon
them. “Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us”. Micah
had very high ideas of the kingdom of God. For this reason he felt that true
religion and morals should occupy an important place in the live of men. His
whole message can be summed up in these words: Those who live rich and selfish
lives are blood-suckers of the poor in the sight of God. He will not accept
their costly sacrifices.
THE
THREE GREAT TEXTS OF MICAH
“Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a
field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a
wooded height.” This text is the high point of the prophet’s message of
judgment against Judah. It is a famous text also because it was remembered for
more than a century and was the means of saving Jeremiah’s life. It does not
happen very often that one prophet in the Old testament quotes another. It may
also be that the improvement in conditions which Hezekiah tried to introduce
were helped by Micah.
PERMANENT
LESSONS
As we have seen, Micah was remembered one hundred
years later in the days of Jeremiah. He has never been forgotten and he has
never been silenced. The church continues to lean from him. Among the many
permanent lessons taught by his prophecies are the following.
BACK TO MORAL RIGHTEOUSNESS
In the Old Testament righteousness is regarded as one
of the main virtues of true religion. It will always be this. Human nature does
not change, and therefore the main requirements of religion do not change,
Micah taught that sacrifice, even the sacrifice of the first-born, was of small
importance compared with true righteousness. Like Hosea, he taught that
religion and righteous living cannot be separated. He also thought of the
nation of Israel as one large person. This person, the nation, had sinned as
one man and ought to repent as one man. He sympathized deeply with the poorer
classes. He saw that God was the Protector of the oppressed and unprotected. He
looked into the sad faces of the helpless poor, and poured shame and rebuke on
the rich who kept adding house to house and lands to land at their expense. He
knew that the land of Israel belonged to the Lord and that the year of Jubilee
would always be needed to give a new beginning for many. In thus preaching
righteousness, Micah spoke the thoughts of many students of social life today.
He saw that only in this way could revolution and rebellion by the poor be
prevented. The rich of his day thought only of themselves and therefore they
robbed the poor. Let us all be careful to think of others as much of ourselves.
CONCLUSION
To us Micah’s message means far more
than this. It means, back to Jesus Christ, the son of David, who, too was born
in Bethlehem. It means back to Jesus Christ, the second and greater David, the
Prince of the House of David. It means back to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of
men, both rich and poor; himself a labourer and the son of a carpenter; born in
a stable of a humble girl; back to Jesus Christ who in his parables loves to
speak of the filed and the folds, of the sowers and the reapers, of the sheep
and cross. Back to this Jesus, the friend of the disciples, and who bore his
own cross. Back to this Jesus, the friend of humble sinners, who preached the
gospel to the poor so that the common people heard him gladly. Let us always be
careful not to life Christ away from the common people!