October 11, Micah 1
The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. - Micah 1:1
The first verse of the book of Micah tells us three important facts that will help us understand and appreciate its seven brief chapters. These opening words remind us of the real source of this and all other genuine prophecies. They also establish the timeframe in which Micah prophesied, and let us know that the prophecies will deal with both Israel and Judah.
From the beginning Micah emphasized that the messages in this book came from God. The words Micah spoke and wrote bore the full authoritative weight of God himself. Because God’s word is always sure, the things these words promised, both terrible and glorious, would certainly come to pass. God chose to communicate with his people through selected human beings. But the human authors were only conduits, channels through which the words flowed from God, the source.
The human scribe for the words recorded here was Micah of Moresheth. Micah is the root of my name, Michael. Some baby name books say Michael means "who is like God." That's correct, but it's missing an important punctuation mark, a question mark at the end. His name is a riddle, asking, "Who is like the LORD?" The answer is "No one is like the LORD." The prophet's name bore witness to the people in Israel and Judah who had been seduced by idols and looked to allies to protect them from threats from other nations. He wrote a prayer to God in the closing lines of the book, and used his own name to pose the question, "Who is a God like you?"
Micah was contemporary with Isaiah in Judah, and Hosea and Amos in Israel. We know this from the names of the kings who reigned in Judah during the time Micah prophesied. God gave Micah messages for both Samaria (Israel) and Jerusalem (Judah). But the intended audience for the prophecy reached far beyond the borders of the divided kingdom. In the second verse, Micah called out to everyone: "Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it; and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple." God wanted not only his own people, but the other nations as well, to know what he was saying and doing in Israel and Judah.
Notice that double admonition to hear and pay attention. That's more than repetition for emphasis; it reminds us that we may hear a message and fail to pay attention. God gave one prophecy to the two capital cities of his divided kingdom. The message assured them both that they were going to fall and be destroyed by two different enemies at two different times. God spoke of this coming destruction as if it were coming from his own hands. The named cities traced the path of the Assyrian invaders as they rampaged through the kingdom. The Assyrians and later the Babylonians were the actors, the instruments in God's hand to discipline and punish his disobedient people. He promised punishment and judgment for the people who worshiped idols, misplaced their trust, oppressed the poor people and rebelled against God. The wrath of God was coming soon to the so-called people of God "for the transgression of Jacob and for sins of the house of Israel."
Like most of the other prophets, Micah balanced threats with promises. God would no longer tolerate the sinful rebellion of his people. But the promises of blessing were still intact, and the faithful remnant of the Israelites could hold onto their hope in God.
We who live many centuries later on the other side of the world need to hear and pay attention to the words God gave Micah. We are still vulnerable to the same temptations they faced. Our worship can be empty and disconnected from our hearts and our lives. Micah's prophecy should warn and encourage us still today.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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