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10.19.22
Micah— The Coming Kingdom
But in the last days it shall come to pass, that he mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow into it. (Micah 4:1)
All that we know about the author can be found in his book. He was called by the LORD to be a prophet. He was a contemporary of Isaiah. It was no doubt comforting to Isaiah to have a younger man standing with him in his ministry to Judah. While Isaiah spoke to the leadership of Judah in the place of the court, Micah was a man of the field and spoke to the common man. The name Micah is a shortened form of Micaiah, which means Who is like Jehovah? Micah suggests this when he said: Who is a God like you? (7:18)
Micah is quoted three times in other parts of Scripture. In Jeremiah’s day the elders referred to Micah and quoted him in defense of Jeremiah’s message of judgment on the nation (Jer 26:17-19; Micah 3:12). After the wise men visited King Herod, the Sanhedrin spoke to him regarding the place of Jesus’ birth—Bethlehem (Mathew 2:4-6; Micah 5:2). Also, Christ quoted Micah in sending forth his disciples (Matthew 10:34-36; Micah 7:6)
Micah was from Moresheth, a town in Judea about 25 miles SW of Jerusalem near the Philistine city of Gath. It was located in the fertile foothills on the busy road between Jerusalem and Egypt.
The approximate time of writing was 730 BC. He prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Jotham was a good king, but he failed to remove the high places.
Ahaz had no regard for the LORD. Hezekiah honored God in his administration, but his reforms were too little and too late. He had to have prophesied prior to the fall of the Northern Kingdom [722 BC], for he prophesied of its fall (1:6).
Micah spoke primarily to Judah but also to Israel (1:1). He showed the people what God was like and what He required of them. Micah preached to the common people about God’s holiness and told them about their responsibility to live righteous lives. He also prophesied of the coming Messiah and the character of His glorious reign in Zion.
Micah spoke of present judgment and future blessing. The judgment was based on Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. The blessing was based on God’s unchanging faithfulness. He in turn directed his words to the nations, the leaders, and then to the people.
He spoke of retribution—the warning of impending judgment, restoration—the promise of the coming kingdom, and repentance—that which was needed at present.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the scarlet cord that runs throughout God’s Word. We find Him in Micah as we do in every book of the Bible. Our wonderful Lord is found as: the God of Jacob (4:2); the Judge of the nations (4:3); and the Ruler who would be born in the city of Bethlehem (5:2).
A most familiar verse in this short book is 6:8. It answers the question of what God wants from us. He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? This holy living can only be produced in us by the Holy Spirit. We must come to the Father by faith in the Son, and yield ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit.