Micah
God raised up certain "prophets" who were His mouthpieces.
They would speak out against their sin and idolatry and would
continually warn of God's judgment. Some of the prophets spoke
out in the North and some in the South, but God was faithfully
warning them of certain catastrophe if they would not turn to
him.
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Micah of Moresheth (most likely the same city as Moresheth-
Gath, mentioned in Micah) prophesied during the days of King
Hezekiah of Judah. This paraphrase of Jeremiah 26:18 contains
practically everything we know of the Prophet himself.
Moresheth-Gath was most likely a small town in southwestern
Judah, though this has yet to be confirmed. Some scholars
argue over how much of the book of Micah can be attributed to
Micah himself. There is general consensus that the majority of
chapters 1–3 are in fact Micah’s own (excluding 2:12–13). The
remaining passages are seen by some as redactions. This will
be further argued in the section on controversy.
Some Old Testament scholars, for example Dr Bruce Waltke in
IVP`s 'New Bible Commentary', defend Micah's authorship of the
entire book. It is generally agreed that Micah composed
chapters 1 through 3; some scholars hold that chapter 6 and
sections of chapter 7 were also written by the historical
Micah. The primary reasons given are because chapters 3–5
foretell of events in the 6th century BCE and chapters 6–7
have elements of a universal religious outlook which was not
widely present in Judaism until much later...
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4. Contents of the Prophecies:
Micah combats in his discourses, as does Isaiah, the
heathenish abuses which had found their way into the cult,
not only in Samaria, but also in Judah and Jerusalem, and
which the reformation of Hezekiah could counteract only in
part and not at all permanently (compare Mic 1:5-7; 5:11-13;
6:7,16). Further, he rebukes them for the social injustice,
of which particularly the powerful and the great in the land
were guilty (Mic 2:1 ff; 3:2 f.10 f); and the dishonesty and
unfaithfulness in business and in conduct in general
(compare Mic 6:10 ff; 7:2 ff). At all times Micah, in doing
this, was compelled to defend himself against false
prophets, who slighted these charges as of little
importance, and threatened and antagonized the prophet in
his announcements of impending evil (compare 2:5 ff,11 ff).
In pronounced opposition to these babblers and their
predictions of good things, Micah announces the judgment
through the enemies that are approaching, and he even goes
beyond Isaiah in the open declaration that Jerusalem and the
temple are to be destroyed (Mic 3:12; 4:10; 5:1). The first-
mentioned passage is also confirmed by the event reported in
Jer 26:17 ff. The passage Mic 4:10, where in a surprising
way Babylon is mentioned as the place of the exile, is for
this reason regarded as unauthentic by the critics, but not
justly. Micah predicts also the deliverance from Babylon and
the reestablishment of Israel in Jerusalem, and declares
that this is to take place through a King who shall come
forth from the deepest humiliation of the house of David and
shall be born in Bethlehem, and who, like David, originally
a simple shepherd boy, shall later become the shepherd of
the people, and shall make his people happy in peace and
prosperity. Against this King the last great onslaught of
the Gentiles will avail nothing (4:11-13; 5:4 ff). As a
matter of course, he will purify the country of all heathen
abuses (5:9 ff). In the description of this ruler, Micah
again agrees with Isaiah, but without taking the details
from that prophet...
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Three sections of this work represent three natural
divisions of the prophecy --1, 2; 3-5; 6,7 --each commencing
with rebukes and threatening and closing with a promise. The
first section opens with a magnificent description of the
coming of Jehovah to judgment for the sins and idolatries of
Israel and Judah, ch. 1:2-4, and the sentence pronounced
upon Samaria, vs. 5-9, by the Judge himself. The sentence of
captivity is passed upon them. Mic 2:10 but is followed
instantly by a promise of restoration and triumphant return.
ch. Mic 2:12,13 The second section is addressed especially
to the princes and heads of the people: their avarice and
rapacity are rebuked in strong terms; but the threatening is
again succeeded by a promise of restoration. In the last
section, chs. 6,7, Jehovah, by a bold poetical figure, is
represented as holding a controversy with his people,
pleading with them in justification of his conduct toward
them and the reasonableness of his requirements. The whole
concludes with a triumphal song of joy at the great
deliverance, like that from Egypt, which jehovah will
achieve, and a full acknowledgment of his mercy and
faithfulness of his promises. vs. 16-20. The last verse is
reproduced in the song of Zacharias. Lu 1:72,73 Micah's
prophecies are distinct and clear. He it is who says that
the Ruler shall spring from Bethlehem. ch. Lu 5:2 His style
has been compared with that of Hosea and Isaiah. His diction
is vigorous and forcible, sometimes obscure from the
abruptness of its transitions, but varied and rich.
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(who is like God?), the same name as Micaiah. [MICAIAH]
1. An Israelite whose familiar story is preserved in
the 17th and 18th chapters of Judges. Micah is evidently a
devout believers in Jehovah, and yet so completely ignorant
is he of the law of Jehovah that the mode which he adopts of
honoring him is to make a molten and graven image, teraphim
or images of domestic gods, and to set up an unauthorized
priesthood, first in his own family, Jud 17:5 and then in
the person of a Levite not of the priestly line. ver. Jud
17:12 A body of 600 Danites break in upon and steal his
idols from him.
2. The sixth in order of the minor prophets. He is
called the Morasthite, that is, a native of Moresheth, a
small village near Eleutheropolis to the east, where
formerly the prophet's tomb was shown, though in the days of
Jerome it had been succeeded by a church. Micah exercised
the prophetical office during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah, giving thus a maximum limit of 59
years, B.C. 756-697, from the accession of Jotham to the
death of Hezekiah, and a minimum limit of 16 years, B.C.
742-726, from the death of Jotham to the accession of
Hezekiah. He was contemporary with Hosea and Amos during the
part of their ministry in Israel, and with Isaiah in Judah.
3. A descendant of Joel the Reubenite. 1Ch 5:5
4. The son of Meribbaal or Mephibosheth, the son of
Jonathan. 1Ch 8:34,35; 9:40,41
5. A Kohathite levite, the eldest son of Uzziel the
brother of Amram. 1Ch 23:30
6. The father of Abdon, a man of high station in the
reign of Josiah. 2Ch 34:20
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the sixth in order of the so-called minor prophets. The
superscription to this book states that the prophet
exercised
his office in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah. If we
reckon from the beginning of Jotham's reign to the
end of
Hezekiah's (B.C. 759-698), then he ministered for
about
fifty-nine years; but if we reckon from the death of
Jotham to
the accession of Hezekiah (B.C. 743-726), his
ministry lasted
only sixteen years. It has been noticed as
remarkable that this
book commences with the last words of another
prophet, "Micaiah
the son of Imlah" (1 Kings 22:28): "Hearken, O
people, every one
of you."
The book consists of three sections, each commencing
with a
rebuke, "Hear ye," etc., and closing with a promise,
(1) ch. 1;
2; (2) ch. 3-5, especially addressed to the princes
and heads of
the people; (3) ch. 6-7, in which Jehovah is
represented as
holding a controversy with his people: the whole
concluding with
a song of triumph at the great deliverance which the
Lord will
achieve for his people. The closing verse is quoted
in the song
of Zacharias (Luke 1:72, 73). The prediction
regarding the place
"where Christ should be born," one of the most
remarkable
Messianic prophecies (Micah 5:2), is quoted in Matt.
2:6.
There are the following references to this book in
the New
Testament:
5:2, with Matt. 2:6; John 7:42.
7:6, with Matt. 10:21,35,36.
7:20, with Luke 1:72,73.
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a shortened form of Micaiah, who is like Jehovah? (1.) A man
of
Mount Ephraim, whose history so far is introduced in
Judg. 17,
apparently for the purpose of leading to an account
of the
settlement of the tribe of Dan in Northern Israel,
and for
the purpose also of illustrating the lawlessness of
the times in
which he lived (Judg. 18; 19:1-29; 21:25).
(2.) The son of Merib-baal (Mephibosheth), 1 Chr.
8:34, 35.
(3.) The first in rank of the priests of the family
of
Kohathites (1 Chr. 23:20).
(4.) A descendant of Joel the Reubenite (1 Chr.
5:5).
(5.) "The Morasthite," so called to distinguish him
from
Micaiah, the son of Imlah (1 Kings 22:8). He was a
prophet of
Judah, a contemporary of Isaiah (Micah 1:1), a
native of
Moresheth of Gath (1:14, 15). Very little is known
of the
circumstances of his life (comp. Jer. 26:18, 19).
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1. Of Mount Ephraim. (See JONATHAN.) The date of the event
is implied as before Samson, for the origin of the name
Mahaneh Dan occurs in this narrative (Judges 18:12) and it
is mentioned as already so named in Samson's childhood
(Judges 13:25, margin). Josephus places the synchronous
narrative of the Levite and his concubine at the beginning
of the judges. Phinehas, Aaron's grandson, is mentioned
(Judges 20:28). The narrative was written after the monarchy
had begun (Judges 18:1; Judges 19:1), while the tabernacle
was still at Shiloh, not yet moved by David to Jerusalem
(Judges 18:81).
2. MICAH THE PROPHET. The oldest form of the name
was Mikaiahuw, "who is as Jah?" (compare MICHAEL.) In Micah
7:18 Micah alludes to the meaning of his name as embodying
the most precious truth to a guilty people such as he had
painted the Jews, "who is a God like unto Thee that pardon
iniquity," etc. Sixth of the minor prophets in the Hebrew
canon, third in the Septuagint. The Morasthite, i.e. of
Moresheth, or Moresheth Gath (near Gath in S.W. of Judaea),
where once was his tomb, but in Jerome's (Ep. Paulae 6) days
a church, not far from Eleutheropolis. Micah prophesied in
the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah somewhere between
756 and 697 B.C. Contemporary with Isaiah in Judah, with
whose prophecies his have a close connection (compare Micah
4:1-3 with Isaiah 2:2-4, the latter stamping the former as
inspired), and with Hosea and Amos during their later
ministry in Israel.
His earlier prophecies under Jotham and Ahaz were
collected and written out as one whole under Hezekiah.
Probably the book was read before the assembled king and
people on some fast or festival, as certain elders quoted to
the princes and people assembled against Jeremiah (Jeremiah
26:18) Micah 3:12, "Micah the Morasthite in the days of
Hezekiah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, Thus saith
the Lord of hosts, Zion shall be plowed like a field, and
Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house
as the high places of a forest. Did Hezekiah put him ... to
death? Did he not fear the Lord and besought the Lord, and
the Lord repented Him of the evil which He had pronounced
against them?" The idolatries of Ahaz' reign accord with
Micah 's denunciations. He prophesies partly against Israel
(Samaria), partly against Judah...
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