Micah-01

Micah | Micah 02 →

Yahweh's word that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Hear, you peoples, all of you. Listen, O earth, and all that is therein: and let the Lord Yahweh be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place, and will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.

The mountains melt under him, and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like waters that are poured down a steep place.

"All this is for the disobedience of Jacob, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the disobedience of Jacob? Isn't it Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Aren't they Jerusalem?

Therefore I will make Samaria like a rubble heap of the field, like places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down its stones into the valley, and I will uncover its foundations.

All her idols will be beaten to pieces, and all her temple gifts will be burned with fire, and all her images I will destroy; for of the hire of a prostitute has she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute shall they return."

For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will howl like the jackals, and moan like the daughters of owls.

For her wounds are incurable; for it has come even to Judah. It reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

Don't tell it in Gath. Don't weep at all. At Beth Ophrah I have rolled myself in the dust.

Pass on, inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame. The inhabitant of Zaanan won't come out. The wailing of Beth Ezel will take from you his protection.

For the inhabitant of Maroth waits anxiously for good, because evil has come down from Yahweh to the gate of Jerusalem.

Harness the chariot to the swift steed, inhabitant of Lachish. She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; For the transgressions of Israel were found in you.

Therefore you will give a parting gift to Moresheth Gath. The houses of Achzib will be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel.

I will yet bring to you, inhabitant of Mareshah, him who will possess you. He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam.

Shave your heads, and cut off your hair for the children of your delight. Enlarge your baldness like the vulture; for they have gone into captivity from you!

Micah | Micah 02 →

v16: To cut off your hair is a sign of humility and mourning. In this culture, the hair is often seen as your crown of glory. To cut off your hair is to cast off your crown and to recognize your lowly state. "Make yourselves as bald as the eagle." In American culture, the bald eagle is seen as majestic and stately. That does not seem to be the message conveyed here. The bald eagle is an outcast, living in exile in the wilderness.

See: https://biblehub.com/questions/micah/1.htm
1. How does the description of God’s coming in verses 1-4 affect your understanding of God's power and judgement?
- It is humbling to see that God is utterly above us, that is, His power is beyond our understanding. It is He who can make the mountains melt like wax. We should remember this.
2. In what ways do the sins of Samaria and Jerusalem (verses 5-7) reflect contemporary societal issues?
- Idolatry is alive and well today. We find it in celebrity culture, influencer culture, hustle culture and various other places. We worship creation rather than our Creator.
3. How can Micah’s personal response to the vision (verses 8-9) inform our response to social and spiritual injustices today?
- Often we crave deliverance. We want to go straight to the solution. We want hope. This is only natural. But it is not always appropriate. Especially when we are the cause of our own woes. Why has God allowed these things to happen to us? It is because of our sin. We must acknowledge that and lament it. We must not sweep this under the rug.
4. Why do you think Micah goes into detail about the specific fates of various cities (verses 10-16)?
- Naming each city hammers home the point that our sinful actions have woeful consequences. They are wide sweeping and devastating. Also each city is used by Micah in a form or ironic wordplay. Each one exposes our sinful hypocrisy and arrogance and how God destroys each.