Micah: Prophet and explainer of God’s merciful nature.
The book of Micah is prophetic, Micah, whose name incidentally means ‘Who is like Yahweh?’ was one of the twelve minor prophets. These blokes weren’t minor from the perspective of being of less importance, but said what they said in less words, at least less was recorded of what they said than the other major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial and Daniel, Lamentations is also tagged on to the major prophet's for good measure as it was written by Jeremiah. As messengers of God, what the Minor Prophets had to say was important. God often used men to deliver his messages.
Micah was alive and his ministry took place during the second half of the 8th century BC, roughly during the same era as Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. Micah ministered primarily in Judah, but his words addressed both Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom).
Micah prophecies the fall of Samaria as the Assyrian Empire expands into that area, he points out that what is coming upon his listeners, a time of disaster, an invading conqueror and their children being taken into exile. All this due to their idolatry and immorality, land seizures and fraudulent property deals. Chapter two starts with a bit, actually a fair bit of a smack in the chops to Micah’s listeners; This was a time of evil men doing evil things against their fellow citizens, We read it in chapter 2, in my Bible under a section entitled, “Man’s plans, and God’s we read:
2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them.
They defraud people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.
3 Therefore, the LORD says:
“I am planning disaster against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;
my people’s possession is divided up.
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’”
5 Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD
to divide the land by lot.
However, the chapter like the entire book which emphasizes that God’s judgment is not a haphazard thing but is rooted in the nations and individuals ongoing covenant violation, injustice, idolatry, and oppression. As we look at history we see this pattern repeated time and time again, it is current happening in the world not just in the scriptural narrative. However chapter 2 finishes with a promise of God’s deliverance that shows the love God has for humanity that is relational and deep, as it was when he walked in the cool of the evening with Adam prior to the fall. God desires what is best for his people. So much so as Micah says; that ‘he will Shepard them, he will lead them as a shepherd and King.’ (Chapter 2:12-13)
“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the LORD at their head.”
What a stunning promise, what a message for God’s people. The King the Lord will lead them.
A thing to remember here is that God was prior to King Saul, the king of his people and wanted to remain in that place, but the people wanted a human King like other nations. (Refer 1 Samuel 8).
Chapter four is a reminder to the people of Israel of their transgression and sin. Micah declares this and says he can be the person who reminds God’s people of their being commanded by God to live by those commands because he is “filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might”… to do so. There was no mincing of words, no sugar coating, with Micah, he heard it from the Lord, he declared it as is was heard. The Commandments are commandments not the suggestions. Also, that at that time Micah was pointing out the reason things weren’t going well, was because people were ignoring the direction God had put in place for their lives, why on earth would they do that?
While Micah might start out with a message that is a doom and gloom due to the need of the people of Jacob, the nations of Israel and Judah to repent of their sins. There is a change to the story of the future of the people spoken out by Micah, there is hope and that hope comes with a message about, The establishment of The Lords Temple, and that place being the chief among mountains, the first few verses of chapter 4 declare this; people of all the nations will “Come [and say,] let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” He then goes onto say that the law will go out from Zion, God’s word from Jerusalem, God will be their judge, settling disputes, there will be a time of peace, swords being beaten into ploughshares, Not war but abundance of harvest, Men will sit content in their vineyards, it will be a fine old time for all, as people walk in the name of God forever and ever.
This small book is also a pointer to the one who will come as a Shepherd King, looking at the first few verses of chapter 5, we see in verse two the same verse that is quoted by Mathhew in his gospel chapter 2:6; “But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are of old, from ancient times” and verses 4 and 5 “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” I would like to say here, he did, and does and it did reach the ends of the earth, for here we are. Of course, this is a messianic prophecy. We know that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy and as believers understand, due to the passage of history and our own journeys with Jesus that we are those who continue our journey with the Messiah for ever and ever, in his strength and his peace, because of his strength and peace.
The most well-known and popular verse in the whole book is after a number of verses when God states that his people should remember the time when Balak the King of Moab counselled Balaam to lead Israel astray by encouraging them to enter into eating food sacrificed to idols and into immoral relationships with the Moabites. When Micah asks how do approach God, do we need to bring thousands of sacrifices? How do we pay for our sins? Micah answers this by stating. Paraphrase, Heads up people, he has shown you what is good in his eyes!................................................He has?
It's this: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.” Chapter 6:8b
Where I want to go with this is what is good; is two-fold in that it counts on the actions of man being just, that is our actions, then in our thinking to love the mercy that God pours out on his creation, as well as being merciful, following God’s example of being merciful ourselves. For mercy is from God and we live mercifully by following his example, in fact we should love engaging in God’s mercy and acting mercifully ourselves.
Here are a couple of New Testament verses that tell us more about God’s mercy and why we should love that mercy.
Titus 3:5
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 2:4
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace we have been saved.
We love mercy and walk humbly with God for he has shown us his very nature. The book of Micah is a book that calls, initially the people of Israel and Judah but today Christians and in particular Christian leaders to integrity, compassion, and humility. It challenges us as God’s people to align faith with justice and mercy. It offers deep hope rooted in God’s faithful, rescuing character and that that rescuer as we know in the context of our living in 2026 came in the person that Micah pointed to, the promised now realised shepherd king Jesus. I would like to say here that I had the pleasure of attending the cadets welcome yesterday and that their sessional name is Rescued!
So here’s a few thoughts, First thought. quoting Micah 4:1; “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains.” Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:7, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” It sounds here like Micah is saying that in the last days God’s people will be an important witness to all other people.
Second thought. In regards to mercy, I’ll say it again, the importance of understanding the merciful nature of God is something we should seek after because his mercy is a loving and lovely thing. All are able to approach God, no matter their transgressions, their sin and in repenting seek and find God’s forgiveness as they come into his Holy presence through the torn curtain that is the crucified body of Christ.
I’m going to finish this message on the book of Micah this way, the last few verses are a splendid picture of the merciful forgiving nature of our God. As I read them as always, we have the mercy seat and you are invited here where you can come to Him and pray, as you contemplate these words, hold onto the truth that Micah speaks, from Chapter 7:18-20
Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
in days long ago.
Amen.
