Overview of the Book of Micah

Micah’s Historical Setting and Warning of Judgment

The overview of the week for this Sunday is the book of Micah. Micah wrote in the 8th century B .C. and he speaks to both Israel and Judah, pleading with them to turn back to the Lord. He warns that God will use the Assyrian Empire as the rod of judgment against them, at least to the northern kingdom, if they do not heed his message.

So that's the bad news of impending judgment if the people don't turn back to God. There is a message of good news in the book, that there is a future glory for God's people under the reign of the Messiah.

Micah’s Prophecy of Bethlehem and the Coming Christ

One of the most well-known verses in the book of Micah is his prophecy of the Christ and where he would be born. Of course, that's Bethlehem, that's in Micah chapter 5, verse 2, that's quoted in the New Testament.

Micah 1:1–5 and the Lord’s Witness Against Samaria and Jerusalem

But the prophecy begins in chapter 1, verse 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.

He says, Hear all you peoples, listen, O earth, and all that is in it. Let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and he will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.

And all this, verse 5, for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? He says, is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?

Idolatry, Prosperity, and Corrupt Leadership in Israel and Judah

So if you know the history of Israel and Jerusalem or Israel and Judah, Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom, and Jerusalem the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah. So what was happening, basically, the idolatry had grown to such an issue that the northern kingdom would be judged by God by the Assyrians.

And then once that happened, many of the idolaters living in the north fled to the south, and they brought their idolatry with them. Jotham, king of Judah, unfortunately chose not to deal with the idolatry in the high places.

That's where they worship the false deities. So while this, on the one hand, in Judah and Israel, this was a time of prosperity. Things were going well for the people. However, judgment loomed because the nation's leaders were corrupt, and they had forsaken God's law.

So because of these things, God not only lifted his protection from the northern kingdom, a few centuries later, he brought judgment to the southern kingdom, which fell, of course, to the Babylonians.

Micah 6:8 and the Call to Justice, Mercy, and Humility

So in conclusion, this prophecy was a warning, and it's a warning that still has relevance today for, really, all world rulers. And what's the message that all need to hear? That's Micah chapter 6, verse 8, where he says, He has shown you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you? But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.