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| Photo by Jim Tracy |
Micah means “Who is like Yahweh?” He prophesied from 675-617BC. He was apparently from the tribe of Judah. Most of his prophesying occurred in the reign of Hezekiah in the south and wicked Ahab in the north. Like Isaiah, he focused mostly on the northern kingdom and their coming destruction.
1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Ahaz was the worst king Judah had and Hezekiah, his son, the best.
2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the LORD from His holy temple.
God sees all and is fixing to reveal His knowledge.
3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
Cities, especially capitals, were generally built on top of hills when possible for better protection. Also, pagan temples were generally elevated or built on mountains.
God is going to trample the major cities, especially Samaria and Jerusalem.
4 And the mountains shall be molten under Him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
This is speaking of the total destruction of both the northern and southern kingdoms.
Israel/Judah was God’s wife. They had committed adultery by worshiping other gods. The penalty for adultery was execution. God had been patient and had forgiven them many times. Now He is declaring that He will execute Israel for her sins and punish Judah.
5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?
This destruction will come because of the sins of the descendants of Jacob, both Israel and Judah. Both capital cities had become centers of pagan worship.
6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
When Assyria conquered Samaria, she leveled her.
7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.
God really hates these false idols. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, fulfilled this scripture. He burned and totally destroyed the idols in Israel.
The “hires” would be the gifts to the false gods and to each other. They were the price of pagan worship and will be taken away and given to the idolatrous soldiers of Assyria who will give parts of it to their false gods.
8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
The Hebrew word translated “Dragon” means “monster, sea serpent, venomous snake or dinosaur.”
Some translations render this “Jackals,” which would certainly make a horrible noise, though I think it more likely Micah meant what he said; dragons. Just because we don’t have dragons wandering around today, doesn’t mean they didn’t have them in Micah’s time. There are enough dragon legends worldwide to make us believe some type of large, reptilian monster used to exist with humans and has since gone extinct. We just call their fossils dinosaurs instead of dragons.
Micah was not happy his nation would be destroyed. He mourned for her.
9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
Israel’s sin has spread to Judah. There is no hope for healing of Israel, because she simply will not repent.
10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
Gath was a major city in Philistia who would love to hear of Israel’s coming destruction.
Aphrah, a city of Israel, will be reduced to dust.
The rest of this chapter is a bit hard for us to read some 2500 years after it was written. Historians didn’t record all the fulfillments and many of the cities changed their names after the captivity. This makes it hard to know for sure what the prophet is talking about.
11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked:…
“Saphir” means “beautiful.” This city won’t be there after God gets through with them.
… the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing.
The Assyrian army will camp in Zaanan.
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
Maroth (rough places or Ramoth) will be horrified when even Jerusalem is threatened.
13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
Lachish was the city in Judah that imported the idolatry of Israel. This is where it started for the southern kingdom. The inhabitants will have to flee for their lives.
14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.
Moresheth-gath was a city in Philistia, Micah’s home town. Apparently, Judah and Philistia fought over this town frequently so that sometimes it was in Judah and sometimes Philistia. Achzib was a sister city of Moresheth-gath. The philistines can not or will not help Judah’s Lachish when she is attacked.
15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.
“Heir” means the one who inherits. The enemy will inherit Micah’s own home town.
Adullam is another name for Jerusalem, the descendants of Jacob’s most beautiful and important city.
16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.
Though the children of Judah have been brought up in luxury, they will be taken away as slaves.