Judgment on Israel and Judah
“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.
The Coming Judgment on Israel
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; He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth. The mountains will melt under Him, and the valleys will split like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place. All this is for the transgression of Jacob 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?
“Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field, places for planting a vineyard; I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will uncover her foundations. All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; all her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot.”
Mourning for Israel and Judah
Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals and a mourning like the ostriches, for her wounds are incurable. For it has come to Judah; it has come to the gate of My people—to Jerusalem. Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all; in Beth Aphrah. (Lit. House of Dust) Roll yourself in the dust. Pass by in naked shame, you inhabitant of Shaphir(Lit. Beautiful); the inhabitant of Zaanan (Lit. Going Out) does not go out. Beth Ezel mourns; its place to stand is taken away from you. For the inhabitant of Maroth(Lit. Bitterness) pined for good, (Lit. was sick) But disaster came down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. O inhabitant of Lachish, harness the chariot to the swift steeds (She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion), for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
Therefore, you shall give presents to Moresheth Gath; the houses of Achzib(Lit. Lie) shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. I will yet bring an heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah(Lit. Inheritance); the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam(Lit. Refuge). Make yourself bald and cut off your hair, because of your precious children; enlarge your baldness like an eagle, for they shall go from you into captivity.”
This photo shows the ruins of Samaria. The city of Samaria was founded by King Omri, the father of King Ahab, who purchased the mountain from Shemer and built his new capital there. From its beginning, Samaria was founded in rebellion against God. Now Micah is foretelling the ruin of Samaria by the Assyrians, a catastrophe that comes to pass in 722 B.C. During that conquest, the ivory palace built by Ahab will be smashed to smithereens, fragments of which will later be found by archaeologists investigating the site.
““Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field, places for planting a vineyard; I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will uncover her foundations. All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; all her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot.” According to Deuteronomy 23:18 the earnings of a prostitute are an abomination and cannot be brought into the temple as an offering.
Although the citizens of Jerusalem are listening to this prophecy and gloating over the fate of Samaria, Micah issues this warning: “But disaster came down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. O inhabitant of Lachish, harness the chariot to the swift steeds (She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion), for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.” Despite feeling morally superior, the citizens of Judah are really no better spiritually than the citizens of Israel/Samaria. God’s judgement is coming on both Israel and Judah and it will be merciless. For Micah, the scenes he sees in his mind are so horrific that he is driven to extreme mourning. “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals And a mourning like the ostriches, for her wounds are incurable.”
Why has God given Micah these prophecies? It sounds as if destruction is inevitable, and yet God is still issuing warnings. As both Israel and Judah have turned away from the One True Living God, they have lost themselves in a multiplicity of idols. Keeping track of which deity requires which ceremonies for propitiation is actually more complicated than being faithful to the commandments God has given Moses. But most of the citizens of Israel and Judah have allowed their rebellion to blind them, and now they are going to pay for that tragic decision.
APPLICATION: If these people are resisting God’s Word, what’s the point of prophesying? God always has a remnant of people who love Him and serve Him and Micah is issuing these prophecies to anyone who will listen and take them to heart. Today, many parts of the world are in rapid moral decay; however, in other places, God’s spirit is moving in revival. God is not mocked and at some point, retribution will take place. But there are many whose hearts are tender toward God. As we read the Book of Micah, we need to examine ourselves. Are we striving for purity and holiness, or are we settling for mediocrity?
Even when the Jews were carried off into captivity, there were still righteous people whose testimonies remain. The Book of Daniel bears witness to such people. Daniel 12:3 tells us, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” We cannot choose the time in which we live; however, we can choose to follow God or to deny Him. Following God has never been easy and some believers are paying for that decision with their lives. But the approval of the ungodly is fickle while God’s approval lasts forever. In the end, it will all come down to this: Whose approval are you seeking? God’s or man’s? Choose wisely, for you are choosing for eternity.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, open the eyes of all who read these words so that they will truly love You and worship You all the days of their lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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