Biblical Theology XXIX: Micah

Micah is an eighth century prophet who warned that both Samaria (i.e., the capital of the northern kingdom) and Jerusalem (i.e., the capital of the southern kingdom), by means of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, would be destroyed and deported/exiled. The book is structured in pairs of judgment and salvation oracles. Chapters 1–2, 3–5, and 6–7 make up these pairs and are introduced by the imperative šimʿû “Listen up!” The book serves as a court case against God’s people for their having broken the covenant and a promise that God will fulfill His part of the covenant through the remnant to which he adds the nations of the world to their number.

Theology:  As in the other prophets, God is bringing His people to trial and arguing a case against them for having broken the covenant. They worship other gods, either directly through their idols, or indirectly by distorting who God is so that they may practice their sin.

God will not listen to the prayers of those who cry out for Him because of their sin. True worship of God is not found in doing the right ritual at the right place, but in doing what is right as one acknowledges YHWH as God (6:6–8). Anything else is false worship and does not belong to the everlasting world ruled by the King of the earth to come. Hence, only the remnant of Israel  who do what is right will belong to that world.

God will end the world because of the sin of His people, so that the reader understands that God’s wrath is coming swiftly, not because of the world’s sin, but because of the sin within the covenant community.  Hence, He will judge His people first, then the world once He gathers the remnant of His people back together. At that time the Davidic king will rise up and rule over them and the other nations, who all become worshipers of God, protecting His people from any further chaotic force. The wicked will exist no more and false religion will no longer exist in the world (2:12–13; 4:1–4; Chapter 5).

Ethics: A major sin that is mentioned seems to be the depriving of the rich of their wealth, houses, and expensive clothing. Whereas most of the prophets emphasize the abuse of the rich toward the poor, Micah flips this script and argues that it is just as much an abomination that brings judgment to do violence toward the rich because they are rich. Here we have an ethic that echoes that of Leviticus 19:15 and Exodus 23:3: “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the prestigious, but judge your fellow covenant member fairly;” and “Do not show favoritism toward a poor man in his lawsuit.” The idea can be summed up simply in Proverbs 18:5 – “It is not good to show partiality to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.”

Now, the reason why the majority of the condemnations go the other way (i.e., favoring the prestigious over the poor) is because we are enamored or intimidated by those who have power, cultural or political. Hence, it happens more often. However, Micah warns God’s people not to go the other way, as both are an abuse of power. In one situation the powerful might have control of the courts and government, but in another situation, the criminal has power in private crimes, the mob has control of the streets, etc. In whatever situation one has power, there is the possibility of misusing it to do harm to another. Micah is against all such abuses, regardless of who the perpetrators and victims are. Hence, he condemns the abuse of power by both the laity (Chapter 2) and the religious and political leaders (Chapter 3).