“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” (v1)
We don’t know much about Micah save that he came from Moresheth Gath (v14) southwest of Jerusalem on the border between Judah the Philistines. He was a prophet and he was to prophesy regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the reign of Kings Jotham (739BC) Ahaz and Hezekiah whose reign ended around 686BC. Samaria was the capital of Israel, the northern kingdom, and Jerusalem the capital of Judah. Ahaz was an evil ruler. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea, we conclude that from chapter 1:1 of both books. Micah seems to be a man who lived a simple life in the countryside, but that didn’t prevent The LORD from speaking His word to him.
It took great courage to speak as he did because he begins with judgment upon Israel and Judah, the very areas in which he lived.
It was evidently serious (v2-5) because “The LORD is coming out of his place …. and will come down”. He is coming to be a witness against them. What higher witness could there be? There’s no doubt about the credibility of this witness. This stoop and and condemnation was for the sins of Israel and Judah. The transgression of Judah was Samaria, and of Israel was the high places of 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” (v6.7).
Samaria was the capital city of Israel, the northern kingdom, and the prophecy was fulfilled in 722BC when the Assyrians destroyed Samaria. One writer says that golden images had been made out of the wages of prostitutes. These idols were burned with fire. Hence the reference to paying as a harlot and burned with fire. Samaria was left as a heap of ruins.
Micah moves to prophesy against Judah, the southern kingdom, and capital Jerusalem (v8,9). He seems to be full of emotion in his words ‘wail and howl’. He is not just speaking words but he is showing how deeply affected he was by it. He says that her wounds are incurable. Sin which is incurable is that which we do not confess to God and we die in our sins. There follows a list of places (v10-16) beginning with Gath. Gath was a Philistine city, you may remember that Goliath came from there. Micah says not to tell in Gath, maybe he was saying that he didn’t want them to gloat over Judah’s judgment. The final place is Adullam which was a place of refuge for David when he was fleeing from king Saul. It seems that it would once more be a place of refuge.
