Micah Images and
NotesThe Book of Micah
Micah
1:1-3 - 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. 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. For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and
will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
Micah 5:2
- But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among
the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth
unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
[have been] from of old, from everlasting.
The Old Testament - A Brief Overview
Bible Survey - Micah
Hebrew Name -
Mikah
"Who is like Yahweh"
Greek Name - Micha (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Micah (According to Tradition)
Date - 750 BC Approximately
Theme - The Word Micah saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem
Types and Shadows - In Micah Jesus is the king from Bethlehem
Summary of The Book of Micah
Micah prophesied about the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions that would cause
the fall of both Samaria (capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) and
Jerusalem (capital of the southern kingdom of Judah). The word of the Lord which
came from Micah was in the form of a lawsuit by God, with Micah as the
prosecutor, and the mountains and hills (the high places of idolatry) as
the silent judges. Mica proclaimed that "her wounds are incurable" because of
the corruption of the people. He goes on to describe the leaders as "butchering
the people." In Micah 5:2 is the great verse that proclaims the birthplace of
the Messiah who comes from Eternity, born in the city of Bethlehem, the least
among the cities of Judah. -
The above text is © Rusty Russell - Bible History Online and
must be sourced for use on a website.
Micah was called the
"Morasthite" because he was originally from the city of Moresheth, sometimes called
Moresheth-gath (Micah 1:14), because it was located in the southwestern portion
of Judah knew the Philistine city of Gath.
Micah was also mentioned in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:18) as having prophesied
during the reign of Hezekiah in Judah. The book of Micah begins
by saying that he was prophesying during the time of Jotham, Ahaz,
and Hezekiah. The time period that these three kings of Judah
reigned was from
about 751 to 687 BC. Micah might have been directly responsible
for helping to bring revival in Judah, especially during the reign of
King Hezekiah. Micah was also a
contemporary of the prophet Isaiah in Judah and the prophet Hosea in Israel.
Some have supposed him to have been a disciple of Isaiah. That
there was some contact between the two seems evident from the
practically identical passages in Isaiah 2:24 and Micah 4:1-3.
Interesting Note: because of the practically identical
passages in Micah 4:1-3 and Isaiah 2:24 some have believed
that Micah was either a disciple of Isaiah, or heavily
influenced by his prophecies.
The contents of the book may be analyzed further as follows :
Outline of the Book of Micah
Micah's message was directed to Samaria and Jerusalem, the capital cities of Israel and Judah,
who was responsible for the
corruption which had spread over the two kingdoms. Micah 1 announces the doom that
is to befall Samaria for her idolatry. Micah 2 is a message of woe for the ruling
class, because of their oppression of the poor. In this chapter Micah records
the attempts of these men to do away with his preaching (Micah 2:6,
11). The sins of the ruling classes, as well as the false prophets, and the priests, are dealt
with in Micah 3.
The tone of the Micah's prophecy shifts abruptly in the opening verses of
Micah 4, as
Micah pictures the future glory of Jerusalem, or Zion. In Micah 4:9, however, he
suddenly continues his previous message of impending doom. A remarkable prophecy is contained
in Micah 4:10, as Babylon is named as the conqueror of Judah although, at this time,
Assyria was the leading power and Judah by no means appeared safe from her
threats. About 100 years later, however, the prophecy was fulfilled as Judah,
having survived the Assyrian conquests, was overrun by the forces of Babylon.
Another well-known prophecy is contained in Micah 5:2, where it is stated that a ruler
for Israel "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting," will
come out of Bethlehem. When Herod inquired of the scribes as to the birthplace
of Jesus, this prophecy was cited as having been fulfilled (Matt. 2: 1-6). Micah 6 and 7 are a continuation of the picture of moral corruption and resultant
punishment, but with an assurance that God will show compassion for Israel and
will allow a remnant to flourish again, thus keeping the promise which he had
made to Abraham (Micah 7:20 ).
Micah Resources
The Divided Kingdom
The
Northern Kingdom of Israel
The
Southern Kingdom of Judah
The Assyrian Captivity
The Babylonian Captivity
The Return From Babylon
The Prophets
The Messiah
The Book of Micah
More About the Book of
Micah
Micah in the Picture
Study Bible
Chart of the Prophets of Israel and Judah
Timeline of the Ancient
World
Back to the Old Testament
Back to Bible
History Online
