Bible References: Book of Micah
Heart of Story: Micah’s name means “Who is the Lord?” He identified God as a loving, but just, God.
Back Story: Micah lived in the middle to late 700 to early 600 BC. The English Standard Bible recorded that he prophesied between 742-700 BC, while the New International Version gave dates of 750-686 BC. He was born in Moresheth-Gath a village in southern Judah.
Story Line: Micah prophesied when Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. At the time there was turmoil in both Northern and Southern Kingdoms with Assyria the major external threat to both countries.
In contrast to several prophets, Micah wrote out his visions which came from God. He saw visions concerning Samaria (capital city of the Northern Tribes, Israel) and of Jerusalem, Judah. The book of Micah contains 7 chapters.
The book of Micah is seven chapters with 20 judgment and salvation prophecies. His message shows that he is sensitive to socials ills of the time, especially as affected small towns and villages of Judah. He predicted:
- fall of Samaria (Israel) because apostate (renunciation of a religious faith).
- Northern Kingdom’s (Israel’s) fall to Assyria.
- Judah paid tribute to Assyria
Micah ends with a salvation prophecy and a song of victory.
Pondering Relationships: Micah is not the beautiful poetry of Amos, but it has such powerful statements of truth, accusation, and judicial sentence. There is no information but Micah’s family, i.e., father, mother, wife, or children. We are given no information about the outcome of Micah. Hopefully, he returned to his village, Moresheth-Gath, and had a peaceful death. Maybe he married and had children; however, church icons or images of Micah depict him as an elderly man.
I wonder how Micah felt when God stopped giving him visions? Do you think he felt abandoned by God, accepting, or even relieved?
Reflection: I read that for 40 years Mother Teresa of Calcutta did not feel the presence of God; however, she knew he was there. Perhaps, we rely too much on feelings and not enough on knowledge.
Copyright: January 15, 2019; Carolyn Adams Roth
Please visit my website for books on lesser known Bible characters: www.CarolynRothMinistry.com
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