Some thoughts on MICAH
A minor prophet, tucked away somewhere towards the end of the Old Testament, Micah is only usually quoted in Christmas readings because of his prophecy about Bethlehem – but his message is incredibly relevant to our world today and he is worth a closer look.
He wrote during the reigns of King Jotham, King Ahaz and King Hezekiah and was a contemporary of Isaiah in the Southern Kingdom – Amos and Hosea were writing at the same time in the Northern Kingdom.
It was a time of great international upheavals, wars, threats and uncertainty, but also a time when Israel was enjoying immense material prosperity. Micah was dealing with a culture that was increasingly commercial and secular, where a few people got richer and richer, not just at the same time as the poor got poorer, but at the expense of the poor. There was widespread corruption in Government and leadership, including amongst religious leaders and increasing callousness in society alongside a blatant disregard for God and His commands. Sound familiar? This is a complete mirror of our society and our world today where, for example the richest 1% of the world own almost half the world's wealth and the poorest 50% of people own 0.75% of it – and the 5 richest men in the world (yes they are men!) earn $14m PER HOUR!! There are lots more shocking statistics like this I could quote - perhaps another is that Britain is the most unequal country in Europe and second only to the US in the world. So we need to know what Micah has to say!
The book is a collection or summary of his messages over the years that he was prophesying and splits into three main cycles. Each cycle starts with calling out sin, issues warnings and threats of judgement and ends with a promise for those who turn back to God. Micah exposes the darkness and then points the way back to God and forward to all that He has planned for His people.
There is lots in here, but here are three key messages that stand out:
- Micah was a powerful voice for justice in his society and in chapter 3v8 he underlines how and why he does it:
"But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord and with justice and might to declare to Jacob his transgressions"
Micah is filled with the Spirit and as a result of that, he has a passion for justice, and directed by God's Spirit, he took on what was wrong in his society, going right to the top. To be filled with the Spirit for us is to be ranged against all injustice in our society, to stand up for and on the side of the oppressed and the helpless, to speak out God's word fearlessly. This is our calling as Spirit-filled Christians. Can I encourage you to look for what God might be calling you to do, to get involved in issues that He gives you a passion for, and to be a voice for good in our decaying society.
- Maybe Micah's other well-known verse, apart from the Christmas one, is chapter 6 v 8:
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God"
This verse encapsulates a lot of what he has said so far. It is about action – DO justice, LOVE kindness – but the third one is needed to do the other two – WALK humbly with your God. Justice and kindness happen through people who are walking humbly with God. There should be no day when we walk without Him or away from Him.
- Micah' confidence. He had a huge job – a whole crumbling society, full of corruption; people who didn't listen or derided him – he was a lone voice. It was a mountainous task. But this was his confidence expressed in 7 v8: "When I fall, I shall rise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me". We need to have the same confidence when we are faced with things that look too big for us to do, or things that go wrong or fail – the confidence that we will rise when (not if!) we fall and of God's presence and light when (not if) we feel in darkness.
I encourage everyone to be like Micah!!
Karen x
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