Micah 1
1:1 Samaria and Jerusalem, the capitals of the northern and southern kingdoms, are representative of the entire nations of Israel and Judah respectively. The three kings of Judah’s dates of rule were: Jotham (750-735 BC), Ahaz (735-715 BC), and Hezekiah (715-687 BC).
1:2-5 The Lord was coming down to judge the wickedness of Israel and Judah. Rebellion or “revolt” (Hb pesha‘) denotes a willful, criminal breaking of a covenant (1Kg 12:19; Jr 2:29). Sins (Hb chattoth) are literally deviations from a target (Jdg 20:16; Pr 19:2), God’s holiness in this case. Samaria’s idolatry and immorality were so deep that God marked her for destruction (Mc 1:6-7). Micah compared worship in Jerusalem with pagan worship in the north. Hezekiah repented through Micah’s preaching (Jr 26:19) and removed every high place, stone altar, and pagan Asherah pole (2Kg 18:1-6).
1:6-7 Assyria captured Samaria in 722 BC (2Kg 17:3-6). Israel’s apostasy included participating in pagan cultic prostitution, which involved paying wages to prostitutes; Assyrian troops would pillage Samaria, steal these wages, and use the money yet again on prostitutes. Israel’s sins were so bad that even the pagan armies that conquered her would do with her monies nothing worse than she herself had done.
1:8-16 This section declares that sinful Judah will also face God’s wrath. Micah grieved over the towns of Judah facing destruction, even his hometown (v. 14). Sennacherib of Assyria marched through Judah to Jerusalem in 701 BC (Is 10:28-32). He captured at least forty-six Judean towns in this campaign but failed to take Jerusalem. Using vivid wordplay to evoke dread, Micah mentioned towns near his home to arouse the people from complacency and bring them to repent of their sin, perhaps preventing the upcoming judgment. Most astounding was the fact that behind this destruction would be the Lord himself (Mc 1:12).
1:10-15 David lamented, Don’t announce it in Gath when Saul and Jonathan died in battle; for otherwise he knew the Philistines would gloat (2Sm 1:20). In the same spirit, Micah did not want the Assyrians to gloat in their success. Beth-leaphrah (lit “house of dust”) would roll in the dust as a sign of humiliating defeat (Gn 3:14; Ps 44:25). Those living in Shaphir (lit “pleasant”) would have the unpleasant experience of being stripped naked and led into exile. Neighboring Zaanan (wordplay with Hb yatsa’, “to go out”) would not go out to help, and Beth-ezel (lit “house of taking away”) would remove its support.
Maroth (sounds like Hb mara’; meaning “bitter”) wanted something sweet but would instead face the Lord’s disaster. This trouble would approach the gate of Jerusalem but would not enter it. Lachish, a major fortification and military garrison (2Ch 11:9), would need riding steeds (Hb rekesh; Est 8:10; cp. Is 2:7; Mc 5:10) to power chariots in a fast getaway. Reliance on military might was the beginning of sin leading to acts of rebellion among God’s people (Is 30:15-17). Like a father giving away his betrothed daughter, Judah would have to give away Moresheth-gath (sounds like Hb meorashah, “betrothed”) to Assyria. Though it promised help, Achzib (lit “deception”) would not come through. Mareshah (sounds like Hb hayyoresh, “the conqueror”) would be conquered. Israel’s leaders would flee to Adullam to hide like David had done (1Sm 22:1; 2Sm 23:13).
1:16 On baldness as a sign of grief and mourning see Jb 1:20; Jr 16:6; Ezk 27:31.
