Micah - Who is Like the Lord ? - Pt 1

 

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. Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. (Micah 1:1–2 ESV).

 

Today we begin a new series for Morning Devotionals. As I was sitting on my dck the other morning, it seemed like the right time to dig a little deeper into the Book of Micah. First we ought to understand the meaning of the name of the prophet. Names in the Old Testament are revealing. In fact, we see some individuals have their names changed by God to reveal a significant principle through their lives. Here, we see that the name Micah means "Who is like the Lord?" or "Who is like God?" The name comes from the Hebrew word מִיכָה (Micayehû or Mikha), which acts as a rhetorical question. The name implies that no one compares to God in power, love, or truth. It is closely related to the name Michael.

 

We should also note that Micah was an 8th-century (BCE) prophet from Moresheth who wrote this sixth book of what we call the “minor prophets.” They are called “minor” not because they are somehow less important, they are simply shorter than the other prophet’s writings. He lived in a rural agricultural village in Judah southwest of Jerusalem during the reigns of Judean kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Unlike many prophets, he addressed both the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the southern kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem). He prophesied around the same time as Isaiah and witnessed the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom.

 

The 7-chapter book itself alternates between warnings of divine judgment for corruption and social injustice and promises of future restoration. He condemned corrupt leaders, merchants using dishonest scales, and false prophets, while defending the poor and marginalized. It has a very contemporary message. Micah also foretold that a future ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem (cf. Micah 5:2); and summarized God's core moral requirement as: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (cf. Micah 6:8).