The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns
of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning
Samaria and Jerusalem.
Hear, you peoples, all of you,
listen, earth and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple. Micah 1:1-2
listen, earth and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple. Micah 1:1-2
Micah
was a prophet who spoke to the nation of Judah (the southern
nation of what was once united Israel) around the time period of 740-720 BC,
during the Assyrian rise to power. Around this
time Assyria was moving into the northern nation of Israel, including its capital
city of Samaria, scattering the inhabitants, then eventually taking over in 722
BC.
Micah
was telling Israel of the inevitable while warning Judah of the possible. God wanted Judah to see what was happening
north of them to urge them to spiritually return to God and throw out their
other gods and idols.
God
found Israel’s behavior shameful and wanted to shame them by destroying a once
great nation. The false prophets of the
day shouted that all would be just fine, giving false hope. God hates false prophets and corrupt leaders.
In
the end, God promised to restore Israel and give strength. He promised them a ruler, born in Bethlehem,
whose origins are from old. Micah 5:2
contains a clear prophecy about the birth of Christ. God promised to forgive them of all their
sins.