Daily Devotions
Micah
"The word of the LORD that came to Micah"
Text: Micah 1:1
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Each prophet of the Lord had one special thing in common. Each one was given “the word of the LORD”. Micah began his book by mentioning that he too received God’s word.
“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.”
Micah 1:1
1. Micah of Moresheth
a) Moresheth was further identified as “Moresheth Gath” (Micah 1:14).
b) Micah was a master of word-play and he used this skillfully in his book.
c) Moresheth was a city South-west of Jerusalem.
d) The word “Gath” would indicate that it was near to Philistine territory.
e) Moresheth may mean “betrothed”; Judah relied on Assyria for help against Babylon.
2. Micah
a) He was a prophet who originally came from the city of Moresheth Gath.
b) Little is known about him.
i) His parentage was not disclosed.
ii) This may indicate that he probably did not come from an illustrious family.
iii) Nevertheless, he was a valid prophet of God for he too received the word of the LORD.
3. The historical context
a) He preached in the reign of three kings (not necessarily for their full reigns).
b) Jotham reigned for 16 years (2 Kings 15:32-33); he reigned fairly well but had failed to deal with the problem of idolatry.
c) Ahaz also reigned 16 years (2 Kings 16:2); but he followed the ways of the kings of Israel in idolatry; his reign was marked by idolatrous worship.
d) Hezekiah reigned for 29 years (2 Kings 18:2-3); he did what was right in God’s sight and Judah fared well and became very prosperous.
4. Samaria and Jerusalem
a) Samaria was the capital of Israel, the northern kingdom.
i) Samaria was cited but the whole country was the greater context.
ii) This was another evidence of Micah’s mastery of symbols.
b) Jerusalem was the capital of Judah, the southern kingdom.
Judah was meant when Micah mentioned the capital in his book.