Mic 1:5-7 | KingComments | STEP | “All this” refers back to the awesome appearance of God as Judge in the previous verses and what the consequences are. The reason for God’s action lies in the transgression and sins of the people. The seat of corruption is located in the capital of each empire: Samaria and Jerusalem. By mentioning these names separately, the ten and the two tribes are seen as objects of God’s judgment. The fact that Samaria is “the rebellion of Jacob” means that all the sins of the ten tribes are found concentrated in the capital. It does not mean that they are found only in Samaria, but what is found in Samaria is an outburst of the sins that are present everywhere. People from all over the country go there to express their sinful desires in the most awful way. There the pus of the sin of the whole country comes to a stinking outburst. In the same way Jerusalem is called “the high places of Judah”. The sin of Judah is here more specifically referred to as the high places, i.e. places where idolatry is committed ( ). High places here are places on mountains and hills where altars have been erected to sacrifice to the idols. These places are an abomination to God. He has His temple in Jerusalem as the only place of worship. That the people have made other places of worship to worship other gods, God cannot let go unpunished. In the capital the government is seated. That is where policy is determined. That is to bless or to corrupt. The capital can be seen as the beating heart of the people. Today the city is also the center where people go to have a good time. There is a wide range of options for meeting sinful desires. Of course, there are also places in the countryside where that is possible, but the city has a special attraction when people are looking for entertainment. We hear that also when Peter speaks about the “cities of Sodom and Gomorrah” ( ), where people have lived ungodly and as a result have been judged by God.

‏ Micah 1:5-7

Reason for the Coming of the LORD

“All this” refers back to the awesome appearance of God as Judge in the previous verses and what the consequences are. The reason for God’s action lies in the transgression and sins of the people. The seat of corruption is located in the capital of each empire: Samaria and Jerusalem. By mentioning these names separately, the ten and the two tribes are seen as objects of God’s judgment.

The fact that Samaria is “the rebellion of Jacob” means that all the sins of the ten tribes are found concentrated in the capital. It does not mean that they are found only in Samaria, but what is found in Samaria is an outburst of the sins that are present everywhere. People from all over the country go there to express their sinful desires in the most awful way. There the pus of the sin of the whole country comes to a stinking outburst.

In the same way Jerusalem is called “the high places of Judah”. The sin of Judah is here more specifically referred to as the high places, i.e. places where idolatry is committed (Jer 32:35a). High places here are places on mountains and hills where altars have been erected to sacrifice to the idols. These places are an abomination to God. He has His temple in Jerusalem as the only place of worship. That the people have made other places of worship to worship other gods, God cannot let go unpunished.

In the capital the government is seated. That is where policy is determined. That is to bless or to corrupt. The capital can be seen as the beating heart of the people. Today the city is also the center where people go to have a good time. There is a wide range of options for meeting sinful desires. Of course, there are also places in the countryside where that is possible, but the city has a special attraction when people are looking for entertainment. We hear that also when Peter speaks about the “cities of Sodom and Gomorrah” (2Pet 2:6), where people have lived ungodly and as a result have been judged by God.

Samaria Will Be Destroyed

Here the destruction of Samaria by the Assyrians is described. Only a heap of ruins will remain of the beautiful city, there is nothing left that reminds you of a city . Of Samaria, only a heap of ruins will be visible in the open country. It has become arable land, vineyards can be planted. The laying bare of her foundations mean that the city will be destroyed to the ground (cf. Psa 137:7).

Yet this thorough judgment also contains an element of hope. After Samaria has been made a heap of ruins and its full strength has broken down and collapsed, it can serve as “planting places for a vineyard”. Since wine is a picture of joy, we can note in this description that after the exercise of judgment, new joy can arise.

This also applies spiritually. If we judge the wrong thing in ourselves, it clears the way for us to be happy in the Lord. That is why the foundations have to be laid bare. We have to see what the cause of the wrong is. We have to find out on what certain deeds of our lives are based. For that purpose God sometimes breaks down things we have built ourselves. That is with the purpose of giving joy in its place.

Idols Smashed

Here we find a more detailed explanation of the devastation. Not only the city is being demolished, but also elements that have entered God’s land and service and that the people have used in their idolatry are being dealt with. Micah says what will happen to them.

He points to the images. This handiwork, to which God’s people bow down, will be smashed. In this way everything that has taken the place of God can and must be dealt with as it is worthless and empty. What foolishness to put his trust in such things.

God speaks of smashing the idols as a work that He Himself takes in hand. Although He uses the Assyrians, it is His personal interference in the irreparable destruction of all idols. He wants to convince His people that any support outside of Him will turn out to be a support on air.

By “harlot’s earnings” are meant the gifts of the idolaters. These gifts become a harlot’s earnings again when they are taken by the conquerors and used for their own idols and for the payment of their idolatrous feasts.

In a spiritual sense, harlotry is the unauthorized unification of what belongs and what does not belong to God (Exo 34:15; Jdg 2:17; Eze 23:30). Here it refers to all the riches Samaria has gained from illicit connections with heathen nations by taking over their gods. All this will perish through the fire of God’s judgment. Nothing will remain of it.

If we think that idolatry is an evil found only in uncivilized parts of the world, it is a serious misconception that urgently needs to be corrected. Idolatry is everything that takes our eye away from the Lord Jesus as the center of our lives. It is not for nothing that John concludes his first letter, which is full of the Lord Jesus as eternal life, with the words: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1Jn 5:21).

This is in line with what Paul says: “greed, which amounts to idolatry” (Col 3:5). In the light of this, does anyone still dare to maintain that idolatry does not play a role with us? If we agree with that, it should not stop at this conclusion. Then we must remove everything from our lives to which we are greedily attached. If we do not do that, God will take it away from us in judgment.