Micah 7
Summary for Mic 7:1-20: 7:1-20 a Hopeless deception and corruption permeated God’s people (7:1-6 b); God’s mercy, however, would triumph and Israel would be restored (7:11-13 c). God’s mercy, compassion, and unfailing love would prevail (7:14-20 d). Micah mourned his people’s condition and looked to the Lord for help (7:7-10 e). 7:1 f the fruit picker after the harvest: After the second crop of figs and fruit in August–September, no further yield was produced for several months (cp. Isa 16:9 g; Jer 48:32 h). No one could be found to satisfy Micah’s hunger for righteousness (Mic 7:2-6 i).Summary for Mic 7:2-6: 7:2-6 j The people of Israel were without law, justice, or righteousness. Everyone took advantage of others for self-aggrandizement; they had created a society in which all forms of oppression were the norm. 7:2 k not one honest person is left: This complaint is frequent in the prophets (see Isa 59:16 l; Jer 5:1 m; Ezek 22:30 n).
• In the ancient Near East, people fished and hunted by setting traps and using nets (cp. Ps 10:9 o; Prov 1:17 p; Isa 51:20 q).
• their own brothers: All fellow Israelites were regarded as brothers.
7:3 r Both their hands: That is, they had perfected the skills for doing evil.
• Officials and judges alike demand bribes: Rulers and judges were forbidden to twist justice (Exod 18:19-22 s; Deut 16:18-20 t). Israel’s judicial system was completely corrupt.
7:4 u your judgment day is coming: The people of Israel would soon be conquered by the Assyrians, the people of Judah would soon face destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, and all the people of the earth will soon face God in judgment.
Summary for Mic 7:5-6: 7:5-6 v Don’t trust anyone: Bitterness, corruption, and treachery had poisoned the community of the Lord’s people (cp. Matt 10:34-36 w; Luke 12:52-53 x).
Summary for Mic 7:7-10: 7:7-10 y In the midst of despair, Micah prays with a psalm of hope and confidence in the Lord (cp. Hab 2:4 z; 3:16-18 aa).
7:8 ab Though I sit in darkness: The prophet confidently trusts in God to be his light (cp. Ps 27:1 ac) even in deep difficulty, knowing that his enemies would not overcome him (cp. Ps 23:4-5 ad). God’s Spirit gave him the power and confidence to perform his prophetic task (Mic 3:8 ae).
7:9 af I have sinned: The prophet and other godly people recognize their own failure and culpability, yet trust in the Lord for redemption.
• The Lord’s righteousness brings salvation and rescue for his people.
7:10 ag where is the Lord? This taunt rebuked God and those who trusted him. God had promised always to be with his people and their leaders (Gen 46:3-4 ah; Exod 3:12 ai). God was dishonored by these taunts, and he would act to clear his name (cp. Ezek 20:9 aj; 36:19-26 ak).
Summary for Mic 7:11-12: 7:11-12 al That day includes (1) 538 BC, when Israel began to return from exile in Babylon (see Ezra 1–2 am); and (2) the final restoration of God’s people (see Amos 9:11-15 an). As the nations flow to a renewed Israel, God’s purposes through Abraham will be fulfilled (Gen 12:3 ao).
7:13 ap Before their restoration, Israel must be disciplined (Deut 4:29 aq; 28:37 ar, 48 as, 63 at; 30:1-6 au).
• empty and desolate: The people’s intransigent wickedness brought on God’s judgments.
Summary for Mic 7:14-20: 7:14-20 av The Lord promised to completely renew Israel, his special possession (see Exod 19:5 aw; Mal 3:17 ax). Judgment would not mean the destruction of hope, but a cleansing so that true hope could prevail. The restoration would be God’s work alone as he restored the remnant of his special people and removed their guilt by his love, compassion, and faithfulness (see Exod 32:12-14 ay). 7:14 az
• With a shepherd’s staff, an ancient Near Eastern shepherd could defend his sheep from wild beasts. Likewise, the prophet prayed that God would protect his people from hostile Gentile nations (cp. Exod 4:1-5 ba).
• special possession: Cp. Exod 19:5 bb; Deut 7:6 bc; 14:2 bd; 26:18 be; Mal 3:17 bf; 1 Pet 2:9 bg.
• Bashan and Gilead, east of the Jordan River, were part of the Lord’s earliest gifts to the Israelite tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (Josh 13:15-31 bh). Assyria annexed these territories and took these tribes away in the 700s BC. Israel’s ownership would be restored and expanded.
7:15 bi Israel’s enslavement to sin and to other nations called for mighty miracles such as those that brought Israel out of Egypt.
7:16 bj The promise that all the nations would be blessed by the descendants of Abraham (Gen 12:3 bk) would be fulfilled in this restoration of God’s special people.
7:17 bl Like snakes, the nations had struck at the heel of Israel (cp. Gen 3:14-15 bm). The prophets regularly depicted foreign nations as poisonous, deceitful serpents (Isa 14:29 bn; Jer 8:17 bo; Ezek 29:1-3 bp). Now these nations would be humbled (cp. Ps 72:9 bq). Crawling and “eating dust” were metaphors for defeat and humiliation.
Summary for Mic 7:18-20: 7:18-20 br These verses provide a fine brief summary of Old Testament theology. God is unique; there is no one and nothing else like him. Because of his unfailing love (Hebrew khesed), he does not destroy his people whom he judges but instead restores them (see Exod 36:6-7 bs). His faithfulness means that he can be trusted to do good regardless of the cost to himself (see Ps 89:1-2 bt).
• Where is another God like you: This question probably plays off of Micah’s name (“Who is like the Lord?”). God’s character is unequaled among the gods of the nations. His actions and words spring from his character (Exod 34:6-7 bu). God pardons, shows compassion, triumphs over his peoples’ sins, and seals those sins away. The Lord’s unfailing love moved him to choose Israel from the beginning (Deut 7:8 bv), consistent with his covenant faithfulness to Israel’s ancestors (Deut 7:20 bw; 9:1–10:22 bx). By his unfailing love, God continues to offer hope to those who trust in him.
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