John Mark Hicks

Micah 6-7 is the third and last oracle of the book. The first two began with “Hear” (1:2; 3:1) as does the third (6:1). The first oracle addressed to “you peoples,” that is, to the nations. It is a witness to all the inhabitants of the earth. The second oracle is addressed the “heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel,” that is, to the military, political, and religious leaders of Judah. The last oracle appears to be addressed to the people of the covenant since Yahweh “has a controversy with his people,” such that Yahweh says, “O my people!”

The responsibility for the consequences that befall Judah are deeply rooted in its leadership but the people are also complicit. The nation, led by foolish and violent leaders, has followed their lead on the whole, though it is probable that there were many who had not bowed the knee (like Micah, for example).

In this oracle, particularly chapter six, we see two movements: a lawsuit and its charges. The prophet functions as Yahweh’s prosecutor who presses charges against the people. It is a covenant lawsuit in the wake of Judah’s rebellion and their unjust practices that failed to show mercy and walk with God.

The Lawsuit (Micah 6:1-8)

The lawsuit is identified by the Hebrew word rib (רִ֣יב), which is often translated “controversy” (6:2) or “case” (6:1) but is actually a legal term. It is a prosecution (Micah 6:1-22). The Hebrew term is used twice along with the intent to convict, contend, reprove, or correct in Micah 6:2 (יִתְוַכָּֽח). This is a courtroom scene: God is the judge, Micah is Yahweh’s prosecutor, creation serve as a witness, and Yahweh is the judge. It is a covenant lawsuit.

The invitation (6:1-2)

The people of God are invited to participate in the lawsuit. As defendants, they have a voice. But there are also witnesses or jurors—those who will hear the case and bear witness to its truthfulness.

The people are invited to plead their cases and raise their voice in defense before the mountains and hills of creation. The creation knows the story; they have seen the activities. And here they are like jurors or witnesses in the lawsuit. Perhaps they are the audience before whom God prosecutes the people.

The mountains and the foundations of the earth—the immovable dimensions of creation itself—are solid footing for the case Yahweh will present. It is a cosmic courtroom to which all creation is invited to hear the lawsuit Yahweh prosecutes through the prophet Micah. Yahweh will reprove and judge Israel in the light of the covenant God established with them long ago.

Yahweh Addresses the People (6:3-5)

In this cosmic courtroom, Yahweh addresses the people so that they might remember “the saving (righteous) acts of the LORD” (Micah 6:5).

What saving acts? The prophet rehearses the story of the Exodus, the wilderness, and the crossing over the Jordan.

• God delivered them from Egyptian enslavement.
• God sent leaders to guide them through the wilderness to the land of promise.
• God protected them from hostile forces like Balak of Moab.
• God brought them from Shittim (east of the Jordan) to Gilgal (west of the Jordan).

These are the righteous deeds of the Lord. They are God’s saving acts which are celebrated in the Psalms, remembered by the prophets, and taught in the Torah. Has Israel forgotten?

It is interesting what Micah chooses to name. There are many details he could have specified. One of the more significant—and not mentioned elsewhere except in the Torah itself—is the naming of three leaders: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. All are called prophets in the Torah. They are all “sent.” They are all divine agents among the people, and Miriam is not restricted to women but also leads the whole of Israel (men and women) in the song of celebration in Exodus 15.

The movement from Shittim to Gilgal is the movement across the Jordan. So, this line completes the journey from Egypt through the wilderness across the Jordan (even though none of the named leaders enter the land with the people).

How has Yahweh treated the people? He freed them, guided them, protected them, and gave them the land in which they now dwell. As Isaiah 5:7 says, what else could I have done for you?

Have God’s saving acts wearied Israel? Have they mistreated Israel? No, creation itself which witnessed this movement from Egypt to the promised land testifies to God’s faithful love for Israel. God’s covenant of love has never had any other goal.

The People Respond (6:6-7)

The people respond with a desire to worship, perhaps even to satisfy God in some way (as some attempt in Psalm 50). To “come before” or “meet” the Lord is an entrance liturgy, like Psalm 15 and Psalm 24.  It is to enter God’s presence, to seek the face of God in worship—it is to bow down before God. This is an entrance into the earthly temple (we may presume) that is analogous to entering the heavenly temple to seek God’s face.

What should we bring, the people ask. How do we respond to God to acknowledge our sin and seek forgiveness?

• Burnt offerings, even calves a year old?
• Thousands of rams, even ten thousand rivers of oil?
• My firstborn, the fruit of my body?

The people want to give their best, and the offers intensive their supplication. Burnt offerings? Not that? How about even calves a year old, which are highly valued.

Ok, not that? How about thousands of rams along with rivers of oil. While the number of rams is conceivable for a national celebration (Passover week, for example, during the time of Hezekiah include thousands of animals, 2 Chronicles 30), the amount of oil is extravagant and practically impossible. Such oil is used in the baking of bread with grain offerings. This is a lot of bread! In other words, the people are offering God a celebration where the people come and eat bread and meat, and presumably drink wine in honor of God in order to seek forgiveness or celebrate God’s coming deliverance. They hope to persuade God.

The offer of the firstborn is no fantasy. The surrounding Canaanite cultures, especially the Phoenicians, are well known for the sacrifice of children. Mesha, the king of Moab, records the sacrifice of his own son on a stele which is now in the Louvre in Paris. This archaeological find (found in Jordan in 1868; known as the Mesha Stele). It actually mentions the Israelite king Omri and his son.  It dates from around 840 BCE (approximately 130 or so years before Micah’s third oracle). We also Judah’s king Ahaz sacrificed his son(s) in the Valley of Hinnom, according to 2 Kings 16:3 (and 2 Chronicles 28:3). Ahaz was Hezekiah’s father. This probably happened somewhere between 732 and 716 BCE.

So, the offer is a real one. Judah’s leadership was willing to offer a son, if this is what God wanted. But that is not what God wanted.

The ethic (6:8)

God does not want the sacrifice of a firstborn. Rather, God wants the living sacrifice of faithful people. God requires the people to sacrifice themselves through justice, mercy, and humility. What is good? The people already know, but they don’t practice it (as we will see in the second half of chapter 6).

What is good? Not only for Israel, but for all human beings. Micah addresses not only the covenant people in this statement but “Adam” (human beings)—adam knows what is good! Thus, the nations are also judged by the good God identifies. It is a universal call to be truly human, that is, to reflect the goodness and likeness of God. This is what is required, or more literally, this is what the Lord seeks. This is what the Lord wants for humanity.

• To do justice (עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙), or in Greek ποιεῖν κρίμα.

This is a common theme in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Isaiah 1:17; 16:5; Psalm 99:4). This is what God expects from judges and leaders in Israel (1 Kings 3:28; Jeremiah 22:3). It refers to a system of communal righteousness that orders society in equitable and peaceful ways. This is a quality human beings are to embody in their own lives, families, and systems.

• To love mercy (אַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד), or in Greek ἀγαπᾶν ἔλεον.

The Hebrew terms hesed (חֶ֔סֶד) is one of the most important words in the Hebrew Bible. It is part of God’s own self-description in Exodus 34:6. Nortoriously difficult to translate into English, it has a variety of renditions: mercy, covenant loyalty, lovingkindness, steadfast love, steadfast devotion. Psalm 136 echoes the way hesed is part of God’s creation and redemptive story.

The people of God are to “love” this quality and emulate it. The people of God are to embody God’s own hesed in their lives. It represents a priority—this is what the people of God love, prioritize, and emphasize. As Christopher-Smith notes, this “phrase about ‘steadfast devotion’ disallows a harsh and vindictive idea about ‘justice’” (p.196). Justice is tempered with mercy and steadfast love, and steadfast love seeks justice for those who do not have it.

• To walk humbly with your God (הַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ), or in Greek ἕτοιμον εἶναι τοῦ πορεύεσθαι μετὰ κυρίου θεοῦ σου.

“Humbly” is the common translation, but it may also mean cautiously, carefully or with circumspection. It is a call for wisdom, but the main point is to “walk with God.” What does God seek? Yahweh wants humans to walk in the paths of God’s own life and character, that is, to be like God. Israel is called to be holy because God is holy. In essence, the call to walk with God humbly is a call to obedience—to walk in God’s paths.

Many suggest that this summary is influenced by Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (and Jeremiah 7:23 might as well): “So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God^a and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being.”

Included in Deuteronomy’s sense of walking in the ways of God according to God’s requirements are: a circumcised heart, justice for the people (no partiality or bribes), justice for the orphan and widow, the love of strangers by the provision of food and clothing, and a commitment to worship God alone (Deuteronomy 10:16-20).

This triad is also echoed in Matthew 23:23, which Jesus calls the weightier matters of the law: justice (righteousness), mercy (love), and faithfulness (walking with God).

If we want to know what the meaning of “mercy, justice, and obedience (humility)” or “doing, loving, and walking” (Limburg, p. 271) is in Micah 6:8, probably the most helpful starting point is the immediate context of Micah 6:9-16. There the prophet lays out the charges—the realities in Judah that violate “mercy, justice, and humility.”

The Specific Charges (Micah 6:9-16)

God has dragged Judah into court because the nation is filled with evil like treasures hoarded in the house of the wicked. Evil fills Judah, and God is indignant.  The voice of God confronts Jerusalem (“the city”) and its tribal leaders who assemble there. This assembly, however, turns into a courtroom where the charges are specified. This is a judgment oracle.

The speech articulates some specific evils that have brought about these consequences.

• Economic, crimes of the marketplace. This included dishonest weights and measures.

• Violence, bloodshed for power, control, and economic gain. The wealthy used their status to gain advantage by violent means.

• Deceit, lying is pervasive and used for gain and power.

• Idolatry, the statues of Omri (cf. Jeremiah 10:3) who introduced the Baal cult to Israel that spread to Judah.

This stands in contrast to what it means to walk humbly, lover mercy, and do justice. Doing what God requires means:

• Economic justice and the rejection of violence.
• Loving mercy means reversing the economic and violent abuses of the day.
• Walking with God means worshipping the true God rather than idols.

The contrast between 6:8 and 6:10-12 deserve more attention than I have given here. We learn something about the positive nature of justice, mercy, and walking with God while also noting what the effects of injustice, cruelty, and idolatry are. The people of Israel did not do what God required, and therefore they will experience their reward for such evil.

Therefore, Yahweh says, the consequences follow. This includes hunger, loss, sword, and desolation. Ultimately, it is the destruction of a nation, the exile of both Israel and Judah. Neither shall benefit from their labors in the land—the sow but will not reap.

Due to their sin, the people of God will suffer the fruits of their evil.

Who is favored or “happy”? Psalm 41 teaches it is the one who considers the poor and lives with integrity despite their own failings.

Such people are assaulted by enemies, particularly cosmic powers, whom God will defeat. Yahweh is gracious and raises the Psalmist from a deathbed to renewed life.

Jesus quotes this Psalm at the Last Supper in reference to Judas. Though it names the reality of cosmic enemies, it also teaches that Yahweh will show favor and cause those who walk in the way with integrity to stand in God’s presence forever.

Bobby Valentine and I discuss Psalm 41 in the light of the individual, the nation, and the Messiah.

Why “go to church”? Or, better, why participate in the assembly of fellow-believers? Psalm 40 provides a response.

We go to tell the story, to proclaim the good news of God’s righteousness, God’s saving work. To rehearse the story of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

We go to present our living sacrifices to the Lord and declare, “Here I am.”

We go to tell our testimonies of God’s deliverance so that others might “see” and be awed by God’s grace and truth.

We go to sing a “new song” and declare the wondrous deeds of God.

Micah envisions the coming of a Davidic ruler who is peace. That reign will extend to the ends of the earth and mean that everyone will live in security and prosperity. Yet, before that time arrives, a period of purgation–like labor pains–is necessary so that the descendants of Jacob learn to depend on Yahweh rather than their own military strength and resources.

In the previous chapter the prophet Micah envisioned a future when the nations would flow into Jerusalem to learn war no more and establish justice upon the earth. The earth, then, would be filled with prosperity and security as Yahweh reigned from Zion over the whole earth. But before that time, Judah would writhe and groan because it would suffer the consequences of their sin and ultimately experience exile in Babylon. The nations will strike the “ruler (literally, judge) of Israel upon the cheek” and humiliate the nation. Unlike the Judges who delivered Israel from their oppressors before there was a king, the king of Israel is unable to deliver, and the nation will go into exile.

But that is not Micah’s final word. Though the nation will go into exile and suffer defeat at the hands of many nations (Assyria, Babylon, and other surrounding peoples), Yahweh promises a new ruler, a different kind of ruler, in the future. One who will come from Bethlehem in Judah from David’s royal line.

The Ruler from Bethlehem (5:2-5a)

There is a contrast between the “ruler of Israel” (literally, judge) in Micah 5:1 and the one who will “rule in Israel” in Micah 5:2. The former was humiliated, and the latter will be exalted. The former engaged in the fight, but the latter establishes peace. The former was assaulted by many nations, but the latter will reign to the ends of the earth.

The birthplace of this ruler is Bethlehem of Ephrathah (meaning, house of bread, fruitful). Ephrathah is probably a clan name (e.g., Elimelech and Naomi are “Ephrathites from Bethlehem,” Ruth 1:2), and it also serves to distinguish Bethlehem in Judah from a city in Zebulon (Galilee) named Bethlehem (Joshua 19:15). But the location is more about genealogy than it is geography.

It is an insignificant town, a small village. When 46 towns are named in Joshua 15:20-63 from the tribe of Judah, Bethlehem is not mentioned. This small rural town contrasts with the monumental buildings in Jerusalem (from its walls to temple to palaces). But Bethlehem is the home of Jesse, the father of David and the grandson of Ruth (Ruthe 4:17-22; Samuel 17:12). The language and place indicate this new ruler is Davidic, and his origins are found in the early days of the nation.

David is from the root of Jesse, from the root of Ruth and Boaz. The Davidic king will come from the loins of Bethlehem Ephrathah—the ancient royal line. And God will raise up this king “for me” (that is, God’s own self). The Davidic king will serve Yahweh’s purposes.

But not yet.

This new David is future, and for the moment Yahweh has given Judah over to the consequences of its sins (those sins are named in 5:10-15). They will suffer like a woman in labor, and at the same time know the hope of a new birth. At times suffering produces hope. This probably refers to the return of the exiles, including the remnant of Israel.  There will be a day when Israel and Judah are restored as one people under a new Davidic ruler.

Isaiah, who was contemporary with Micah, lived in Jerusalem also announces this hope. One will come from the “root of Jesse” and establish a kingdom that will fill the earth with righteousness, justice, and security (Isaiah 11:1-9). On that day, Isaiah prophesies, the Lord will recover the remnant from Assyria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Shinar, Hamath and other regions to assemble Israel and Judah and make a highway for a return from exile (Isaiah 11:10-16).

When that day comes, the ruler will act as a shepherd over God’s flock and in the name of God give them peace, security, and strength. It is a prosperous image filled with God’s shalom. This will fill the whole world, and not just the land Israel inhabited. It will extend to the “ends of the earth.”

“This one will be peace,” literally what the Micah 5:5a says. In contrast to all the warring that Micah experience in southwestern Judah during the Assyrian invasion, the yearning for peace will find fulfillment in this ruler.  He will be peace to the world. Or, as Isaiah 9:6 says, the “Prince of Peace.”

Matthew 2:6 quotes Micah 5:2 (with some variation) as evidence that the Messiah (the king) will be born in Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus is regarded as a fulfillment of Micah’s word. The early church saw Micah’s message as coming to fruition in the birth, ministry, and reign of the Jesus, the Messiah.

But not yet in Micah’s day.

Remnant Among the Nations (5:5b-9)

Rather, in Micah’s day, the remnant finds itself in turmoil, suffering from the ravages of the Assyrians and the future deportation of the people of Judah by Babylon when Jerusalem is destroyed in 586 BCE.

This is a difficult section as there are manty different ways interpreters and commentators read this section of Micah. Is it about Judah’s healthy influence—like a morning dew—among the Assyrians, even in their exile? Is it about Judah’s attempt to do battle with the Assyrians in a losing fight? Is Micah quoting the militant resisters to the Assyrian invasion in Micah 5:5b-6?

Perhaps the last option is the best one, but it is far from certain. In response to the prophecy of a future peace under a future king, some take up arms and resist the Assyrians without such a king. Some even suggest that Micah is quoting a nationalist war-song. In this case, Micah 5:5b-6 is satirical. The rulers warn about Assyria and call the people to resist, but Micah turns the hearts of the people toward God, to trust God. As Smith-Christopher writes in the OT Library series by WJK press (p. 176), perhaps Micah is saying, “with what shall we defeat the Assyrians? A few shepherds, perhaps seven or eight?” In this case, Micah is mocking those who chose war over peace.

Assyrian and ultimately Babylon will win the wars and exile the people of Israel and Judah respectively.  God’s people will not be totally destroyed or annihilated. Rather, there will be a remnant. And they will live, for a time, among the nations until they are restored as the people of God.

While the people of God are scattered among the nations, surrounded by many peoples, what is their function? What meaning and purpose is there to their loss?  They must become a purged people (see next section), but they will be a witness to the reality of Yahweh in the world and God will bless them in their exiled condition.

Israel among the nations will not be a military power but more like dew and showers on the grass. The survivors will know the Lord and bless the nations among them.

But the image of a lion seems to counter the dew image; it seems contrary to the peaceful image in Micah 5:7. The remnant has become a lion!  Smith-Christopher calls attention to the contrasting juxtaposition of dew and lion in Proverbs 19:12, “A king’s anger is like the growling of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.”

Some suggest that the “lion” imagery is a negative one and describes Israel’s leaders who want to continue warring as an exercise of power. Others suggest that “lion” refers to faithfulness and strength. God is symbolized in this way in Isaiah 31:4 and Hosea 11:10. The exact meaning alludes me. But perhaps we might hear “lion” as a reflection of the remnants strength to witness to Yahweh’s reign and its own purgation. In this way, the “enemies” to be destroyed or cut off in Micah 5:9 are described in Micah 5:10-15.

The Purgation of Judah (5:10-15)

The remnant, those who return from exile, will need purgation, that is, cleansing. Their sins, which brought on the exile, must be reformed. Micah describes the reformation of the remnant and what that looks like in contrast to the wickedness of the pre-exilic community. The post-exilic community must have a different look.

Yahweh is the central figure here: “I” is used nine times.

• I will cut off your horses, and I will destroy your chariots.
• I will cut off the walled cities, and I will throw down your strongholds.
• I will cut off sorceries and soothsayers.
• I will cut off your images and pillars.
• I will uproot your sacred poles, and I will destroy your towns
• I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.

The sins of Judah are identified.

• Military weapons
• Military power
• Occultic behaviors
• Idolatry (images and sacred poles or Asherah).
• Idolatrous communities

The Wisdom of Solomon14:16-17 describes the nation’s past idolatry, which clearly identifies the link between political and religious power in Israel and Judah.

“Then the ungodly custom, grown strong with time, was kept as a law, and at the command of monarchs carved images were worshiped. When people could not honor monarchs in their presence, since they lived at a distance, they imagined their appearance far away and made a visible image of the king whom they honored, so that by their zeal they might flatter the absent one as though present.”

The sins of Judah are political, military, and religious. And these must be purged in the reign in the reign of the Messiah.

The final line of Micah 5 (v. 15), however, addresses the nations. Judgment may begin at the house of God, but it also includes the nations.

The position of Micah in the Hebrew canon is significant. It comes between Jonah and Nahum. The latter describes the destruction of Nineveh because of its sins, and the former tells the story of Nineveh’s deliverance from judgment in response to the preaching of Jonah. 

Nineveh always had a choice. It could submit to the reign of God or rebel against it. God will execute justice against those nations that do not obey but delivers those who do obey.

Israel and Judah also have that choice.

And so do we!

Ever feel like life is not exactly the way it is supposed to be, and you wanna’ say something? Psalm 39 is for you.

Functioning like Job and Ecclesiastes, the Psalmist cannot keep silent. The fire in the Psalmist ‘s bones protests and groans over the brevity of life, its trouble and seemingly pointlessness.

Nevertheless, the Psalmist–singing this with assembled Israel–confesses there is only one hope: it is the Lord, the God of Israel.

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks reflect on this godly protest and what it means for faith today.

One of the more difficult texts in Micah, the prophet struggles with the resistance of leaders to his message. Nevertheless, Micah presses the consequences of their rejection of God’s word.

Bobby Valentine, a guest presenter, discusses the meaning and significance of Micah 4:6-5:1.

Psalm 38: A Penitential Psalm.

As the Psalmist approaches Yahweh with a memorial offering, the petitioner confesses sin and laments the suffering. “There is no shalom in my bones, and family, friends, and neighbors have distanced themselves from me.” The memorial offering seeks God’s forgiveness, healing, and communal reconciliation.

One of the Penitential Psalms, the Psalmist owns the sin; there is no claim of innocence. But also the Psalmist is one who seeks God and seeks to do good despite.

The Psalm does not make a general claim that all personal suffering is due to personal sin. Other Psalms contest that claim as does the book of Job. Rather, the Psalmist in this specific instance recognizes the sin has created chaos in both soul and body. Thus, the Psalmist confesses sin and seeks the renewal of shalom in both body and soul.

We may pray this Psalm at a personal level, and we may pray it at a communal level as we confess the sins of the community and seek its healing.

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning and significance of Psalm 38.

Psalm 35 is a passionate lament that contains a strong contrast between human injustice and divine righteousness. Though the Psalmist empathetically prayed and fasted for those who seek to do the Psalmist harm when they were weak and needy, now they devise evil and hate him without cause.

The Psalmist prays for justice according to God’s righteousness. Those who live in comfort are uncomfortable with such prayers (imprecations), but the oppressed understand them, and the righteous stand with the oppression in prayer with them.

Jesus knew this Psalm, quoted it about himself in John 15:26. Jesus saw himself as the Psalmist who suffered at the hands of the powerful and sought God’s vindication. It is the story of his cross and resurrection.

It is the story of Israel in which Jesus participates and brings to fulfillment. Those oppressed by the powers are delivered by the righteousness of God.

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning and significance of the Psalm for Israel, Jesus, and us.

“The Lord is near the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 34 reminds us that when we cry out to God in the midst of our suffering, the Lord hears and acts because God is good and gives good things.

The righteous sufferer is protected and endures by pursuing peace, doing good, and eschewing evil.

1 Peter 3 quotes Psalm 34:12-16 as Peter appropriates its instruction for how to live in the context of hostility and opposition.

The Gospel of John (19:36, quoting Psalm 34:20) appropriates the Psalm as the voice of Jesus on the cross. Though he suffers, he cries out and God delivers him.

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning and significance of Psalm 34.

The worshipping assembly of Israel proclaims that they do not trust in military power or national agendas. Instead, it lives by faith in the steadfast love of the Lord.

The praise of God on the lips and instruments of God’s people is lovely, fitting, and awesome. Not because of who we are but because of who God is and what God does.

Yahweh is righteousness and fills the earth with steadfast love. God created the world, frustrates the plans of the nations, chose Israel as God’s own possession, and fashions the hearts of people. God is no passive agent but is involved in human history.

Therefore, we wait on the Lord, and pray, “Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”