The sixth book of the Minor Prophets; the thirty-third book of the Old Testament and the thirty-third book of the Bible is the book of Micah. We know from the very first verse who the divinely inspired author is, Micah. Though do not know for sure it is widely believed that Micah was written somewhere between 735-700 BC.
Micah wrote to Jewish people in Judea during the reigns of three kings: Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The prosperity that existed under Judah’s previous kings was declining, with idol worship on the rise. Many Samaritans had migrated to Judah following the destruction of Samaria, bringing their system of false worship with them. Micah warned against worship of other gods, predicting distant Babylon would one day defeat Judah as part of God’s judgment.
Micah consists of seven chapters that can be organized in three major sections. The first section (Micah 1-2) focuses on God’s judgment on Samaria, Judah, and false prophets. The second section (Micah 3-5) judges the leaders of the people and notes God’s future deliverance as the ultimate leader. The current leaders will be found guilty of various sins against the Lord. Rather than relying on them, God will personally one day come to rescue and redeem His people. The third section speaks of God’s ultimate deliverance (Micah 6-7). What begins as a message of gloom and lament (Micah 6:1-7:6) transitions to a celebration of future victory. Micah notes, “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). The final three verses end on a note of confidence. They emphasize God’s forgiveness, steadfast love, compassion, and faithfulness to His people (Micah 7:18-20).
This Sunday in the auditorium class we continue our series through the minor prophets as we begin to look at Micah’s prophecy. God has one major story to tell and he does it throughout the Old Testament, and that is the story of Jesus. As we go through Micah, we will look for Jesus and we will see how Micah’s divinely inspired message applies to us today as we strive to answer the call to holiness.