Introducing Micah

Micah 1-2

            Micah places himself as a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. He prophesies in the run-up to the fall of Samaria. Unlike Isaiah, Micah is not from urban Jerusalem; he is a villager from Moresheth, probably in the southern part of Judah.

            Micah’s prophesy runs generally in three cycles of judgment and hope: chapters 1-2, 3-5, and 6-7. In the first of those cycles, our reading for today, Micah condemns idolatry. One of his points is that Judah has been infected with the idolatry that is so prevalent in Samaria. He also condemns social injustice, especially as the rich and powerful defraud the poor. Still, the Lord will not abandon His people entirely, and He will gather a remnant as a flock in a pen.