Micah 7

Micah’s Lament, His Confidence and His Prayer (Micah 7:1-20).“ Woe is me! For I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-ripe fig” (7:1). Micah was not happy that he had to announce the judgment that was coming upon his people. The harvest of the summer fruits, was the end of the harvest season. He could see the end of happiness and the coming of misery upon his nation. “ The godly man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men: they hunt every man his brother with a net. Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul: thus they weave it together. The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge…” (Micah 7:2-4 a). The moral situation in Judah was deplorable. In his frustration, Micah speaks hyperbolically. The prophet himself was not so evil.

There was always a righteous remnant of faithful servants of God, but the great majority were decadent. “ They hunt every man his brother with a net” means they preyed on each other. All moral consideration had been abandoned. The rich and powerful had only to express their wish and public servants such as judges, if properly bribed, would arrange for it to happen. Thoms and briers inflict wounds and pain and so did the nation’ s rulers. Rather than protect the citizens they oppressed them. “ Trust ye not in a neighbor, put ye not confidence in a friend; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother…a man’ s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:5-6). The moral rot of society had corrupted the sacred of relationships. No one could be trusted, including the closest friends and relatives.“ But as for me, I will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). In the midst all of all the sin and corruption, the prophet’ s faith still shines brightly. This kind of trust and confidence in God is the very essence of true faith.

Our faith must take us beyond mere belief that God exists or that the Bible is his Word, it must lead us to trust him to lead and keep us safe in the darkest, most dangerous situations of life. Micah prayed for God’ s forgiveness and deliverance, “ as in the days of old. As in the days of thy coming forth out of Egypt” (Micah 7:14-15). He wanted to see their enemies “ lick the dust like a serpent” (Micah 7:17).

Micah won no popularity contests among his people. They disliked his message of rebuke and despise him for daring to deliver it. They wished for disaster to overtake him. He responded, “ Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of Jehovah, because I have sinned against, him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then mine enemy shall see it and shame shall cover her who said unto me, Where is Jehovah thy God?” (Micah 7:8-10 a).

These are words of full confidence and faith that God will stand with him, no matter the consequences he may face. People will live to see his warnings come to pass and the prophet vindicated.“ Mine eyes shall see my desire upon her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets” (Micah 7:10 b). Micah had absolutely no doubt that the punishments he warned of would be realized. Most roads in those ancient days were unpaved. The dirt was mingled with the waste from the many draft animals and the garbage of the residents. When rain fell, all of that turned to mire which was crushed without resistance, beneath the feet of people and beasts.

So would the nation be crushed by the invading armies of Assyria. As he nears the end of his lesson, the prophet offers a glimmer of hope to those who would listen. “ A day for building thy walls! In that day shall the decree be far removed. In that day shall they come unto thee from Assyria and the cities of Egypt and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain” (Micah 7:11-12). After judgment and captivity, they would return to rebuild their nation. For those of the Southern Kingdom, this occurred following the seventy long years of the Babylonian Captivity. Good King Cyrus of Persia, at the prompting of Jehovah, allowed the captive Hebrews to return to the land and rebuild their temple (Isaiah 44:28; Ezra 1:1-3).

Later the walls of the city were rebuilt under the leadership of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2 :l-8). “ Yet shall the land be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings” (Micah 7:13). The blessing of restoration must wait until justice has been satisfied for the evil they had done.

The Prophet’s Prayer for His People and God’s Response (Micah 7:14-17).Micah asks God to “ Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, which dwell solitarily, in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.” Carmel was a forested mountain with little grass and many dangers for sheep, such as ravines and wild beasts of prey. Bashan and Gilead were pasture lands, perfect for grazing and much safer. He asked God to be their good shepherd who would lead and protect them. God responded, “ As in the land of Egypt will I show unto them marvelous things. With that promise, Micah then exulted, “ The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto Jehovah our God, and shall be afraid because of thee” (Micah 7:14-17). Great, powerful nations like Assyria and Egypt would see God’ s delivering hand at work and be smitten with fear. Like serpents or insects they would be forced to acknowledge His power and rule over them. In this passage we see the origin of our saying about a whipped person or nation, licking the dust.God’s Steadfast Love andCompassionMic_7:18-20 In his closing words, he praised God’ s abundant and unequaled mercy: “ Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger forever because he delighted in loving kindness.

He will again have compassion upon us: he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of sea” (Micah 7:18-20). These are the words A. Pierson called, “ one of the most exquisite things to be found in the entire Old Testament.” “ Thou will perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:20). Truly, Micah was standing on those ancient promises God had made to the fathers of the nation. He was fully confident that God would remember and honor his promises. We should have the same high confidence in every promise He has made to us. LESSONS TO . Micah reminds us that religion and ethics are inseparable. Unscrupulous use of power, even though within the bounds of law, will not go unpunished. Acts of cruelty toward humanity is an insult to the God in whose image they are made. Religion that does not affect the heart and lead to submission to God’ s will is worthless. Preachers who mold their message to please sinful men are enemies of God and traitors to their post. When a man speaks as the Holy Spirit has taught him through the Scripture, he can be bold and courageous. Unworthy leaders will lead a nation into destruction. True peace will only come when people enter Messiah’ s kingdom and heed his teaching. We see the reasonableness of God’ s requirements that we do justly, love kindness and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). To love mercy is more than to show mercy, for one may show mercy for many reasons and be selective where he does so. Our God is merciful, bestowing favor on the penitent. May we who represent God before our fellow men preach with the power and strength, the courage and conviction of Micah the Morashtite. May we personally never loose sight of what Jehovah requires of all men: that we dojustly, love kindness and walk humbly with our God! (Micah 6:8). Micah Chapter Seven Verse 1 The chapter falls into two divisions, the first being a representation in the mouth of the prophet upon behalf of Zion-Jerusalem, “bewailing the absence of any righteous ones within her borders."[1] It is not necessary to suppose that the general population of the city engaged in any such lament; it is rather an outline of the dreadful social conditions uttered by Micah in the form of a lament. The conditions revealed show “a complete social rebellion against constituted authority and natural relations."[2] The first paragraph (Micah 7:1-6). reads very much like the front pages of newspapers in the United States at the present time. Micah 7:7-17 are spoken upon behalf of the spiritual remnant, in whose mouths Micah places a confession of sins and a plea for Jehovah to receive them. A final prophecy of what God will do (Micah 7:18-20) brings the prophecy of Micah to a close. Micah 7:1“Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-ripe fig.“Beginning here and through Micah 7:6, we have “one of the most poignant criticisms of a commercial community ever to appear."[3] Nothing “to eat” is a metaphor of the lack of honesty and integrity in Jerusalem, as appears in succeeding verses. Just as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, “There were not ten righteous persons' for whose sake the city might have been spared!"[4]"Like Jeremiah, a century later (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/5/1" class="green-link">Jeremiah 5:1</a>), he is unable to find a single godly person. He compares himself to a man wandering in the fields in search of something to eat."[5]Verse 2 "The godly man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net."The description of deplorable conditions continues. "Brutal egotism everywhere prevails; justice is perverted; bribery is rampant; the best are like briars, rough and ugly to deal with."[6] This verse explains the metaphor of <a href="/bible/parallel/MIC/7/1" class="green-link">Mic 7:1</a>. "The grape and the early fig represent the righteous man."[7] The prophet was "like Diogenes who went about Athens with a lantern, trying to find an honest man."[8]Verse 3 "Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul: thus they weave it together."Corruption had permeated the highest levels of their society. The very men upon whom rested the responsibility for justice and order in their society were themselves guilty of the most abominable crimes and injustices. Things were so decadent that the community's "great men" openly spoke of their willingness to be bribed. "They had no shame in letting the whole town know that they could be bought."[9] Allen's paraphrase of Isaiah's words regarding conditions in his day are appropriate here: "Your court officials are rebels, Accomplices of thieves. Everyone of them loves a bribe And chases after presents. They do not defend the orphan And never hear the widow's case" (<a href="/bible/parallel/ISA/1/23" class="green-link">Isaiah 1:23</a>).[10]"To do it diligently ..." The original language also carries the idea of "skillfully." "Bad men gain a dreadful skill and wisdom in evil, as Satan has; and cleverness in evil is their delight."[11]Verse 4 "The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen, even thy visitation is come; now shall be their perplexity.""The day of thy watchmen ..." This was the day of judgment upon Israel for their apostasy from God, long foretold by the prophets (thy watchmen), that is, "the day of their perplexity." This change of persons (from "thy" to "their") is characteristic of Micah's style. Verse 5 "Trust ye not in a neighbor; put ye not confidence in a friend; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.""Passion and sin break every band of friendship, kindred, gratitude, and nature."[12] So it was in the times of the gospel persecutions. "A man's foes are they of his own household" (<a href="/bible/parallel/MAT/10/35" class="green-link">Matthew 10:35-36</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/LUK/12/53" class="green-link">Luke 12:53</a>). McKeating observed that these words would be applicable to "any seriously troubled times."[13] Certainly, it was the great crisis brought about by the total defeat of Israel that lay at the heart of the conditions indicated here. "This is the condition that developed in the midst of the punishment and confusion."[14] "It was an unnatural breakdown of cohesion in the home, the microcosm of society."[15] Before leaving these verses, a comment like that by Wolfe should be noted: When any person gets the idea that he is the only good person remaining alive, he drifts into a detachment from his fellows and thereby forfeits all possibility of rendering further usefulness.[16]Such a view should be rejected, because Micah was not merely venting his prejudice in these lines, but conveying to men the words of God. The indictment, therefore, was not of Micah, but of the Lord. Moreover, it would be impossible to apply such a comment to Christ who used these very words. Furthermore, Paul himself declared that "There is none righteous, no not one" (<a href="/bible/parallel/ROM/3/10" class="green-link">Romans 3:10</a> ff). Verse 7 "But as for me, I will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."Whereas, Micah had been speaking for the grossly wicked city, in these lines he spoke for the righteous remnant, as indicated by the inclusion of himself and the switch to the first person. There are magnificent Messianic overtones in the balance of this concluding chapter. The one great consideration so often overlooked by scholars intent only upon a literary examination of the text is that from the very beginning of the promise to Abraham and his posterity, the pledge on the part of God assuring the posterity of Abraham of blessing and prosperity always pertained exclusively to the "spiritual seed" of the great patriarch, and not at all merely to his fleshly descendants. These were emphatically distinguished from each other by the holy Christ himself (John 8), and by the apostle Paul whose epistle to the Romans cannot be understood at all apart from the discernment of the two Israels. In the pre-Christian era, God's message through the prophets always had that quality of being addressed to both Israels, now to the righteous remnant, and then to the secular and unspiritual majority. One may therefore: not rely upon what may be supposed to have been the prophet's understanding of what he wrote; for it may be accepted as certain that the prophets themselves did not in every instance understand the revelation which they received (<a href="/bible/parallel/1PE/1/10" class="green-link">1 Peter 1:10-12</a>). This also accounts for the fact that certain passages, in the minds of scholars, "do not seem to fit." Significantly, all of their tampering with the text and scissoring and pasting it into a hodgepodge of their own creation - all that never results in any improvement. In this light, we confidently reject the opinions which view these words (<a href="/bible/parallel/MIC/7/7" class="green-link">Micah 7:7</a>) as a part of a Psalm later incorporated into the text by some "editor," or the notion that this promise of blessing "does not fit" the preceding paragraph. "The confidence of the remnant and their submission to the will of God are beautifully delineated in <a href="/bible/parallel/MIC/7/7" class="green-link">Micah 7:7-10</a>."[17]Verse 8 "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah will be a light unto me.""Israel addresses Babylon, her triumphant foe."[18] Blindly rejecting any such thing as predictive prophecy, some would delete these verses, or attribute them to some "post-exilic editor." However, the words are a vital and significant portion of the prophet's word of encouragement for a people shortly doomed to captivity; and it was precisely such encouraging words as these that enabled the humbled and enslaved remnant of the people to endure and triumph over that captivity. They took his pledge of God's blessing with them when they went into bondage in Babylon. How otherwise, it may be asked, did these words become an established part of the divine prophecy of Micah? Verse 9 "I will bear the indignation of Jehovah, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness."The true penitent accepts the punishment of his iniquity (<a href="/bible/parallel/LEV/26/41" class="green-link">Leviticus 26:41</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/LEV/26/43" class="green-link">Leviticus 26:43</a>); they who murmur against God do not yet know their guilt (<a href="/bible/parallel/JOB/40/4" class="green-link">Job 40:4-5</a>).[19]This verse is the language of the repentant remnant of the people, accepting the justice of their punishment, and yet still trusting in the covenant with God which they were determined to keep. This believing remnant receives Jehovah's faithfulness and consistency in fulfilling all his promises of punishment for apostasy, so they can trust him to deal with their foes and oppressors in His own time and way.[20]Verse 10 "Then mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her who said unto me, Where is Jehovah thy God? Mine eyes shall see my desire upon her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.""Where is Jehovah thy God ...?" The true Israel, even Jesus Christ the holy One, suffered exactly this same taunt upon the cross itself (<a href="/bible/parallel/MAT/27/43" class="green-link">Matthew 27:43</a>). "Shame shall cover her ..." "This describes the anticipated astonishment of Babylon (my enemy) in the day of God's redeeming his people from exile."[21]Verse 11 "A day for building thy walls! in that day shall the decree be far removed.""Prophesying the rebuilding of the walls also follows very naturally ... Israel also looked for a day when their frontiers would be extended, when her dominion would run from Assyria to Egypt."[22]It is a great mistake, however, to overlook the spiritual import of these great prophecies. True, Israel's captivity was concluded in the triumphant return of the people to Jerusalem, a very necessary event prerequisite to the cohesion of the chosen people and the eventual delivery, through them, of the Messiah; but only in that Messiah, Jesus Christ, were the borders of a new Israel to be inclusive of the whole world. Today, even as of old, there are many who are so blinded by the vision of a worldly kingdom that the great spiritual empire of the Son of God seems never to enter their minds. Verse 12 "In that day shall they come unto thee from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain."This verse continues the prophecy of the extensive acceptance of Christianity all over the world. Those who would restrict it to some literal fulfillment in the resurgence of the old Hebrew Empire miss the point altogether. The language here includes much more than the area between the Mediterranean Sea and Euphrates River. Such expressions as "sea to sea" and "mountain to mountain" encompass the whole world. The background of this prophecy was laid in <a href="/bible/parallel/MIC/7/10" class="green-link">Micah 7:10</a>, where by the means of a taunt echoed at Calvary itself, the true Israel, CHRIST, is surely in view. It is in Christ, the true Israel, that Israel receives tribute from every land on earth. Verse 13 "Yet shall the land be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings."This verse looks back to the literal land of Israel, the earthly Jerusalem, literally to be downtrodden and desolated for millenniums of time "for the fruit of their doings." This is a bold contrast with the prosperity and excellence of the kingdom of Christ. We deny that this could be a reference to Babylon in any exclusive sense. Nor can we accept the view that the passage refers to "the tribulation and the last days."[23] Deane pointed out that "very many commentators refer this passage to the land of Canaan."[24] and we agree that, as the words stand, they could hardly mean anything else. Although, due to the very nature of prophecy, there could be many things foreshadowed here, it appears to this student that the destruction of Jerusalem and subjugation of Palestine for long centuries concurrent with the rise of the kingdom of Christ must be accepted as the primary meaning of the place. Barnes' discerning comment is: "This sounds almost like a riddle and contradiction: the walls built up,’ the people gathered in,' the land desolate.’ Yet it was all fulfilled to the letter. Jerusalem was restored, the people were gathered in, first from captivity, then to Christ; and yet the land was again desolate through the “fruit of their doings” who rejected Christ."[25]Verse 14 “Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, which dwell solitarily, in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.“Micah came to the near-end of his prophecy in these words. Before those days of deliverance and glory just mentioned, a long and terrible pathway of persecution, privation and death lay before God’s people, even the righteous remnant; and, in these final verses, “Micah laid down his pastoral office to Him who was their true and abiding Shepherd."[26] Micah knew that the people would walk “through the valley of the shadow of death”; and, as he was nearing the end of his labors, he felt many of these emotions of faithful preachers of the gospel who draw near to “that hour that cometh in which no man can work.” Appropriately, therefore, he commended the faithful remnant to the keeping of the “Chief Shepherd and bishop of their souls.” “Carmel…Goshen…Gilead …” These Were names associated with the former excellence and glory of the chosen people; and by the use of this terminology, Micah solicited for his people the most wonderful of all God’s wonderful blessings. Verse 15 “As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt will I show unto them marvelous things.“One more prophecy of that “Glorious Era” yet to come under the reign of Christ appears in this: “I will show unto them marvelous things … as in the days of their coming up out of Egypt …” That was the occasion of those great and astounding miracles of God through Moses, including the ten devastating plagues that effected the delivery from Egypt. The promise here is that “God will do it again!” That Prophet, like unto Moses, and who like Moses would astound the whole world with his miracles - that Prophet would arise and “show them marvelous things.” Amazingly, Wolfe read the prophecy correctly, but missed its application! “With the restoration of Israel, miracles would again abound as they did centuries earlier at the Red Sea!"[27]Verse 16 “The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto Jehovah our God, and shall be afraid because of thee.“Most of the commentators attempting an explanation of these verses apply them to “the abject surrender” of the Gentile nations to Israel in the days of Israel’s coming glory, or to “their prostration before Jehovah with fear and trembling, and their recognition that `in none other name under heaven is there salvation.’"[28] That latter view is preferable to the other; but we incline to view this passage as eschatological, referring to the final humiliation of all the unbelieving world in those days immediately before the Second Coming of Christ. The low estate of mankind (crawling … licking dust … deaf … the great fear) does not appear to represent the triumph of Christianity, but a final rejection of it that is prophesied to occur shortly before the end of the age. The entire 18th chapter of Revelation gives a more elaborate picture of the same conditions in view here. Verse 18 “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in living kindness.““Pardoneth iniquity … passeth over the transgression …” The great hallmark of the New Covenant lies in the promise of God to forgive the sins of his people, a promise that simply did not pertain to the old covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-35); and, therefore, in this we have a certain indication that the passage is Messianic. Note that the promise of forgiveness here is not to the whole of apostate Israel, but to the “righteous remnant,” the true Israel to be revealed in Christ and from which no person, either Jew or Gentile is excluded. This identification of which Israel would be the recipient of the glorious promises appearing again and again in Micah is the key to understanding the whole prophecy. Verse 19 “He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.““Compassion upon us …” This is a promise of forgiveness to the righteous remnant, to all that are “in Christ Jesus.” These last two verses are in no sense “a doxology.” It is not a prayer for God to do the glorious things mentioned, but a promise that “HE WILL DO THEM.” The ASV should be followed here. “Jacob…Abraham …” God never cancelled or abrogated the glorious promises made to the patriarchs. The promise that he would “bless all the families of the earth” in Abraham is now being fulfilled in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The Messianic age is clearly identified here as the time when those precious promises would indeed be fully and completely realized. The casting of sins into the sea indicated that they would be put completely out of God’s sight, “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalms 103:12), and remembered no more forever (Jeremiah 31:34), and “blotted out” (Acts 3:19).[29] Before concluding this study of Micah, we again call attention to the “remnant” concept which appears on every page of it. McKeating stressed its importance thus: “The idea of a remnant is an extremely important one, it helps to solve the dilemma of how to reconcile the absolute righteousness and the everlasting love of God. God could judge his people, and destroy them, but nevertheless save enough of them (the remnant), penitent and purified, to serve as the nucleus of a renewed Israel."[30]Therefore, instead of reading the alternate passages of doom and blessing as the blundering result of some “editor’s” rearranging of the text of this prophecy, may men read the one as applicable to the disobedient, and the other as glorious encouragement for the “righteous remnant.” Unto Jesus Christ our Lord be the glory, and the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen!

Micah 7:1

Micah 7:1. The prophet uses the first person in describing the undone condition of the nation, not that he is personally involved in the misdeeds so generally being committed. He describes the situation by likening the nation t.o a vineyard from which the main crop has been gathered. In such a stage one would not even find a single whole bunch of grapes that had matured, much less a piece of fruit among the firstripe.

Micah 7:2

Micah 7:2. Dropping the figures, the prophet uses literal language and explains that there is scarcely a good man. Most of them have taken to murder and treachery and to the de-frauding of the righteous out of their rightful possessions.

Micah 7:3

Micah 7:3. The main subject of this verse is conspiracy to do wrong, which we have learned is especially displeas-ing to God. There were three classes who formed the conspiracy-; the prince, the fudge, and the great or “ older.’’ The thing which the three conspirators wished to obtain was a reward which is used in the sense of bribe. Wrap is from ahath, and Strong’ s definition is. “A primitive root; to Interlace, i.e. (figuratively) to pervert.” The first part of the definition is especially applicable in this place, because to conspire together is the same as being interlaced in a transaction.

Micah 7:4

Micah 7:4. A brier and a thorn are very undesirable objects, and the prophet uses them to illustrate the best that Israel as a whole could produce. Day of thy watchman means the day that had been seen coming by the watchmen on the wails of the cities. It was the duty of a watchman to be on the alert and to warn his fellow citizens when he saw an enemy approaching. Of course only an inspired “watchman could see the enemy in the present case, which was the army of the Assyrian Empire, and a true prophet constituted such a watchman, (See Ezekiel 3:17.) Visitation means the arrival and application of the perplexing chastisement of siege and capture.

Micah 7:5

Micah 7:5. This vense certainly paints a dark picture of society, for the advice given seems to be a contradiction of all the well established rules of friendship. It is a clear example of the Incompleteness of many passages in the Bible if we stop with any particular verse, for such divisions are the arbitrary work of man and are done for convenience, and often cause a thought to be divided in the wrong place. We should always be watchful for this condition and not form a conclusion until we know we have considered all that is being offered on the subject.

Micah 7:6

Micah 7:6. The apparent difficulty in the preceding verse is accounted for in this. When people are normal in their attitude toward others such advice as the foregoing is uncallerl-for. But al! the usual influences between the various relations of members of families had become so corrupted that nobody eould be trusted. Jesus predicted a similar condition would come after He had done his work on the earth (Matthew 10:34-36). In his case the situation was to be caused by the teaching which was to be delivered to mankind, because many would reject it and hence would become enemies of those who accepted it. Doubtless some such motives figured in the case as Micah sow it.

Micah 7:7

Micah 7:7. A companion verse for this one Is Psalms 27:10 which I shall quote in its entirety; “ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” Micah advised his people to be distrustful of even their nearest relatives, hence it was appropriate for him to say, Therefore I will look unto the Lord. This would be a good plan for general use at all times. Our fiesh and blood relatives cannot be relied upon as Infallible supports, especially when the matters of the soul are at stake.

Micah 7:8

Micah 7:8. God has frequently used the heathen nations to chastise His wayward people, but never would tolerate their selfish motive in the performance of it. Such is the thought in this verse, and the enemy is given to understand that the depression of Israel was not to be permanent. The people of God cannot fall so low but that He can raise them up again and show the divine love for the nation.

Micah 7:9

Micah 7:9. This verse represents the attitude that the people of Israel should show with reference to the Lord’ s punishment of them. They should be willing to hear the Indignation because it is just and proper since they have sinned against Him. When the proper time comes God will plead their cause and execute judgment against the enemies who have been In-struments in the Lord’ s hands in administering chastisement upon the disobedient nation. When that time arrives the people of Israel will realize that all of the Lord’ s dealings have been in righteousness.

Micah 7:10

Micah 7:10. Not only would Israel see the justice in the punishment she had suffered, but. the nation that had been used as the instrument of God for such a purpose will be brought to see it, and shame shall cover her which said. Where is the Lord thy Godf The fulfillment of this predic-tion may be seen in Daniel 5.

Micah 7:11

Micah 7:11. This is a prediction of the restoration of Israel to her own land and to the rebuilding of her city. The fulfillment of this is recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Micah 7:12

Micah 7:12. The general return of God’ s people from all places of exile is predicted in this verse. Assyria is named because the first deportation out of Palestine was to be at the hand of that people, but before the final return to the home land they will have been taken over by another great empire, the Babylonians. The river refers to the Euphrates River which was the easternmost boundary of the territory promised to Abraham (Genesis 15; Genesis 18).

Micah 7:13

Micah 7:13. But before the happy event can happen, the land must go through the experience of desolation. This is to be charged up against them that dwell therein (the people of Israel) because of the fruit, of their doings. The exile or captivity of both kingdoms of the Jews was to be a chastise-ment upon them for their unfaithfulness to God regarding the law that had been enjoined upon them at Mt, Sinai.

Micah 7:14

Micah 7:14. Feed (or rule or guide) thy people is Micah’ s way of predicting that God would again care for His people after they have gone through (heir desolation period.

Micah 7:15

Micah 7:15. The reference to ’the day of Egypt is for comparison. Israel was brought out of bondage in that country. and she will also be released from Babylonian captivity.

Micah 7:16

Micah 7:16. In view of the comparatively small number in Israel at the time of the release, it will be a surprise to see their accomplishments. Lag their hand upon their month indicates that the circumstance will be so marvelous in the eyes of the heathen that they will not be able to say anything.

Micah 7:17

Micah 7:17. Lick the dust is a figurative prediction of the humiliation of the heathen nations when they see the triumph of Israel. Be afraid of the Lord our God means they will be stunned with awe and forced to respect the might of the God of Israel.

Micah 7:18

Micah 7:18. The most wonderful feature of God’ s treatment of his unfaithful people is his willingness to forgive them. Their many abominations would seem to justify (heir utter extinction, yet His great love preserved them and restored them again to their home land after the necessary punishment had been administered.

Micah 7:19

Micah 7:19. Subdue our iniquities has special reference to the complete cure of idolatry that the captivity effected upon Israel. See the historical note on this subject with the comments on Isaiah 1:25 in volume 3 of this Com-mentary,

Micah 7:20

Micah 7:20. Perform the truth means that God will prove the truth of all His promises to Jacob or Israel, which had first been made to Abraham the founder of the race.