Day 194 – Micah: Trial of the Capitals

“Attention! Let all the people of the world listen! Let the earth and everything in it hear. The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you; the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.” Micah 1:1 NLT

Read Micah 1:1 to Micah 2:13

Like a lawyer, Micah set forth God’s case against Israel and Judah, their leaders, and their people – emphasising the need for justice and peace. He declared God’s judgment on city after city because of the people’s sinful practices and rejection of God.

The Hebrew wording of 1:10-15 includes several clever wordplays. Micah bitterly denounces each town by adding puns. For example, ‘Shaphir’ sounds like the Hebrew word for ‘pleasant’, but he warned that things would soon become very unpleasant. ‘Zaanan’ sounds like the verb meaning ‘come out’, but with the arrival of the besieging armies, they would soon not dare to come out at all. ‘Maroth’ sounds like a word for ‘bitter’. He warned them that only bitterness awaits them. When reading verses 11-12, substitute the wordplay meaning for each city’s name to understand the depth of Micah’s word choices. Not all these cities can be identified today, but Lachish was on the border with Philistia and took the brunt of the Assyrian invasion.

Throughout the book are prophecies about Jesus, the Messiah, who will gather the people into one nation. He will be their King and Ruler, acting mercifully toward them. Micha made it clear that God hated unkindness, idolatry, injustice, and empty ritual. God still hate those today but is merciful to pardon the sins of anyone who repents.

Prayer: Father, thank You for showing us the depth of Your words used by Micah in wordplay for us to understand that Your judgment is real. All the prophecies recorded regarding Judgment Day are real too, and we should be prepared with repentant, humble, and expectant hearts for that day. Amen.