Micah 6

The Lord’s complaint (vs. 1-5)—This chapter starts out with a dialogue (of sorts) between God and the people. Jehovah, in effect, calls for all of nature to listen as witnesses: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice” (v. 1). “The Lord has a complaint against His people and He will contend with Israel” (v. 2). The complaint was, what grievance did they have against Him? What had He done to them that would cause them to turn against Him? “How have I wearied you?” (v. 3). He brought them out of Egypt, giving them great leaders (v. 4). He protected them when Balak the king of Moab tried to get Balaam to curse them (v. 5; read this story in Numbers chapters 22 through 24). The Lord gives only two examples here, but they are sufficient to remind the people of His goodness towards them. Why had they been so rebellious against Him when He had been so noble and righteous in His dealings with them?

The people’s response (vs. 6-7)—The answer (as written by Micah) sounds a bit exasperated. “What do you want, God? Do you want more burnt offerings? (v. 6). “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,, ten thousand rivers of oil?” (v. 7). In other words, are we not offering enough? The questions of verse 6 seems almost sarcastic—“Do You want thousands more? Good grief, what does it take to please You?” And then the shocking query of verse 7: “Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” Does Jehovah want human sacrifices? Many of the pagan gods did require such sacrifice, and to imply this of Jehovah was insulting, to say the least. But Micah no doubt catches the mood of the people. They think they’ve been faithful by offering the sacrifices God wants, but He seems to be impossible to please. The people hadn’t been paying attention to Him, of course, and His answer in verse 8 indicates such.

The Lord’s answer (v. 8)—This is probably the most well-known verse in the book of Micah and it is certainly beautiful. And it indicates just how far the children of Israel had degenerated from true righteousness. Jehovah’s answer, to begin with, is a bit sharp: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good.” He had told them, plenty of times, the kind of life He wanted them to live. In other words, “don’t give me this nonsense that you don’t know what I want.” “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” The sacrifices were indeed important; He had gone into great detail about them in the Law of Moses. But unless accompanied with a just, merciful, humble life, all of their—and our—ritualism and ceremonies are vain and useless. Justice, mercy, and humility don’t tell us all of what God requires of us. But it’s a pretty good start.

“Treasures of wickedness” (vs. 9-12)—The conversation is over and Micah returns to exposing Israel’s sin, but yet, with verse 8 as the basis. The Lord cries, but only the wise hear. Thus, the “rod” is appointed by the God—punishment. These people weren’t just wicked; there were “treasures of wickedness” (v. 10)--they were good at it, and plenteous in their committing of it. For example, “the short measure that is an abomination…the bag of deceitful weights” (vs. 10). They weren’t doing justly. “Her rich men are full of violence”—there was no mercy—and “her inhabitants have spoken lies” (v. 12). There is certainly no indication that they were walking humbly with their God.

“For the statutes of Omri are kept” (vs. 13-16)—For this failure of character, the Lord would make them sick and desolate (v. 13). They would not be physically satisfied: “hunger shall be in your midst” (v. 14). Some might try to escape, but they won’t. Indeed, “I will give [them] over to the sword” (v. 14). Their fields would not produce (v. 15). This is serious, of course, in an agricultural society that lived largely year to year. Famine could easily result from a bad harvest. Idolatry was a key to their abomination: keeping the “statutes of Omri” and doing “the works of Ahab’s house,” probably the most wicked idolater (with his wife Jezebel) in Israel’s history. Omri and Ahab had both lived around 200 years before Micah wrote these words. Two points: one, God gave the people plenty of time to repent. He wants men to repent and be saved (II Peter 3:9; I Timothy 2:4). But if they don’t, point two, He won’t forget their sin. As a result, there would be desolation, and the people of Israel would be mocked by the nations around them and a reproach to all (v. 16).