Micah 6

Micah 6:1

51

Micah speaks a message from God to all the nations An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Micah www.easyenglish.info Les Painter This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 6 Section 3 6:1-7:20 Third series of *prophecies. God will forgive the *remnant of his people 6:1-8 Micah accuses *Israel’s people because they have not obeyed the *covenant The command ‘Now listen’ begins the third section of this book. God is speaking to *Israel’s people. The words ‘what the *LORD is saying’ emphasise the importance of this message.

This message has the style of a court where people settle matters of law. It is as if God is bringing his people to court. He is accusing them. Micah is God’s *messenger. God asks Micah to speak on his (God’s) behalf. God calls witnesses to the court.

The witnesses are not human witnesses. Instead, the mountains and the hills act as witnesses (verse 1). Micah obeys God. He speaks on behalf of God (verse 2). In this speech by means of Micah, God asks many questions in the *Hebrew language. He asks whether he has done any wrong thing to the people (verses 3-5).

Then there is a discussion about what gift would satisfy the *LORD (verses 6-7). It is the *LORD who speaks last. He has told the people what he wants (verse 8). The purpose of this legal protest is not punishment. It is to bring God’s people back to himself. He wants them to obey again the *covenant that he made with them.

This is a message that contains hope.

v1 Now listen to what the *LORD is saying. Stand up. *Plead about your situation. *Plead in front of the mountains. Let the hills listen to your request. v2 The *LORD is arguing against his people. He is accusing them. Mountains, listen to the *LORD’s protest. Foundations (base) of the earth, hear the *LORD. He will accuse his people. He will prove that the people in *Israel are wrong.

Verses 1-2

Here there is a change in the subject that Micah is writing about. Micah leaves the message about the future (which was in chapters 4-5). He returns to *Israel’s present troubles. Verses 1 and 2 are the preparation for the case in court. God tells Micah to stand up. It is God who is actually making this protest, not Micah. Micah is speaking on behalf of God. Micah calls the mountains to be God’s witnesses. Verse 2 tells the reason why the *LORD is accusing the people in *Israel. This is the reason: *Israel is not obeying God’s *covenant.

God calls for the witnesses, which are the mountains. He speaks about the mountains as if they were people. Mountains are like good witnesses. They are always present. It is as if they have watched events for a long time. He also calls the Earth as a witness. The earth has a strong foundation (base). It is solid. Nobody can scare the Earth! So the Earth is also like a good witness. Micah introduces God to the court. It is God who is accusing *Israel’s people. They must explain their situation in front of the mountains. The people must defend themselves while the mountains listen to them.

The mountains have always existed (after God created them). They were there as witnesses to God’s original agreement. That agreement was his *covenant with *Israel’s people. The mountains were present when God made the *covenant. He gave it to Moses. Three times God then warned *Israel’s people. He used Moses to warn them. God warned that bad results would happen. They would happen if the people did not obey the *covenant. Each time, God called heaven and the Earth as witnesses (Deuteronomy 4:26; 30:19; 31:28). There is a similar message in the Psalms (Psalms 50:1-6). The *prophet Ezekiel also spoke the same message (Ezekiel 36:1-8). Jesus too said that if the people did not praise God, the stones would do it (Luke 19:40).

God speaks by means of the things that he has created. The Earth and everything in it belong to him. The things that he has created are his witnesses. They always do what God orders them to do. It was different with the nations that surrounded *Israel. Those nations made gods out of the things that God had created. They *worshipped those things and they bent their bodies to give honour to them.

v3 ‘My people, have I done anything wrong to you? How have I made life too hard for you? Answer me.’

Verse 3

In order to start his defence, the *LORD asks two questions. First, he asks, ‘Have I done anything wrong to you?’ He tries to prove that he has not done anything wrong. The second question is ‘How have I made life too hard for you?’ The people in *Israel think that they have a good explanation. They think that God’s actions have not helped them. They have *worshipped him. They have sacrificed (killed) animals to give honour to him. They have thought about what things would satisfy him. And they have done those things. But God has not accepted any efforts that they have made. So they think that they have a good reason to complain. But the truth is that *Israel has done wrong things. So God has the right to complain.

God therefore asks the people in *Israel to accuse him. They should say any wrong deed that he has done. But of course, God never does anything wrong. He has always been loyal to the *covenant. But the people have not been loyal to God. He does not give a list of *Israel’s crimes and *sins. Micah has already spoken about those. God does not record them here.

Instead, God refers to *Israel as ‘my people’. He repeats these words in verse 5. The words mean something more. They show God’s great love for his people. He speaks as a father appeals to his child. God does not read out a long list of crimes. That is not his purpose. He does not say something like, ‘You are always doing these things.’ God makes an appeal that shows his love. He is very sad that his people do not obey him any longer.

In one letter that Paul wrote, he described God’s love. ‘Love does not keep a record of our wrong deeds’ (1 Corinthians 13:5). God does not talk much about his people’s record of wrong deeds. They have acted as his enemies rather than his friends. That is what makes God so sad. But he does not talk about that. Rather, he asks the question in the opposite way. The people have done many bad things to God. But he does not blame them. Rather he asks, ‘Have I done anything wrong to you?’

The next question also shows that God loves the people. ‘How have I made life too hard for you?’ He may also be saying, ‘You do not speak to me. You do not think about me. You have become tired of me.’ Probably they do not answer him. So he shouts at them, ‘Answer me!’

v4 You were slaves in Egypt. But I rescued you. And I sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam. I sent them in front of you to lead you.

Verse 4

God’s people have not answered him. So again he accuses them. But God speaks with great love for his people. His speech is full of kindness and truth. God’s purpose is to bring his people, the nation called *Israel, back to himself. He wants them to remember his *covenant with them. God wants his people to obey their part of the agreement. He speaks to them about two main subjects.

Firstly, God reminds his people about how he saved the *Israelites before. This was in their early days as a nation. God brought his people out of Egypt. They had been slaves there and he freed them. God gave special leaders to his people. Moses was the chief leader. Aaron was the chief *priest. Miriam was a female *prophet and she was also a poet (Exodus 15:20-21).

However, at the time when Micah lived, things were different. The main problem then was that *Israel had bad leaders. Its leaders were completely evil. The people could not respect them. Those leaders were terrible leaders. So God is asking the people to remember Moses, Aaron and Miriam. These three leaders did not just happen to be leaders. God says, ‘I sent them.’ He sent the leaders to go in front of the people. He sent them to lead the people. This is what God is saying by Micah’s words. This is what God’s message means. ‘I did that at the time when Moses lived. And I can do it again now. You may be tired of your present leaders. They are not good leaders. But I can still send other men and women. They too will go in front of my people to lead them.’

God wants to remind his people about the history of the *Israelites. He wants his people to remember the good events that have happened to them. There is value in the name of a place or person. It helps to bring back memories. In those good events God had rescued his people. He had saved them from their enemies.

These memories will give a new purpose to the people. They will desire to obey God again. God had provided leaders. They were Moses, Aaron and Miriam. God used them. They went in front of the people.

The people spent a long period in the desert. God helped them then. But later *Israel did not have good leaders. (Look at Micah chapter 3.) That was not God’s fault. He was still kind to them. He still gave his power to them. But the people in *Israel did absolutely whatever they wanted to do.

v5 My people, remember Balak the king of Moab. Remember what he planned to do to you. And remember what Balaam, Beor’s son, answered him. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal. Remember those things. Then you will know that the *LORD is right.

Verse 5

Secondly, God reminds them about his other wonderful deeds. These were acts that he did with great power. They happened when *Israel was still a weak nation. God protected the people from evil political leaders. Balak, the king of Moab, was one such leader. And God protected the people from evil *spiritual leaders such as Balaam, Beor’s son. God now tells *Israel’s people to remember the time when Balak and Balaam lived. Balak, the king of Moab, fought against *Israel’s people then. He asked Balaam to *curse *Israel. But God would not listen to Balaam. God would not let Balaam *curse *Israel. The result was that God did good things for *Israel. He rescued its people from Balak’s power (Joshua 24:9-10).

Writers in the *New Testament also mention that story about Balak and Balaam (2 Peter 2:14-16; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). In the story, God spoke by means of a donkey (animal like a small horse). Then God was able to rescue the people. God is now asking that the same result might happen. He will speak by means of Micah, and then God can rescue the people. God’s message to them here means this. ‘At that time, the armies from Moab opposed you. Now the *Assyrians are doing it. At that time you had a false *prophet (Balaam). Now you have evil leaders. But I, God, remain the same. I can rescue you now. I hope that you will believe that.’

God is also reminding the people about a journey from Shittim (Numbers 22:1; Joshua 2:1; 3:1). They knew that many wonderful events had happened to them then. God had already rescued his people from Egypt. Then he helped them on the journey from Shittim to Gilgal. Shittim was on the east side of the river Jordan. Gilgal was on the other side.

It was in the new country that God had promised to *Israel’s people. They had to go through the river Jordan. But God made the river dry so that they could cross it. Then they arrived in Gilgal. So then they had entered their new country. The camp in Gilgal was their first camp in that country.

In the book called Joshua, the writer tells about that period. But God’s deeds do not happen only at certain times. He is always God. He acts in every age. He defeated *Israel’s enemies at that earlier time. And he will defeat their enemies now, at the time when Micah is alive.

So *Israel’s people entered their new country. This story is in Joshua chapter 3. They came to Jericho. People from many countries fought against them. With God’s help, *Israel’s people defeated those other people. *Israel won the battles. But that was not because of the military arms that its people used in the war. God won the battles on their behalf. God gave their new country to them. The people did not even have to work to get it. They did not plant the trees that gave fruit. But they ate the fruit from them (Joshua 24:11-13).

All those things remind *Israel’s people about how God has saved them in the past. What God is trying to tell them is this. He saved their families in the past. He saved their families from their troubles with Egypt and Moab. So he can do it again. He can save them from Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. To remember helps them to understand. They will understand God’s love for them. They can have a new relationship with him. They can see again how much he loves them. God can do the same for his servants in any age.

It is important to remember God’s past deeds. The best example is in the *New Testament. It is in the meal called the *Lord’s Supper (also called Communion). Jesus tells us to ‘do this to remember me’ (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26). We remember what was God’s most important act among all his acts. This was his Son’s death on the cross. Jesus died so that God would forgive our *sins. We can have a real relationship with God if we invite him into our lives. The *LORD’s Supper is the time when we remember these things. First we remember, and then we share in this meal together.

v6 The *LORD is great and powerful. I must give great honour to him when I pray. It is not enough for me to burn an animal as a gift to him. If I offer young cows to him, my gift is too poor. v7 But even a very wealthy man’s gift does not give sufficient honour to God. The gift of a thousand sheep will not satisfy the *LORD. Even 10 000 rivers of oil would not satisfy him.

A man’s oldest son is more precious than anything else in that man’s life. The man might try to offer his son to God. But this gift is not enough to pay for the man’s *sin. Even the death of that son is not sufficient payment.

Verses 6-7

God has reminded his people about his wonderful acts in the past. Micah speaks on behalf of God’s people. He recognises that they do not obey God any longer. God’s people need to understand this. They need to start obeying God again. They need to stop living as they do now. They need to start again in a new way.

These verses mention many gifts that a person might offer to God. Suppose that a wealthy person is praying to God. That person might be a king of *Israel. He comes to God with a wrong attitude. That wealthy person should tell God that he is sorry. He should be sorry because of his *sins. Instead, he wants to offer his wealth to God. He thinks that he will please God in that way. He thinks that God will love to hear about that person’s good deeds. He thinks that he will pay God to remove his *sins. He will pay a good price. That rich person has many animals. And he has rivers (a lot) of olive oil (oil from a fruit called an olive). He will offer them to God. The rich person thinks that such gifts will please God. And then all will be well.

That rich person hoped that God would accept those valuable gifts. The person would kill those animals and he would burn them. He would then offer them to God. Young cows that were a year old would be the best ones. Thousands of male sheep are a great quantity. Ten thousand rivers of olive oil (oil from the fruit called an olive) are a very large amount. You could not even measure it. Normally, people used that oil in small amounts only. This person intended even to kill his oldest child and he would burn the child. He would then offer the dead child to God. That is what people in the other nations did (Leviticus 18:21).

Such gifts may seem to be generous. This rich man is willing to offer all his wealth to God. This man is willing to offer even his precious child. But the man thinks that he can satisfy God by his (the man’s) gifts. And this man’s attitude shows that he has a wicked heart. His thoughts are about his own goodness.

The man does not consider God’s goodness. The man does not recognise that God is kind. The man does not understand that God loves him. This man is not aware that he must change his behaviour. He thinks that God must change. But the man himself refuses to change.

He thinks that he can persuade God by all these gifts. It would be as if he was paying a judge to help him. He thinks that God needs all this wealth. If he gives more, then that will satisfy God more. That is how he thinks. But that is an awful way to think about God.

That wrong way to think is like business. It is like a contract, an agreement that people make in business. It has rules and regulations. Yes, God has made a *covenant with his people. But it is not about business and money. It is about one person’s relationship to another person. It is about each person’s relationship to God.

That wrong way was not what God wanted. This was the instruction that God gave to *Israel. ‘Listen, people in *Israel. The *LORD is our God. The *LORD our God is one *LORD. You must love the *LORD your God. You must love him with all your heart. You must love him with all your soul (the inner part of a person which can contact God). You must love him with all your strength’ (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

v8 People, the *LORD told you what goodness is. This is what the *LORD wants you to do. Be fair to other people. Love kindness. Live humbly with your God.

Verse 8

God ordered *Israel’s people to agree to his *covenant. So the people must do this. They must practise the deeds that are in the *covenant. They must believe in God. They way that they live should express their belief in him. That is very important. People do not impress God when they obey the rules and traditions of religion. Even our gifts to God should only be in second place (1 Samuel 15:22). *Israel’s people were not behaving in the way that God wanted them to behave. They had no excuse because they had God’s *covenant. That showed people what was good.

Micah continues to speak to the people. In the *Hebrew text, he uses the word ‘man’ to refer to them. But he means all the people. These people have tried to come to God in wicked ways. Previously Micah has accused the leaders. Now he accuses the people. They do not know how God wants people to live. But there is no excuse for that. God rescued *Israel’s people from Egypt. He saved them. He gave his *covenant to them. And he told the *priests to teach the people. Those instructions would pass from one age to the next age. The *prophets also taught God’s instructions. Micah repeats these here. He wants to give hope to *Israel. The people in *Israel need to obey God’s *covenant. Only then will the nation have peace and safety.

The nation’s safety depends on this. Its people must know ‘what goodness is’. The *prophets referred to this many times (Isaiah 1:17; 5:20; Amos 5:14-15; Micah 3:2). Here it can mean either ‘what goodness is’ or ‘what is good’.

The *prophets emphasised three examples of ‘what goodness is’ (Isaiah 5:7; Hosea 4:1; 6:6; 12:6; Amos 5:24). These three examples are:

 Do to your neighbour (to other people) what is fair and right. (Look at Micah chapter 3.)

 Love kindness.

 Walk humbly with your God.

This is how God’s *covenant requires people to live:

1) You must do to your neighbour (to other people) what is fair and right. *Israel’s leaders had taken things that belonged to the people. They had killed people. Their desire was to get as much as possible for themselves. And the rulers did not punish those that did these crimes (Micah 2:1-2; 3:1-3; 5-7; 9-11).

2) You must love kindness. Some people are weaker than you are. Some people are poorer than you are. You should be kind to them. You should help them. You should do that because you want to do it. You should be happy to do it.

3) You must walk (live) humbly with your God. The first two things here were what God tells men and women to do to each other. But this one is about our actions towards God. We should agree to what God wants. And we should do what God wants us to do. This does not mean that sincere *religious activity is wrong. But it does mean that moral behaviour is more important than the rules and traditions of religion. Only when we walk humbly with our God can we practise the first two things. Jesus taught us how we should love God. And he taught us that we should do good things for our neighbours (for other people). See Mark 12:28-34.

God wants to be a friend to each person. He wants to contact each person in a personal way. He wants us to live for him. And he wants our love. God has shown to *Israel’s people what is evil. He has done that by means of Micah’s message. Now God shows to the people what is good. Previously the leaders had chosen to ‘hate what is good’ (Micah 3:2). They had been proud. So they were not humble. They were the opposite. The leaders had lived without God. They did not consider him important. God had no part in the way that they lived. A basic part of God’s character is this. He always does what is right and fair. Also, he always loves kindness (Isaiah 30:18). God wants to express those qualities by means of his people. Those are the things that we should do. That is the good way to live. 6:9-16 The *curses in the *covenant will become true for Jerusalem’s people God has shown to the people what goodness is. He has shown to them how he wants people to behave. But the people have refused to do what God wants. This sad message about judgement consists of these subjects:

 God is severely warning the people in Jerusalem city (verse 9)

 To use false measures is a crime (verses 10-11)

 To lie is a crime (verse 12)

 The people would suffer greatly (verse 13)

 The people would be hungry (verse 14)

 Other people will steal the crops (verse 15)

 God again accuses the people and he speaks about punishment (verse 16).

Micah begins with this sentence. ‘The *LORD shouts aloud to the city.’ God’s words are urgent. God orders the people to listen.

v9 The *LORD shouts aloud to the city. This is a serious affair. To respect your name (God’s name) is wisdom. A wise person gives honour to the *LORD’s name. So give attention to the *rod that punishes. Give attention to the person that holds that *rod.

Verse 9

This message has two parts. First, Micah tells the people to listen to God. Micah says that the *LORD is calling to the city’s (Jerusalem’s) people. Then Micah adds his own thought. He says, ‘To respect your name (God’s name) is wisdom.’ He knows that ‘to respect the *LORD is the beginning of wisdom’ (Psalms 111:10). Secondly, God speaks to the people by means of Micah. God tells the nation called Judah to listen. The people from Judah are gathering in the city. They come there to meet with God in the *Temple. They also come to do business. In verses 10-12, Micah accuses them about evil behaviour in their businesses. God will punish them because of those matters. Their businesses will suffer economic loss.

God made rules (the *covenant) with his people, *Israel. The Book of Deuteronomy clearly states this. The *covenant describes the relationship between God and his people. The people should always listen to (obey) God. This was the purpose of the *covenant. The people should hear God’s commands and then they should obey them. ‘The *LORD let you hear his voice from heaven. He did it so that he could give a strong message to you. He told you that you should not do wrong things any longer. On earth, he let you see his great fire. He spoke to you from it’ (Deuteronomy 4:36).

God had spoken to his people. Then they understood his *covenant. They understood that they benefited from it greatly. Micah looks back to an earlier time. Moses and *Israel’s people were in the desert. It was important for them to hear God’s voice. The people understood that they needed to obey God. (Look at Deuteronomy 5:26.) They understood how important that was. When God spoke, there was only one choice. Either the people obeyed or they did not obey. When they obeyed, all would go well. Happy and pleasant things would happen to them. When the people did not obey, the results would be terrible. They would suffer many *curses. There would be so many *curses that the people could not even count them. (Look at Deuteronomy 28:1-68.)

The people in Jerusalem had not obeyed God. So it was certain that they would suffer the *curses. That is what Micah would tell them in verse 13-15. When God gave them commands, they should respect him greatly. That was good wisdom. It was very important to their economy. Micah refers to a *rod. One can hit people with this *rod. That is a way to punish people. Isaiah uses the word ‘*rod’ in the same way. He calls the army from Assyria ‘the *rod of my anger’ (Isaiah 10:5). So the ‘*rod’ is something that God uses. He uses it to punish his people.

v10-11 Some bad people still steal from other people. And those bad people hide their wealth. They still measure quantities in smaller baskets than they should use. That makes me angry. They still weigh things by false means. In their bags, people still have objects to measure weight wrongly. Yes, they are still cheating people in those ways. All those bad things are still happening. So I cannot consider these people as innocent.

Verses 10-11

This was a message to the people that did business in the city. It was a message about evil behaviour in business. Good business is not just about how to increase profits. That was how the people in business understood it. But when people obey God’s commands, the result is a genuinely good business.

God accuses Jerusalem’s people about their evil behaviour in business. They are using false means to measure quantities of goods. They are using false means to weigh goods. That is opposite to the way in which they should behave. They should act rightly. They should love kindness (verse 8). It was very important to measure things by the correct method. It was very important to weigh things correctly. The laws on these things were very strict in *Israel. There were laws on correct lengths, weights and quantities (Leviticus 19:35-36; Deuteronomy 25:13-16; Ezekiel 45:10). The king and his officials had decided what were the correct standards (2 Samuel 14:26).

Merchants often used too small an object to measure a particular weight. In that way, they cheated the customer. The customer would then pay more for fewer goods. Those merchants were wicked. That was how God saw it. They were wicked because they did not measure weights and quantities in an honest way.

Wicked people still use wicked methods to weigh things and to measure quantities. They still cheat people. Micah is speaking on God’s behalf. In the *Hebrew text, he asks some questions. People use baskets to measure particular quantities. Micah asks whether those baskets are still the wrong size.

People used to hide the wealth that they gained by these methods. Micah asks whether they still do that. In their bags, people carry special objects to measure particular weights. But those objects still have the wrong weights. Micah then asks whether God should consider such people as innocent. Those are important questions.

In business, people should be fair and kind. But those people were guilty of wicked acts. Perhaps God might have chosen not to notice those things. But then the people would say, ‘He approves of our wicked behaviour.’ When people are wicked, God cannot fail to notice it. Neither can he just forget it. He is the God who is fair.

And he wants people to be fair too.

v12 Rich people in that city are still cruel. The people in that city still tell lies. Yes, those people tell their lies.

Verse 12

The rich people in the city are still cruel. These rich people include the royal family. They include military leaders. They include people that own land. The rich leaders in the city still tell lies. They have a lot of responsibility in the courts. But they use their power wrongly. They accuse people falsely. They make wrong judgements. They deal badly with the poor people. They change the laws. They use the laws to gain their own advantage. These matters are very serious. They are especially serious to Micah and the *prophets. People were so wicked that it might affect the whole nation. It might affect how the whole nation lived. It might even affect the world.

At first, there may be only a few cruel people. But their cruelty causes trouble for everyone. At first, maybe just a few people are not honest and they tell lies. Then many other people will act in the same way. They have to act in this way merely to stay alive. Then people do not trust each other any longer. They cannot believe that anybody else is telling the truth.

Similar events are happening in our world today. Methods in business become more and more cruel. Employers do not trust their workers. Workers do not trust their employers. Many people lose their jobs. It happens at difficult times. It happens when they need money in order to look after their families. People become desperate. People do not trust each other. There are more arguments in court than there were before. Those arguments become more complex than before. Then people need more lawyers. They need to pay the lawyers. And perhaps they do not even care whether the lawyers are honest. Cruelty in business creates fear. And fear creates a situation where everyone tells lies. These messages from the *prophets are important today. The people in the world still need to hear them.

v13 Therefore I will also punish you. I will make you sick. I will ruin you because of your *sins. v14 You will eat, but it will not satisfy you. So you will always be hungry. You will store things, but people will destroy those things. If you save anything, people with swords will take it from you. v15 You will sow your seeds, but you will not gather a harvest. You will try to squeeze oil from the fruit that usually gives oil. But you will not get any oil for your own use. You will squeeze your fruit from which you make wine. But you will not get enough juice. You will not have wine to drink.

Verses 13-15

Micah begins to make it clear how the people’s *sins in *Israel will affect everyone. The people are guilty of various crimes. God makes his decisions. The punishments will suit (match) the crimes. Other people will plough Jerusalem like a field. They will ruin it. It will become a heap of rubbish (Micah 3:12). That will happen because *Israel’s people have *sinned so much. The punishment will last for a long time.

These punishments have a connection with each another. They have a connection with the evil behaviour in the city’s businesses (Deuteronomy 28:16-19). First, God will make each person sick.

God now tells the people what the punishments will be. He gives a list of the different types of illnesses and other troubles.

 You will eat, but it will not satisfy you. Your stomach will still be empty.

 You will store up goods, but you will lose everything.

 You will have various kinds of illnesses.

 You will sow your seeds, but you will not harvest crops from them.

God could also say this to them. ‘You will remember that I (God) told you about these terrible events. You have a record of them in Deuteronomy chapter 28. You have not obeyed the *covenant. You have not obeyed its laws. I warned you about what would happen.’ (Look at Leviticus 26:23-26; Deuteronomy 28:15; 18.)

The last trouble that God refers to is the bad harvest. The people will lose their crops too. That will also be a result of the *curses in the *covenant (Leviticus 26:16; Deuteronomy 28:40; 51).

God mentions three types of crops here. They were important to society, because people used them every day as food and drink. They were God’s gifts (Hosea 2:8). Those crops were also important because people used them for *religious purposes. They used them in the *Temple. They used grain to produce bread and cakes.

People used oil in food. They used it on their bodies. People burned oil to give light. They used it as medicine. Wine, which people made from a special fruit, was precious. People used it for special events.

But they also used it as an ordinary drink. A *curse on those things would bring bad results. It would badly affect the markets. The economy would suffer. Finally that *curse would destroy the economy. God had warned *Israel’s people about all these punishments.

These would happen when the people did not obey God’s *covenant.

v16 You have obeyed Omri’s laws. Ahab’s family has done wicked things. And you have done the same. Therefore I will ruin you. Now I will kill you and I will destroy your property. Then the people from every nation will laugh at you. They will insult you. The other nations will bring you shame. You will have to suffer that.

Verse 16

The important people in Jerusalem wanted to make profit. That was their main aim in everything that they did. In order to make profit, they had been cruel to people. The result was that everyone had become afraid. People did not speak the truth any longer. Nobody would believe anything that other people said. The people had chosen to *worship other gods. They had followed the laws that Omri and Ahab (earlier wicked kings of *Israel) had followed. That meant that the people did not *worship the real God any longer. They had stopped *worshipping him completely. Instead they had chosen to *worship Baal. Baal was a false god whom the other nations *worshipped.

Again God accuses the people in Jerusalem city. He says that he will punish them. Micah mentions two kings of *Israel (the northern nation) by name. In Micah’s messages this is the only verse where he does that. Those kings lived more than a century before Micah. God accuses Jerusalem’s people.

He says that they have done the same *sins as Omri. Omri was a wicked king (1 Kings 16:25). His son Ahab was even more wicked. Ahab cheated people. He stole their property (1 Kings chapter 21). Ahab married Jezebel.

She *worshipped Baal. Ahab copied his wife and he too *worshipped Baal. When people were *worshipping false gods like that, the people did terrible things. For example, they performed wrong practices in connection with sex. Their wicked practices had many forms. People even killed their children.

Then they offered them to another false god called Moloch. That happened in *Israel (the northern nation) for many years. Omri and Ahab had not been kings of *Judah (the southern nation). So they did not even rule Jerusalem. But the people in Jerusalem were imitating the wicked behaviour of the people from *Israel.

The leaders in business, law and politics have copied those practices. Therefore God will ruin them. They will become very fearful and anxious. The other nations will cause terror to *Israel’s people. All the nations will laugh at them (Deuteronomy 28:37). *Israel should have become like a light to the other nations. That was God’s original intention. Now the other nations will hate *Israel. The *prophet Jeremiah spoke about these things (Lamentations 2:15-16).

The word ‘therefore’ means that God can make no other choice. The wages for *sin is death. That is true for all people who *sin. But there is good news. God gives a gift to his people. It is free. That gift is *eternal life which will never end, by Christ Jesus our *Lord (Romans 6:23).

God will punish Jerusalem’s people. Jerusalem is called ‘the city where there is peace’. Its name means that. God ordered the people to pray that Jerusalem would have peace (Psalms 122:6-7). But they looked elsewhere for peace and safety. The people thought that other gods would help them. They imagined that wealth would give them security. They spent their wealth on themselves. We can find peace only in Jesus, who is called the Prince of Peace. That is the truth.

© 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

January 2007

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var w0 = new Array;w0[0]=’<b%3Eprophecy</b%3E ~ messages and stories that God has given to a person; messages that tell about things before they happen; the messages that a prophet speaks or the messages that he writes.