Micah 7

Micah 7:1

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 7 In this chapter, Micah continues to describe the situation in Jerusalem. But in his vision (dream), Micah seems to see even further into the future. He writes about a time when people become even more evil. In fact, it seems that nobody good remains. Everyone is a thief and a murderer. And God is ready to punish them all.

This *prophecy might refer to the time when the army from Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. People had become very wicked then. They could not avoid God’s punishment for their evil deeds.

But the *prophecy may refer to an even later time. Jesus said that people would become very evil in the future. And he referred to this chapter when he explained this (Matthew 10:35-39; Luke 12:53).

The Bible describes a terrible time which will happen before Jesus’ return. Jesus spoke about that time in Mark chapter 13. And in Mark 13:12, Jesus seemed to refer to Micah 7:5-6. But that terrible time will not last for a long time. God will act (Revelation 19:11-21). He will punish wicked people and their ruler (that is, the devil). And then God will rule as king.

Micah saw also what would happen after the time of punishment. He saw that God would rule his people in the end. Then people would rebuild Jerusalem. But it would not be like the old Jerusalem. The government would be fair. The nations would give honour to God. And the people would be grateful because God is so kind.

Micah has warned us about many things. But in the end, his book is not a sad book. It finishes with a song about success. 7:1-7 Jerusalem’s social structures will break apart v1 I am very sad. I am like those that gather late fruit. I am like people that pick grapes (fruit that people use to make wine). They are looking for grapes after the main harvest. But no grapes remain to eat. There are no early figs (sweet fruit), which I love.

Verse 1

Micah had spoken to the people that ‘lie on their beds’. They ‘make their evil plans’ there (Micah 2:1). He had spoken about the awful things that would happen. Now these terrible things will soon happen. That upsets Micah. He starts to weep. He is very unhappy. Sad, strong feelings are in Micah’s heart. He feels strongly for the people. Micah says that God looks for good honest officials in Jerusalem. But he cannot find any good officials. (We read more about that in Micah 7:2-4.) It is like a person who is looking for fruit. But that person cannot find any good fruit.

Here Micah speaks God’s thoughts. He writes a story about God. In the story, God is like a poor person. He enters a *vineyard. It is just after the main time when people harvest fruit. God hopes to gather a little fruit to eat, after the main harvest.

But he cannot find any fruit, although he could usually expect to find some. Usually there always remained a few grapes (fruit that people use to make wine). And there were also a few figs (sweet fruit). The farmer left them on the sides of the field. There was a law about that, in order to provide for poor people. It allowed them to gather the fruit.

But the law did not allow farmers to go back to the field a second time. They should not remove the small groups of fruit that remained. They had to leave just a little for poor people (Leviticus 19:9-10).

v2 There are no loyal people on the Earth any longer. Nobody is honest. Every person is waiting to kill someone. It is as if each man hunts his brother with a net. v3 They do evil things with both hands. They are clever at it. The ruler demands gifts. Powerful people declare what they want, with absolute authority. So they make plans together. Judges accept money to cheat in court. Important leaders do not make fair decisions. They do whatever they want to do. v4 Even the best leader is cruel. The most honest leader is terrible. It would be better to walk into a hedge with *thorns than to meet those men. Your *prophets said that this day would come. Now it is here. Guards have warned people. Everyone is confused. The day when God visits you has come. It is the time when God punishes you.

Verses 2-4

The *vineyard in verse 1 refers to the nation called *Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalms 80:8-16). The fruit refers to good men and women. These are the ones that obey God’s *covenant. They obey God’s moral laws. But there are no loyal people any longer. People hide from each other. They try to make each other fall into a trap. It is as if each man hunts his brother with a net (Psalms 10:8-9). It seems that everyone is completely bad.

Perhaps there used to be some good people in the city. But the wicked people have affected them. The city’s people in general have become wicked. By God’s standards, all the people are bad. And all people today are bad. Paul speaks about that in the letter that he wrote to the Christians at Rome (Romans 3:9-26). We see this in Romans 3:23 especially. God is completely good and holy. Not one person is like him. Nobody is anywhere near as good as he is. All people have *sinned. Nobody reaches his standards. Nobody is good enough to reach them.

Micah now names the crimes that people do. He speaks about the wicked judges. They change their decisions in the courts. They take money for that. The law is very strict about such payments. Such payments are called ‘bribes’ (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 10:17; 16:19; 27:25).

The leaders do not merely ask the people for money. They force them to pay. The important leaders do not make good and fair decisions. They do whatever they want to do. ‘Both hands’ (the judges and the king) are experts in how to do evil things. They choose not to punish this evil behaviour. The great man speaks aloud the evil desire that is in his heart. These rulers make their evil plans together. They spend time in each other’s company. And together, they plot cruelty, murder and other wicked acts.

A bush with *thorns causes pain and injury. And even the best official is like a bush with *thorns. The judges do not act fairly. They do not give fair decisions. The judges are separate from the people. It is as if sharp *thorns keep them apart. A poor person might try to get help from a judge. But the judge will not care about that person’s request. Micah said that God had looked for a little fruit in the orchard (land where people grow fruit). But God had found nothing. Even the best ruler is like a hedge that has *thorns. You try to get past him. But the *thorns will hurt you. Even the best ruler among them is wicked. He is like a sharp point (*thorn) that grows on a bush. A *thorn hurts people. And that ruler only causes trouble. He does not help the people.

Some people suffer from similar problems in today’s society. The purpose of the law should be to reward good people and to punish bad people. But sometimes it is not like that. The legal system can seem like an enemy. It may not help people. Instead, it may hurt them. A bush with *thorns hurts people. The legal system can seem to have a similar effect. Also, it may only benefit wealthy people. And it may make ordinary people suffer.

God has accused *Israel. He has given his judgement about them. Now he will soon send punishment to them. The officials in a city used to appoint guards who would stand on the city’s walls. Their job was to warn about possible danger (Isaiah 21:6). To warn people, they made a loud sound with special instruments. The *prophets in *Israel had a similar job. God gave that task to Micah (Micah 2:6; 3:8). Amos had a similar task (Amos 5:18-20). But the nation took no notice of its *prophets. Micah says, ‘Your *prophets said that this day would come.’ Now God will visit the people. This means that God will punish them. God will use the nation’s enemies to carry out the punishment. He will cause confusion and terror in *Israel.

This visit from God will have terrible effects on the people. They will be afraid. They will be confused. God will ask important questions. And the people will not know what to say. (See Micah 6:3).

v5 Do not trust your neighbour. Do not trust a friend. Do not even speak freely with your wife. Be careful about your words. v6 Sons refuse to respect their own fathers. Daughters oppose their own mothers. A woman hates her husband’s mother. Your family is now your enemy.

Verses 5-6

There will be failure in the nation’s social relationships. It will happen soon. Isaiah describes these events well (Isaiah 3:4-5). Micah gives a list of the different relationships in society. They are between neighbours and friends. They are between husbands, wives and children. You can expect arguments with neighbours and friends. You can expect to have troubles there. But sometimes it happens in the family. Then it is difficult to know what to do. You do not know where to go for help.

Soon the *Assyrians will attack Jerusalem. There will be awful terror. There will be little food. Life will become extremely difficult. Each person will make his or her own plans. Relationships between people will break down. A husband will make plans to try to protect himself. But even his wife will not know his plans. He will hide them from her. If she discovered the plans, she would use the information for her own advantage. She would use it to save herself. That is what the husband would be afraid of. The important thing for each person would be to stay alive. Nobody would care about anyone else.

Those events will greatly affect the relationships in marriages and families. These relationships are between husbands and wives. They are between sons and fathers. They are relationships between daughters and mothers. They are between daughters and their husbands’ mothers. Each person will become an enemy against the other person. Each person will have only one thought in mind. That is to stay alive.

These things will happen between members of families. Each person will care chiefly about how to save his or her life. When Jesus came, it brought the same difficulties (Matthew 10:35-39; Luke 12:53). Jesus’ statement was true about any person who became his companion and friend. A member of that person’s own family might actually become his or her enemy.

Micah was describing the troubles in a nation because of a terrible war. But we can see similar troubles even in countries where there is no war. In modern society, law and government have failed in many ways. The things that Micah taught are also true today. Sons hate their fathers. Daughters have quarrels with their mothers. Daughters quarrel with their husbands’ mothers. A husband may not be successful in his marriage. He may be unkind to his wife. Then his wife may blame his mother for those things. She may say that his mother trained him badly in his childhood. She blames his mother for his behaviour. Many failures in marriage are the result of such arguments. They can happen thousands of times in a nation. The results are terrible.

The nation’s *sin caused troubles in people’s families. That was true at the time when Micah was alive. And it is the same today. There are problems in marriage. Husbands and wives do not remain loyal to each other. The result is often divorce. Each person may then have another marriage. This affects the children that are born in the marriages. The children do not feel safe. Sometimes this affects their behaviour. Divorce causes social problems. And it causes economic problems.

Micah writes about an earlier time. Religion caused little difference in the way that people lived at that time. Micah told the people what God expected from them. Micah told them to be fair. He told them to be kind. Micah told the people to be humble (Micah 6:8).

God wants Christians to behave in the same way today. Society is similar today to how it was in that earlier time. Rulers and people alike deal badly with other people. People do not forgive each other for their faults. People are proud. They are selfish.

Their wrong moral behaviour has a huge effect on the nation’s social relationships and economic business. But if we are Christians, we should live humbly. And we should trust God all the time. We need to live by God’s rules. Then our lives can start to benefit our homes, our society and even our world.

Governments look for answers to those problems. They have many political solutions. Micah speaks to us about the true answer. ‘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.’ (Micah 6:8). God has given to us his rules about good behaviour. He has told us how to live. Most people seem to have made a wrong choice. They have decided that they do not need God. They think that they do not need to obey his rules. They think that they can do better than God. Everywhere we see the results of their philosophy. There is confusion and fear in every village, town and city.

v7 But in my case, I watch because I hope for the *LORD. I will wait for God to save me. My God will hear me.

Verse 7

Micah changes his mood here. Before, he was bringing bad news. Now he speaks his own thoughts. Micah says ‘But in my case’. He forgets about the bad news now. He is confident. Previously, Micah spoke about punishment (verse 4). Now he trusts in God’s *salvation. God will save both Micah and the *remnant. There are three ways in which he trusts God.

1) Micah looks for help from the *LORD. He continues to wait for help from God. It is his normal practice. He will watch with hope.

2) Then Micah waits for God’s *salvation. He knows that the *LORD will save him. God will also save the *remnant. These people still trust God. They trust in God’s *covenant (verse 20). God made that *covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:7; 17:19). The army from Assyria would soon defeat the people in *Israel. God would scatter the people to the nations round them. But one day, God’s people would return as a nation. God gave that promise to the *Israelites by means of Moses (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). Micah will wait for God confidently.

3) Micah says, ‘My God will hear me.’ He knows that. It is God who gives strength to Micah. And it is God who helps him. But God will not answer the guilty leaders of the city (Micah 3:4).

Micah does not give up hope. He is not miserable. He knows that God will do what he (God) has promised to do. So Micah is waiting for the *LORD to act. The writers of the *Psalms often speak about that (Psalms 38:15; 130:5). Micah is confident. He knows that God will save him. God will save his people too. They need to wait patiently for God to act. They will also pray that he will make his promises come true. 7:8-20 The Song about Success Micah ends the book in a special way. He uses words in the form of a song. The song starts with a declaration that shows confidence (verse 8). It has three main parts:

1. The people in Jerusalem confess their *sin. They declare their belief in the *LORD. They declare it to their enemies (verses 8-10). In the *Hebrew in these verses, it is as if Jerusalem (with its people) is a lady. And it is as if the enemy, too, is female. (This is because the *Hebrew names for them are female. Look at the notes on this verse.)

2. Micah gives a promise to Jerusalem’s people. Jerusalem will become like a field that has sheep in it. Its people will be like the sheep and the *LORD will be their *shepherd. The world will suffer God’s punishment. *Israel’s people will help the other nations. They will show to the other nations how to have a right relationship with God. The other nations are now God’s enemies. But in the future, they will be able to become his friends (verses 11-13).

3. The third section consists of prayer. These events will give to *Israel new confidence in God (verses 14-17).

The book ends with a declaration of thanks to God. The people praise God because of his immense power. He can remove (forgive) all their *sins. It is as if he would throw those *sins into the sea. He can make all his promises become true. He will act again as he acted with Abraham. He also dealt like that with the nation’s other heroes (verses 18-20).

v8 Do not laugh at me, my enemy. Although I have fallen, I will rise. Although I sit in darkness, the *LORD will be my light. v9 I *sinned against the *LORD. So he was angry with me. But he will argue on my behalf in court. He will do the things that are right for me. Then he will bring me out into the light. And I will see that he is right. v10 But my enemies will see this. They will be ashamed. They had said to me, ‘The *LORD, your God is of no use to you!’ At that time, I will laugh at them. Even now, people will walk over them as if they are mud in the streets.

Verses 8-10

The words ‘I’ and ‘me’ here refer to the people in Jerusalem. In the *Hebrew language, those words are female. That is because the name ‘Jerusalem’ is female in that language. Therefore it is as if Jerusalem, with her people, is a lady (‘I’ and ‘me’). The word for Nineveh (the city which was the capital of Assyria) is also female. But Micah does not mention the enemy’s name. It may mean Micah’s personal enemies. It may mean a nation. It may mean people from Nineveh in Assyria (verse 12). So it means the enemies that opposed Jerusalem.

Now Jerusalem is in darkness. Its people’s enemies surround the city. The enemies are waiting to attack. It is as if Jerusalem’s people are in prison (Isaiah 42:6-7; 49:9). That is how it seems to them. The *LORD has promised always to be with *Israel’s people. (Look at verses 7 and 20.) The *LORD will be the people’s light. (In other words, he will show the truth to his people.) He will free them from their prison. The people in Jerusalem tell their enemies not to be glad. One day, things will be different.

The people in Jerusalem have *sinned. That is the reason for their present state. The *LORD is angry with them. They confess their *sin. They know that God is always right. He will always act in the right way. So it is right that God should punish Jerusalem’s people. Micah agrees with that. He is willing to suffer the punishment. It will last only for a certain time. He is sure about that. Then the people in Jerusalem will have suffered the punishment for their *sin (Isaiah 40:2).

It is as if God will defend Jerusalem’s people in court. He will be their lawyer. Once, he was the lawyer that accused them (Micah 6:1). But the situation will change. ‘He will do the things that are right for me’ (verse 9). God will bring *Israel’s people out into the light. (In other words, he will show the truth to his people.) They will see (know) that he is completely right. Many years ago, God made a *covenant with *Israel’s people. God is making real the promises of the *covenant. People will understand how God does things. And they will understand how he wants them to live.

The enemies of Jerusalem’s people insulted them. The enemies said, ‘You are in trouble. Your God is of no use to you! He cannot help you now’ (Psalms 42:3; Joel 2:17; Isaiah 36:19). The armies from Assyria later surrounded Jerusalem. Their chief officer spoke to the people. He tried to make them oppose their leaders. He tried to persuade them not to listen to their leaders. The story about that is in Isaiah 36:1-37:38. Jesus later suffered in the same way. It was when he was hanging on the cross. People insulted him then (Matthew 27:42-43).

Then the people’s enemies will see that God is right. The enemies will be greatly ashamed. ‘At that time I will laugh at them.’ ‘People will walk over them.’ It will be as if people are walking over mud. The mud is in the streets. It means that people will defeat the enemy completely. It is right for God to punish Jerusalem’s people. But it is also right for him to punish their enemies. The punishment that the enemies receive will be very much greater.

Whoever the enemy here may be, the chief enemy is ‘your enemy the devil’ (1 Peter 5:8). We can say a similar thing to him as Micah says. ‘Although I have fallen, I will rise. Although I sit in darkness, the *LORD will be my light’ (verse 8). Micah does not say that he will never fail. He knows that he will fail. But God will always rescue him. Micah sees what really happens to people. He sees it as it is. He knows that good things will not always happen. There will be difficult periods. There will be darkness (trouble). But God himself will be like a light to Micah. God will show Micah what to do.

We can win over the darkness (that is, over the power of God’s enemy). The important thing is that we agree with God’s truth. Like Micah, we must say, ‘I *sinned against the *LORD.’ We must not make excuses. We must not blame God. Micah has no doubt about *sin’s results. He understands that *sin is against God. He knows that God will defeat *sin and the devil in the end. Micah says, ‘But my enemies will see this. They will be ashamed. At that time, I will laugh at them’ (verse 10).

v11 The time to rebuild your walls will come. The time to extend your borders is coming. v12 At that time, people will come back to your country. They will come to you from Assyria. And they will come from Egypt’s cities. They will come even from Egypt and from the River Euphrates. They will come from Babylonia and they will come from everywhere else. They will come from sea to sea. And they will come from mountain to mountain. v13 However, the Earth will become like a desert because of its inhabitants. It will be the result of what these people have done.

Verses 11-13

Micah has spoken about his belief in God. He now speaks a message about hope. This part of the song has two sections. First, the other nations will enter inside the walls of Jerusalem (verses 11-12). Secondly, God will punish the people that are still elsewhere on the Earth. That will be the result of their *sins (verse 13).

‘The time’ (or ‘that time’) appears three times in verses 11 and 12. It refers to a time in the future. It also refers to the future state of the world. It is a time when the people in Zion (Jerusalem) will rebuild their walls. The ‘walls’ here do not mean walls that protect the city. They are not the same as the walls of a castle. They will include walls of *vineyards. They will include walls that people build for sheep. Those walls protect the sheep to keep them safe. Jerusalem will be like such a place where sheep will be safe. The other nations will be like the sheep. There will be enough space there for all the sheep (the nations) to enter (verse 12). They will find safety there. The sheep (the nations) will be under the King’s (God’s) protection. He will also be their *shepherd.

Then, people will come from all over the earth. The nations that live round *Israel have always been its people’s enemies. People will come even from those countries. They will come from Assyria, which is in the north-east. They will come from Egypt, which is in the south-west. (Look at Psalms 87; Hebrews 12:22.) Verse 12 refers to geography. It refers to countries and it also refers to nature. People will come from sea to sea. And they will come from mountain to mountain. They will come from all over the world. In the *Hebrew text, the word ‘come’ refers to one person only. It gives the idea that each person has a choice. Each person must choose whether or not to come. Micah does not refer to all the people from all the nations. He refers to separate persons that come from all nations.

People will come from between Egypt and the River Euphrates. Here Micah reminds us about what the *LORD had promised to *Israel’s people earlier. The *LORD had declared definitely what the boundaries of their country would be (Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 11:24). In verse 12, Micah also reminds us about an earlier time. It was a time when similar things happened. It was among the best periods that *Israel’s people lived in. It was when Solomon was the king (1 Kings 4:21, 25).

Micah has spoken before about a special time in the future (Micah 4:1). And in this song, he returns to that subject again. Many *prophets wrote about the time when God would rule the Earth. And people from all nations would *worship God in Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:1-14; Zechariah 14:16; Revelation 21:24-26). Verse 12 may also refer to the new Jerusalem that will come down from heaven one day. (Look at Hebrews 12:22-24; John 17:2; Acts 3:25; 2 Corinthians 6:2.)

The people that God has chosen will include not only *Jews. It will also include people that are not *Jews. God sent the *Jews into the other nations. But the *Jews will return. The people that are not *Jews will also be there. They will find their *salvation inside Zion (Jerusalem). All people that look for God will find him there.

But the rest of the Earth will become like a desert. Very little food will grow on the land there. It is because many people have done many wicked things. This will be the time when, at last, God punishes them (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; 2 Peter 3:12; Revelation 20:11-15).

v14 So rule your people with your *rod. Rule the crowd of people that belongs to you. These people live alone in the woods. They live up on the mountain called Carmel. They live in pleasant fields. Let them eat in Bashan and Gilead.

Let it be as it was many years ago. v15 God says, ‘I did many wonderful deeds when I took you out of Egypt. I will let you see more deeds like those.’ v16 The nations will see those wonderful things. They will be ashamed. They will see that their power is nothing. It is nothing when one compares it with mine. They will be greatly surprised.

They will put their hands over their mouths. Their ears will become deaf. v17 They will lick the dust (use their tongues to take up dust) like snakes. They will be like animals that crawl on the ground. They will come out of the places where they have hidden. And they will tremble as they come out. They will shake because they will be afraid of the *LORD God.

They will be afraid because of you.

Verse 14-17

Because of those things that he has just described, Micah prays to the *LORD. He asks the *LORD to look after his people. Those people include *Jews. And they include people that are not *Jews (Acts 15:16-18; Ephesians 1:3-4). The *rod is the *shepherd’s *rod. It also means a king’s authority. A *shepherd usually used a *rod to keep his sheep together. He used it to stop them running away. The *rod means punishment (Proverbs 13:24). But the *rod can also give safe protection to people. The *shepherd also used it when he went to find food for his sheep. God is called the Good *Shepherd (Psalms 23; 100:3). The sheep mean his own people. They belong to him. They are his possessions. God is the *Shepherd of *Israel’s people and he is also their King.

In verse 14, God’s people live alone in the woods. All round them are green fields. That place is like a garden in a forest. Many years ago the *Israelites had entered the country that God had promised to them. Bashan and Gilead were the first places that God gave to them (Numbers 21:33). Wonderful things happened during that period.

Those towns were east from the river called Jordan. The fields there were green. The people produced plenty of food there. Bashan was famous for its large trees (Isaiah 2:13). It had healthy animals. The people fed them well (Deuteronomy 32:14).

Gilead was famous for its good and pleasant fields (Numbers 32:1, 26). It was on the middle of the mountain called Carmel. Carmel is like a garden. The name Carmel is the *Hebrew word for garden. That time was a good time in which to live.

Micah’s prayer to God is an urgent one. He prays that God will bring back those original benefits. The other nations would live on land that was a desert. But *Israel would live in safety. The people would have plenty of food and good things. They would live apart from their enemies. It would be like that good period a long time ago. It would be similar to when they lived in Bashan and Gilead. It would also be like the holy city. That was the wonderful city that John saw. He saw it come down from heaven (Revelation 21:10-22:5). However, the people would need a strong leader.

For the *Jews, the names Bashan and Gilead have a special meaning. Those names refer to the land that belonged to the *Jews earlier (Micah 2:2; Numbers 26:55-56). They produced crops on that land. It provided them with enough food. Today God gives to his people something new, which satisfies them even more than food. That new thing is *eternal life in Christ. It lasts always. Jesus is called the good and great *shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20). He said that he had other sheep (other people) too. He will bring his sheep (his people) from all over the world. There will be one great crowd of them. *Jews will be there. And people that are not *Jews will be there (John 10:16). Jesus will gather them as his possessions.

God promises to answer Micah’s prayer. In verse 15, God first looks back to an earlier time. He reminds Micah about past events. God has done many wonderful things a long time ago. There was the time when the *Israelites were in Egypt. The people who lived in Egypt dealt badly with them there.

Then God rescued the *Israelites from Egypt. He made a way for them through the Red Sea. He kept them safe in the desert. Then the *Israelites crossed the river called Jordan. They won battles against many other nations, although those nations were much stronger than the *Israelites. In verse 16, God then looks forward into the future.

He promises that those kinds of events will happen again many times. The people will see similar wonderful deeds. Even more extraordinary things will happen in a future time.

The next two verses (16-17) link very much with verse 10. Micah thinks about the promises that God has made. God will do extraordinary things. Not only the people in Assyria will see those things. All nations will see what God has done. They will be ashamed.

The nations (except *Israel) will realise that their own gods are false gods. They will learn not to trust in human power. They will understand how foolish that is. They will lay their hands on their mouths. This means that they will be quiet. Also, they will not be able to hear.

They will see God perform those extraordinary things. Before, they were laughing at *Israel. But in the future they will stop that, as we have read in verse 10. Before, they were proud of themselves. But now they will not be proud any longer. They will not listen to stupid arguments.

They will respect the *LORD very greatly.

The other nations will give up their power. Their kings will lose their battles. They will ‘lick the dust’ (take up dust with their tongues). ‘Lick the dust’ means something special in the Bible. For example, maybe a king has lost a battle. He will crawl to the king that has defeated him. He will lie down in front of that other king (Psalms 44:25).

He will lie down because he will be afraid of that other king. It will be the same for all the nations except *Israel. Those nations will come to the *LORD in great fear. They will crawl out of the places where they have hidden like snakes (Genesis 3:14, 15). In other words, they will come out of their strong castles. The nations will tremble in front of the *LORD.

They will realise that they have no power. ‘Lick the dust’ describes their actions. The nations will want to *worship the *LORD.

Those people live in places that are like castles. They feel safe there. They think that someone is protecting them from danger. There, people try to hide from God. Those places also mean human pride (when people are proud about their own goodness). Those places mean human security. But God will cause those false places to fail. And people will see that God has caused these problems. Then they will be afraid. People will be afraid ‘because of you (God)’. Their fear will make them ask the *LORD for help.

Also another *prophet, Isaiah, said that those things would happen (Isaiah 45:14-25). Moses said the same. Wonderful things happened when the *Israelites left Egypt. Moses and the other *Israelites sang a song about those things then. It is called Moses’ song (Exodus 15:1-18).

Wonderful things happened also when the *Lord Jesus came to the Earth. He died and he rose again from death. When he did that, he defeated the devil completely. One day, the nations will learn to respect him very greatly. The nations will see that Jesus Christ is the King. He is the King over all other kings. He is the *Lord over all other *lords. There is a song about Jesus’ success too. It is called the Lamb’s (Jesus’) song. In heaven, people will sing both Moses’ song and the Lamb’s (Jesus’) song (Revelation 15:3-4). (‘Lamb’ means a young sheep, and here ‘the Lamb’ is a special name for Jesus.)

v18 There is no other God like you! You take away people’s shame. Only a few people remain from those that you have chosen. You forgive their *sin. You are kind and you enjoy that. You are glad to have pity. You will not stay angry for always.

Verse 18

Micah’s book now ends. In this verse, he describes our wonderful God. The people sing a final song to praise God. God gives the words of this song to them. The song starts with the words ‘There is no other God like you.’ Micah has told them that the *LORD is like a light in the darkness (verses 8-10). The *LORD is like a *shepherd to his people (verses 11-14). He is God over the nations (verses 15-17). Micah can therefore say to him, ‘There is no other God like you.’ He is the God who has forgiven his guilty people.

In the *Hebrew text, the first sentence has the form of a question. The question is, ‘Who is a God like you?’ Micah’s own name actually means ‘Who is like Yahweh (God)?’ His parents gave him that name. So here Micah is referring to his own name. The name ‘Yahweh’ describes God’s wonderful character. It describes his goodness. God pities his people. He is kind to them. That is a way to describe how God forgives his people. These people are the *remnant that God has rescued.

The verse continues, ‘You take away people’s shame.’ Also, we read ‘You forgive their *sin.’ *Israel’s people had acted against God’s *covenant. The people had done many wrong things. Their *sin was very great (Micah 1:5; 13; 3:8; 6:7). But the *LORD’s love is also great. He does not stay angry for always. He is kind and he has pity. He enjoys that. Only God could help the people. Only God could forgive their *sin. (Look at 1 Timothy 1:15-17.) Without God’s *forgiveness, Micah’s message would not mean anything. (Look at Psalms 130:3-4.)

The book ends with a wonderful message about hope. God will not stay angry for always. He likes to be kind. He likes to have pity. There is hope for those that ask God to forgive their *sin. God cannot lie.

There will always be a few people that will be God’s possession. They will be there even until the end of time (Romans chapters 9 to 11).

v19 He will come back and he will comfort us again. He will completely overcome the power of *sin. When he forgives his people, their *sin will be like dust under his feet. Yes, our *sin will be like something that he has thrown into the deep sea.

Verse 19

It is as if God will put his foot down hard on all his people’s *sins. It is as if he will throw their *sins into the deep sea. Then he will not see their *sins any longer. He will not remember their *sins any longer (Jeremiah 31:34). He will do that because he loves his children. He has pity on them. He is kind to them. Those *sins will not cause trouble to his people any longer. God has forgiven them completely. Perhaps Micah was thinking about the time when God led the *Israelites out of Egypt. Then, God threw the army from Egypt into the sea. So God overcame their enemies (Exodus 15:4-5). And then *Israel’s people started a new journey into the future. So, as a nation, they started to live in a new way.

Some time after this event, God met with Moses in a special way. There are different explanations of God’s name (‘the *LORD’). God gave a new explanation to Moses. This was it:

‘The *LORD is a kind God. He does not become angry quickly. He is full of great love. You can trust the *LORD. He is kind to thousands of people. He forgives people for the wrong things that they do. But the *LORD does not forget to punish guilty people. Their children, their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s children will suffer because of what the parents have done’ (Exodus 34:6-7).

God wants to show his love to his people. He forgives *sin. He can forgive all wrong deeds. But people must not be proud. They must confess their *sins to God. The *New Testament teaches that Jesus’ death is the only remedy for *sin. So if we want God to forgive us, we must invite Jesus into our lives.

v20 You will do the things that you promised to Jacob. You will show the kindness that you promised to Abraham. You promised this to our *ancestors. That was a long time ago.

Verse 20

God’s qualities prove that he will be true to his *covenant. He made a promise to *Israel’s people a long time ago. That is the reason for *Israel’s hope. God will carry out his promise to Jacob. This is the 10th time that Micah has mentioned Jacob. But it is the first time that he has mentioned Abraham. Another way to say the verse is this. ‘You will be true to Jacob. You will show kindness to Abraham. You made a holy agreement with us. You made it with our fathers a long time ago.’ ‘Fathers’ here means male relatives that lived in the past. The nation called *Israel came from Jacob, who was also called *Israel. Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather.

God carried out his promise to Abraham. God carried out his promise to Moses. God led *Israel’s people out of Egypt. God carried out his promise to Joshua. God led the people into Canaan. That was the country that he had promised to them. God also carried out his promise during the time when Micah lived. God rescued *Israel’s people from the *Assyrians.

When Abraham’s life had almost ended, God gave a promise to him. God promised to do good things for the whole world. He would do that by means of Abraham’s family. Therefore it was very important that Abraham’s son Isaac should marry the right wife. So Abraham sent his servant on a journey. Abraham told him to find a suitable wife for Isaac. Abraham’s family would then continue to grow.

Abraham’s servant found Rebekah. The servant knew then that God’s promises would not fail. He bowed his head (bent his head down lower) and he *worshipped the *LORD. He thanked God that he (God) had not disappointed the servant’s master, Abraham. The servant knew that God still loved Abraham greatly (Genesis 24:26-27). God had carried out his promise to Abraham. God had helped the servant to choose the right wife for Isaac. Later, people would see how important that choice was.

Those things were what God promised to *Israel’s *ancestors (or ‘fathers’) a long time ago. Those promises were good enough for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God’s great love is the same for us today. He has dealt with our *sins. He did that by means of his Son’s (Jesus Christ’s) death. So it is even better for us today than it was for Micah’s nation then.

God’s great love and kindness have continued through all time. He raised Christ from death. Very many people have believed in Jesus. They believe because of his death on the cross. They come from all the nations on the Earth. In a *spiritual way, those people become Abraham’s ‘children’ (*descendants). (Look at Romans 4:17; Galatians 3:6-29.) That is because those people belong to God. All this is possible because of Jesus Christ. He took the punishment for his people’s *sins. All people that believe in Jesus have great value to God. They can trust this wonderful God in every situation. So those people today are like *Israel’s *remnant in the *Old Testament.

Micah writes about an earlier time. Religion caused little difference in the way that people lived at that time. Micah told the people what God expected from them. Micah told them to be fair. He told them to be kind. Micah told the people to be humble (Micah 6:8). God wants Christians to behave in the same way today. Society is similar today to how it was in that earlier time. Rulers and people alike deal badly with other people. People do not forgive each other for their faults. People are proud. They are selfish. But we as Christians must live humbly. We must trust in God always. We need to live by God’s rules. Then our lives will have a good effect on our homes, our society and our world.

© 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

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

January 2007

Visit our website: www.easyenglish.info

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.