Micah - Introduction

Little is known about Micah himself. He came from southern Judah, and he was active sometime between 750 BC and 686 BC. So he was active around the time of Isaiah. He was concerned with the social conditions in Israel, or more specifically Judah. There has been an unhelpful tendency in the church to divide between the so-called social gospel and salvation. One is concerned with social ills in society and sees individual sin as a minor issue (unless it is sin against the "poor"). The other focuses almost exclusively on the issue of individual sin, and to neglect structural sin and wrongs in society. Now, this is a caricature, but there is an element of truth in it. The key thing is that the Bible is concerned both with individual sinners and societal wrongs. One could say the Bible's favourite word is "and", while we like "or".

Micah seems to be more familiar with the villages in Judah, rather than the "big city" of Jerusalem. Micah foresaw the fall of Samaria (Northern Israel) and the later fall of Judah.

As in many of the prophets, there is a mixture of doom and hope. The hope offered in the Bible is offered in full recognition of the reality of sin.