Micah

About Micah

Micah swings between fierce judgment and tender hope, condemning leaders who devour the poor and prophets who preach for pay. He famously boils down what God wants into one line: act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. He also names the small town where Israel's true ruler will be born, Bethlehem. In the Bible's story, Micah pairs a demand for everyday justice with a promise that leads straight to the manger.

Written by

The book presents the words of Micah of Moresheth, a small-town prophet in Judah, and his authorship is broadly accepted, though some scholars think parts were added later.

When

Micah preached from about 735 to 700 BC, during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, alongside his contemporary Isaiah.

Themes

• Justice, mercy, and humility
• Judgment on corrupt leaders
• A ruler from Bethlehem
• God who pardons sin
• Hope for the remnant

Key verses

• Micah 6:8He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
• Micah 5:2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel — One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
• Micah 7:18-19Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance— who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea.