The Book of Micah

The Rights of the Poor

By the end of the eighth century, the People of God had, in large measure, lost that great sense of all being brothers and sisters within the one covenant, that had marked them in the beginning. As in other countries, a social hierarchy had formed and prevailed: the wealthy classes claimed power and honors, and thought only of extending their domain. Whereas Isaiah, an aristocrat, voiced his anger at the official classes in Jerusalem, the prophet Micah, a humble peasant of southern Palestine, raised his voice in protest on behalf of the poor, who were exploited by exacting masters and brought to ruin by the Assyrian invader. The latter destroyed the northern kingdom in 721 B.C., and subsequently put down the repeated rebellions of the kings of Jerusalem, who were overconfident of being safe behind the walls of the capital.

With strong words and simple images, Micah denounces the abuses and injustices that are undermining faith in the one God and the fraternal unity of the chosen people. These are harsh pages that are as powerful today as they were then.

Jeremiah’s testimony (Jer 26:18), a century later, shows that Micah had made a strong impression.

Micah’s work, as we have it, is made up chiefly of a collection of threats and reproaches that are only brief testimonies to a lengthy activity in the service of God’s word. But the prophet also brings the hope of a “remnant” that is preserved by God to be the nucleus of a renewed kingdom. After the Exile, with the intention of mitigating the prophet’s terrible threats, some men of letters extensively expanded these glimmers of hope.

But just as Micah in his day had been unable to see the conversion of Israel as occurring apart from punishment by the Lord, so these later writers could not imagine a restoration of the people that was not accompanied by the annihilation of their enemies. These cries for vengeance, which so irk us, are not the most profound element in the message; this element is rather the affirmation of the greatness of God and the conviction that salvation will come. Once we have read the two splendid passages on true religion (6:6-8) and divine forgiveness (7:18-20), we will find Micah unforgettable.

The Book of Micah may be divided as follows:

I: A Trial of God against Israel (1:1—3:12)

II: The Expectation of Renewal (4:1—5:14)

III: A New Trial against Israel (6:1—7:7)

IV: Poems of Hope (7:8-20)