“Micah had a strong sense of the need for justice in society, whether through the proper administration of justice in the courts, through fairness in the marketplace, or through dealing with authority and power in a responsible manner. A person’s relationship with God is primary and determines all others. Since justice and mercy are the Lord’s requirements, “to walk humbly with” Him must entail fair dealings with others. And what is fair should be measured only against the standard that God has already showed mankind to be “good.” The issue of social justice brings Micah alive as a prophet who has much to say to all generations. Another key theme in Micah is the proper worship of the Lord. Like Amos, Micah deplored a religious system that had much ritual but little repentance. He admonished people to commit themselves totally to the Lord. This meant, “to walk humbly with” God, to forgo the worship of other gods, and to forgo anything that might become a source of confidence for the believer other than the Lord. Even though Micah spent a lot of time preaching about judgment to come (also a topic of present-day relevance), he was above all a prophet of hope for the future. God would bring a ruler who would allow the people to live in peace. Micah gave many details about the coming kingdom of God and its blessings for the entire world. In the final chapter of his book, Micah expressed trust that the Lord will accomplish His purposes in the world even when society is filled with corruption and violence. Matthew saw in Micah’s hope for a new ruler a description of Christ.” (HCSB)

The book of Micah begins with the Coming Judgment on Israel that included the oppressors and the false prophets among the people who had continually rejected God’s Word. Later in chapter 4, the people go from exile to victory that coincides with chapter 5 that talks about a defeated ruler to a conquering king that would be Jesus Christ. It is interesting to note Micah’s description of Jesus that was written over 700 years before Jesus was even born! 5:2, 4: “His origin is from antiquity from eternity. He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of Yahweh, in the majestic name of Yahweh His God. They will live securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.” In 6:3, God says, “My people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Testify against Me!” In other words, when we get upset, God wants us to talk to Him and not turn away from Him. We will have trouble in this world, but God wants us to put our hope and trust in Him because He is the only one who can carry us through. Micah states in 6:8: “He has told you men what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Chapter 7 provides insight on the moral decline of Israel up to verse 7 where Micah says, “But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.” Micah then declares Zion’s vindication, where I would like to highlight 7:8-9, “Do no rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against Him, I must endure the LORD’s rage until He argues my case and establishes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see His salvation.” Those verses in particular are very inspiring. The good news for today is that Jesus Christ has already paid the price of God’s rage against our sins. If Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and Savior, then He is also your defending lawyer against satan. He provides justice and gives salvation to you because you have accepted Him into your heart.