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The Prophets · Old Testament

Micah 7

Micah 7: lament over a corrupt people, and who is a God like thee

General context

The speaker cries "Woe is me" and compares himself to a field after the summer fruit and grape gleanings are gathered, with no cluster to eat. The good man has perished; all lie in wait for blood and hunt their brothers with nets. Prince and judge ask for reward, the great man utters his desire, and they wrap it up together. The best are like briers, and the day of visitation brings perplexity. No friend, guide or bedfellow can be trusted; son, daughter and daughter in law rise against their parents, and a man's enemies are those of his own house. The speaker resolves to look to the Lord and wait for the God of his salvation. A voice tells the enemy not to rejoice: when I fall I will arise, and though I sit in darkness the Lord is my light. The speaker will bear the Lord's indignation because of sin until he pleads the cause, and the enemy who asked "Where is the Lord thy God?" will be trodden down. A day is announced when walls are built, the decree removed, and people come from Assyria, from the fortress to the river and from sea to sea, though the land is desolate for its inhabitants' doings. A prayer asks the Lord to feed his people with his rod in Bashan and Gilead as in old days; marvellous things as in the exodus are promised, and nations will be confounded and lick the dust. The book closes asking who is a God like him who pardons iniquity, delights in mercy, casts sins into the sea and keeps the truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham sworn to the fathers.

Cited passages: Micah 7:1, Micah 7:2, Micah 7:3, Micah 7:4, Micah 7:5, Micah 7:6, Micah 7:7, Micah 7:8, Micah 7:9, Micah 7:10, Micah 7:11, Micah 7:12, Micah 7:13, Micah 7:14, Micah 7:15, Micah 7:16, Micah 7:17, Micah 7:18, Micah 7:19, Micah 7:20

Micah 7 (KJV)

1Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.

2The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

3That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

4The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.

5Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

6For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

7Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

8Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

9I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

10Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

11In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.

12In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

13Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

14Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

15According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.

16The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

17They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.

18Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

19He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

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Historical context

The speaker of "Woe is me" is unnamed, and the voice shifts through the chapter. Verses 1 to 7 speak as an individual observer of a corrupt society. Verses 8 to 10 speak as one who has sinned and bears indignation, addressing a female enemy who mocks with "Where is the Lord thy God?"; the enemy is addressed as "she" and is not named. Verses 14 to 17 are a prayer to the Lord, and verses 18 to 20 are addressed to God in the second person. Assyria is the only nation named, in verse 12, as a place people come from; Carmel, Bashan and Gilead are named as pasture. The marvellous things are compared to "the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt." Jacob and Abraham close the book as the ones to whom truth and mercy were sworn. Matthew 10:35 and 36 are a later citation that uses the wording of verse 6: "the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law," and "a man’s foes shall be they of his own household." The chapter gives no date and does not identify the walls of verse 11.

Cited passages: Micah 7:1, Micah 7:9, Micah 7:10, Micah 7:14, Micah 7:18, Micah 7:12, Micah 7:15, Micah 7:20, Matthew 10:35, Matthew 10:36, Micah 7:6, Micah 7:11

Literary context

The lament starts with an empty harvest and searches downward through society: good men gone, officials for hire, family members turned enemies, until nothing is left to trust but the Lord, which is where verse 7 turns. From there the chapter rises. "When I fall, I shall arise" reverses the fall; darkness becomes light; the mocker's question, "Where is the Lord thy God?", is answered by her being trodden down like the mire in the streets. The chapter's geography widens from a single field to walls, then Assyria and sea to sea. The closing hymn is built on the question "Who is a God like unto thee?", which is followed by a list of what he does with iniquity: pardons, passes by, subdues, casts into the sea. The final verse reaches back to Abraham and Jacob, so a book that opened with the Lord coming down in judgment ends with sworn mercy from "the days of old," wording close to the ruler's goings forth "from of old" in 5:2.

Cited passages: Micah 7:1, Micah 7:2, Micah 7:3, Micah 7:6, Micah 7:7, Micah 7:8, Micah 7:10, Micah 7:11, Micah 7:12, Micah 7:18, Micah 7:19, Micah 7:20, Micah 5:2, Micah 1:3

Key moments

  1. No cluster to eat (Micah 7:1). The speaker laments like a field after the harvest is gathered.
  2. Enemies of his own house (Micah 7:6). Son, daughter and daughter in law rise against their parents.
  3. I will look unto the Lord (Micah 7:7). The speaker turns from all others to wait for the God of his salvation.
  4. When I fall, I shall arise (Micah 7:8). The enemy is told not to rejoice, for the Lord will be a light in darkness.
  5. Where is the Lord thy God? (Micah 7:10). The mocking enemy will see and be trodden down as mire.
  6. Feed thy people with thy rod (Micah 7:14). A prayer asks the Lord to shepherd his flock in Bashan and Gilead.
  7. Who is a God like unto thee? (Micah 7:18). The closing hymn praises the God who pardons iniquity and delights in mercy.

For reflection

The speaker says he will bear the indignation of the Lord because he has sinned, and in the same breath expects the Lord to plead his cause. What kind of relationship makes it possible to accept judgment and expect defense from the same source?

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