This post contains my end-of-class “sermon” delivered at the end of the Preaching & Teaching course by Rev. Dr. Rob Couch at Christ United Church. In it, I told about the history of Micah in Lachish and Moreshet.
The Claim – Micah, a prophet from a town southwest of Jerusalem, shared what Jehovah does and does not want in a story of a confrontation with his people, therein providing the fundamental way of living where even the most extravagant gifts and sacrifices are not wanted by Yahweh as he requires doing justice, loving kindness and to walk humbly with him.
The Focus – Micah’s world and his life is like ours in many ways. Political, societal, and religious turmoil. The focus is that Yahweh does not want sacrifices and gifts but does want justice, kindness and to walk humbly with him.
Manuscript – 1,559 words counting headings/memory prompts
Good evening. I’m looking forward to sharing with you what I’ve learned about my new friend, Micah. Micah, who was a prophet in the time of King Hezekiah and Isaiah. The great part of one of his metaphors is he tells us 4 things Yahweh does not want and 3 things he does wants of us. We’ll get to those lists soon.
This was 700 years before Jesus, but I’m confident Jesus read Micah and enjoyed those stories. To fully understand and appreciate his stories as Chapter 6 is a play with roles. I believe we need to understand who Micah is, what he does, where he is living, and most importantly, the times he’s living in. Those were very, very turbulent times. But most of us, 2,700 years later, do not have much of a concept of his world. He thinks the reader does understand because in his first verse of Chapter 1 he quickly identifies himself and jumps into the first metaphor in verse 2.
Look at the very first verse in Chapter 1. The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Mo’resheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezeki’ah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Sama’ria and Jerusalem.
He expects you to already know the situation. There is some great information about him we can unpack and use it to figure out what he thinks the reader knows.
He cites who he is, and where he’s from, and when he’s there; at the time of these three kings, (750-686) and then he cites Samaria and Jerusalem. This is the time of the divided monarchy. Samaria is in the Northern Kingdom. Micah is 25 miles from Jerusalem in the Southern Kingdom. Samaria in the Northern Kingdom is very much a part of his story.
The stage for me is this map behind me, and I want to go through it with you, so we share an understanding of the social, political and war times for where he is in relation to Jerusalem, the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom, the deadly impact of Assyria and how all that is the background for his work and metaphor we call the Covenant Lawsuit, which we will read.
So, let’s look at the map so we share an understanding of the social, political and war times for where he is, in relation to Jerusalem, the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom, the deadly impact of Assyria. And I’m sure all of you recognize it well. You have the Mediterranean on one side, and on the east side, is the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. [Talk through the locations and invasion.]
We are in the beginning of a 150-year period of intense turmoil for Israel and Judah, that begins now with the Assyrians invading the Northern Kingdom and destroying the villages, marching many people out, dispersing them throughout the other parts of Assyria and the countries they conquered, and bringing new people back in. So, the City of Samaria is destroyed, and new inhabitants are marched in.
North Fled South
Many from the northern kingdom fled south to the southern kingdom. Jerusalem doubled in size with many families living outside the walls as there was no room inside. The same had to happen in Lachish and Moresheth. Refugees who surely brought their sheep and goats and their own sacred books of the Torah that were very similar to the books read by Micah and others in the Southern Kingdom
But the Southern Kingdom knows surely Assyria is coming for them one day. King Hezekiah works to get ready to repel them at least in Jerusalem. As expected, the Assyrians, 14 years later, do attack the Southern Kingdom. But in that 14-year period, some very significant things happened.
King Hezekiah 14-year prep: Create Unity and Increase Revenue
We all remember the story of Hezekiah, who demolished the high places, and stopped pagan worship. He also destroyed a lot of the worship sites and altars for Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God of Judah, the God that we worship. Why? To consolidate worship to Jerusalem. That meant to attend festivals and make sacrifices they had to go to Jerusalem. And part of what that did, it unified the country and also brings the revenue streams, such sacrifices and taxes, to Jerusalem. The funding allowed for improved fortification of Jerusalem and fortified other cities. One of those cities is Lochish. It’s here.
Lochish is a large city fortified with walls. North of Lochish is Moresheth, which, you remember, that’s where Micah lives next to the second largest City in Judah.
Micah and Isaiah
Most importantly, he was surely a friend and contemporary of Isaiah. Some scholars think he was younger than Isaiah, Isaiah being like a mentor. Wouldn’t it have been neat when Micah was in Jerusalem, sitting and talking to Isaiah, to sit on the sidelines and listen? That would be something.
Micah does not appear, at this point, at least to me, as the “small-town country prophet” that some modern texts portray him as…because his book is smaller, they call him a minor prophet….I don’t think so! Just because he writes more concisely does not mean he is minor. [see post at this site with a link to the post at BAR related to the siege ramp found at Lachish]
Prophesying at the gates
Micah was surely like other prophets himself talking to people at the City Gates, prophesying about what’s coming and how they need to obey God’s commands and comply with the covenant. Also likely under trees talking to the refugees from the Northern Kingdom and in the Jerusalem Temple.
And he’s trying to get them to listen, and he’s telling this story. Sharing what Yahweh says through stories, through metaphors. And chapter 6 is one of the famous metaphors, which is The Covenant Lawsuit.
Visualize this room is the stage. [point out actors]. The curtain rises.
The court is called to order by Micah, Yahweh’s Advocate.
Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. [Micah quoting the Lord] “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
And all attention turns to the people and their advocate where there is no defense. All we hear is whining and is there anything we can do to get out of this? They assign a speaker and shove him out in front telling him not to screw it up. The people respond with hat in hand pleading —
“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
Micah, the prosecuting attorney, speaks.
He has shown you, mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Those are the three things Yahweh requires of them. There are four things he does not want. Look at those four. The first and last are both sacrifices. The second and third are both gifts. The fourth one, to sacrifice my first-born for my sins is the ultimate selfish sacrifice. Clearly, Yahweh does not want gifts or sacrifices.
I believe it is important that Micah is talking about relationships. Not gifts, and certainly not sacrifices. That’s the kind of worship Yahweh desires.
A lifetime of faithful steps in the right direction, every day. Sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it? I’m sure Jesus read and loved Micah as would any good rabbi.
Next time you hear “Love God. Love People. Change the World” think about how those three commands are like Micah’s three commands; Do mercy/Changes the world; have kindness in your heart/Love People, and walk humbly/Love God. OK, Micah has them in a different order but he would tell us that does not matter as they are all required.
What Happened?
Micah lived at the beginning of a terrible time. Eventually, Lachish, Moresheth and 42 towns, villages and cities were destroyed by the Assyrians. What happened to Micah? We do not know.
Final thoughts and a suggestion:
Read the seven final verses in the portrayal of the lawsuit where Micah relates how Yahweh has already begun to smite them and lists what will happen to the people for their failures. I encourage you to read that as I hope this portrayal of Micah’s world will lure you into reading his short book and the stories of the other prophets.
As a final thought, the books in the Hebrew Bible known as the Prophets are surely the books Jesus read. If you ever wondered what did Jesus think about, what did he study, then read the prophets.
