The prophet Micah ministered in the southern kingdom of Judah in the turbulent decades at the end of the eighth century B.C., about the same time as Isaiah and just after Amos and Hosea had been preaching in the northern kingdom of Israel.
In the aftermath of Israel’s fall to Assyria, Micah was preaching to a congregation trying to accommodate an influx of refugees and struggling to understand we can’t love God faithfully without loving our neighbors. Micah’s teaching about true worship continues to have deep relevance for the church today.
Broadly speaking, the book alternates between judgment and salvation, with warnings dominating Chapters 1–3 and promises dominating Chapters 4–7. Much of the book takes the form of a court case with testimonies, accusations and defenses from all parties.
The poetry is full of word plays—you might need to pull out an atlas for these—and vivid images, including comparing leaders who abuse their authority—whether through action or inaction—to cannibals.
The theology of justice, righteousness, human leadership and God’s rulership is rich, and the hope of restoration and peace is inspiring.
Good resources can help sift through the language, history and poetry, so we can hear the message of Micah more clearly and more faithfully preach and teach this important book in our own contexts. Here are a few I recommend.
New International Biblical Commentary: Preaching from the Minor Prophets and Minor Prophets I by Elizabeth Achtemeier
Elizabeth Achtemeier was one of the great biblical preachers of the last century. She is the source of several aids for preaching Micah and other Old Testament texts well.
Her book on Preaching from the Minor Prophets can be a great starting point, because it gives very practical help for sermon writing—everything from recommended commentaries and background information on the biblical books, to sermon title ideas, to discussion of important theological themes.
As you figure out where you need to dig deeper, her commentary in the New International Biblical Commentary series provides passage-by-passage exegesis of a biblical book that, as Achtemeier says, highlights the hope God’s kingdom will come on earth and challenges us to be part of God’s work in the world.
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Apollos Old Testament Commentary: Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah by Elaine Phillips
This commentary gives a more intense analysis of the biblical text, beginning with a translation and notes on the Hebrew.
Phillips carries the historical context and meaning of Micah forward, however, considering how it developed in the rest of Scripture and in the life of the church.
Significantly, she also draws out the relevance of Micah’s placement in the canon—asking, “What difference does it make that it comes after Obadiah and Jonah?”
Her attention to the whole of Scripture—Old and New Testament both—is helpful as we think about the call to preach “the whole counsel of God.” None of these books stands alone.
International Theological Commentary: Micah: Justice and Loyalty by Juan I. Alfaro
Micah is a prophet who compels us to consider—and love concretely—those who are vulnerable, “other” and outside.
In many ways, white Westerners who enjoy the many privileges of freedom, democracy and a stable economy are not well-suited to understand the prophet fully. We need to read the book with our Christian brothers and sisters in other contexts. This commentary helps us do just that.
Juan Alfaro guides us through the Micah’s historical and literary aspects, and he does so with the perspective his ministry background in the Philippines and with the Hispanic community of San Antonio gives him.
This commentary will challenge you to hear Micah with new ears and to live out the challenge of Micah 6:8 more faithfully.
And if you want more
Micah is such a rich book. So, perhaps it is unsurprising so many wonderful resources exist that help us study it and proclaim it more faithfully. I’ve tried to reflect a range of affordable and accessible resources here, but I could have gone on and on with my list.
For example, Stephen G. Dempster’s Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary on Micah includes careful exegesis and theological reflection to draw out the connection between God’s word to Micah’s earliest audiences and God’s word to the church today.
James Nogalski’s commentary in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series dives even deeper into the language and context of Micah, while also exploring the formation of the book and its relationship to the other Minor Prophets, also known as “the Book of the Twelve.”
For a look at Micah from a feminist angle, you could try Julia O’Brien’s volume in the Wisdom Commentary series.
Gary Smith’s NIV Application Commentary covers Micah alongside Hosea and Amos from a conservative evangelical perspective and with lots of attention to how God continues to speak words of rebuke, comfort, forgiveness and hope through these ancient prophetic voices.
My encouragement to you is to read Micah—as I hope you will all the books of the Bible—with both the Holy Spirit and with people who are different than you are. God created the world to be a tremendously varied place, and sometimes it’s the shock of varied perspective that God uses to illuminate the message of Scripture.
Rebecca Poe Hays is associate professor of Christian Scriptures (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary. An ordained Baptist minister, she has served congregations in Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. She is married to Joshua Hays, who serves as associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Waco, and is the mother of two young children. The views expressed in this resource article are those of the author.
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