Micah 7

gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard: After the second crop of figs and fruit in August to September (toward the end of summer), no more fruit was produced for several months (see Isaiah 16:9; Jeremiah 48:32). No one could satisfy Micah’s hunger for righteousness (Micah 7:2–6).

Hopeless deception and corruption filled God’s people (Micah 7:1–6). Because of this, Micah mourned their condition and turned to the Lord for help (Micah 7:7–10).

Even so, God’s mercy would triumph. Israel would be restored by the Lord (Micah 7:11–13). God’s mercy, compassion, and unfailing love would prevail in the end (Micah 7:14–20).

• This complaint often appears in the prophets (see Isaiah 59:16; Jeremiah 5:1; Ezekiel 22:30).

• In the ancient Near East, people caught fish and hunted by setting traps and using nets (compare Psalm 10:9; Proverbs 1:17; Isaiah 51:20).

• one another: All fellow Israelites were regarded as brothers.

The people of Israel were without law, justice, or righteousness. Everyone took advantage of others for personal gain. This created a society in which all forms of oppression were normal.

• skilled at evil: That is, they had learned how to do evil very well.

• the prince and the judge demand a bribe: The law forbade rulers and judges from accepting bribes or turning justice in the wrong direction (Exodus 18:19–22; Deuteronomy 16:18–20). Because of this, Israel’s legal system no longer worked in a fair way.

The day for your watchmen has come: The people of Israel will soon be conquered by the Assyrians. The people of Judah will soon face destruction by the Babylonians. All the people of the earth will soon face God in judgment.

Do not rely on a friend: Bitterness, corruption, and betrayal had harmed the community of the Lord's people (compare Matthew 10:34–36; Luke 12:52–53).

During a difficult time, Micah prays with a psalm expressing hope and trust in the Lord (compare Habakkuk 2:4; 3:16–18).

though I sit in darkness: The prophet trusts God to be his light (see Psalm 27:1). He knows his enemies will not defeat him (compare Psalm 23:4–5). God's spirit gives him the strength and confidence to carry out his prophetic duties (Micah 3:8).

• I have sinned: The prophet and other religious people admit their mistakes and responsibility, yet trust in the Lord for redemption.

• The Lord's righteousness saves and rescues his people.

Where is the LORD your God?: This question was spoken as a taunt. It mocked God and those who trusted in him.

God had promised that he would always be with his people and their leaders (Genesis 46:3–4; Exodus 3:12). These taunts dishonored God’s name. Because of this, God would act to defend his honor and show his faithfulness (compare Ezekiel 20:9; 36:19–26).

That day includes:

1. 538 BC, when Israel began to return from exile in Babylon (see Ezra 1–2); and

2. the final restoration of God's people (see Amos 9:11–15).

As the nations come to a renewed Israel, God will fulfill his purposes through Abraham (see Genesis 12:3).

• Before their restoration, Israel must face discipline (Deuteronomy 4:29; 28:37, 48, 63; 30:1–6).

• desolate: The people's stubborn wickedness led to God's judgments.

• A shepherd in the ancient Near East used a staff to protect sheep from wild animals. Similarly, the prophet prayed for God to protect his people from hostile non-Jewish nations (compare Exodus 4:1–5).

• Your inheritance: compare Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Malachi 3:17; 1 Peter 2:9.

• Bashan and Gilead, located east of the Jordan River, were among the Lord’s earliest gifts to the Israelite tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (Joshua 13:15–31). Assyria took over these areas and exiled these tribes in the 700s BC. Israel would regain and expand its ownership.

The Lord promised to fully renew Israel, his special possession (see Exodus 19:5; Malachi 3:17). Judgment would not destroy hope but cleanse it so true hope could thrive. God alone would restore the remnant of his special people and remove their guilt through his love, compassion, and faithfulness (see Exodus 32:12–14).

Israel was enslaved to sin and to other nations. This situation required powerful acts from God, like the miracles he used to bring Israel out of Egypt.

God promised that all nations would receive blessings through Abraham's descendants (Genesis 12:3). This promise would come true with the restoration of God's chosen people.

Like snakes, the nations had attacked Israel's heel (compare Genesis 3:14–15). The prophets often described foreign nations as deceitful, poisonous serpents (Isaiah 14:29; Jeremiah 8:17; Ezekiel 29:1–3). Now these nations would face humiliation (compare Psalm 72:9). Crawling and "licking dust" were metaphors for defeat and humiliation.

• These verses summarize Old Testament theology well. God is unique. Nothing and no one compares to God. Because of God's unfailing love (Hebrew khesed), he does not destroy his people when he judges them. Instead, he restores them (see Exodus 36:6–7). His faithfulness means he can be trusted to do good, no matter the cost to himself (see Psalm 89:1–2).

• Who is a God like You: This question likely refers to Micah’s name, which means “Who is like the Lord?” God's character is unmatched among the gods of other nations. His actions and words reflect his character (Exodus 34:6–7). God pardons, shows compassion, triumphs over his people's sins, and seals those sins away.

  The Lord's unfailing love led him to choose Israel from the start (Deuteronomy 7:8), consistent with his covenant faithfulness to Israel’s ancestors (Deuteronomy 7:20; 9:1–10:22). Through his unfailing love, God continues to offer hope to those who trust in him.