Verses 1-2 Woe 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. 2 The 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.
The Hebrew word translated as “woe” is “alalay” and it means woe or alas and it is an expression of grief, pity, or concern. Remember that the prophet Micah is an Israelite watching his country fall deeper and deeper into sin, and that he has been tasked by God to prophecy against the people and the land. He therefore feels frustration and a deep sadness at what is happening and he describes his emotional state with the metaphor of a vineyard stripped of its fruit, and the fruit which remains is rotting. There is no good fruit to eat and the vineyard is scruffy and unkempt from all the harvesters treading among the vines and pulling at the plants. The Hebrew word translated as “good” is “chaciyd” and it means faithful, kind, godly, holy, or pious. Micah declares that, like the good grapes that are no longer in the vineyard, there are no good men left in Israel and Judah, the land that at one time was the vineyard of God, established to produce good fruit that would bless the heathen nations round it. Instead, there is a steady source of bloodshed as the people follow after Satan and do evil.
Application: As has been stated elsewhere in this Bible study, there are similitudes of prophecy in Scripture. A prophecy that is specific for Israel, for instance, can be fulfilled, but the same situation and fulfillment of prophecy can occur at a different time and among a different people. What the prophet Micah is lamenting in the above verses can be said for most nations today, approximately 2700 years after the writing of his words. The rational individual looking at the current political, religious, educational, social, and environmental condition of the nations today can only come to the same conclusion: that the good man is perished out of the earth and that there in none upright among men. Think about it. “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 But God always has a remnant people. They are few in number, but they are all over the world, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13
Verses 3-4 That 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. 4 The 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.
Here the prophet Micah exposes the evil power elite and the judicial system where bribery reigns and justice does not exist. What the evil men who have the financial resources plot and plan comes to pass. Sound familiar? Micah compares these people to sticker bushes and thorns that hurt and that block the way of any righteous people. However, the prophet Micah who has been communicating with the God of Heaven and Earth knows that there will come a time when God will visit the nations Israel and Judah and He will confuse, perplex and confound these evil people and the plans of Satan who they serve.
Verses 5-6 Trust 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. 6 For 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.
Lawlessness rules and no one can be trusted, not even those who are family members.
Verse 7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
So what are the righteous remnant to do? What the prophet Micah decided to do centuries ago: trust the LORD and put his faith in the God of his salvation. Believe His promises and know that He hears the prayers of His people. Amen
Verses 8-9 Rejoice 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. 9 I 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.
The prophet Micah, like all God’s prophets, had enemies. People did not like to hear what the prophets had to say as their words were convicting of the sin these wicked and evil people were guilty of. Often, Satan would come against the prophet of God and it would look like the prophet was being silenced. But God was always there for His prophets, even when things looked the darkest and victory seemed to be going to devils. Just read the book of Acts to see how the prophet and apostle Paul was persecuted and attacked by the Jews and by evil spirits. Yet he remained victorious and wrote most of the New Testament books. “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness.” 2 Corinthians 11:24-27
Application: The Hebrew word translated as “indignation” is “zaaph” and it means wrath or rage. So the indignation of the LORD is God’s anger towards sinful, evil people, false religions, and all of Satan’s merchandise. The Bible states categorically that, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23 It further states, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6 So in and of themselves, people deserve the LORD’s indignation because of their sin against Him. The prophet Micah understood this as stated in verse 9 above. But because of God’s intense love for His created mankind, He took on flesh and dwelt among mankind and became the final Sacrificial Lamb to atone for mankind’s sin. So like Micah, the converted Christian believer can have the confidence that, although having sinned against God, He will bring the believer forth to the light, His light, and the believer will “behold his righteousness”.
Verses 10-12 Then 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. 11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed. 12 In 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.
The prophet Micah will be vindicated when that which he spoke from the LORD comes to pass. When the armies of Assyria overrun the land of Israel, then will Micah’s words be proven true and the people will know that the LORD, his God, has spoken.
Verse 13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
And the land that was given to the Hebrew people by promise from God to the patriarch Abraham will be devastated and wasted because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. There is no one to blame but the people themselves. They were warned, they chose to ignore the warnings, they continued in their sin and rebellion against God, and the consequences of their choices and actions is destruction and loss of their land and their nation.
Application: The nations of the world are seen by God as spiritual Babylon. Why Babylon? Because that one world government was the source of the wickedness, idolatry and false religions that are in the world today. The nation Babylon was anti Christ. In every nation today, wickedness abounds. Witchcraft seems to be the prevailing religion of the world as it has infiltrated governments, educational institutions, the medical profession, commerce, and even the Christian Church. But spiritual Babylon is falling today. As society unravels and wickedness prospers under the direction of Satan and his fallen angels, like the land of Israel/Judah, the land or nations are becoming desolate or devastated. God has removed His blessing from nations that were once Christian and judgement is upon them. One would have to be totally blind not to see the social, financial, religious and governmental mess that the world is in today. So should the Christian believer be dismayed, distressed, or anxious? No, because these are all signs that the LORD Jesus Christ is about to re-enter the Earth and the affairs of mankind and bring forth judgement, the end of time, the end of this world, and eternity with a new Heaven and Earth. Take courage. “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28
Verses 14-17 Feed 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. 15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things. 16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. 17 They 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.
The prophet Micah entreats the LORD to shepherd (feed) His people with His authority (rod) like in days gone by when the nation Israel dwelt in isolation from the heathen nations around them as they served the one, true God. They were nurtured and protected from the time they were miraculously taken by the hand of God from Egyptian slavery and elevated into a powerful people that were to be God’s precious possession (heritage) in the land of Palestine. Micah wanted to see Israel/Judah restored like in the past when heathen nations were afraid of them because they served a powerful and awesome God.
Application: Even though the prophet Micah knew that judgement was inevitable upon Israel and Judah, he still prayed for their well-being. Likewise, Christian believers today should be praying for the nation in which they reside that people will see the need for salvation from sin, death, and Hell, and that they will heed the call of God on their lives. As long as there is time, there is hope for the lost people of this world. Never give up. Never give in to depression or the spirit of hopelessness which is from devils. Grow the faith that God has given to each believer and expect miracles. Just as the children of Israel had light in their dwellings when in captivity in Egypt, the people of God have His light, the Holy Spirit/Ghost, living inside of them so their dwelling of flesh has light 24 hours a day. Just as God instructed Joshua when entering the promised land to, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee,” so believers need rest in Him as they go forward to take the spiritual land in the spiritual Kingdom of God.
Verses 18-20 Who 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. 19 He 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. 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. (Micah 7)
The character of Almighty God is revealed in these words penned by the prophet Micah. “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6 Just as a remnant of the children of Israel survived the captivity of Assyria and Babylon and returned for a time to the land, so the promises to Abraham were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Today, the Israel of God is all those who, by faith, love and follow Jesus. In other words, the Church which is made up of all nations and tongues is spiritual Israel. Through the shed blood of Jesus, iniquity is pardoned and transgressions are forgiven because of the mercy of the LORD. When true repentance happens, sins are remembered by God no more. And Abraham, the father of many nations, has many sons through faith, not through race.