Micah: Justice + MercySample

The Bearer of Bad News AND Good News

By Danny Saavedra

“The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple."  Micah 1:1–2 (NIV) 

Today, we begin a 30-day journey through the Book of Micah!

“I have some bad news and some good news.” Whether you’ve had to deliver bad news and good news, had it delivered to you, or heard it said on TV or in a movie, I’m sure you’re familiar with this common expression. 

When you boil it down, the Book of Micah essentially follows this whole bad news, good news dynamic. In the first two verses, we’re introduced to the bad news as Micah says, “The word of the Lord that came . . . Hear, you peoples . . . that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you.” 

Now, to whom did the word of the Lord come? It came to Micah of Moresheth. Who is Micah? Honestly, we really don’t know anything about Micah’s back story, his family, or even his call to be a prophet, but what we do know is he had a strong sense and passion for his calling as a prophet—Micah 3:8 makes this very clear! 

So, what do we know about him? First, Micah was from a city about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem near the border between Judah and the land of the Philistines. Second, he served as a prophet sometime between 739 B.C. (which was the start of Jotham’s reign) and 686 B.C. (the end of Hezekiah’s reign). Considering King Hezekiah was one of the “good” kings, one who brought reform to the kingdom of Judah, it seems likely the sin Micah was confronting in this book took place before his reign.

God’s prophetic warning was given against Samaria and Jerusalem, the two capital cities of the now-divided kingdoms of God’s people—Israel (Samaria) and Judah (Jerusalem). Now, I’ve given you a lot of info so far about the circumstances and background of this book, but what can we glean from these two informational, introductory verses? A lot, actually . . . but I want to focus on one very powerful lesson.

Friends, Micah served as a prophet during a time of great injustice. He delivered bad news to a wicked people, but he also delivered truly wonderful news! He laid out their sins but shared the hope of God’s promise for redemption! Just like Micah, you and I are called to do the same in our world, our culture, cities, and within the Church! We are commissioned by Jesus to deliver the bad news of sin and death but provide the great hope of the gospel! I pray we approach our call and commission with the same passion and zeal as Micah.

Pause: What does Micah’s intro tell us about our role as ambassadors and disciple-makers?

Practice: Read through the Book of Micah this week in its entirety—it’s only seven chapters! Familiarize yourself with it as we set out to study it over the next 30 days.

Pray: Father, help me to share Your truth and the hope of the gospel with the same sense of calling as Micah. Amen.