Micah 1:5

THE OCCASION OF THE WRATH. Micah 1:5

RV. For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
LXX. All these calamities are for the transgression of Jacob, and for the sin of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what is the sin of the house of Jacob? is it not Jerusalem?

COMMENTS

The purifying wrath of God against the people is, in this case, occasioned by the sins of Jacob. and for the transgression of the house of Israel. Here in the indictment Micah uses the covenant names which treat both the kingdoms as one people.
Many times the covenant name for God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The shorter form of reference to the covenant people is simply Jacob, as used here by Micah. Jacob, as the last of the patriarchs and the father of the twelve tribes, is best representative of the covenant people as a whole.
Indeed, it is his new name, Israel, given to him upon his realization that Jehovah is the universal God rather than a local deity, which came to represent the people as well as the man.

Israel was first the name of the man, Jacob. Following his dream on the way to Haran from Beersheba, Jacob awoke to the realization that surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not, (Genesis 28:16) It was during the dream that God reaffirmed to him the everlasting covenant which He had made with Abraham and confirmed previously with Jacob's father, Isaac.

As with them, so with Jacob, the heart of the covenant was: in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 28:14) Some fourteen years later, following his marriage to the daughters of Laban, Jacob turned in prayer to God because of his fear that his brother Esau would seek revenge against him. Subsequently, God granted him the experience of wrestling with an angel. When he prevailed in the combat the angel said to him, thy name shall be no more called Jacob but Israel (Prince of God) for as a prince thou hast power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28)

To understand the meaning of the name Israel in any given passage, one must keep in mind the various uses of it throughout the Old and New Testaments. The exact meaning must be determined by the specific context in which it appears.
As we have seen, Israel was first the covenant name given to Jacob upon his realization of the universal nature of God. It next came to apply to the whole family descended from this man, then to the twelve tribes into which the family grew, i.e. the direct descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob.

Israel next came to apply to the -nation formed of Jacob's descendants by the giving of the Law through Moses. This is significant, since Israel was the covenant name. The attachment of it to the nation points up the truth written by Paul, a covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul, so as to make the promise of none effect. (Galatians 3:18) The purpose of God in Israel was not changed by the passing of time and development of a political commonwealth. The very name worn by the nation under the Law was intended to emphasize their covenant relationship to God, and to signify the life, character and mission that was to be theirs as His called-out people.

First the family, then the federation of tribes wore this name. In the beginning the people were held together by a sense of kinship growing out of a common ancestry and a common covenant God.
In the giving of the Law a third factor united them. The Law was, in effect, a national constitution. During the time of the judges, when the Law was applied directly by God through the judges, there was an acute awareness of the nation's covenant relationship to God. Under the reign of Saul, David and Solomon, the covenant awareness waned as the people struggled for national identity among the nations of the world. By the time the kingdom was divided, the term Israel expressed almost entirely a nationalistic concept which was nearly devoid of any covenant awareness.

The ideal which runs through both the pre-exilic and post-exilic prophets is the restoration of covenant awareness through obedient faith in God.
Micah's prophecy is addressed to pre-exilic Israel. The outlook of the people at this time was strongly nationalistic. Covenant awareness was at perhaps its lowest ebb, yet the prophet uses the ancient covenant name Israel in such a way as to remind his readers of its real meaning.

The name Israel was taken by the southern kingdom during the post-exilic period (following the return from Babylon). (Ezra 6:16, Nehemiah 11:3) In the inter-Biblical period, from Malachi to Matthew, the term fell into disuse. In its place the nation and the people were called Jews to distinguish them from Greek, Roman, Persian, etc.

In the New Testament, Israel is used to emphasize relationship to God as a covenant people. (Matthew 9:33, Luke 2:32, John 3:10, Acts 4:10) When the nation, or race, is intended in the New Testament, the term is Jews. This is obviously a distinction vital to the understanding of the relationship of New Testament Israel to the Old Covenant and God's people under it.

Before singling out first the northern and then the southern kingdoms to warn each of its particular punishment, Micah calls to them both in terms calculated to remind them wherein they have failed. They will be punished for more than specific sins. The punishment for these sins will be brought about by their failure to keep the covenant, Such had been the warning of Jehovah against His people at the time of the giving of the Law, and earlier at the institution of circumcision.
In both Israel and Judah, Micah equates the sins of the nation with the nature of its capital. The transgression of Jacob (Israel) is Samaria. The sin of Judah is Jerusalem.

JUDAH. Micah 1:5(b)

Following the rebellion of the ten northern tribes and the division of the kingdoms, the northern kingdom became known as Israel and the southern as Judah. While the rebellious northern tribes seem to have usurped the family name of God's people, it was the southern kingdom through whom the fulfillment of the covenant finally came.
Originally, the name Judah designated the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, born in Mesopotamia during the time when his father served his uncle Laban. Judah, the great-grandson of Abraham, became the head of and gave his name to the most powerful of the twelve tribes. In the blessing of Judah, Jacob promised that, ... the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shilo come; and unto him shall be the obedience of the people. (Genesis 49:10)

The significance of this, as well as the rest of the blessing, (Genesis 49:8-12) is seen in the increasing strength of Judah throughout the history of the people. (See Numbers 2:3, Joshua 9:1, Judges 1:1-2, Isaiah 29:1, etc.) The capital city, Jerusalem, became the capital of the southern kingdom, with Judah as the predominant tribe, (the southern kingdom also included Benjamin and Simeon) and remained so until the coming of the Christ to the Roman province of Judea. Judea was the first century vestige of Judah, and its capital also was Jerusalem. The scepter had not passed from Judah until He came!

In the occupation of the land of Canaan under Joshua, Judah, the tribe, had occupied the southern section from the Jordan to the Mediterranean as far north as the southern boundaries of Dan and Benjamin. (Joshua 15) With the division of the kingdom, it was this territory, along with the greater part of that of Benjamin to the north and Simeon to the south, that formed the southern kingdom. Samaria. transgression of Jacob. Micah 1:5(b)

The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel was Samaria. Micah singles out this capital in the north as the personification of the transgression of Jacob.

Samaria was situated south of the Plain of Esdralon in the vicinity where Abraham had stayed for a while on the plains of Moreh. (Genesis 12:6) It was in the territory possessed, in the days of Joshua, by Ephraim and Manasseh. The name, Samaria, came to be applied to that general area following the time of Solomon.

The city from which the territory of Samaria took its name was situated on a hill some forty miles north of Jerusalem. In 880 B.C., Omri moved his capital there from Tirzah. The hill upon which it sits is located adjacent to the fertile wady esh-Shair, and towers some 300 feet above the valley which extends from Shechem (Sychar) westward to the coast. The Mediterranean is clearly visible from this vantage point.

Under Ahab, due in a large part to the influence of Jezebel, Baal worship came to dominate both the religion and the general culture of Samaria. (2 Kings 3:2) Idolatry, sensuality and oppression become the order of the day. (See chapter III, BAAL WORSHIP.)

Modern archeological excavations at Samaria reveal seven Israelite levels. The first and second, or lowest, levels date from the time of Omri and Ahab. The seventh, or highest, level marks the destruction of Samaria by the Assyrians following the three year siege begun by Shalamaneser in the seventh year of Hoshea's reign. The siege was concluded under Sargon II in 722.
It was this destruction of which Micah warns in our text. Sargon claims to have carried away only 27,290 from the entire nation of Samaria (Israel). No doubt, as with Judah later, these were the most powerful and influential citizens.
The sin with which Samaria is particularly identified, when Micah calls her the transgression of Jacob, is idolatry, particularly the worship of Baal. As Halley puts it, God had sent Elijah, Elisha and Amos to turn them (the Samaritans) back from idols. But in vain. They were about ripe for the death blow.

JERUSALEM. SIN OF JUDAH. Micah 1:5(c)

Manuscript evidence here seems to indicate as the correct reading,. . what are the high places of Judah. rather than what is the sin of Judah.
If this be true, the sin of Judah is but a variation of the idolatry of Samaria. However, the high place of Jerusalem would be the temple and its immediate surroundings as the center of worship. The worship conducted there, rather than being out and out Baal worship, was, during this period, Jehovah worship polluted with Baalism.
It is interesting to note that both Je (in Jehovah) and Baal literally mean Lord. It is often difficult to tell, in some passages, whether the prophets are denouncing Baal worship per se or a corruption of Jehovah worship.

The Bible reader is first introduced to the site of Jerusalem some one thousand years before the time of David. We are told (Genesis 14) that Abraham stopped there shortly after the slaughter of the kings. (Hebrews 7) The ancient name of the place was Salem, an abbreviated form of yeru-Shalem foundation, or city, of peace.

It was here that Abraham met and paid tithes to Melchezedek. The name means literally my king is Zedek. He was priest to the God El-Elyon, God of Peace, whom Abraham identified with Yaweh (Jehovah). Genesis 14:18-20)

It is probable that this also marks the site of the sacrifice of Isaac by his father, Abraham, The land of Moriah, (Genesis 22:2) has not been positively identified. The Septuagint reads, the highland, while the Syriac has land of the Amorites. Local tradition, however, identifies Moriah with the mountain on which the temple was built. (2 Chronicles 3:1)

The Scriptures do not identify the exact location of Isaac's sacrifice, but both Jewish and Arab (Moslem) tradition locate it at the present site of the Dome of the Rock. This second most sacred shrine in Islam stands where the Biblical temple once stood.
(Incidentally, it is the possession of this sacred site which furnishes much of the fuel for the present inferno in the Middle East.)

At the time of Joshua, Jerusalem was the domain of Adom-Zedek, the Amorite who, in alliance with four other kings, attempted to prevent the Israelite conquest of southern Canaan. (Joshua 10) It was then the home of the Jebusites. (Genesis 10:15 and Numbers 13:29) The city was on the border between the lands assigned to Benjamin, on the north, and Judah, on the south (Joshua 15:7-8; Joshua 18:10) It was never occupied by the Israelites until the time of David, by which time it was at least a thousand years old!

The most historic transaction ever to take place in this ancient city took place when David made it his capital. Following the death of Saul at Gilboa, David reigned over Judah from Hebron (2 Samuel 2:1-4) When the death of Isbosheth opened the way for David to unite the northern and southern tribes, Jerusalem was a more appealing location for two primary reasons.

First, Jerusalem was more centrally located than Hebron, and hence more accessible from both north and south.
Second, and perhaps more significant, the city belonged to no tribe. Being situated on the line between Benjamin to the north and Judah to the south, it could be made the seat of government for the federation without disturbing the status quo of any tribe, in much the same way that Washington D.C. was made our national capital without being part of any state.

Jerusalem is one of two cities called, in Scripture, city of David. The other is Bethlehem. (Luke 2:11) The latter was his home town by birth, (1 Samuel 1:16) the former became his city by force of arms. (2 Samuel 5)

After making Jerusalem his political capital, David determined to make it the religious capital also. He brought the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh to Jerusalem and placed it with careful preparation. (2 Samuel 6:12-14) He also purchased the threshing floor of Araunah as the site upon which a permanent housing for the Ark would be built and later erected an altar of burnt offerings upon the site. (2 Samuel 24:25)

The traditional tomb of David may be seen today on the southwestern slopes of the hill upon which Jerusalem sits. Most scholarship discounts the authenticity of the site, however.

Evidence of early pagan influence in Jerusalem, capital of Jehovah worship, is seen in such activity as the sacrifice offered by Adonijah by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel. (1 Kings 1:9) Zoheleth is associated with Baal worship.

(Readers of the English Bible are frequently misled concerning Adonijah by the unfortunate King James translation of 1 Kings 1:6, he was a very goodly man. Rotherham more accurately renders this passage, he was of exceedingly handsome appearance.

A part of the sun worship during the festivities of the winter solstice (December 24-25) centered around the burning of a log. (See Chapter III Baal Worship) The log represented the sun god cut down in the midst of his strength. Around the stump of the tree was pictured a serpent, symbol of his reviving life. After the burning of the log on the evening of December 24, the evergreen fir appeared next morning in its place symbolizing the reviving of the slain god. The serpent which twined around the stump was also worshipped as a minor deity. It was at an altar to this pagan god that Adonijah offered sacrifices.
Since Adonijah offered his sacrifices on the eve of an abortive attempt to seize the throne of his father, David, he could scarcely do so in the proper place. It is highly probable that he was attempting to sacrifice to Jehovah. If so, his worship of God at a pagan altar is a good example of the pollution of Jehovah worship by Baalism in Jerusalem.

This pollution was multiplied several-fold by Solomon's compromise with paganism. (1 Kings 11:4-8) Ashtoreth, Chemosh and Moloch, named in connection with Solomon's unfaithfulness are names associated with the unholy trinity of the sun god. (See again Chapter III BAAL WORSHIP).

During the first hundred years following the division of the kingdom, Jerusalem was in a state of decline. At this time, Baalism increased.
After a period of restoration, from Jehosaphat to Joash (B.C. 871-789), Jerusalem was humiliated again by Jehoash (B.C. 798-789). It was during this period that Ahab and Jezebel, of the Omri dynasty in the northern kingdom, seized the throne of Judah. The temple was laid waste and the priesthood of Baal was supported from the royal treasury.
Jerusalem was revived again under Uzziah, but the worship of Jehovah was never quite completely purified of the influence of Baalism prior to the Babylonian captivity.

It is quite obvious that the sinfulness of both Samaria and Jerusalem and their subsequent destruction are directly related to the insidious influence of Baal. Babylon, the mother of harlots, (Revelation 17:5) had succeeded, through her daughter, the religion of Baal, in seducing Israel the prince of God.

It was this spiritual immorality between the people of God and the religion of men that was the object of God's warning to them through the prophets, and the target of His wrath when they refused to repent.

POLLUTED AND FALSE RELIGION OF SAMARIA AND JERUSALEM RESULT IN MORAL AND SOCIAL EVILS.

The peculiar sins of Israel were personified in Samaria. The moral and social abuses against which Micah prophesied are the same as those listed by Amos, who preached and wrote during the same period. Amos speaks of God's faithful being sold into slavery. (Amos 2:6-7) The poor were oppressed. (Amos 5:7) Graft in high places was the order of the day (Amos 5:12) as was dishonesty in business dealings.

The insatiable drive for status symbols (Amos 4:1; Amos 3:15; Amos 6:4) coupled with an intense pre-occupation with entertainment (Amos 6) left the people unconcerned for their national welfare.

False confidence in a false god produced a false sense of security from divine judgment. (Amos 5:14; Amos 9:10)

As might be expected, the moral fiber of the people was totally rotten. Amos speaks of father and son committing fornication with the same girl. (Amos 2:7)

The peculiar sins of Judah were personified in Jerusalem. Micah lists the peculiar sins of the southern kingdom. They vary slightly from those of the north, and the variation may be due in part to the degree of Baal influence. Nevertheless, Judah's sins are heinous and the prophet's warning is sharp just as against Israel. The absence of righteousness noted by Micah (Micah 7:2) is reminiscent of Abraham's futile search for one righteous man in Sodom. (Genesis 18:23 -ff)

In denouncing this unrighteousness, Micah focuses on four principal kinds of evil-doers: (1) There were the land grabbers whom the prophet pictures as lying awake at night and scheming how they may do the small farmer out of his holdings. (Micah 2:1) Their concern was not for the moral right or wrong of what they were doing, but only for whether or not they would be found out. (Micah 2:9) This avarice was practiced even at the expense of one's own relatives. (Micah 7:5-7)

(2) There were lovers of evil in high office. (Micah 3:1-4) In their activities, bribery rather than justice decided civil cases (Micah 7:3) so that the little man had no effective recourse against the grabbing of the rich and powerful.

(3) False preachers, who were more concerned with their income than with the truth or with right and wrong, preached what their wealthy listeners wanted to hear.

(4) Hireling priests added to the practice of the false prophets. (Micah 3:11) Idolatry was allowed to pollute the worship of the people. (Micah 5:11-12 and Micah 3:7) As a result of such unholy clergy, the people believed that their national identity as God's People insured them against destruction (Micah 3:11) and that God's favor could be bought with sacrifice. (Micah 6:5-7) They could have profited greatly by reading their own Bible. (e.g. Psalms 50)

No thinking American Christian can read the minor prophets and fail to sense the parallels between Israel and Judah just prior to their downfall and America in the second half of the twentieth century. The sins are the same. their causes are the same. the public apathy is the same. the false sense of security is the same. and, because God deals with men in every age on the basis of the same eternal ethic, the danger of destruction is the same. If our nation should fall due to this moral dry rot resulting from polluted and false religion, it would be no strange thing when viewed in the light of history, And if God should use a godless power to bring about this destruction, this also would be in keeping with the lessons of history. God is still on His throne exercising authority over nations!

Chapter VIQuestions

First Cycle

1.

What evidence does Micah give in the early verses of his book concerning God's universal concern for all men?

2.

The term the people is used frequently to designate ____________.

3.

The term the nations indicates ____________ in contrast to the people.

4.

What long precedent does Micah have for his use of earth and all that therein is to call the whole world to listen to God's indictment of His covenant people?

5.

____________, Micah's contemporary, uses the same phrase.

6.

What two reasons are apparent for God's concern that the earth and all that is in it hear His charge?

7.

Who is the star witness for the prosecution against God's unfaithful people?

8.

Show how Stephen's defense (Acts 7) seconds the accusation of Micah against the people.

9.

Discuss, in connection with Micah 1:2(c) - Micah 1:3(a), God is not an absentee God.

10.

What is signified by the term high places (Micah 1:3(b))?

11.

Discuss Micah's statement that the mountains shall melt and the valleys melt like wax. Micah 1:4

12.

The purifying wrath of God against the people is to be occasioned by ____________ and ____________.

13.

Trace the eight ways in which the name Israel is used historically in the Bible.

14.

What is meant by pre-exilic? by post exilic?

15.

Trace the Biblical history of the name Judah and its development into the word Jew.

16.

Describe the situation of the city of Samaria.

17.

How is Samaria the transgression of Jacob?

18.

How is Jerusalem the sin of Judah?

19.

Both Je and Baal mean ____________.

20.

Compare the sins of the northern and southern kingdoms.

21.

Why was Samaria to be first to feel God's wrath?

22.

Discuss the significance of Samaria's graven images.

23.

How is spiritual harlotry an apt allegory of idolatry?

24.

How does the lament of Micah 1:8 relate to our understanding that the God of the Old Testament is the same loving God as that of the New Testament?

25.

What is the purpose of the punishment promised by Micah?

26.

The warning of Micah to Judah is ____________.

27.

List the cities of the Philistine plains mentioned by Micah. Locate them on a map.

28.

Micah's home town was ____________.

29.

Why did Sargon carry off the social, political and cultural leaders of Israel?

30.

Self-inflicted baldness by the worshippers of Baal was a symbol of ____________.