Micah 7:7

Micah changes his mood here. Before, he was bringing bad news. Now he speaks his own thoughts. Micah says ‘But in my case’. He forgets about the bad news now. He is confident. Previously, Micah spoke about punishment (verse 4). Now he trusts in God’s *salvation. God will save both Micah and the *remnant. There are three ways in which he trusts God.

1) Micah looks for help from the *LORD. He continues to wait for help from God. It is his normal practice. He will watch with hope.

2) Then Micah waits for God’s *salvation. He knows that the *LORD will save him. God will also save the *remnant. These people still trust God. They trust in God’s *covenant (verse 20). God made that *covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:7; Genesis 17:19). The army from Assyria would soon defeat the people in *Israel. God would scatter the people to the nations round them. But one day, God’s people would return as a nation. God gave that promise to the *Israelites by means of Moses (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). Micah will wait for God confidently.

3) Micah says, ‘My God will hear me.’ He knows that. It is God who gives strength to Micah. And it is God who helps him. But God will not answer the guilty leaders of the city (Micah 3:4).

Micah does not give up hope. He is not miserable. He knows that God will do what he (God) has promised to do. So Micah is waiting for the *LORD to act. The writers of the *Psalms often speak about that (Psalms 38:15; Psalms 130:5). Micah is confident. He knows that God will save him. God will save his people too. They need to wait patiently for God to act. They will also pray that he will make his promises come true.

7:8-20 The Song about Success

Micah ends the book in a special way. He uses words in the form of a song. The song starts with a declaration that shows confidence (verse 8). It has three main parts:

1. The people in Jerusalem confess their *sin. They declare their belief in the *LORD. They declare it to their enemies (verses 8-10). In the *Hebrew in these verses, it is as if Jerusalem (with its people) is a lady. And it is as if the enemy, too, is female. (This is because the *Hebrew names for them are female. Look at the notes on this verse.)

2. Micah gives a promise to Jerusalem’s people. Jerusalem will become like a field that has sheep in it. Its people will be like the sheep and the *LORD will be their *shepherd. The world will suffer God’s punishment. *Israel’s people will help the other nations. They will show to the other nations how to have a right relationship with God. The other nations are now God’s enemies. But in the future, they will be able to become his friends (verses 11-13).

3. The third section consists of prayer. These events will give to *Israel new confidence in God (verses 14-17).

The book ends with a declaration of thanks to God. The people praise God because of his immense power. He can remove (forgive) all their *sins. It is as if he would throw those *sins into the sea. He can make all his promises become true. He will act again as he acted with Abraham. He also dealt like that with the nation’s other heroes (verses 18-20).

v8 Do not laugh at me, my enemy. Although I have fallen, I will rise. Although I sit in darkness, the *LORD will be my light. v9 I *sinned against the *LORD. So he was angry with me. But he will argue on my behalf in court. He will do the things that are right for me. Then he will bring me out into the light. And I will see that he is right. v10 But my enemies will see this. They will be ashamed. They had said to me, ‘The *LORD, your God is of no use to you!’ At that time, I will laugh at them. Even now, people will walk over them as if they are mud in the streets.