Micah 2:7

O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? O THOU THAT ART NAMED THE HOUSE OF JACOB - priding thyself on the name, though having naught of the spirit of thy progenitor. Also, bearing the name which ought to remind thee of God's favours granted to His because of His covenant with Jacob. IS THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD STRAITENED? - is His compassion contracted within narrower limits now than formerly, so that He should delight in your destruction? (cf. Psalms 77:7; Isaiah 59:1). ARE THESE HIS DOINGS? - i:e., are such threatenings His delight? Ye dislike the prophet's threatenings ...

The Prophet now reproves the Israelites with greater severity, because they attempted to impose a law on God and on his prophets and would not endure the free course of instruction. He told us in the last verse, that the Israelites were inflated with so much presumption, that they wished to make terms with God: “Let him not prophesy” they said, as though it were in the power of man to rule God: and the Prophet now repeats, _Is the Spirit of Jehovah straitened? _as though he said, Ye see the intent of your presumption, and how far it proceeds; for ye wish to subject God’s Spirit to yourselves and to your own pleasure. The prophets doubtless did not speak of themselves, but by the bidding and command of God. Since then the prophets were the organs of the Holy Spirit, whosoever attempted to silence them, usurped to himself an authority over God himself, and in a manner tried to make captive...

6-11 Since they say, "Prophesy not," God will take them at their word, and their sin shall be their punishment. Let the physician no longer attend the patient that will not be healed. Those are enemies, not only to God, but to their country, who silence good ministers, and stop the means of grace. What bonds will hold those who have no reverence for God's word? Sinners cannot expect to rest in a land they have polluted. You shall not only be obliged to depart out of this land, but it shall destroy you. Apply this to our state in this present world. There is corruption in the world through lust, and we should keep at a distance from it. It is not our rest: it was designed for our passage, but not for our portion; our inn, but not our home; here we have no continuing city; let us therefore arise and depart, let us seek a continuing city above. Since they will be deceived, let them be dece...

Verse Micah 2:7. _IS THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD STRAITENED?_] This is the complaint of the Israelites, and a part of the lamentation. Doth it not speak by other persons as well as by Micah? Doth it communicate to us such influences as it did formerly? Is it true that these evils are threatened by that Spirit? Are these his doings? To which Jehovah answers, "Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?" No upright man need fear any word spoken by me: my words to such yield instruction and comfort; never dismay. Were ye upright, ye would not complain of the words of my prophets. The last clause may be translated, "Walking with him that is upright." The upright man walks by the word; and the word walks _with_ him who walks _by_ it....

O THOU THAT ART NAMED THE HOUSE OF JACOB - As Isaiah says, “Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel - which make mention of the God of Israel, not in truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel” Isaiah 48:1. They boasted of what convicted them of faithlessness. They relied on being what in spirit they had ceased to be, what in deeds they denied, children of a believing forefather. It is the same temper which we see more at large in their descendants; “We be Abraham’s seed and were never in bondage to any man; how sayest Thou, ye shall be made free?” John 8:33 “Abraham is our Father” John 8:39. It is the same w

EXPOSITION MICAH 2:1 § 6. _The prophet justifies his threat by recounting the sins of which the grandees and guilty._ MICAH 2:1 The prophet, himself one of the people, first inveighs against the sins of injustice and oppression of the poor. DEVISE … WORK … PRACTISE. A gradation. They are not led into these sins by others; they themselves conceive the evil purpose in their own heart; then they prepare and mature their scheme by reflection; then they proceed to execute it. Work evil; _i.e._ prepare the means for carrying out their conception (comp Isaiah 41:4). UPON THEIR BEDS. At night, the natural time for reflection (comp.

O [THOU THAT ART] NAMED THE HOUSE OF JACOB,.... Called after that great and good man, and reckoned the people of God, and have the character of being religious persons; but, alas! have but a name, and not the thing, and are the degenerate offspring of that famous patriarch: IS THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD STRAITENED? or "shortened" n; the Spirit of the Lord in his prophets, is it to be limited and restrained according to the will of men? or, if these prophets are forbid to prophesy, and they are silenced, is not the residue of the Spirit with the Lord? cannot he raise up others to prophesy in his name? or is the Spirit of the Lord confined, as a spirit of prophesy, only to foretell good things, and not evil? may it not threaten with, punishment for sin, as well as promise peace and prosperity?, and is it to be reckoned narrow and strait, because it now does not? the fault is not in that, but...

CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The guilt and punishment of Israel (Micah 2:1) _ 2. The future restoration (Micah 2:12) Micah 2:1. In the first two verses the special sins of Israel are mentioned, the same as in Amos--idolatry, covetousness and oppression. Therefore punishment is to fall upon them. There would be a doleful lamentation: “We be utterly spoiled: he changeth the portion of my people; how does he take it away from me!” Their fields would be divided. Nor did they listen to the true prophets; they gave ear to the false prophets who flattered them. It is interesting to note that the sentence, “Prophesy ye not, thus they prophesy,” literally translated is, “Do not sputter, thus they sputter.” They did not give out the

SOCIAL INJUSTICE AND ITS PENALTY. The prophet denounces those for whom might is right (Psalms 36:4; and work evil seems a thoughtless scribal addition), who acquire property by illegal or inequitable process (Isaiah 5:8). Against such plans Yahweh declares His own to bring this family (_i.e._ Israel as a whole, Amos 3:1) under the foreign yoke (Jeremiah 27:12). A lament shall be made over Israel, whose land shall be given to the heathen (Micah 2:4, _mg._ 1; but text is doubtful here, and often to end of...

JACOB. See notes on Genesis 32:28; Genesis 43:6; Genesis 45:26; Genesis 45:28. IS THE SPIRIT, &C. ? Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 11:23, the same word). App-92. SPIRIT. Hebrew. _ruach._ App-9. DO NOT. are not? MY. Septuagint reads "His", as in preceding clause: or. are not My words pleasant [saith Jehovah]? DO GOOD. pleasant....