Introduction to Micah
The Eighth Century BC was a very busy time for prophetic ministry. From prophets noted above, we learn Samaria had reached the peak of her evil and was destroyed in 722 BC. Yet some of the same wicked practices and accompanying arrogance had taken root in Jerusalem. We learn later, from Jeremiah, the full name is Michaiah, and he hailed from Moresheth, a small town on the Philistine border southwest of Jerusalem. He was acquainted with Isaiah, writing with the same grand Hebrew literacy, and with Amos, who shared his rustic background. He places himself in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah, starting roughly 740 BC, perhaps running as late as 690 BC.
Micah’s calling was to address the very deeply rooted evil of the whole nation, readily apparent in declining social morality. While the finger of God’s justice still pointed at the ruling classes, Micah witnessed to the effects on the common people. The leadership had forgotten these folks were family, too, ripping gaping holes in the moral fabric of God’s Creation.
