The Prophet Micah

Foretelling The Birthplace of Christ

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

The prophet Micah, whose name means “Like the Lord”, was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. He is considered one of the twelve minor prophets of the Tanakh (Old Testament). Micah was from Moresheth-Gath in southwest Judah. His messages were directed toward Jerusalem.

            Micah prophesied the future destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria, the destruction and restoration of Judea and spoke out against the people of Judah for idolatry. The people of Samaria were rebuked for worshipping idols which were purchased with the money made by prostitutes. He also predicted the downfall of Jerusalem.

            Micah foretold the city’s demise due to the beautification of the city being financed by dishonest business practices, which caused poverty among the common citizen. He also rebuked other prophets of his day for accepting money for their visions.

            He waited for the destruction of the Judean state and promised the restoration of it, which would be greater than before. From there, he prophesied the peace that would come over the land that would be universal, and the glory of Zion and Jacob would be restored as the Lord forced the Gentiles to do away with their idolatry.

            In the market place of Jerusalem, Micah told the people “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God?” – Micah 6:8

            Israel admitted guilt to Micah’s charges and prophesies, and swore that they would rely on God for forgiveness, and that they would pray for that forgiveness. In Micah 3:11-12, Micah also foretold of the future plowing of Zion, and stated it again in Jeremiah 26:18, which was Micah’s only prophesy that was repeated in the Old Testament. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C., about 150 years after Micah gave the prophesy.

            In Micah 5:2, Micah made a prophesy that reveals Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem that would be the birthplace of the Messiah. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. That prophesy eliminated all other cities in the world as places that the Messiah could be born. The passage closely mirrors Matthew 2:6 which reads, “And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people Israel.

            It was the unrepented sin of the other cities in Israel that caused God to choose Bethlehem for the Christ to be born into this world. Bethlehem found favor with God and for their righteousness, God brought them the Messiah to rule all of Israel and the uttermost parts of the earth.

            Putting it all in perspective, let’s examine our hearts this Thanksgiving and see where we stand with God. Are there things in our lives in which we are putting before God? Do we make idols of our money, possessions, social stature? Do we worry about our bills or where our next meal, or tank of gas is coming from, instead of trusting that God will meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory? When we go to the supermarket or to dinner, do we argue that we are getting less than we deserve just to save a buck?

            Don’t get me wrong, I like saving money too. And I believe in good customer service. But do we make something out of nothing (in other words, is the service or the price of an item acceptable, but we look for reasons to grumble just to get something for free, or much less than it costs)? Micah talks about dirty business practices that hurt the economy and relations with others.

            After all, we are called to be different than the world, and we are to act as though we are set apart to be a living example of Christ. This Thanksgiving, be thankful for your family, your friends, your finances, no matter how great or small, and most of all, be thankful that God loves us just as we are when we come before Him, and that He selflessly gave His only Son, Jesus to pay the price for our sins that He didn’t owe.

R. Douglass Mahaffey – Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.