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By David R. Sincerbox|Published Date: January 25, 2012
Micah 1:5–7:
5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob
and for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob?
Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country,
a place for planting vineyards,
and I will pour down her stones into the valley
and uncover her foundations.
7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,
all her wages shall be burned with fire,
and all her idols I will lay waste,
for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,
and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.
The Story: “All this” refers to why God is coming in judgment. “Transgression” can mean “defection, fault, crime, revolt.” In this context, it refers to “rebellion,” specifically against God Himself. “Sin,” on the other hand, means “missing the mark.” Applied to archery, it meant missing the target altogether; thus “sin” is totally missing God’s holy standards and character. Samaria became a major source of corruption for all Israel, while Jerusalem itself, the site of Solomon’s Temple, also embraced idolatry. Two passages supply a concise description of the apostasy that Micah describes here: 1 Ki. 14:15-16 and 2 Chr. 28:1-4, 24-25. The “high place” takes on a double meaning in that it not only refers to idolatry, but it has a literal meaning in that both Samaria and Judah were built on hills. “Missing the mark” of the 1st and 2nd Commandments of Ex.20:3-4 lies behind the indictment of v. 7 in that King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel created an atmosphere that encouraged idolatry to flourish (1 Ki. 16:29-33). The “wages” and the two appearances of “fee” in v. 7 is the same Hebrew word which refers to another egregious sin, a violation of Dt. 23:17-18. During Micah’s lifetime in 722 B.C., Assyria, under King Sargon II, invaded the Northern Kingdom and destroyed Samaria.
The Structure: While reading prophetic passages, it is tempting to think, “What relevance do these passages have to me today? They were addressing times long ago.” The relevance is in both the story these prophecies tell as well as the guiding principles behind these stories—the specifics and the lessons. The lesson here is that God has given us a holy standard which should guide our lives and if we persistently violate that standard then we have rebelled against Him and have missed the mark. Final judgment is inevitable (see Rev. 20:11-15). But God, in His mercy, constantly invites us to repent and has provided the means of our return through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf (see 1 Pet. 2:24).
Idolatry can be anything that becomes the center of our desires, concerns, attention and being. In America, idolatry rarely takes the form of worshipping “gods” made from earthly materials although it does exist in our midst, but rather takes on the “worship” of forms identified by Paul in Col. 3:5 as “earthly things” such as “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness.” Sometimes things which in and of themselves can be good can be distorted by Satan and become objects of worship, such as family, reputation, work, study, country, sports, even church work. Is there anything in your life which is becoming the major center of your attention rather than loving God and loving neighbor? What should you do to put your arrows once again squarely in the target’s bulls-eye?
For more insight to the prophet Micah, order the book, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2: Micah-Malachi, by James Montgomery Boice, from our online store.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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