Micah, a prophet for all times
Micah 6:6-8
With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah was a poet-prophet. He was a minor prophet with a major message. The book of Micah is in poetry except for the first verse which was added by an editor to locate Micah in the 8th century BC. Micah who did not sidestep God’s anger championed social justice. For example, he cared about oppressed homemakers who had their homes taken away by people who coveted their dwellings.
Micah envisioned a time of peace when swords would be beaten into plowshares. (4:3) He gives us a summary of the prophetic tradition in the verses above. His ethics transcend times and cultures. His judgment was tempered with compassion by asking God to shepherd his people. (7:14) Micah ends with assurance that God will not be angry with the backsliders forever.
Ending with gratitude to all who work for justice and peace,
Sharon
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My goal is to present information about biblical poetry in short, readable pieces. The motto is “Bit by bit, insights lit.” Blogs will generally be 200 words or less; not counting the biblical quotation. The plan is to send 2 blogs per month for a total of 10-12 essays.
