Who was Micah? Micah’s best-known verse

The story of the prophet Micah is evidenced in the book that bears his name. Although it is among the smallest books of prophets in the Bible, its history is fascinating and there is nothing minor about the story of this prophet who prophesied about the nation of Judah, repentance, restoration and the coming of the righteous.

Eventually, when we read the book of Micah we find the path to repentance and restoration for our lives.

Be that as it may, the book of Micah is marked by the prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem of Judah. The focus of his prophecy is for the people to turn from sin and return to their savior, whose hope is to model our character as believer.

The prophet Micah was a man filled with the Holy Spirit who was called to prophesy to the nation. The verse from the book of Micah that illustrates what his life was like with God is Micah 3:8 which says:

“But I am filled with the power of the Spirit of the LORD, and with judgment, and with strength, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.”

Here we will illustrate a little about the trajectory of the book of Micah and find a little about the biography of the prophet Micah in the Bible.

Who was Micah

Micah was a man who was raised up by God as a prophet in the old testament. His journey was to prophesy the judgment of God that would come upon Judah and Israel in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah (1).

The meaning of Micah’s name means “who is a God like you”, where his name itself brings the central theme of his book. After all, the verse that summarizes the book can be said to be in Micah 7:18 “Who is a God like you, who forgives iniquity, and who overlooks the rebellion of the rest of his inheritance? He does not withhold his wrath forever, because he delights in his kindness.”

Consequently, Micah comes from the region of MORESHETH-GATH which was in the vicinity of Gath – here comes the meaning that was “inheritance or possession of Gath”. In other words, MORESHETH-GATH was a village that was located near the border of Philistia and Israel.

Commentators say that the prophet’s ministry occurred at the end of Jotham’s reign and continued into the first year of King Hezekiah’s reign. The book of Micah is probably dated to be written between 730 – 690 BC (BC).

Although the book is placed among the minor prophets, its message still echoes throughout scripture. He is even mentioned by the Prophet Jeremiah in his book as a great prophet who laid the foundation of spiritual reformation and that there would be a cleansing over Jerusalem (Jeremiah 26:18).

The prophet Micah is known by many to be the prophet who brought a message of judgment and restoration upon Judah. Which in turn would bring about revival in the land of Judah. He is seen as a type of John the Baptist and Elijah of the old testament pointing out some greedy judges, who earned money through bribery and ignoring true justice and mercy on the poor and oppressed.

Therefore, the book of Micah has its emphasis on showing that divine judgment would come upon the people, because of their transgressions and sins. It is illustrated that the judgment will be severe and that there is no way to avoid it.

However, the message of God’s severity in judging the nation for its sins does not end there. He points out that there is hope in the coming of the Messiah and comforts the hearts of the people with the following words.

The prophet says that God will have compassion on us again and that “you will cast all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. And that all this was based on the oath he swore out of love for Abraham and the ancestors of old.

Micah’s best-known verse

The best-known verse in the book of Micah, besides the prophecy regarding the birth of Christ, is the requirement that the Lord wants every believer to:

“Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). In the midst of a nation depraved by carnal practices, the hope for those who return to God is the execution of justice, the walking in holiness and having mercy and walking in humility before the face of the Lord as a seal in your heart.

After all, the context of the book of Micah places emphasis on showing that God would bring judgment on the powerful and rich class that habitually exploited the poorer class of that time who, in turn, were living on the line of poverty. What was clearly seen in the New Testament in Christ’s life on earth, where the religious and powerful exploited the poor and needy. Consequently, part of the prophecy in the book of Micah was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus to cleanse and bring restoration to the nation and will be completed in his second coming.