MICAH
CHAPTER 1
Micah prophesies the downfall of Samaria and Jerusalem.
1 THE word of the LORD that came to Micah [ Hebrew his name means "like unto Jehovah". He was a contemporary with Isaiah, Hosea and Amos. Isaiah will labor in Jerusalem become known as the Statesman of Israel in that he has access to the Palace later particularly then in the days of Hezekiah he'll be able to go in and out of the palace at will to visit with the King Hezekiah who was righteous. On the other hand Micah lives down in the country he lives in a place called Moresheth-Gath a village in the lowland of Judaea, near Eleutheropolis, some twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem, on the border of the Philistine country; so called to distinguish it from Moresheth of Judah. ] the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, [ Jotham was a joint ruler or coregent with his father Uzziah remember I told you that Uzziah was given leprosy because of his disobedient act in the temple one day his son Jonathan then will become a coregent with him for a while he'll only be 25 years old when he begans to Reign and he reigns for 16 years he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord he was appears to have been a good King and one who tried to do what's right he's followed by his son Ahaz and a horse is one of the more wicked kings in the southern Kingdom he's 20 years old when he began to Reign and he will reign for 16 years a very evil man we read of him in 2 Kings 16. he is Then followed by Hezekiah who is probably one of the greatest kings of Judah a very righteous man who kept the Commandments of God he's 25 when he begins to Reign and he'll Reign for 29 years close friend of the prophet Isaiah him and Isaiah must have had a lot of interchange with each other which speaks well of Hezekiah. ] Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria [ The capital of the Northern Kingdom. ] and Jerusalem. [ The capital of the Southern Kingdom. ]
2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. [ Or if you as a people refuse to accept the message that is being delivered by Micah then you are rejecting the living God himself. ]
3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, [ The heavens. ] and will come down, [ D&C 1:11-16 ] and tread upon the high places of the earth. [ The high places of the earth are the places that the wicked have established for themsleves. Places where they have lifted up themsleves in their practices of idolatry. ]
4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, [ His second coming and the burning that will take place then. (Isaiah 64:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:10; D&C 101:24-25; 133:40-41)] and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? [ The capital of Israel. ] and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? [ The capital of the southern kingdom. What sins do the two of these cities share? Idolatry as declared in verse 3. These are the two cities that provide the leadership for the rest of the cities that fall under them; hence the rest of the cities that fall under the jurisdiction of these two capital cities are corrupted as a result. The wickedness is all-inclusive. ]
6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: [ This will happen when Assyria destroys the northern kingdom. ] and I will pour down the stones [ The walls which are their defense and protection. ] thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. [ If you are at the foundation then you are at the beginning of the wall the lowest part, suggesting total destruction. (2 Kings 17:5,6)]
7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires [ The offerings. ] thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. [ So this verse is suggesting that the money from the prostitutes(or the high places, where they had the sin of idolatry) was used to support the religious leaders their buildings and their idols. Or it was where they got their money from. So as you went up to the groves the higher up you went the more money you were expected to pay, the higher you got the more you paid. So they were whores, taking money for idolatry. ]
8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: [ Ashamed. ] I will make a wailing like the dragons, [ Jackals sometimes in the old testament they are called foxes. ] and mourning as the owls. [ Ostriches make a terrible groaning noise at night. Symbolic of the moaning for the terrible things that are taking place upon the earth. ]
9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; [ Suggesting that the judgement will not stop at Samaria but will come to Jerusalem also. Assyria will lay total destruction to the entire northern kingdom, and will destroy all of the southern kingdom except for Jerusalem. ] he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
[ In verse 10- 16 we have a list of cities who will meet a fate appropriate to their respective names. He will take the name of the city and then he will explain the appropriate destruction for that city. ]
10 ¶ Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah [ Means house of dust. This city will be destroyed and become as dust. ] roll thyself in the dust.
11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, [ Means of beauty. Or it is a place of beauty before but will not be beautiful after the destruction. ] having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan [ Means outgoing. They will not be outgoing any longer as the town will be shut up with all of the destruction going on from the invading armies. ] came not forth in the mourning of Beth-ezel; [ Means house of stay. Fitting here as they will not be able to support anyone here during the destruction. ] he shall receive of you his standing.
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth [ Means bitterness. So for them it will be bitter when Assyria destroys them. ] waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, [ Means horse town. The horse is a swift beast and yet them with their horses and chariots will not be able to escape. Because Assyria will surround them so fast that they will not be able to get away. ] bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath: [ Means dowry or dowry of a betrothed woman. It will no longer be a happy place where they have weddings and dowrys are given. ] the houses of Achzib [ Means deceitful. Will no longer be a deceitful place as it will be destroyed as well. ] shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.