Minority Report: Micah

Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago. “As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders.” Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf. They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the Lord our God and will be afraid of you. Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.

Micah

Shepherd’s staff… refers to a rod or scepter… in this context refers to God’s protection and pastoral care over us… in other places, the rod or staff is an instrument of punishment or discipline...

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Minor Prophets, Hosea-Malachi Notes

shepherd’s staff. The word (shebet [7626, 8657]) may refer to a “rod, staff, scepter, tribe” (cf. NIDOTTE 4.27–29). The shepherd’s staff in this context is a symbol of God’s protection and pastoral care for his people Israel (cf. Ps 23:4). The prophet mentions the rod or staff as an instrument of punishment or discipline in 5:1

in this case, Micah is asking for PROTECTION and PROVISION… reminding God that Israel was HIS peopel…

FOCUS is on God Himself...

God will make Himself known

God will do EVEN MORE than what Micah asked for… looking back to the Exodus…

GENTILES will recognize the mighty works of God

RESTORATION will come…

CONTEXT: Where is another God like you? The rhetorical question may be a pun on the prophet’s name: “Micah"

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Minor Prophets, Hosea-Malachi Notes

Where is another God like you? This rhetorical question (mi-ʾel kamoka [4310/3644, 4769/4017]) may be a pun on the prophet’s name: “Micah”

God delights in mercy

PARDONS - remove guilt

UNFAILING LOVE - God delights in providing this love… and God is EAGER to display it

COMPASSION - an attribute of God

TRAMPLE SINS… THROW THEM DEPTHS OF OCEAN - he blots them out

The three most frequently used words for sin are employed here… including the thought of guilt and crime…

And God decides to give mercy to EACH and EVERY single one… doesn’t remain angry, but give sgrace

We must delight in mercy

Old Testament XIV: The Twelve Prophets As God Forgives, so We Forgive

We should give a tunic to one who has none at all. Who is the person who does not have a tunic? It is one who utterly lacks God. Therefore we should divest ourselves and give to one who is naked. One has God; another does not have God at all. We give to the one who does not have God.

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