6<\/strong>. as a heap<\/em> ] Rather, into a heap<\/strong> (i.e. into ruins).<\/p>\n as plantings of a vineyard<\/em> ] Rather, into the plantings<\/strong>, &c. Samaria should remain so long in ruins, that vineyards should be laid out upon it (comp. Isa 28:1<\/span> ‘the fat valley of those who are smitten down with wine’).<\/p>\n I will pour down the stones<\/em> ] Samaria standing on a hill (see 1Ki 16:24<\/span>). “There is every appearance of the ancient buildings having been destroyed, and their materials cast down from the brow of the hill, in order to clear the ground for cultivation; masses of stone are thus seen hanging on the steep sides of the hill, accidentally stopped in the progress of their descent by the rude dykes and terraces separating the fields.” “The materials of the ruins are piled up in large heaps, or used in the construction of rude stone fences; many of these heaps of stone are seen in the plains at the foot of the hill.” Journal of a Deputation sent to the East by the Malta Prot. College<\/em>, Vol. ii. p. 425.<\/p>\n discover<\/em> ] i.e. lay bare.<\/p>\n Therefore – <\/B>(literally, And) I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard Jerome: The order of the sin was the order or the punishment. Samarias sins were the earliest, the most obstinate, the most unbroken, bound up with its being as a state. On it then Gods judgments should first fall. It was a crown of pride Isa 28:1<\/span>, resting on the head of the rich valleys, out of which it rose. Its soil is still rich . The whole is now cultivated in terraces , to the summits . Probably, since the sides of hills, open to the sun, were chosen for vineyards, it had been a vineyard, before Shemer sold it to Omri 1Ki 16:24<\/span>. What it had been, that it was again to be. Its inhabitants cast forth, its houses and gorgeous palaces were to become heaps of stones, gathered out Isa 5:2<\/span> to make way for cultivation, or to become the fences of the vegetation, which should succeed to man.<\/P> There is scarce a sadder natural sight than the fragments of human habitation, tokens of mans labor or his luxury, amid the rich beauty of nature when man himself is gone. For they are tracks of sin and punishment, mans rebellion and Gods judgment, mans unworthiness of the good natural gifts of God. A century or two ago, travelers speak of the ground (the site of Samaria) as strewed with masses of ruins. Now these too are gone. : The stones of the temples and palaces of Samaria have been carefully removed from the rich soil, thrown together in heaps, built up in the rude walls of terraces, and rolled down into the valley below. : About midway of the ascent, the hill is surrounded by a narrow terrace of woodland like a belt. Higher up too are the marks of slighter terraces, once occupied perhaps by the streets of the ancient city. Terrace-cultivation has succeeded to the terraced streets once thronged by the busy, luxurious, sinful, population.<\/P> And I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley – <\/B>Of which it was the crest, and which it now proudly surveyed. God Himself would cause it to be poured down (he uses the word which he had just used of the vehemence of the cataract Mic 1:4<\/span>). : The whole face of this part of the hill suggests the idea that the, buildings of the ancient city had been thrown down from the brow of the hill. Ascending to the top, we went round the whole summit, and found marks of the same process everywhere.<\/P> And I will discover the foundations thereof – <\/B>The desolation is entire; not one stone left upon another. Yet the very words of threatening contain hope. It was to be not a heap only, but the plantings of a vineyard. The heaps betoken ruin; the vineyard, fruitfulness cared for by God. Destroyed, as what it was, and turned upside down, as a vineyard by the share, it should become again what God made it and willed it to be. It should again become a rich valley, but in outward desolation. Its splendid palaces, its idol temples, its houses of joy, should be but heaps and ruins, which are cleared away out of a vineyard, as only choking it. It was built in rebellion and schism, loose and not held together, like a heap of stones, having no cement of love, rent and torn in itself, having been torn both from God and His worship. It could be remade only by being wholly unmade. Then should they who believed be branches grafted in Him who said, I am the Vine, ye are the branches Joh 15:5<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n Verse 6<\/span>. I will make Samaria<\/B><\/I>] I will bring it to desolation: and, instead of being a royal city, it shall be a place for<\/I> vineyards<\/I>. Newcome<\/I> observes, that Samaria was situated on a hill, the right soil for a vineyard.<\/P> <\/P> I will discover the foundations thereof.<\/B><\/I>] I will cause its walls and fortifications to be razed to the ground.<\/P> <\/p>\n Therefore; for these sins of Samaria, and the kingdom of Israel. <\/P> I will make; not by an immediate hand from heaven, but by the Assyrians under the conduct of Shalmaneser, they shall do it as my servants, saith the Lord. <\/P> Samaria as a heap of the field; much like Isa 25:2<\/span>; that beautiful city shall be made, and so left, as a ruinous heap in the field. <\/P> And as plantings of a vineyard: in planting vineyards, they did dig up the earth, and cast it up in hillocks, cast out all the stones; so shall they make this city. <\/P> I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley: the city was built on a high hill, and a deep valley beneath it; now when it was sacked by the Assyrians, they pulled down the buildings, and cast the stones thereof into that valley; so God did by them throw down the stones of Samaria. <\/P> And I will discover the foundations thereof; raze the walls, fortresses, and public buildings of this city to the very foundations of it, nor leave one stone upon another, as Mat 24:2<\/span>; Luk 19:44<\/span> desolation upon Samaria for her sin such a desolation as shall not leave the least footsteps of Samaria in the place where once it stood. <\/P> <\/p>\n 6.<\/B> Samaria’s punishment ismentioned first, as it was to fall before Jerusalem. <\/P> as an heap of the field<\/B>(Mic 3:12<\/span>). Such a heap ofstones and rubbish as is gathered out of fields, to clear them (Ho12:11<\/span>). Palestine is of a soil abounding in stones, which aregathered out before the vines are planted (Isa5:2<\/span>). <\/P> as plantings of a vineyard<\/B>asa place where vines are planted. Vineyards were cultivated on thesides of hills exposed to the sun. The hill on which Samaria wasbuilt by Omri, had been, doubtless, planted with vines originally;now it is to be reduced again to its original state (1Ki16:24<\/span>). <\/P> pour down<\/B>dash down<\/I>the stones of the city into the valley beneath. A graphic picture ofthe present appearance of the ruins, which is as though “thebuildings of the ancient city had been thrown down from the brow ofthe hill” [Scottish Mission of Inquiry,<\/I> pp. 293,294]. <\/P> discover thefoundations<\/B>destroy it so utterly as to lay bare itsfoundations (Eze 13:14<\/span>).Samaria was destroyed by Shalmaneser.<\/P><\/p>\n Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, [and] as plantings of a vineyard<\/strong>,…. As a field ploughed, and laid in heaps; see Mic 3:12<\/span>; or as stones gathered out of a field, and out of a vineyard planted, and laid in a heap; so should this city become a heap of stones and rubbish, being utterly demolished; and this being done according to the will of God, and through his instigation of Shalmaneser king of Assyria to it, and by his providence succeeding his army that besieged it, is said to be done by him. With this agrees the Vulgate Latin version,<\/p>\n “I will make Samaria as a heap of stones in a field, when a vineyard is planted;”<\/p>\n see Isa 5:2<\/span>; for the city, being destroyed, cannot be compared to the plants of a vineyard set in good order, beautiful and thriving; but, as to heaps of stones in a field, so to such in a vineyard; or to hillocks raised up there for the plants of vines; and if the comparison is to plants themselves, it must be to withered ones, that are good for nothing. The note of similitude as is not in the text; and the words may be read without it, “I will make Samaria an heap of the field, plantings of a vineyard” t; that is, it shall be ploughed up, and made a heap of; turned into a field, and vines planted on it; for which its situation was very proper, being on a hill where vines used to be planted, and so should no more be inhabited as a city:<\/p>\n and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley<\/strong>; the stones of the buildings and walls of the city, which, being on a hill, when pulled down, rolled into the valley; and with as much swiftness and force as waters run down a steep place, as in Mic 1:4<\/span>; where the same word is used as here:<\/p>\n and I will discover the foundations thereof<\/strong>; which should be fused up, and left bare; not one stone should be upon another; so that there should be no traces and footsteps of the city remaining, and it should be difficult to know the place where it stood. This is expressive of the total desolation and utter destruction of it: this was not accomplished by Shalmaneser when he took it; for though he carried captive the inhabitants thereof, he put others in their room; but this was entirely fulfilled, not by Jonathan Maccabeus, though he is said u to besiege it, and level it with the ground; but by John Hyrcanus; and the account of the destruction of it by him, as given by Josephus w, exactly answers to this prophecy, and, to Ho 13:16<\/span>; where its desolation is also predicted; he says that Hyrcanus, having besieged it a year, took it; and, not content with this only, he utterly destroyed it, making brooks to run through it; and by digging it up, so that it fell into holes and caverns, insomuch that there were no signs nor traces of the city left. It was indeed afterwards rebuilt by Gabinius the Roman proconsul of Syria, and restored by Augustus Caesar to Herod, who adorned and fortified it, and called it by the name of Sebaste, in honour of Augustus x; though Benjamin of Tudela pretends that Ahab’s palace might be discerned there in his time, or the place known where it was, which is not likely; excepting this, his account is probable.<\/p>\n “From Luz (he says y) is one day’s journey to Sebaste, which is Samaria; and still there may be perceived there the palace of Ahab king of Israel; and it is a fortified city on a very high hill, and in it are fountains; and is a land of brooks of water, and gardens, orchards, vineyards, and olive yards;”<\/p>\n but, since his time, it is become more ruinous. Mr. Maundrell, who some years ago was upon the spot, gives a fuller account of it;<\/p>\n “this great city (he says z) is now wholly converted into gardens; and all the tokens that remain, to testify that there has ever been such a place, are only on the north side, a large square piazza, encompassed with pillars; and, on the east, some poor remains of a great church, said to be built by the Empress Helena, over the place where St. John Baptist was both imprisoned and beheaded.”<\/p>\n So say others a,<\/p>\n “the remains of Sebaste, or the ancient Samaria, though long ago laid in ruinous heaps, and a great part of it turned into ploughed land and garden ground, do still retain some monuments of its ancient grandeur, and of those noble edifices in it, with which King Herod caused it to be adorned;”<\/p>\n and then mention the large square piazza on the north, and the church on the east. It was twelve miles from Dothaim, and as many from Merran, and four from Atharoth, according to Eusebius b; and was, as Josephus c says, a day’s journey from Jerusalem. Sichem, called by the Turks Naplus, is now the metropolis of the country of Samaria; Samaria, or Sebaste, being utterly destroyed, as says Petrus a Valle d, a traveller in those parts.<\/p>\n t “in acervum agri, in plantationem, [vel] plantationes vinae”, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Cocceius; as Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Burkius. u Paschale Chronicon, p. 181. apud Reland. Palestina Illustrata, tom. 2. l. 3. p. 980. w Antiqu. l. 13. c. 10. sect. 3. x Ibid. l. 14. c. 5. sect. 3. &. l. 15. c. 7. sect. 3. & c. 8. sect. 5. y Itinerarium, p. 38. z Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 59. Ed. 7. a Universal History, vol. 2. p. 439. b In voc. Dothaim, &c. c Antiqu. l. 15. c. 8. sect. 5. d Epist. 14. Morino apud Antiqu. Eccles. Oriental. p. 166.<\/p>\n Though Micah intended especially to devote his services to the Jews, as we have said yesterday, he yet, in the first place, passes judgment on Samaria; for it was his purpose afterwards to speak more fully against Jerusalem and the whole of Judea. And this state of the case ought to be borne in mind; for the Prophet does not begin with the Israelites, because he directs his discourse peculiarly to them; but his purpose was briefly to reprove them, and then to address more especially his own people, for it was for this purpose that he was called. Now, as he threatens destruction to Samaria and the whole kingdom of Israel on account of their corrupted forms of worship, we may hence learn how displeasing to God is superstition, and that he regards nothing so much as the true worship of his name. There is no reason here for men to advance this position — that they do not designedly sin; for God shows how he is to be worshipped by us. Whenever, then, we deviate in any thing from the rule which he has prescribed, we manifest, in that particular, our rebellion and obstinacy. Hence the superstitious ever act like fools with regard to God, for they will not submit to his word, so as to be thereby alone made wise. <\/p>\n And he says, I will set Samaria as an heap of the field, that is, such shall be the ruins that they shall differ nothing from the heaps of the fields: for husband men, we know, when they find stones in their fields, throw them into some corner, that they may not be in the way of the slough. Like such heaps then, as are seen in the fields, Samaria would be, according to what God declared. He then says, that the place would be empty, so that vines would be planted there; and, in the third place, that its stones would be scattered through the valley; as when one casts stones where there is a wide plain, they run and roll far and wide; so would be the scattering of Samaria according to what the Prophet says, it was to be like the rolling of stones in a wide field. He adds, in the fourth place, I will uncover her foundations, that is, I will entirely demolish it, so that a stone, as Christ says, may not remain on a stone, (Mat 24:2<\/span>.) We now perceive the import of the words; and we also perceive that the reason why the Prophet denounces on Samaria so severe a judgment was, because it had corrupted the legitimate worship of God with its own inventions; for it had devised, as we well know, many idols, so that the whole authority of the law had been abolished among the Israelites. It now follows — <\/p>\n SAMARIA TO BE DESTROYED . . . Mic. 1:6-11<\/span><\/p>\n RV . . . Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof. And all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her hires shall be burned with fire, and all her idols will I lay desolate; for of the hire of a harlot hath she gathered them, and unto the hire of a harlot shall they return. For this will I lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals, and a lamentation like the ostriches. For her wounds are incurable; for it is come even unto Judah; it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all: at Bethleaphrah have I rolled myself in the dust. Pass away, O inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame: the inhabitant of Zaanan is not come forth; the wailing of Bethezel shall take from you the stay thereof. COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n SAMARIA . . . SCENE OF DESOLATION . . . <\/span>Mic. 1:6-7<\/span><\/p>\n Samaria had been first to succumb to Baal worship. Before Jerusalem, Samaria had first become shot through with sin as a result of false gods. Samaria had chosen to break with the government in Gods chosen city, Jerusalem. Samaria would be first to feel the wrath of God against a rebellious people.<\/p>\n Micah had actually seen this destruction in the vision by which the word of God came to him. (Cf. Mic. 1:1<\/span>) His description of it bears the vivid stamp of eyewitness testimony. It is as though his eyes smarted from the dust of falling buildings and the stench of death after battle burned his nostrils. He would live to experience the same terrible desolation again in reality. The land would be overrun in 734 B.C. and the city itself wiped out in 721 B.C. by the armies of Shalmaneser and Sargon II.<\/p>\n Micahs God is not a petty national deity committed unconditionally to support the nation of Israel. He is the transcendent God who has called a man and through him created a people to bless all men. He will not brook flagrant disobedience and turning to strange gods. Indeed He cannot, if His eternal grand design for man is to be redeemed in the Seed of Abraham and fulfilled in a called-out family with Him as head. In the rock-strewn fields of Palestine, such a heap is a common sight, as the farmer gathers the stones into a heap in preparation for planting. The stones of which the once proud city of Samaria was built will be cast into the valley below and piled in heaps. This prophecy of desolation was fulfilled so completely that even these heaps of stones have all but vanished today.<\/p>\n Before the building of Samaria by Omri, the three hundred foot hill on which it stood was a vineyard. Because the city had turned to strange gods and led its people into sin, the site would be returned to its original use.<\/p>\n The hill is surrounded today by terraces, one a narrow wooded mound of earth raised slightly from the hillside. Above it are the marks of smaller terraces which may well be the vestiges of the streets of the city, In place of streets the terraces now support terraced fields, The word hires (Mic. 1:7<\/span>) refers to all that the worshippers of Baal sought to gain from worshipping him, along with the gifts offered to him as acts of worship. The motive in false worship is always personal gain of one type or another, just as true worship is always the abandonment of self to the purpose and service of God.<\/p>\n In laying waste the idols of Israel, God will be destroying the hires of a harlot. In her overthrow, her wealth, gained from spiritual fornication with idols, would go to another harlot . . . the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. Hos. 2:2-13<\/span> develops this allegory in the actual marital stress of the prophets own life. Ezekiel 16<\/span> contains two separate versions of the allegory.<\/p>\n In the first, the foundling child becomes the faithless wife of her benefactor. There the emphasis is upon Judah, but the principle is the same, since all of the people flirted with idolatry. The girlchild is left exposed to die. Jehovah passes by and bids her live and flourish. Later, in womanhood, He solemnly marries her and provides her with wealth and status far above her neighbors. She owes all to Him.<\/p>\n In return His bride plays the harlot (Eze. 16:15<\/span>) by offering her children, the children of Jehovah, to idols!<\/p>\n Ezekiel 16<\/span>s second allegory centers in Jerusalem. Her sin is said to be worse than Sodom or Samaria, since after all, they were not wives of Jehovah as was she. (Micah, however, does not hesitate to use the same allegory against Samaria since the people in the north as well as those in the south stood under the same divine covenant.)<\/p>\n Similar accusations of unfaithfulness are directed against the covenant people in such passages as Hos. 4:13-14<\/span>, Amo. 2:7-8<\/span>, Isa. 30:6<\/span>, Jeremiah 2, 3<\/span>, etc.<\/p>\n The law required that an unfaithful wife and her lover be put to death. (Deu. 22:22<\/span>) Israels unfaithfulness is worse than that of a common prostitute who is paid for her services. She invites her lovers and pays them. (Isa. 30:6<\/span>, etc.) Therefore God, Who is righteous in that He always conducts Himself by the same standards which He sets for His people, will punish His faithless wife. (Eze. 16:35-43<\/span>)<\/p>\n The punishment will not be by death. He will expose her to the world and give her over to her lovers, but He will do it to stop her harlotry and save the marriage, i.e. the covenant. This is carefully spelled out by the prophets. The forthcoming downfall of Israel and the captivity of Judah will be followed by a reconciliation. The covenant will once again become the basis of a happy marriage. The temple will be rebuilt, following the captivity, and the remnant of Israel will yet be the means of blessing all the nations of the world through the Seed of Abraham.<\/p>\n THE HUSBANDS LAMENT . . . Mic. 1:8<\/span><\/p>\n God does not enjoy punishing His people. Even though He has no choice but to cast off His faithless bride for a time in order to preserve the marriage, He now says, in effect, this is going to hurt me worse than it does you! Such lamentation ought to put the lie to the theology current in some modern circles which separates the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Testament on the ridiculous assumption that the God of the Old Testament was not a God of love. There is no pain equal to the pain suffered when love punishes to preserve!<\/p>\n The deep anguish of God over the state of Israel and the necessity to punish her so violently is spelled out in terms of the public mourning customary at the time. In time of deep distress, the bereaved stripped off his sandals (the Septuagint so translates stripped here) and his upper garments (the meaning of naked in these verses). Such barefoot, naked condition was a common sign of mourning. (2Sa. 15:30<\/span>)<\/p>\n To lament was to beat the breast in despair to the accompaniment of a loud mournful howl. The sound is here compared to that of the jackals, (rather wild dogs) which howl when deserted like a human cub when left alone and unloved. It is also compared here with the sound of the ostrich which in distress utters a long shrill sighing cry as though in deep hurt. Another similitude may also be intended by the reference to the ostrich: an ostrich hen will occasionally forget her nest, leaving her eggs to be trampled. So has Israel deserted Jehovah. (Cf. Heb. 10:29<\/span> where unfaithfulness to Christ is pictured as trampling under foot the Son of God.)<\/p>\n Micah pictures Jehovah as utterly tormented by the plight of His people and with grief for having to punish them so severely. Although He has been deeply wounded by the unfaithfulness of His bride, He still loves her very much. Yet the purpose for which the marriage had been contracted demands her faithfulness to Him and to bring this about she must be punished. He does not glory in her impending suffering . . . He is more torn by it than she! THE PURPOSE OF THE PUNISHMENT . . . <\/span>Mic. 1:9<\/span><\/p>\n Leaving the allegory of the faithless wife and the injured husband, the Lord, through Micah, now reveals His ultimate concern. The infection of Samaria is spreading like a deadly contagion to Judah . . . to the Chosen City itself. If the Covenant of Promise is to be redeemed, the infection must be stopped. Since it is already incurable, it must be destroyed. There is the hope that, seeing the destruction of Samaria, Judah would repent. As the infection, so the therapeutic destruction reached as far as the capital gates when the armies of Sennacherib camped outside the walls. (Isa. 36:1<\/span>; Isa. 37:33-37<\/span>) Gods punishment came step by step, leaving time for repentance. The defeat of Samaria and the scattering of her people, the halting of Sennacharib short of a conquest of Jerusalem were designed to call Jerusalem to her knees in contrition, to turn her away from the idolatry and insuing abandonment of morality which had become uncurable in the north.<\/p>\n But Jerusalem would not repent. She was taken captive to Babylon so that God, through suffering, might force the remnant back to Himself that the covenant might be fulfilled through them.<\/p>\n PUNISHMENT EXTENDED TO GATE OF JERUSALEM . . .Mic. 1:10-12<\/span><\/p>\n The punishment of God against the northern kingdom is not to stop at Samaria. It will rather roll like a relentless tide until it dashes against the very walls of Jerusalem. This is depicted dramatically by Micah as he lists one village after another, each one slightly nearer Jerusalem. Tell it not in Gath! Gath, the city of the Philistines . . . how the Philistines would delight to hear of the destruction of the Hebrews. The prophets words are an echo of Davids lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan. (2Sa. 1:20<\/span>) Weep not at all. Do not reveal to the enemies of Gods people your inner feelings . . . lest they rejoice!<\/p>\n From Gath the invaders would sweep south. At Bethle-aphrah have I rolled myself in the dust. This is the only mention of Bethleaphrah in the Bible. Its name is a play on words . . . meaning literally city of dust. (An appropriate name for many Judean villages!) Rolling in the dust was one of many customary forms of mourning, similar to another such practice . . . that of sitting in sackcloth and ashes.<\/p>\n From Bethle-aphrah the disaster mounts to Shaphir, a village of Judah which lay between Eleutheropolis and Ashkelon. The name means fair. Pass away, O inhabitants of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame. Nakedness again is to be understood as the removal of the upper garment as a sign of mourning. That which was once fair would stand naked and ashamed in the judgement of the Lord!<\/p>\n The inhabitant of Zaanan is not come forth. Zaanan has not been definitely identified by archeologists. It is probably the same as Zenan, located east of Ashkelon. (Jos. 18:22<\/span>) Its people cannot come forth to console the refugees from the north because they are themselves in the path of Sennacharib. This is reminiscent of Jeremiahs warning, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold a people cometh from the north country; and a great nation shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth. They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Zion. We have heard the report thereof; our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pangs as of a woman in travail. Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy, and terror, are on every side. O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us. (Jer. 6:22-26<\/span>)<\/p>\n The wailing of Bethezel shall take from you the stay thereof, Bethezel may be the same as Azal. (Zec. 14:5<\/span>) The stay thereof is taken away. That is to say, Bethezel, itself smitten, cannot sustain those who flee from the destruction on the plains. There is no more security near Jerusalem. The rout is complete.<\/p>\n WARNINGS TO JUDAH . . . Mic. 1:12<\/span>(b)-16<\/p>\n RV . . . For the inhabitant of Maroth waiteth anxiously for good, because evil is come down from Jehovah unto the gate of Jerusalem. Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. Therefore shalt thou give a parting gift to Moreshethgath; the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing unto the kings of Israel. I will yet bring unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah, him that shall possess thee: the glory of Israel shall come even unto Adullam. Make thee bold, and cut off thy hair for the children of thy delight: enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee. COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n The warning of Micah to Judah, concerning the fall of Samaria and the northern kingdom, is that the punishment from the north is to extend through the Philistine plain to the gates of Jerusalem. In Mic. 1:6-11<\/span> we saw the encroachment from Samarias viewpoint. In Mic. 1:12-15<\/span> we see the invasion of the northern kingdom from the vantage point of several Judean towns which are so situated as to be in the path of Sargon. We might have expected the overthrow of the north to end at the boundary between Israel and Judah, but the conqueror was not so neat in his concerns. Certain towns which lay south of the border would, largely for reasons of topography, be taken along with the northern kingdom. Whatever the attitude of the southern kingdom toward this violation of its territory, it was in no position to do much about it.<\/p>\n The cities mentioned are in the Philistine plain of Shephelah in northwestern Judah, and are the home territory of the prophet Micah. Moresheth-gath was Micahs home town. One can imagine the anguish of heart that came to the prophet as, in a vision, he saw the destruction of people and places filled with personal nostalgia and memories. As with each of the cities and towns named here, there is a play on the literal meaning of the name Morath. The people of Morath (bitterness) are anxiously waiting for the good. There is no bitterness like that felt by those who wait in the path of an invading army, hoping against hope for the intervention of a delivering force. Since this is apparently the first city below the border and on Judean territory to be invaded, the citizenry would no doubt hope for the army of the southern kingdom to intervene on their behalf. In bitterness they waited eagerly for help (goodness) . . . but none came. Lachish is located at the site of todays Tel-el-Hesey, about sixteen miles east of Gaza and slightly north. (Cf. Jos. 15:39<\/span> and Jer. 34:7<\/span>) Her punishment is just, in that she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion.<\/p>\n We are not sure in what sense Lachish was the beginning of sin. Some have thought this was one of Solomons chariot towns. (1Ki. 9:19<\/span>; 1Ki. 10:26<\/span>) If so, the people of Lachish would have been among the first in Israel to be introduced to the false sense of security which comes from the dependance upon military arms rather than upon the might of Jehovah.<\/p>\n It seems more likely that Lachish was the beginning of sin in that she had been among the first cities of the southern kingdom to participate in the newly minted idolatry of Jeroboam. (1Ki. 12:16-29<\/span>)<\/p>\n Whatever the reason, Micah makes Lachish responsible as the beginning of corruption and idolatry in Judah. The term daughter of Zion is a personification of all the people of Judah and of Jerusalem in particular. The implication is that Judah has been infected with Israels sin and that Lachish is the carrier.<\/p>\n Even though Lachish is a fortified city, Reoboam having made it so by surrounding it with double walls, battlements and towers, it would not escape the judgment of God at the hands of Sargon.<\/p>\n Micahs home town, Moresheth-gath, is next on the list of cities receiving the prophetic warning. It is difficult to know just who is being addressed in Mic. 1:14<\/span>(a). There is apparently no historic connection between Lachish and Moresheth-gath and so no reason apparent why such a statement should be directed to Lachish. It seems more likely that you must give parting gifts is directed to Judah who must watch another Judean town overrun in the downfall of the northern kingdom.<\/p>\n It was (and still is) customary in that part of the world for members of the family to bring goodbye gifts to a daughter who has been given in marriage, and especially to one whose marriage will take her to a far away place never to be seen again by her family. The goodbye to Moresheth-gath will be like that . . . permanent. Achzib is mentioned, along with Mareshah, in Jos. 15:44<\/span>. It may be the Chezeb of Gen. 38:5<\/span> and also the Cozeba of 1Ch. 4:42<\/span>. It is probably to be identified with modern Aen-Kezbah, situated eight miles north and east of Beit Jibrin in the Philistine plain.<\/p>\n The plural houses of Achzib, is taken by some to indicate two Achzibs. If so it would be translated the two Beth-Achzib. If this is true, the second Achzib is probably the one mentioned in Jos. 21:29<\/span> and Jdg. 1:13<\/span>. It is located in Asher and situated at or near the present site of Ez-zib on the coast between Acco and Tyre.<\/p>\n As with the other locations mentioned here, the name Achzib is a play on words. The Hebrew form of the word is akhzabh, meaning a deceitful thing. It is applied in Jer. 15:18<\/span> to a stream which seasonally dries up and which would deceive a weary traveler who expected to refresh himself. (Compare Job. 6:15<\/span>)<\/p>\n So Achzib shall be a deceitful thing to the king of Israel. The members of the royal family, fleeing to the town or towns of Beth Ach-achzib will not find a way of escape or refreshment. In Mic. 1:15<\/span> we again find the usual play on words; this time found in the use of yoresh, him that shall possess, with Mareshah, a possession. Jos. 15:44<\/span> pictures Moreshah as located near Achzib. Archeologists identify it with a ruin called Merash near Beit-Jibrin . . . about one mile to the south.<\/p>\n The Israelites had taken the city from the Canaanites. It will once more be possessed by a new possessor. Adullam, as its location indicates, is in the lowlands of Judah (Jos. 15:55<\/span>) and is characterized by an abundance of caves. It was here that David had fled from Saul. (1Sa. 22:1<\/span> -ff)<\/p>\n Now, centuries later, the same caves are to provide refuge for the northern nobility as they flee before the Assyrians. If there is to be a safe hiding place it will be here. So the glory of Israel i.e. the valuables which are to be hidden from foreign plunder, are to come to the caves of Adullam.<\/p>\n Self-inflicted baldness was a symbol of mourning among the worshippers of Baal. (Amo. 8:10<\/span>, Isa. 3:24<\/span>) It is forbidden in the Law of Moses, Lev. 19:27-28<\/span> and Deu. 14:1<\/span>) probably because it was associated with the surrounding paganism. The demand that those here receiving the punishment of Jehovah shear their heads and the heads of their children is repeated three times for emphasis. The punishment is essentially for worshipping pagan gods. The fitting form of mourning for such is the mourning practiced by the original worshippers of Baal.<\/p>\n The word eagle in the English translation is misleading. The bird referred to here is probably the Carrion Vulture which populates Egypt (where it was worshipped) and Palestine. Its head is completely bald in front, and has only a very thin covering in back. Micahs rebuke is vivid and scathing. Chapter VIQuestions<\/p>\n First Cycle<\/p>\n 1.<\/p>\n What evidence does Micah give in the early verses of his book concerning Gods universal concern for all men?<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n The term the people is used frequently to designate ____________.<\/p>\n 3.<\/p>\n The term the nations indicates ____________ in contrast to the people.<\/p>\n 4.<\/p>\n What long precedent does Micah have for his use of earth and all that therein is to call the whole world to listen to Gods indictment of His covenant people?<\/p>\n 5.<\/p>\n ____________, Micahs contemporary, uses the same phrase.<\/p>\n 6.<\/p>\n What two reasons are apparent for Gods concern that the earth and all that is in it hear His charge?<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n Who is the star witness for the prosecution against Gods unfaithful people?<\/p>\n 8.<\/p>\n Show how Stephens defense (Acts 7<\/span>) seconds the accusation of Micah against the people.<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n Discuss, in connection with Mic. 1:2<\/span>(c)-3(a), God is not an absentee God.<\/p>\n 10.<\/p>\n What is signified by the term high places (Mic. 1:3<\/span>(b))?<\/p>\n 11.<\/p>\n Discuss Micahs statement that the mountains shall melt and the valleys melt like wax. Mic. 1:4<\/span><\/p>\n 12.<\/p>\n The purifying wrath of God against the people is to be occasioned by ____________ and ____________.<\/p>\n 13.<\/p>\n Trace the eight ways in which the name Israel is used historically in the Bible.<\/p>\n 14.<\/p>\n What is meant by pre-exilic? by post exilic?<\/p>\n 15.<\/p>\n Trace the Biblical history of the name Judah and its development into the word Jew.<\/p>\n 16.<\/p>\n Describe the situation of the city of Samaria.<\/p>\n 17.<\/p>\n How is Samaria the transgression of Jacob?<\/p>\n 18.<\/p>\n How is Jerusalem the sin of Judah?<\/p>\n 19.<\/p>\n Both Je and Baal mean ____________.<\/p>\n 20.<\/p>\n Compare the sins of the northern and southern kingdoms.<\/p>\n 21.<\/p>\n Why was Samaria to be first to feel Gods wrath?<\/p>\n 22.<\/p>\n Discuss the significance of Samarias graven images.<\/p>\n 23.<\/p>\n How is spiritual harlotry an apt allegory of idolatry?<\/p>\n 24.<\/p>\n How does the lament of Mic. 1:8<\/span> relate to our understanding that the God of the Old Testament is the same loving God as that of the New Testament?<\/p>\n 25.<\/p>\n What is the purpose of the punishment promised by Micah?<\/p>\n 26.<\/p>\n The warning of Micah to Judah is ____________.<\/p>\n 27.<\/p>\n List the cities of the Philistine plains mentioned by Micah. Locate them on a map.<\/p>\n 28.<\/p>\n Micahs home town was ____________.<\/p>\n 29.<\/p>\n Why did Sargon carry off the social, political and cultural leaders of Israel?<\/p>\n 30.<\/p>\n Self-inflicted baldness by the worshippers of Baal was a symbol of ____________.<\/p>\n (6) Samaria as an heap of the field.<\/strong>Samaria was to be reduced to what it had been before the days of Ahab; the palatial city of the kings of the northern kingdom should return to the normal condition of a vineyard, which it had before Shemer sold it to Omri. The fruitfulness of its vines suggests one cause of its ruin. Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine (Isa. 28:1<\/span>).<\/p>\n Mic 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, [and] as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.<\/p>\n Ver. 6. Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field<\/strong> ] i.e.<\/em> When stones are gathered out of a field they are laid together on heaps, so I will take course that where Samaria now is, there shall be nothing to be seen but heaps of stones and rubbish. God is the true : “for thou hast made of a city a heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built,” Isa 25:2<\/span> . Of Rome it was long since prophesied: <\/p>\n “ Tota eris in cineres, quasi nunquam Roma fuisses.<\/em> ”<\/p>\n “The entire city will be in ashes, just as Rome never existed.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Oh that God would hasten that day! Scipio foresaw it, and wept, sc.<\/em> when he saw Carthage set all on fire by himself. In the greatness of the Turkish empire are swallowed up many kingdoms and countries; besides all those churches and places so much spoken of in Scripture, the Romans only excepted; yet, no doubt, for their many and mighty sins, time shall triumph over this so great a monarchy, when it shall but then live by fame, as others now do. Iam seges est ubi Troia fuit.<\/em> Though thou build thy walls as high as heaven (said the oracle to wicked Phocas), yet sin, that lieth at the foundation, will one day overturn them. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And as plantings of a vineyard<\/strong> ] That is, it shall be made a place fit for the planting of vines; it shall be utterly rased and harassed. A Lapide observeth the fitness of the expression here used, in that Samaria was situated on a hill that bore vines; and before it was a city it had been a vineyard: God threateneth to make it so again, and so to stain the pride of all its glory. See what a trouble town sin is. Surely did people but know what it will once cost them and cause to them, they dared not but be innocent. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley<\/strong> ] That is, into a bycorner. Clearing of stones is necessary to a vineyard, Isa 5:2<\/span> , there being no possession that requireth more pains and care, as Cato hath observed. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And I will discover the foundation thereof<\/strong> ] I will not leave a stone upon a stone, nor any footstep of so stately a city, that hath so long time been a cage of unclean birds, an Augean stable of abominable idolaters. God, as he hath loving respects to the places of his servants’ birth and abode, Psa 87:6 Isa 49:16<\/span> , so he sets the marks of his wrath upon those places where foul sins have been perpetrated, as upon our abbeys and monasteries, whose very foundations are laid naked.<\/p>\n discover, &c. This has now recently (1911) been done in the unearthing of Ahab’s wine-cellars. <\/p>\n Mic 1:6-11<\/p>\n SAMARIA TO BE DESTROYED . . . Mic 1:6-11<\/p>\n SAMARIA . . . SCENE OF DESOLATION . . . Mic 1:6-7<\/p>\n Samaria had been first to succumb to Baal worship. Before Jerusalem, Samaria had first become shot through with sin as a result of false gods. Samaria had chosen to break with the government in Gods chosen city, Jerusalem. Samaria would be first to feel the wrath of God against a rebellious people.<\/p>\n Micah had actually seen this destruction in the vision by which the word of God came to him. (Cf. Mic 1:1) His description of it bears the vivid stamp of eyewitness testimony. It is as though his eyes smarted from the dust of falling buildings and the stench of death after battle burned his nostrils. He would live to experience the same terrible desolation again in reality. The land would be overrun in 734 B.C. and the city itself wiped out in 721 B.C. by the armies of Shalmaneser and Sargon II.<\/p>\n Micahs God is not a petty national deity committed unconditionally to support the nation of Israel. He is the transcendent God who has called a man and through him created a people to bless all men. He will not brook flagrant disobedience and turning to strange gods. Indeed He cannot, if His eternal grand design for man is to be redeemed in the Seed of Abraham and fulfilled in a called-out family with Him as head.<\/p>\n Nor is He simply a petulant overlord who is in a rage because He has not had His own way. His wrath springs from much deeper wells. His wrath is His love reacting to that which threatens to thwart His blessing all the nations of the world. If He is to bring this redemption about, what He is about to do to Israel, must be done to preserve the covenant by which the blessing is to come to all.<\/p>\n Samaria, capital of the northern nation and center of her religion has become also the capital of her sin and the center of guilt. So Samaria will become as a heap of the field . . . as places for planting vineyards . . . In the rock-strewn fields of Palestine, such a heap is a common sight, as the farmer gathers the stones into a heap in preparation for planting. The stones of which the once proud city of Samaria was built will be cast into the valley below and piled in heaps. This prophecy of desolation was fulfilled so completely that even these heaps of stones have all but vanished today.<\/p>\n Zerr: Mic 1:6. For the present the predictions are against the 10-tribe kingdom whose capital was Samaria, Heap is from a Hebrew word that Strong defines as “a ruin (as if overturned).” When the Assyrian army subjugated the kingdom of Israel it left the country in ruins, at least as far as its government was concerned. The history of this event is recorded in 2 Kings 17.<\/p>\n Before the building of Samaria by Omri, the three hundred foot hill on which it stood was a vineyard. Because the city had turned to strange gods and led its people into sin, the site would be returned to its original use.<\/p>\n The hill is surrounded today by terraces, one a narrow wooded mound of earth raised slightly from the hillside. Above it are the marks of smaller terraces which may well be the vestiges of the streets of the city, In place of streets the terraces now support terraced fields,<\/p>\n God will discover the foundations of the city. The foundations are the unseen part of any structure, To find or discover them, it is necessary first to destroy the buildings which rest upon them. One who has walked among the ruins of ancient civilizations knows the familiar sight of such foundations . . . they are the last remaining ruin of any overthrown city. God will discover them in Samaria by wiping out this capital of idolatry,<\/p>\n All her graven images are to be beaten to pieces. To borrow a phrase from Abraham Lincoln, we have come to the nub of the matter. It is Israels unfaithfulness to her covenant vow with Jehovah in worshipping these images which was to bring about the ruination of Samaria.<\/p>\n The word hires (Mic 1:7) refers to all that the worshippers of Baal sought to gain from worshipping him, along with the gifts offered to him as acts of worship. The motive in false worship is always personal gain of one type or another, just as true worship is always the abandonment of self to the purpose and service of God. In laying waste the idols of Israel, God will be destroying the hires of a harlot. In her overthrow, her wealth, gained from spiritual fornication with idols, would go to another harlot . . . the Assyrian capital of Nineveh.<\/p>\n Zerr: Mic 1:7. Gods complaint against his people was about their idolatry, and he was determined to abolish it through the agency of the Assyrians. The hires thereof refers to the possessions of the people of Israel which they claimed they had obtained by the help of their gods. Hire of an harlot. idolatry was compared to adultery in ancient times, and the gains that were claimed to have been acquired through the favor of the gods is here likened to the money that a harlot would receive in payment for her service to Immoral men. Shall return to the hire of an harlot. Israel claimed to have received these material possessions through the favor of the gods. The italicized clause means that the heathen nations from whom the people of Israel learned the corrupt practice of idolatry would come upon the country and take possession of these very goods that were claimed to have been received through the favor of the gods.<\/p>\n Micah is not the first to call false religion harlotry, especially when indulged in by the covenant people. (False worship is called harlotry throughout the Bible from its inception in old Babylon.) The allegory is an apt one. The covenant with Israel is treated as a marriage vow; Israels incessant affairs with Baal as adultery.<\/p>\n Hos 2:2-13 develops this allegory in the actual marital stress of the prophets own life. Ezekiel 16 contains two separate versions of the allegory.<\/p>\n In the first, the foundling child becomes the faithless wife of her benefactor. There the emphasis is upon Judah, but the principle is the same, since all of the people flirted with idolatry. The girlchild is left exposed to die. Jehovah passes by and bids her live and flourish. Later, in womanhood, He solemnly marries her and provides her with wealth and status far above her neighbors. She owes all to Him.<\/p>\n In return His bride plays the harlot (Eze 16:15) by offering her children, the children of Jehovah, to idols!<\/p>\n Ezekiel 16s second allegory centers in Jerusalem. Her sin is said to be worse than Sodom or Samaria, since after all, they were not wives of Jehovah as was she. (Micah, however, does not hesitate to use the same allegory against Samaria since the people in the north as well as those in the south stood under the same divine covenant.)<\/p>\n Similar accusations of unfaithfulness are directed against the covenant people in such passages as Hos 4:13-14, Amo 2:7-8, Isa 30:6, Jeremiah 2, 3, etc.<\/p>\n The law required that an unfaithful wife and her lover be put to death. (Deu 22:22) Israels unfaithfulness is worse than that of a common prostitute who is paid for her services. She invites her lovers and pays them. (Isa 30:6, etc.) Therefore God, Who is righteous in that He always conducts Himself by the same standards which He sets for His people, will punish His faithless wife. (Eze 16:35-43)<\/p>\n The punishment will not be by death. He will expose her to the world and give her over to her lovers, but He will do it to stop her harlotry and save the marriage, i.e. the covenant. This is carefully spelled out by the prophets. The forthcoming downfall of Israel and the captivity of Judah will be followed by a reconciliation. The covenant will once again become the basis of a happy marriage. The temple will be rebuilt, following the captivity, and the remnant of Israel will yet be the means of blessing all the nations of the world through the Seed of Abraham.<\/p>\n THE HUSBANDS LAMENT . . . Mic 1:8<\/p>\n God does not enjoy punishing His people. Even though He has no choice but to cast off His faithless bride for a time in order to preserve the marriage, He now says, in effect, this is going to hurt me worse than it does you! Such lamentation ought to put the lie to the theology current in some modern circles which separates the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Testament on the ridiculous assumption that the God of the Old Testament was not a God of love. There is no pain equal to the pain suffered when love punishes to preserve!<\/p>\n The deep anguish of God over the state of Israel and the necessity to punish her so violently is spelled out in terms of the public mourning customary at the time. In time of deep distress, the bereaved stripped off his sandals (the Septuagint so translates stripped here) and his upper garments (the meaning of naked in these verses). Such barefoot, naked condition was a common sign of mourning. (2Sa 15:30)<\/p>\n To lament was to beat the breast in despair to the accompaniment of a loud mournful howl. The sound is here compared to that of the jackals, (rather wild dogs) which howl when deserted like a human cub when left alone and unloved. It is also compared here with the sound of the ostrich which in distress utters a long shrill sighing cry as though in deep hurt. Another similitude may also be intended by the reference to the ostrich: an ostrich hen will occasionally forget her nest, leaving her eggs to be trampled. So has Israel deserted Jehovah. (Cf. Heb 10:29 where unfaithfulness to Christ is pictured as trampling under foot the Son of God.)<\/p>\n Micah pictures Jehovah as utterly tormented by the plight of His people and with grief for having to punish them so severely. Although He has been deeply wounded by the unfaithfulness of His bride, He still loves her very much. Yet the purpose for which the marriage had been contracted demands her faithfulness to Him and to bring this about she must be punished. He does not glory in her impending suffering . . . He is more torn by it than she! <\/p>\n Zerr: Mic 1:8. The first person of pronouns is used in the prophetic writings somewhat interchangeably as referring to either God or the prophet. That is because the writing is inspired of God although the prophet is doing the writing. But when language describes such actions as the ones in this verse we should understand the pronoun to refer to the prophet. We have seen instances where the prophets were induced to do some ‘acting on account of the affairs of God’s people. In Mic 1:8 the prophet goes through Borne of the ancient customary acts of mourning over the deplorable condition of the nation.<\/p>\n It would be difficult to find a more vivid example of what it means to hate sin and love sinners. The old cliche of the wife deserting her husband for his best friend is exceeded here when Israel deserts God for His worst enemy . . . Baal. Yet he does not hate her . . . He despises her sin. Even in the punishment there are overtones of forgiveness!<\/p>\n How much more we would appreciate our relationship to God if we could but understand how very much He loves us! How much more we would be like Him . . . and worthy to be called His children . . . if we could learn to so love in spite of sin.<\/p>\n THE PURPOSE OF THE PUNISHMENT . . . Mic 1:9<\/p>\n Leaving the allegory of the faithless wife and the injured husband, the Lord, through Micah, now reveals His ultimate concern. The infection of Samaria is spreading like a deadly contagion to Judah . . . to the Chosen City itself. If the Covenant of Promise is to be redeemed, the infection must be stopped. Since it is already incurable, it must be destroyed. Moral decay resulting from false religion bears the seed of its own destruction. In the case of Samaria it was time for surgery. The northern kingdom was wiped out, its people scattered, and there was never to be a return. <\/p>\n Zerr: Mic 1:9. Israel had become so corrupt in devotion to idols that God saw no cure for it except by the services of a foreign nation which was to be the Assyrians. Wound . . , come unto Judah. The Assyrians did not rest content after having taken the kingdom of Israel into captivity, but came on and threw Jerusalem into a panic of fear. The history of this is recorded in 2 Kings 18, 19.<\/p>\n There is the hope that, seeing the destruction of Samaria, Judah would repent. As the infection, so the therapeutic destruction reached as far as the capital gates when the armies of Sennacherib camped outside the walls. (Isa 36:1; Isa 37:33-37) Gods punishment came step by step, leaving time for repentance. The defeat of Samaria and the scattering of her people, the halting of Sennacharib short of a conquest of Jerusalem were designed to call Jerusalem to her knees in contrition, to turn her away from the idolatry and insuing abandonment of morality which had become uncurable in the north. But Jerusalem would not repent. She was taken captive to Babylon so that God, through suffering, might force the remnant back to Himself that the covenant might be fulfilled through them.<\/p>\n PUNISHMENT EXTENDED TO GATE OF JERUSALEM . . .Mic 1:10-12<\/p>\n The punishment of God against the northern kingdom is not to stop at Samaria. It will rather roll like a relentless tide until it dashes against the very walls of Jerusalem. This is depicted dramatically by Micah as he lists one village after another, each one slightly nearer Jerusalem. He begins with Gath, one of the five cities of the Philistines, on the northern borders of Judah and proceeds through Bethle-aphrah, Shaphir, Zaanan, Bethezel and Maroth. The coming invasion by Sennacharib is presented in all its terror as one village after another falls before him, the refugees from one finding no succor in the next. Tell it not in Gath! Gath, the city of the Philistines . . . how the Philistines would delight to hear of the destruction of the Hebrews. The prophets words are an echo of Davids lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan. (2Sa 1:20) Weep not at all. Do not reveal to the enemies of Gods people your inner feelings . . . lest they rejoice! <\/p>\n Zerr: Mic 1:10. Gath and Aphrah were places in the land of the Philistines bordering on the country of Israel. The verse means that Israel should not make too much ado over the unfortunate situation, or these heathen communities would hear about it and take pleasure from it. Instead, in their distress let them quietly sit down or roll in the dust as a silent token of their humiliation.<\/p>\n From Gath the invaders would sweep south. At Bethle-aphrah have I rolled myself in the dust. This is the only mention of Bethleaphrah in the Bible. Its name is a play on words . . . meaning literally city of dust. (An appropriate name for many Judean villages!) Rolling in the dust was one of many customary forms of mourning, similar to another such practice . . . that of sitting in sackcloth and ashes. <\/p>\n Zerr: Mic 1:11. The revolutionary events that were to come upon the country involved various cities and communities in one way or another. Some cities had encouraged Israel in wrongdoing, and others had taken the opposite trend and refused even to sympathize with the people of the Lord in their many misfortunes. The places and persons alluded to in this verse were among the descriptions given and all were destined to fall.<\/p>\n From Bethle-aphrah the disaster mounts to Shaphir, a village of Judah which lay between Eleutheropolis and Ashkelon. The name means fair. Pass away, O inhabitants of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame. Nakedness again is to be understood as the removal of the upper garment as a sign of mourning. That which was once fair would stand naked and ashamed in the judgement of the Lord!<\/p>\n The inhabitant of Zaanan is not come forth. Zaanan has not been definitely identified by archeologists. It is probably the same as Zenan, located east of Ashkelon. (Jos 18:22) Its people cannot come forth to console the refugees from the north because they are themselves in the path of Sennacharib. This is reminiscent of Jeremiahs warning, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold a people cometh from the north country; and a great nation shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth. They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Zion. We have heard the report thereof; our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pangs as of a woman in travail. Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy, and terror, are on every side. O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us. (Jer 6:22-26)<\/p>\n The wailing of Bethezel shall take from you the stay thereof, Bethezel may be the same as Azal. (Zec 14:5) The stay thereof is taken away. That is to say, Bethezel, itself smitten, cannot sustain those who flee from the destruction on the plains. There is no more security near Jerusalem. The rout is complete. <\/p>\n Zerr: Mic 1:12. Maroth was another town in Palestine that was destined to feel the sting of the Lords wrath. Waited carefully . . . evil came. The gist of this verse is virtually the same as the preceding one, and predicts that this was another city that was to be disappointed of its expectations regarding the continuance of its prosperity.<\/p>\n Questions<\/p>\n First Cycle<\/p>\n 1. What evidence does Micah give in the early verses of his book concerning Gods universal concern for all men?<\/p>\n 2. The term the people is used frequently to designate ____________.<\/p>\n 3. The term the nations indicates ____________ in contrast to the people.<\/p>\n 4. What long precedent does Micah have for his use of earth and all that therein is to call the whole world to listen to Gods indictment of His covenant people?<\/p>\n 5. ____________, Micahs contemporary, uses the same phrase.<\/p>\n 6. What two reasons are apparent for Gods concern that the earth and all that is in it hear His charge?<\/p>\n 7. Who is the star witness for the prosecution against Gods unfaithful people?<\/p>\n 8. Show how Stephens defense (Acts 7) seconds the accusation of Micah against the people.<\/p>\n 9. Discuss, in connection with Mic 1:2(c) – Mic 1:3(a), God is not an absentee God.<\/p>\n 10. What is signified by the term high places (Mic 1:3(b))?<\/p>\n 11. Discuss Micahs statement that the mountains shall melt and the valleys melt like wax. Mic 1:4<\/p>\n 12. The purifying wrath of God against the people is to be occasioned by ____________ and ____________.<\/p>\n 13. Trace the eight ways in which the name Israel is used historically in the Bible.<\/p>\n 14. What is meant by pre-exilic? by post exilic?<\/p>\n 15. Trace the Biblical history of the name Judah and its development into the word Jew.<\/p>\n 16. Describe the situation of the city of Samaria.<\/p>\n 17. How is Samaria the transgression of Jacob?<\/p>\n 18. How is Jerusalem the sin of Judah?<\/p>\n 19. Both Je and Baal mean ____________.<\/p>\n 20. Compare the sins of the northern and southern kingdoms.<\/p>\n 21. Why was Samaria to be first to feel Gods wrath?<\/p>\n 22. Discuss the significance of Samarias graven images.<\/p>\n 23. How is spiritual harlotry an apt allegory of idolatry?<\/p>\n 24. How does the lament of Mic 1:8 relate to our understanding that the God of the Old Testament is the same loving God as that of the New Testament?<\/p>\n 25. What is the purpose of the punishment promised by Micah?<\/p>\n 26. The warning of Micah to Judah is ____________.<\/p>\n 27. List the cities of the Philistine plains mentioned by Micah. Locate them on a map.<\/p>\n 28. Micahs home town was ____________.<\/p>\n 29. Why did Sargon carry off the social, political and cultural leaders of Israel?<\/p>\n 30. Self-inflicted baldness by the worshippers of Baal was a symbol of ____________.<\/p>\n Therefore <\/p>\n In Mic 1:6-16 the Assyrian invasion is described. Cf. 2Ki 17:1-18. This is the local circumstance which gives rise to the prophecy of the greater invasion in the last days. Mic 4:9-13 and of the Lord’s deliverance at Armageddon.; Rev 16:14; Rev 19:17. <\/p>\n I will make: Mic 3:12, 2Ki 19:25, Isa 25:2, Isa 25:12, Jer 9:11, Jer 51:37, Hos 13:16 <\/p>\n and I will pour: Jer 51:25, Lam 4:1, Eze 13:14, Hab 3:13, Mat 24:2 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Deu 13:16 – an heap 2Ki 17:23 – as he had said 2Ki 18:10 – they took it Isa 9:14 – will cut Isa 17:1 – a ruinous Amo 3:14 – I will Amo 6:8 – therefore<\/p>\n Mic 1:6. For the present the predictions are against the 10-tribe kingdom whose capital was Samaria, Heap is from a Hebrew word that Strong defines as “a ruin (as if overturned).” When the Assyrian army subjugated the kingdom of Israel it left the country in ruins, at least as far as its government was concerned. The history of this event is recorded in 2 Kings 17.<\/p>\n Mic 1:6-7. Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap A heap of ruins. And as plantings of a vineyard As in planting vineyards men dig the earth, and cast it up in hillocks, so shall they make this city. The Vulgate reads, I will make Samaria as a heap of stones in a field, when a vineyard is planted. I will pour down the stones thereof, &c. The stones of it shall be tumbled down, from the lofty eminence on which it is situated, into the valley beneath, and shall leave the foundations thereof naked and bare. All this, and what follows, was fulfilled by Shalmaneser, who made a conquest of Samaria. And all the graven images thereof Whether made of gold, silver, brass, wood, or stone; shall be beaten to pieces Shall be pulled out of their chapels, shrines, or repositories, by their conquering enemies, and shall be trampled upon and broken, either out of contempt, or that the rich materials of which they are made may be carried away. And all the hires thereof shall be burned with fire The rich gifts, given for the honour and service of the idols by the deceived idolaters, shall be consumed. This seems to be spoken of the gifts sent to their temple by the Assyrians, whose worship they imitated. For she gathered it of the hire of a harlot, &c. She got it by the gifts of idolaters, and it shall return to those idolaters again.<\/p>\n Israel’s capital, Samaria, stood atop a mountain, but Yahweh said He would make it a pile of ruins in a field. That is, He would both destroy and humiliate it. It would become a rural rather than an urban place, suitable for planting vineyards. He would topple the stones of its buildings into the valley below and expose their foundations by destroying their superstructures. The fulfillment came with the Assyrian overthrow of Samaria in 722 B.C. Even today the foundations of Samaria’s buildings lie exposed.<\/p>\n Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, [and] as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. 6. as a heap ] Rather, into a heap (i.e. into ruins). as plantings of a vineyard ] Rather, into … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Micah 1:6”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22596\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
LXX . . . Therefore I will make Samaria as a store-house of the fruits of the field, and as a planting of a vineyard: and I will utterly demolish her stones, and I will expose her foundations. And they shall cut in pieces all the graven images, and all that she has hired they shall burn with fire, and I will utterly destroy all her idols: because she has gathered of the hires of fornication, and of the hires of fornication has she amassed wealth. Therefore shall she lament and wail, she shall go barefooted, and being naked she shall make lamentation as that of serpents, and mourning as of the daughters of sirens. For her plague has become grievous; for it has come even to Juda, and has reached to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. Ye that are in Geth, exalt not yourselves, and ye Enakim, do not rebuild from the ruins of the house in derision: sprinkle dust in the place of your laughter. The inhabitant of Sennaar, fairly inhabiting her cities, came not forth to mourn for the house next to her: she shall receive of you the stroke of grief.<\/p>\n
Nor is He simply a petulant overlord who is in a rage because He has not had His own way. His wrath springs from much deeper wells. His wrath is His love reacting to that which threatens to thwart His blessing all the nations of the world. If He is to bring this redemption about, what He is about to do to Israel, must be done to preserve the covenant by which the blessing is to come to all.
Samaria, capital of the northern nation and center of her religion has become also the capital of her sin and the center of guilt. So Samaria will become as a heap of the field . . . as places for planting vineyards . . .<\/p>\n
God will discover the foundations of the city. The foundations are the unseen part of any structure, To find or discover them, it is necessary first to destroy the buildings which rest upon them. One who has walked among the ruins of ancient civilizations knows the familiar sight of such foundations . . . they are the last remaining ruin of any overthrown city. God will discover them in Samaria by wiping out this capital of idolatry,
All her graven images are to be beaten to pieces. To borrow a phrase from Abraham Lincoln, we have come to the nub of the matter. It is Israels unfaithfulness to her covenant vow with Jehovah in worshipping these images which was to bring about the ruination of Samaria.<\/p>\n
Micah is not the first to call false religion harlotry, especially when indulged in by the covenant people. (False worship is called harlotry throughout the Bible from its inception in old Babylon.) The allegory is an apt one. The covenant with Israel is treated as a marriage vow; Israels incessant affairs with Baal as adultery.<\/p>\n
It would be difficult to find a more vivid example of what it means to hate sin and love sinners. The old cliche of the wife deserting her husband for his best friend is exceeded here when Israel deserts God for His worst enemy . . . Baal. Yet he does not hate her . . . He despises her sin. Even in the punishment there are overtones of forgiveness!
How much more we would appreciate our relationship to God if we could but understand how very much He loves us! How much more we would be like Him . . . and worthy to be called His children . . . if we could learn to so love in spite of sin.<\/p>\n
Moral decay resulting from false religion bears the seed of its own destruction. In the case of Samaria it was time for surgery. The northern kingdom was wiped out, its people scattered, and there was never to be a return.<\/p>\n
He begins with Gath, one of the five cities of the Philistines, on the northern borders of Judah and proceeds through Bethle-aphrah, Shaphir, Zaanan, Bethezel and Maroth. The coming invasion by Sennacharib is presented in all its terror as one village after another falls before him, the refugees from one finding no succor in the next.<\/p>\n
LXX . . . Who has begun to act for good to her that dwells in sorrow? for calamities have come down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem, even a sound of chariots and horsemen: the inhabitants of Lachis, she is the leader of sin to the daughter of Sion: for in thee were found the transgressions of Israel. Therefore shall he cause men to he sent forth as far as the inheritance of Geth, even vain houses; they are become vanity to the kings of Israel; until they bring the heirs, O inhabitants of Lachis: the inheritance shall reach to Odollam, even the glory of the daughter of Israel. Shave thine hair, and make thyself bald for thy delicate children; increase thy widowhood as an eagle; for thy people are gone into captivity from thee.<\/p>\n
The first of the cities of the Philistine plain mentioned is Maroth. The name means bitterness. The city is known in modern times as Unman. It is located in the hill country bordering the plain of Sephelah near Beth-anoth and Eltekon. (Cf. Jos. 15:59<\/span>)<\/p>\n
To those who stood in the path of the invader, it would seem that Sargon was the originator of their woes. The prophet sees otherwise. That which is to happen, which he has seen already happening in his vision, is come down from Jehovah. It is punishment, first for sin, and secondly for failing to heed the prophets.
The anxiety of the citizens of Morath over their own plight would be eclipsed by their awareness that Jerusalem itself was threatened.?
The next mentioned city in the line of march is Lachish. The literal meaning of Lachish is swift beast. Again there is a play on words in the original text. The inhabitants of Lachish (swift beast) are warned to hitch their swift steed to the chariot. There would be need for speed if any were to successfully flee before the invading host.<\/p>\n
The literal meaning of Moresheth is possession, and again, in the giving of gifts, there is the play on words which is typical of this passage.<\/p>\n
It might be well to recall just here, that Sargon claims to have carried off only some 27,000 people from the northern kingdom. If so, it was the members of the royal family along with the social, political and cultural leaders. In this way the conquered people would be leaderless and unlikely to rebel. The flavor of fleeing royalty is found throughout the prophecies of the downfall of Israel.<\/p>\n
Adullam identified with the ruins at present day Aid-el-ma, three miles southeast of Soco and northeast eight miles from Mareshah, is, in a sense, the high water mark of the invasion at the time of the fall of Israel. Later, the entire southern kingdom would fall to Sennacharib, but for the present, the Assyrian tide stops here.<\/p>\n
The terrors of war have not changed. Insert new names for the towns and villages in this passage and we have a description of Europe cringing before Atilla the Hun, or Hitler . . . and of the people of the East trembling before the Japanese Imperial Army as it advances down the Pacific island chain toward Australia. Or, to make the allegory more contemporary yet . . . here is a picture of the Czech people shuddering as the Russian tanks roll by, or of Yugoslavia and Hungary bracing for a similar invasion.
The difference is that the invasion of Sargon and later of Sennacharib had been announced in advance by the prophets of God. They had been made aware that the pillage of war was their just punishment for having been unfaithful to God. Perhaps it is only this awareness that distinguishes them from more recent victims of conflict.<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"