A prophet in mourning

Assyria conquered Samaria (the northern kingdom), but it did not end there. Its army eventually advanced even to Judah (the southern kingdom). Judah was Micah’s own country. Thinking of that land being plundered, Micah wept. “Because of this I must mourn and wail, I must go barefoot and naked; I must do mourning like the jackals and a mourning like the ostriches.” (1) “I must go barefoot and naked” describes the appearance of one in mourning. The same expression is found in 2 Samuel 15:30: “And David was going up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, and his head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his own head, and they were going up, weeping as they went.” (2) Jackals and ostriches are animals that dwell in desolate places, in the wilderness. Micah laments and mourns as he thinks of the land of Judah becoming devastated (Isa. 34:13; Jer. 50:39). (3) The devastation of the land of Judah would ultimately be fulfilled through the invasion of Babylon.

God’s love in sending a prophet

(1) God loved His people and sought to save them from destruction. For that purpose, He sent the prophets. Micah was one of them. (2) The prophets proclaimed the “message of repentance” given to them by God, but the people not only refused to listen; they also persecuted the prophets. (3) Seeing that condition, Micah said, “For her wound is incurable.” If they do not listen to the prophets sent by God, there is no hope for God’s people. It truly is “an incurable wound.” In other words, the wound of sin is so deep that there is no solution except to bring judgment. (4) It says, “For it has come to Judah; it has reached the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.” The Assyrian army destroyed Samaria, and next it extended even to Judah. However, the Assyrian army did not destroy Jerusalem. On this point, Micah writes carefully. He says only, “It has reached…even to Jerusalem,” not “It has destroyed Jerusalem.” Jeremiah, who came after Micah, also deeply lamented the disobedience of the people of Israel (ref. Jer. 8:18-22). Moreover, 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 teaches that the cause of the Babylonian exile was the people’s disobedience. “Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem. Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers… but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy.” Let us not commit sin to the point of no return. While the possibility of repentance still remains, let us return to the God who is speaking. Let us pray for the salvation of our fellow countrymen.