Micah's Prophecies of Destruction

Found 2 Search results

1. Michah 1-2

   Matan Al Haperek

   Rabbi David Sabato

   Michah prophesied to Israel and Judah in the second half of the eighth century BCE. He is the last of the “four prophets who prophesied at the same time” and we can see a similarity between his prophecies and those of Yeshayahu, who came slightly before him. Michah is called “the Morashtite” from the name of his village, Moreshet, which was in the area of Beit Guvrin. Michah rebukes Judah for the social injustice which has spread among them, and the ruling classes of Judah and Israel for the oppression of the lower classes and for taking their inheritance. In addition, he foresees the destruction of Samaria by Assyria and the Assyrian domination of Judah in the time of Chizkiyahu.

   Sefer Michah begins with a prophecy of the destruction of Samaria and the calamity which will befall Judah (2-9). At the beginning of the prophecy there is a description of the revelation of God as a witness and a judge (2-4), afterward the sins which are grounds for the case are listed (5) and in the end the verdict is described (6-7).

   Perek 2: The bulk of the chapter deals with the prophet’s struggle with the wealthy landowners in Judah. It opens with a rebuke to those who steal the fields and inheritances of those weaker than them (1-5). It then shows the argument between the prophet and the wealthy oppressors who demand that he stops prophesying (6-11). The perek ends with a prophecy of consolation which envisions the return of the exiles of Israel (12-13).

    

                                   

2. Michah 3-4

   Matan Al Haperek

   Rabbi David Sabato

   Perek 3 includes three prophecies of rebuke. Each of the prophecies is directed at a different social group which leads the nation and misuses its power. The first prophecy turns to the heads and officers of the nation, who are meant to enforce the laws and deal justly, but in fact they distort justice and oppress the needy (1-4). The second prophecy turns to the prophets who misguide the nation out of greed (5-8). In the third prophecy the prophet returns to the heads and officers of the nation, and includes among them the priests and prophets. From this grouping of prophecies we see a distorted social order, which is supported by the judicial and religious heads of the nation.

   At the beginning of Perek 4 we find the transcendent vision of the Temple Mount in the End of Days, a vision which had a deep influence on human civilization and served as a source of inspiration for generations. This vision appears in the prophecies of Yishayahu (perek 2) as well, and it prophesies world peace and the pilgrimage of the gentiles of the world to Jerusalem where they will unite under the kingdom of God (1-5). In the second half of the perek we find a few prophecies which include, among others, a prophecy of consolation which deals with the ingathering of the exiles and the renewal of the kingdom of the House of David, and encouragement and consolation to the people of Jerusalem (6-14).