Martin Luther once wrote: “They [the prophets] have a queer way of talking, like people, who instead of proceeding in an orderly manner, ramble off from one thing to the next, so that you cannot make heads or tails of them or see what they are getting at.” Nowhere is this truer than in the book of Micah. Does the book of Micah exhibit a logical, chronological, or theological structure? It is a bit difficult to say. Micah’s book is a bewildering collection of oracles that acrobatically jump around without telling us how they cohere. So much appears to be random. The book resembles a snowball rolling downhill, picking up loose ends along the way. “Connecting the dots” seems nearly impossible.
We can say, however, that the book divides into three parts:
(1) chapters 1–3 generally are oracles of doom against Samaria and Judah, climaxing with the prophet’s prediction that Jerusalem will be destroyed;
(2) chapters 4–5 contain promises of hope and restoration; and…
(3) chapters 6–7 begin with prophecies of judgment and end with a divine pledge of forgiveness and salvation.
The overall movement in the book of Micah is one of judgment for sin and salvation by grace. We see it in this way. (1) Mic 1:2b–2:11 (judgment)/Mic 2:11–12 (salvation); (2) Mic 3:1–13 (judgment)/Mic 4:1–5:15 (salvation); (3) Mic 6:1–7:6 (judgment)/Mic 7:7–20 (salvation).
This Advent season, we will take a look at the Book of Micah. Micah’s name means “who is like Yahweh—the LORD?” Interestingly, this forms a bookend with the confession at the end of his book, “who is a God like you?” (Micah 7:18). By affirming God’s uniqueness, Micah produced some of the most well-known texts within Israel’s prophetic writings—Zion’s elevation as the highest of all mountains (Micah 4:1–5), Bethlehem’s role in the Messiah’s birth (Micah 5:2), and the divine plan for all people to exhibit justice, kindness, and humility (Micah 6:8).
Our Advent/Christmas emphasis on Micah is titled “Fierce Judgment: Final Grace.” The goal? That we, just like the prophet, will marvel at God’s uniqueness and extravagant mercy in Jesus. Here is our sermon lineup:
Advent Midweek 1: The Advent of Our God (Micah 1:1–5)
Advent Midweek 2: Forever! (Micah 4:1–5)
Advent Midweek 3: Glory to God in the Lowest (Micah 6:1–8)
Advent 4: Hope (Micah 7:18–20)
Christmas Eve: O Little Town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2–4)
Blessings on the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons! -Pastor Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXIII, Number 4, November 2021)