Micah (Last Week of 2025)

What is the book of Micah all about?

I am sharing a summary video by Bible Project with the transcript. Let's get to know the book for the Sunday worship service.

Summary: The book of Micah presents a powerful movement between judgment and hope. Micah, a prophet from the rural town of Moreshet in Judah and a contemporary of Isaiah (Micah 1:1; Isaiah 1:1), speaks into a time when both Israel and Judah had broken their covenant with the Lord (Micah 1:5). He announces that God will use foreign empires—first Assyria and later Babylon—as instruments of judgment against their long-standing rebellion (Micah 1:6–7; 4:10).

Much of the book exposes the sins of Israel’s leaders and prophets, who have grown wealthy through greed, bribery, and injustice (Micah 2:1–2; 3:1–3). The powerful manipulate the legal system, exploit the poor, and violate the Torah by stripping families of their God-given land (Micah 2:8–9; cf. Leviticus 25:23). Even religious leaders are corrupt, offering false assurances of God’s protection in exchange for payment (Micah 3:5–7). As a result, God withdraws His protection, and judgment will fall on both the northern kingdom and Jerusalem itself, whose temple will be reduced to ruins (Micah 1:12–13; 3:12).

Yet judgment is never the final word. Each major section of warning ends with a promise of hope. God is portrayed as a shepherd who will rescue and regather a faithful remnant, restoring them to safety and reigning as their king (Micah 2:12–13; 5:4). Jerusalem, though destined for ruin, will one day be exalted again as the dwelling place of God’s presence and the meeting point of heaven and earth, drawing all nations into God’s peaceful reign (Micah 4:1–5).

These hopes are developed further through visions of exile followed by restoration (Micah 4:10; 7:11). At the center stands the promise of a new Davidic king—a Messiah born in Bethlehem—who will rule over a renewed people of God (Micah 5:2–5). In this future kingdom, the faithful remnant will become a blessing among the nations (Micah 5:7–8), even as God brings final justice and removes evil from the world (Micah 5:10–15).

At the heart of the book stands Micah’s famous summary of covenant faithfulness: “to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Israel’s failure to live this way explains the necessity of judgment (Micah 6:9–16). Still, the book closes with hope grounded in God’s character and promises. God is merciful and forgiving (Micah 7:18), faithful to His covenant with Abraham and Jacob (Micah 7:20; cf. Genesis 12:1–3), and committed to redeeming rather than destroying His people.

In the end, Micah teaches that God’s judgment serves His saving purpose. Because His covenant love is stronger than human sin, He will again show compassion, trample iniquity, and cast sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). This tension between judgment and hope is the heart of the book of Micah.The book of Micah presents a powerful movement between judgment and hope. Micah, a prophet from the rural town of Moreshet in Judah and a contemporary of Isaiah (Micah 1:1; Isaiah 1:1), speaks into a time when both Israel and Judah had broken their covenant with the Lord (Micah 1:5). He announces that God will use foreign empires—first Assyria and later Babylon—as instruments of judgment against their long-standing rebellion (Micah 1:6–7; 4:10).

Much of the book exposes the sins of Israel’s leaders and prophets, who have grown wealthy through greed, bribery, and injustice (Micah 2:1–2; 3:1–3). The powerful manipulate the legal system, exploit the poor, and violate the Torah by stripping families of their God-given land (Micah 2:8–9; cf. Leviticus 25:23). Even religious leaders are corrupt, offering false assurances of God’s protection in exchange for payment (Micah 3:5–7). As a result, God withdraws His protection, and judgment will fall on both the northern kingdom and Jerusalem itself, whose temple will be reduced to ruins (Micah 1:12–13; 3:12). Yet judgment is never the final word. Each major section of warning ends with a promise of hope. God is portrayed as a shepherd who will rescue and regather a faithful remnant, restoring them to safety and reigning as their king (Micah 2:12–13; 5:4). Jerusalem, though destined for ruin, will one day be exalted again as the dwelling place of God’s presence and the meeting point of heaven and earth, drawing all nations into God’s peaceful reign (Micah 4:1–5). These hopes are developed further through visions of exile followed by restoration (Micah 4:10; 7:11). At the center stands the promise of a new Davidic king—a Messiah born in Bethlehem—who will rule over a renewed people of God (Micah 5:2–5). In this future kingdom, the faithful remnant will become a blessing among the nations (Micah 5:7–8), even as God brings final justice and removes evil from the world (Micah 5:10–15). At the heart of the book stands Micah’s famous summary of covenant faithfulness: “to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Israel’s failure to live this way explains the necessity of judgment (Micah 6:9–16). Still, the book closes with hope grounded in God’s character and promises. God is merciful and forgiving (Micah 7:18), faithful to His covenant with Abraham and Jacob (Micah 7:20; cf. Genesis 12:1–3), and committed to redeeming rather than destroying His people. In the end, Micah teaches that God’s judgment serves His saving purpose. Because His covenant love is stronger than human sin, He will again show compassion, trample iniquity, and cast sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). This tension between judgment and hope is the heart of the book of Micah.

Additional Resources:

Summary: R. C. Sproul (1939–2017) was the founder of Ligonier Ministries, the first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, the first president of Reformation Bible College, and the executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.)

R.C. Sproul explains Micah through the lens of Micah 6:8, which calls God’s people “to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." He emphasizes that this call does not teach works-righteousness but reveals the fruit of true covenant faith.

Micah is identified as an 8th-century prophet and a contemporary of Isaiah (Micah 1:1; Isaiah 1:1). Though called a “minor prophet” because of the length of his book, Micah’s theological weight is significant. Sproul notes that Micah combines themes found prominently in Amos and Hosea—Amos’s denunciation of social injustice (Amos 5:11–12, 24) and Hosea’s emphasis on God’s covenant mercy and forgiveness (Hosea 11:8–9; 14:4). These two strands are woven together throughout Micah’s message (Micah 2:1–2; 7:18).

Sproul highlights Micah’s messianic hope, especially the promise of a Davidic shepherd-king who will restore God’s people. This Messiah is prophesied to be born in Bethlehem and to rule over Israel with ancient, eternal authority (Micah 5:2–5; cf. 2 Samuel 7:12–16). Micah also envisions a future kingdom in which the nations stream to the mountain of the Lord, learning His ways and living in peace (Micah 4:1–5).

Turning to Micah 6, Sproul focuses on the covenant lawsuit scene, where God summons His people as witnesses and exposes the emptiness of mere religious ritual (Micah 6:1–7). Sacrifices, offerings, and outward acts of devotion cannot substitute for genuine obedience. The heart of covenant faithfulness is summarized in Micah 6:8, which Sproul describes as the ethical center of the book.

Sproul explains that “walking humbly with God” means maintaining a clear distinction between who God is and who we are (Micah 6:8; cf. Isaiah 66:2). Justice and mercy are not abstract ideals but concrete actions, especially in relationships between people (Micah 3:1–3; 6:9–12). This echoes Jesus’ own teaching on the “weightier matters of the law”—justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).

Finally, Sproul situates Micah’s call within the broader framework of the Christian life. Christ Himself is our righteousness and justification (1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 5:1), and precisely because believers are justified, they are called to pursue righteousness in every area of life (Romans 6:12–14; Matthew 6:33). Micah’s message, therefore, does not describe the way to earn salvation, but the way redeemed people are called to live under the reign of a righteous and merciful God.