Micah 2

Mic 2:1-13.

DENUNCIATION OF THE

EVILS

PREVALENT:

THE

PEOPLE'S

UNWILLINGNESS TO

HEAR THE

TRUTH:

THEIR

EXPULSION

FROM THE

LAND THE

FITTING

FRUIT OF

THEIR

SIN:

YET

JUDAH AND

ISRAEL

ARE

HEREAFTER TO

BE

RESTORED.

1. devise . . . work . . . practise--They do evil not merely on a

sudden impulse, but with deliberate design. As in the former chapter

sins against the first table are reproved, so in this chapter sins

against the second table. A gradation: "devise" is the conception of

the evil purpose; "work"

(Ps 58:2),

or "fabricate," the maturing of the scheme; "practise," or

"effect," the execution of it.

because it is in the power of their hand--for the phrase see

Ge 31:29;

Pr 3:27.

Might, not right, is what regulates their conduct. Where they can,

they commit oppression; where they do not, it is because they

cannot.

2. Parallelism, "Take by violence," answers to "take away"; "fields"

and "houses," to "house" and "heritage" (that is, one's land).

3. against this family--against the nation, and especially against

those reprobated in

Mic 2:1, 2.

I devise an evil--a happy antithesis between God's dealings and the

Jews' dealings

(Mic 2:1).

Ye "devise evil" against your fellow countrymen; I devise evil against

you. Ye devise it wrongfully, I by righteous retribution in kind.

from which ye shall not remove your necks--as ye have done from the

law. The yoke I shall impose shall be one which ye cannot shake off.

They who will not bend to God's "easy yoke"

(Mt 11:29, 30),

shall feel His iron yoke.

go haughtily--(Compare Note, see on

Jer 6:28).

Ye shall not walk as now with neck haughtily uplifted, for the yoke

shall press down your "neck."

this time is evil--rather, "for that time shall be an

evil time," namely, the time of the carrying away into captivity

(compare

Am 5:13;

Eph 5:16).

4. one take up a parable against you--that is, Some of your foes shall

do so, taking in derision from your own mouth your "lamentation,"

namely, "We be spoiled," &c.

lament with a doleful lamentation--literally, "lament with a

lamentation of lamentations." Hebrew, naha, nehi, nihyah, the

repetition representing the continuous and monotonous wail.

he hath changed the portion of my people--a charge of injustice

against Jehovah. He transfers to other nations the sacred territory

assigned as the rightful portion of our people

(Mic 1:15).

turning away he hath divided our fields--Turning away from us to the

enemy, He hath divided among them our fields.

CALVIN, as the Margin, explains, "Instead of restoring our territory, He hath divided our

fields among our enemies, each of whom henceforward will have an

interest in keeping what he hath gotten: so that we are utterly shut out

from hope of restoration."

MAURER translates as a noun, "He hath divided

our fields to a rebel," that is, to the foe who is a rebel against

the true God, and a worshipper of idols. So "backsliding," that is,

backslider

(Jer 49:4).

English Version gives a good sense; and is quite tenable in the

Hebrew.

5. Therefore--resumed from

Mic 2:3.

On account of your crimes described in

Mic 2:1, 2.

thou--the ideal individual ("me,"

Mic 2:4),

representing the guilty people in whose name he spoke.

none that . . . cast a cord by lot--none who shall have any possession

measured out.

in the congregation of the Lord--among the people consecrated to

Jehovah. By covetousness and violence

(Mic 2:2)

they had forfeited "the portion of Jehovah's people." This is God's

implied answer to their complaint of injustice

(Mic 2:4).

6. Prophesy ye not, say they--namely, the Israelites say to the true

prophets, when announcing unwelcome truths. Therefore God judicially

abandons them to their own ways: "The prophets, by whose ministry they

might have been saved from shame (ignominious captivity), shall not

(that is, no longer) prophesy to them"

(Isa 30:10;

Am 2:12; 7:16).

MAURER translates the latter clause, "they shall

not prophesy of such things" (as in

Mic 2:3-5,

these being rebellious Israel's words); "let them not prophesy"; "they

never cease from insult" (from prophesying insults to us). English

Version is supported by the parallelism: wherein the similarity of

sound and word implies how exactly God makes their punishment answer to

their sin, and takes them at their own word. "Prophesy," literally,

"drop"

(De 32:2;

Eze 21:2).

7. O thou . . . named the house of Jacob--priding thyself on the

name, though having naught of the spirit, of thy progenitor. Also,

bearing the name which ought to remind thee of God's favors granted to

thee because of His covenant with Jacob.

is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?--Is His compassion contracted

within narrower limits now than formerly, so that He should delight in

your destruction (compare

Ps 77:7-9;

Isa 59:1, 2)?

are these his doings?--that is, Are such threatenings His delight? Ye

dislike the prophets' threatenings

(Mic 2:6):

but who is to blame? Not God, for He delights in blessing, rather than

threatening; but yourselves

(Mic 2:8)

who provoke His threatenings [GROTIUS]. CALVIN translates, "Are your doings such as are

prescribed by Him?" Ye boast of being God's peculiar people: Do ye then

conform your lives to God's law?

do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly--Are not My words

good to the upright? If your ways were upright, My words would not be

threatening (compare

Ps 18:26;

Mt 11:19;

Joh 7:17).

8. Your ways are not such that I can deal with you as I would with

the upright.

Even of late--literally, "yesterday," "long ago." So "of old."

Hebrew, "yesterday"

(Isa 30:33);

"heretofore," Hebrew, "since yesterday"

(Jos 3:4).

my people is risen up as an enemy--that is, has rebelled against My

precepts; also has become an enemy to the unoffending passers-by.

robe with the garment--Not content with the outer "garment," ye

greedily rob passers-by of the ornamental "robe" fitting the body

closely and flowing down to the feet [LUDOVICUS

DE DIEU]

(Mt 5:40).

as men averse from war--in antithesis to (My people) "as

an enemy." Israel treats the innocent passers-by, though "averse from

war," as an enemy" would treat captives in his power, stripping them of

their habiliments as lawful spoils. GROTIUS

translates, "as men returning from war," that is, as captives

over whom the right of war gives the victors an absolute power.

English Version is supported by the antithesis.

9. The women of my people--that is, the widows of the men slain

(Mic 2:2)

ye cast out from their homes which had been their delight, and seize on

them for yourselves.

from their children--that is, from the orphans of the widows.

taken away my glory--namely, their substance and raiment, which, being

the fruit of God's blessing on the young, reflected God's glory. Thus

Israel's crime was not merely robbery, but sacrilege. Their sex did not

save the women, nor their age the children from violence.

for ever--There was no repentance. They persevered in sin. The pledged

garment was to be restored to the poor before sunset

(Ex 22:26, 27);

but these never restored their unlawful booty.

10. Arise ye, and depart--not an exhortation to the children of God

to depart out of an ungodly world, as it is often applied; though that

sentiment is a scriptural one. This world is doubtless not our "rest,"

being "polluted" with sin: it is our passage, not our portion; our aim,

not our home

(2Co 6:17;

Heb 13:14).

The imperatives express the certainty of the future event

predicted. "Since such are your doings (compare

Mic 2:7, 8,

&c.), My sentence on you is irrevocable

(Mic 2:4, 5),

however distasteful to you

(Mic 2:6);

ye who have cast out others from their homes and possessions

(Mic 2:2, 8, 9)

must arise, depart, and be cast out of your own

(Mic 2:4, 5):

for this is not your rest"

(Nu 10:33;

De 12:9;

Ps 95:11).

Canaan was designed to be a rest to them after their wilderness

fatigues. But it is to be so no longer. Thus God refutes the people's

self-confidence, as if God were bound to them inseparably. The promise

(Ps 132:14)

is quite consistent with temporary withdrawal of God from Israel for

their sins.

it shall destroy you--The land shall spew you out, because of the

defilements wherewith ye "polluted" it

(Le 18:25, 28;

Jer 3:2;

Eze 36:12-14).

11. walking in the spirit--The Hebrew means also "wind." "If a

man professing to have the 'spirit' of inspiration

(Eze 13:3;

so 'man of the spirit,' that is, one claiming inspiration,

Ho 9:7),

but really walking in 'wind' (prophecy void of nutriment for the soul,

and unsubstantial as the wind) and falsehood, do lie, saying

(that which ye like to hear), I will prophesy," &c., even such a one, however

false his prophecies, since he flatters your wishes, shall be your

prophet (compare

Mic 2:6;

Jer 5:31).

prophesy . . . of wine--that is, of an abundant supply of wine.

12. A sudden transition from threats to the promise of a glorious

restoration. Compare a similar transition in

Ho 1:9, 10.

Jehovah, too, prophesies of good things to come, but not like the false

prophets, "of wine and strong drink"

(Mic 2:11).

After I have sent you into captivity as I have just threatened, I will

thence assemble you again (compare

Mic 4:6, 7).

all of thee--The restoration from Babylon was partial. Therefore that

here meant must be still future, when "all Israel shall be saved"

(Ro 11:26).

The restoration from "Babylon" (specified

(Mic 4:10)

is the type of the future one.

Jacob . . . Israel--the ten tribes' kingdom

(Ho 12:2)

and Judah

(2Ch 19:8; 21:2, 4).

remnant--the elect remnant, which shall survive the previous

calamities of Judah, and from which the nation is to spring into new

life

(Isa 6:13; 10:20-22).

as the sheep of Bozrah--a region famed for its rich pastures (compare

2Ki 3:4).

GESENIUS for Bozrah translates, "sheepfold." But

thus there will be tautology unless the next clause be translated, "in

the midst of their pasture." English Version is more

favored by the Hebrew.

13. The breaker--Jehovah-Messiah, who breaks through every obstacle

in the way of their restoration: not as formerly breaking forth to

destroy them for transgression

(Ex 19:22;

Jud 21:15),

but breaking a way for them through their enemies.

they--the returning Israelites and Jews.

passed through the gate--that is, through the gate of the foe's city

in which they had been captives. So the image of the resurrection

(Ho 13:14)

represents Israel's restoration.

their king--"the Breaker," peculiarly "their king"

(Ho 3:5;

Mt 27:37).

pass before them--as He did when they went up out of Egypt

(Ex 13:21;

De 1:30, 33).

the Lord on the head of them--Jehovah at their head

(Isa 52:12).

Messiah, the second person, is meant (compare

Ex 23:20; 33:14;

Isa 63:9).