Micah 1:3-7

Micah is painting word pictures. It is impossible after 2700 years to see perfectly the pictures that Micah paints. However, by studying the words he uses and the culture that he speaks them to, we can have a good understanding of what he is showing to those who listen.

The mountains were where the Israelites had built their fortified cities. From high on a mountain, within their walled cities, they controlled the valleys and plains that lay towards the coast. Hearing Micah speak, the people would have pictured their military cities being shattered, and their enemies overrunning their lands. They would picture the devastation and enslavement that would follow.

The Israelites, who had taken up pagan worship, built their altars on heights they called high places. They placed their hopes in false gods, and Micah’s words would have caused them to see the destruction of their pagan religions. When they pictured God treading on the heights, they saw God Almighty crushing their false gods under His feet, and then washing away their idolatry with rushing water.

The Elites believed they were living at the height of culture and society. Foreign kings came to them for alliances. The Assyrians, Damascians and Egyptians all flattered them and made them feel important. They were living to please others instead of pleasing God. The Elites saw the feet of God, and no longer felt high and mighty.

Hearing the words of Micah, the people pictured what happens when God had had enough. They saw Him coming down to set things right. They pictured what it would mean for God to tread on mountains, high places and heights. They saw their military power melt away before their enemies. They saw their pagan idols and temples torn down and scattered. They pictured the Elites of their society becoming slaves. The pictures Micah painted should have caused them to repent; however, they did not, and Micah’s words became reality.

Americans believe we are king of the mountain, but mountains cannot save anyone from God’s wrath.