The prophet Micah lived in a time when both Israel and Judah were “characterized by moral and religious corruption, social oppression, political intrigue, economic injustice, personal vice, deception and treachery’ (NLT Study Bible).  During his lifetime, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire (722 BC) and the southern kingdom of Judah came close to the same (701 BC).  God allowed this because of the ungodliness of people who presumed upon the Lord’s goodness: “Yet they claim to trust the Lord and say, ‘The Lord is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!” (2:11 NET).   

Micah “paints a terrible picture of the decay of ordinary justice, the abuse of power by the courts’ judges, and the prevalence of bribery…lust for money has invaded the religious sphere and priest and prophet have grown accustomed to favoring the rich and brow-beating the poor…He sees the evils of society not only as the heartless exploitation of the weak by the strong, but a failure to grasp the meaning of true religion” ( J.B. Phillips). 

In Chapter 7, Micah grieves over society’s decadence.  Looking for the godly was like looking for fruit after the harvest had already ended: “…There is no grape cluster to eat and no fresh figs that my stomach craves” (7:1 NET).  As he walked through the city, he grieved that he could not find an honest person anywhere: “What misery is mine” (7:1).  Wickedness had become widespread, with the whole fabric of life seeming to unravel. The people were without law, justice, and righteousness. 

People took advantage of each other, creating an adversarial culture that lacked trust. “Faithful men have disappeared from the land; there are no godly men left.  They all wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt their own brother with a net” (7:2 NET).  With the lack of faithful men, the vacuum left in society invited violence.

Government had become corrupt, to the point where those in authority plotted and maneuvered to satisfy their personal ambitions. “They are experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men announce what they wish, and then they plan it out” (7:3 NET).  They were basically crooked: “The best of them is like a thorn; their godly are like a thorn bush” (7:4 NET). 

Micah is fully aware that God was now bringing punishment on the people. “But your judgement day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion” (7:4b NLT). In the midst of all this, Micah gives fair warning concerning relationships. “Do not rely on a friend; do not trust a companion!” (7:5 NET).    

Even worse was the mistrust and conflict in the family. “For a son thinks his father is a fool, a daughter challenges her mother, and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are his own family” (7:6).  Men, can you see how relevant Micah’s words are today, as we witness the decline and fragmentation of civil order and family life? “Where there is no trust or confidence, and when occurrences are multiplied throughout a city and nation, the general situation deteriorates to a frightening degree” (Bible Speaks Today).

In this confusing time, Micah encourages us keep our eyes on the Lord: “But as for me, my eyes look for the Lord.  I will wait for the God who will save me; Yes, my God will deliver me?” (7:7 Phillips).  Men don’t allow the political voices of our day to get your eyes off Jesus. Lead your family daily in discussions of scriptural truth as it relates to the here and now.