Michea 6:2 Commento

After the precious promises in the two foregoing chapters, relating to the Messiah's kingdom, the prophet is here directed to set the sins of Israel in order before them, for their conviction and humiliation, as necessary to make way for the comfort of gospel-grace. Christ's forerunner was a reprover, and preached repentance, and so prepared his way. Here, I. God enters an action against his people for their base ingratitude, and the bad returns they had made him for his favours (Mic 6:1-5). II. He shows the wrong course they should have taken (Mic 6:6-8). III. He calls upon them to hear the voice of his judgments, and sets the sins in order before them for which he still proceeded in his controversy with them (Mic 6:9), their injustice (Mic 6:10-15), and their idolatry (Mic 6:16), for both which ruin was coming upon them.

INTRODUCTION TO MICAH 6 This chapter contains reproofs of the people of Israel for their sins, threatening them with punishment for them. The prophet is bid to tell them of the controversy the Lord had with them, which he did, Mic 6:1; and the Lord calls upon them to declare if they had any thing to object to his attitude towards them, Mic 6:3; and then puts them in mind of the favours they had received from him, in bringing them out of Egypt, and giving them such useful persons to go before them, lead and instruct them, as he had, Mic 6:4; and also reminds them of what passed between Balak, king of Moab, and Balaam the soothsayer; the questions of the one, and the answer of the other; whereby the designs of the former against them were frustrated, Mic 6:5; but since the voice of the Lord by his prophet was disregarded by them, they are called upon to hearken to the voice of his rod, Mic 6:9; which should be laid upon them for their fraudulent dealings, injustice, oppression, lies, and deceit, Mic 6:10; and therefore are threatened with sickness and desolation, and a deprivation of all good things, the fruit of their labours, Mic 6:13; and that because the statutes of Omri, the works of Ahab, and their counsels, were observed by them, Mic 6:16.

Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth,.... These are the words of the prophet, obeying the divine command, calling upon the mountains, which are the strong parts of the earth, and the bottoms of them the foundations of it, to hear the Lord's controversy with his people, and judge between them; or, as some think, these are the persons with whom, and against whom, the controversy was; the chief and principal men of the land, who were as pillars to the common people to support and uphold them: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel; his people Israel, who were so by choice, by covenant, by their own avouchment and profession: they had been guilty of many sins and transgressions against both tables of the law; and now the Lord had a controversy with them for them, and was determined to enter into judgment, and litigate the point with them; and dreadful it is when God brings in a charge, and pleads his own cause with sinful men; they are not able to contend with him, nor answer him for one of a thousand faults committed against him; see Hos 4:1.

(Chapter VI—Verses 1, 2.) Listen to what the Lord is saying: Rise up, contend with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Listen, O mountains, to the Lord's judgment, and you mighty foundations of the earth, for the Lord will judge with his people and with Israel. Septuagint: Listen to what the Lord has spoken: Rise up, judge among the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Listen, O mountains, to the Lord's judgment, and you valleys, foundations of the earth, for the Lord will judge his people and with Israel. For the firm foundations of the earth, which are interpreted as the seventy valleys and foundations of the earth, Symmachus and Theodotion translated it, and the ancient foundations of the earth: but the fifth edition presented the Hebrew itself, Ethanim, the foundations of the earth. Therefore, the first voice of the prophet is: Hear what the Lord is saying. Then God speaks to the prophet: Rise up, contend with judgment against the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Again, the prophet, as he had been commanded, speaks to the mountains, and not only to the mountains, but also to the strong foundations of the earth, and says, Hear, O mountains, the judgment of the Lord, and you strong foundations of the earth. He gives the reason why he compels them to hear. Because the judgment of the Lord will be pronounced upon his people, and with Israel it will be judged. They have transferred hills and valleys to the mountains to which the prophet speaks and to the strong foundations of the earth, understanding this, as it seems to me, that the people have done nothing worthy to be heard from the mountains, either from the hills that are inferior to the height of the mountains, or from the valleys submerged in the deepest part. Arise, he says, contend in judgment before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. He commands those who are sitting, lying, sleeping, or dead to arise, according to what the Apostle says: Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light (Ephesians 5:14). Arise from the dead, so that you may walk in newness of life, that you may leave the earth and strive for higher things. And contend in judgment against the mountains, which I believe to signify no one other than the Angels, to whom the care of human matters is entrusted, as the Song of Deuteronomy concords with the same: When the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God (Deuteronomy 32:8). Hello, we are the administrators of the spirit, sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation. And strive for justice, so that whether mountains or hills ((or valleys)) are found, it may not be considered unworthy of the people whom I have appointed, or that the blame be removed from the people and referred to the leaders. Let us read the Apocalypse of John the Apostle, in which the Angels of the Churches are praised and accused for their virtues and vices, for which they are said to preside. For just as sometimes the fault lies with the bishops, sometimes with the people; and often the teacher sins, often the student; sometimes it is the fault of the father, sometimes of the son, so that they may be taught either well or poorly: in this way, in the judgment of God, either a charge will be brought against the angels, if they do not carry out everything that pertains to their duty, or against the people, if they have disregarded those who do everything themselves. There are those who interpret the mountains and hills and the strong foundations of the earth as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the other patriarchs, to whom it is as if they were listeners and authors, and who are summoned to judgment, for the cause of the people of Israel may be investigated. Others believe that mountains, hills, and valleys are inhabited by angels, as we said above, either serving God in the heavens, or governing over humans on this earth, or being stationed below, among those who have become earthly due to their own fault, they are said to be the foundations of the earth: concerning which foundations and elsewhere we find it written: A fire is kindled in my wrath, it shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains (Deut. 32:22). The strong and ancient foundations of the earth (whose cause the earth has not passed until now, and hanging over the void, remains balanced) are the merits of the righteous, of whom the Apostle speaks: Built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). Therefore, just as the apostles, prophets, and the entire chorus of martyrs are the strong foundations of the earth, so according to the Septuagint, the valleys and cliffs, which are more significantly called φάραγγες in Greek, are their foundations, who have received the image of the dwelling place (Mss. choici). Therefore, the judgment of the Lord will be with His people, and with Israel it will be judged. He who could, as it were, inflict punishments like God for the sins of a sinful people, does not want to appear mighty, but just, and calls sinners to judgment, according to the prophecy: Come, let us argue it out, says the Lord (Isaiah 43:26), even now He calls the people of Israel, with the presence of Angels and all creatures, if there is anything to be answered, so that God may be justified in His words and prevail when He is judged (Psalm 50).

This chapter reproves and threatens. The manner of raising the attention by calling on man to urge his plea in the face of all nature, and on the inanimate creation to hear the expostulation of Jehovah with his people, is awakening and sublime. The words of Jehovah follow, Mic 6:3-5. And God's mercies hawing been set forth to his people, one of them is introduced, in a beautiful dramatic form, asking what his duty is towards a God so gracious, Mic 6:6, Mic 6:7. The answer follows in the words of the prophet, Mic 6:8; who goes on to upbraid the people of his charge with their injustice and idolatry, to which he ascribes want of success in their lawful undertakings, and those heave calamities which are now impending, Mic 6:9-15.

Hear ye, O mountains - Micah, as God's advocate, summons this people into judgment, and makes an appeal to inanimate creation against them. He had spoken to the priests, to the princes, to the people. He had done every thing that was necessary to make them wise, and holy, and happy; they had uniformly disobeyed, and were ever ungrateful. It was not consistent with either the justice or mercy of God to permit them to go on without reprehension and punishment. He now calls them into judgment; and such was the nature of their crimes that, to heighten the effect, and show what reason he had to punish such a people, he appeals to inanimate creation. Their ingratitude and rebellion are sufficient to make the mountains, the hills, and the strong foundations of the earth to hear, tremble, and give judgment against them. This, then, is the Lord's controversy with his people, and thus he will plead with Israel.

APPEAL BEFORE ALL CREATION TO THE ISRAELITES TO TESTIFY, IF THEY CAN, IF JEHOVAH EVER DID AUGHT BUT ACTS OF KINDNESS TO THEM FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD: GOD REQUIRES OF THEM NOT SO MUCH SACRIFICES, AS REAL PIETY AND JUSTICE: THEIR IMPIETIES AND COMING PUNISHMENT. (Mic. 6:1-16) contend thou--Israel is called by Jehovah to pie ad with Him in controversy. Mic 5:11-13 suggested the transition from those happy times described in the fourth and fifth chapters, to the prophet's own degenerate times and people. before the mountains--in their presence; personified as if witnesses (compare Mic 1:2; Deu 32:1; Isa 1:2). Not as the Margin, "with"; as God's controversy is with Israel, not with them.

Lord's controversy--How great is Jehovah's condescension, who, though the supreme Lord of all, yet wishes to prove to worms of the earth the equity of His dealings (Isa 5:3; Isa 43:26).

III. The Way to Salvation - Micah 6 and 7 Micah having declared to the people of Israel not only the judgment that will burst upon Zion on account of its sins, but also the salvation awaiting in the future the remnant saved and purified through the judgment, now proceeds, in the third and last address, to point out the way to salvation, by showing that they bring punishment upon themselves by their ingratitude and resistance to the commandments of God, and that it is only through sincere repentance that they can participate in the promised covenant mercies. Exhortation to Repentance, and Divine Threatening - Micah 6 In the form of a judicial contest between the Lord and His people, the prophet holds up before the Israelites their ingratitude for the great blessings which they have received from God (Mic 6:1-5), and teaches them that the Lord does not require outward sacrifices to appease His wrath, but righteousness, love, and humble walk with God (Mic 6:6-8), and that He must inflict severe punishment, because the people practise violence, lying, and deceit instead (Mic 6:9-14).