Micah

To me, this book is much easier to understand in "The Message Bible".  We are now in the eighth century BC...Micah was a contemporary to Isaiah, Amos and Hosea (whom we haven't met yet).  Micah was called to be concerned about social justice.  The rich were oppressing the poor in order to get richer.  The Methodist church is very supportive in this area.  To me, he is very similar to Isaiah.....there will be a courtroom with a trial....judgment is executed as destruction and exile, and then there is restoration with the remnant.  Micah is putting on trial, the capitals, leaders and then the people.

Micah loves wordplay, only since we don't know Hebrew, is is hard to know this is going on!   I do appreciate some good sarcasm.  Look at 1: 11-15, where judgment is happening:

According to the Message version:

Don't gossip about this in Telltown.
Don't waste your tears.
In Dustville,
roll in the dust.
In Alarmtown,
the alarm is sounded.

The citizens of Exitburgh

will never get out alive.

Lament, Last-Stand City:

There's  nothing in you left standing.

The villagers of Bittertown

wait in vain for sweet peace.

Harsh judgment has come from God

and entered Peace City.

All you who live in Chariotville,

get in your chariots for flight.

You led the daughter of Zion 

into trusting not God but chariots..

Similar sins in Israel

also got their start in you.

Go ahead and give your good-bye gifts

to Good-byeville.

Miragetown beckoned 

but disappointed Israel's kings.

Inheritance City

has lost its inheritance.

Glorytown

has seen its last of glory.

And in Chapter 5, about 700 years before it happens, Micah prophesizes the Messiah....can you imagine if you were a prophet..would you wonder what was coming out of your mouth?  One study Bible says that they knew what was going to happen, they just didn't know how.

Destruction is not the purpose for God.....he uses it to get people back on track (if they can get back on track) because He is  a just God... Micah gives a prophecy of restoration in 7:11-17...just like Isaiah will do, it talks of God ruling on Mount Zion and all the nations coming to hear His teaching....BECAUSE THEY WANT TO.....no more war!