Micah Chapter 2: The Wickedness of Man
Dec 20th, 2009 | By admin | Category: Micah, Verse by Verse --Studies led by Br. Frank Shallieu (Click on Book name)The RSV has, “But you rise against my people as an enemy; you strip the robe from the peaceful, from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.” Verse 8 provides further information on the misdeeds of the priestly and governing elements. Peaceful passers-by were robbed. “Ye pull off the robe with the garment” shows in figurative language that the leadership, not content with just the outer coat, stole the undergarments as well; that is, the victim was left with very little.
Within the nation of Israel, a certain element were so greedy for wealth and/or power that they were willing to take advantage of their fellow man. Men were deprived of inheritances, their houses were robbed, etc. Micah was severely condemning the whole arrangement and likening the greedy element to an enemy. Violence was emphasized in verse 2 and again here.
Here again Micah used a play on words. More than any other prophet, he used sarcasm, paronomasias, and innuendos. He capitalized on common, everyday expressions about other cities, people, and things, giving them a new slant or pun so that they boomeranged back on the Israelites. Because these expressions are no longer used today, we understand only a fraction of what Micah was saying, but his words were mighty powerful back there. It is profitable to study the Book of Micah, for we learn certain principles that help us to evaluate other pictures and prophecies.
