ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Micah 7

Mic. 7:1–2 summer fruit has been gathered . . . grapes have been gleaned. . . . The godly has perished. In gleaning the fields of the summer harvest, one expects to find leftovers. Micah’s search yields no godly remnant, only sorrow and futility (compare 6:14–15; Isa. 17:6).

Mic. 7:3 The “asking” of the prince and judge and “uttering” of the great man highlight the constant demands of corrupt leaders.

Mic. 7:4–6 day of your watchmen. Just as the lookout on the city wall warned of approaching danger, so Micah announced the approaching judgment (compare Ezek. 3:16–21; 33:7–9; Hos. 9:8). your punishment . . . their confusion. Both social and family relationships have broken down in a city under attack.

Mic. 7:7 But as for me contrasts Micah with the unfaithful leaders of vv. 3–4 (compare 3:8). I will look identifies Micah with the watchmen of 7:4. I will wait . . . my God will hear me expresses the quiet confidence that God will act.

Mic. 7:8 I fall . . . rise; . . . I sit in darkness . . . light. The city is compared to a prisoner of war, near death and in a dungeon of gloom. Yet the Lord provides the sure hope of freedom.

Mic. 7:9 indignation of the Lord . . . he pleads my cause. The people admit that they have sinned. Yet they also know God forgives those who repent. out to the light . . . his vindication. The rightness and justice of the Lord’s action are “seen” in the freeing of the prisoner and the shaming of the enemy.

Mic. 7:10 shame will cover. . . . My eyes will look upon her. A reversal of roles takes place. Those nations that earlier desired to see Zion defiled (4:11) are now publicly scorned.

Mic. 7:11–12 Three activities of the future day bind these verses together. (1) building . . . walls. The enemy “now trampled” (v. 10) contrasts with the rising security (compare v. 8) of Zion’s walls. (2) boundary . . . extended. Beyond security, there is a promise of territorial expansion (Ex. 23:31; Isa. 26:15). (3) They will come refers to the gathered remnant (Isa. 11:11–12; Zech. 10:9–10) and the nations (Mic. 4:1–2; Zech. 14:16). Assyria . . . Egypt . . . sea . . . mountain. Salvation will go out to all the Gentiles.

Mic. 7:13 desolate. Safety is found only in Jerusalem. Outside there is only a wasteland.

Mic. 7:14 Shepherd your people . . . your inheritance is a request that the Lord would feed and protect the nation (compare Deut. 32:9; Ps. 28:9; 78:70–71). Bashan and Gilead. These fertile areas east of the Jordan were among the first lands that Israel gained when entering the Promised Land (Josh. 13:19–31). Centuries later, they were the first lands lost (2 Kings 10:32–33).

Mic. 7:15 when you came out. The people of God in all ages are included in the deliverance from Egypt (compare Deut. 5:3). The Lord has acted in the past, and he will do so again. marvelous things. This term is associated with the Lord’s acts in the presence of Pharaoh (Ex. 3:20).

Mic. 7:16–17 see and be ashamed. This describes what the nations experience when they observe God’s power (compare v. 10). the Lord our God. The shepherd of v. 14 is now identified. fear. The similar sound and spelling of “graze” (v. 14), “see” (v. 16), and “fear” (v. 17) clarify the interaction of the Lord with Israel and the other nations. God’s people are fed, and the nations fear (compare Ex. 15:14–16).

Mic. 7:18 Who is a God like you? The question emphasizes the uniqueness of the God who defends and pardons his people (compare Ex. 15:11; Deut. 3:24; Ps. 35:10; 89:5–8). because he delights in steadfast love. This is why God forgives. The confrontation resulting from Israel’s sin (Mic. 1:5; 3:8) yields to the feeding (7:14) and forgiving of God’s inheritance (Jer. 50:17–20).

Mic. 7:19 cast . . . into the depths. As God cast Pharaoh’s armies into the sea (Ex. 15:4), so he will deal decisively with the sins of his people (compare Jer. 31:34).

Mic. 7:20 faithfulness . . . steadfast love . . . you have sworn. The book concludes by summarizing the Lord’s key attributes and actions (Ex. 34:6–7; Deut. 4:31; 7:12). the days of old. God’s character (his steadfast love) moves him to keep his word (his faithfulness). Thus the old promises to our fathers (Abraham and Jacob) still stand (see Gen. 12:1–9).