Micah 2

What family? It’s unclear. Given what Micah says throughout the chapter, it could sound like he’s talking about the rich and well-connected movers and shakers of society—in Judah or Israel or in both Jewish nations. Like the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, Micah will live to witness the fall of the northern nation of Israel in 722 BC. Assyrian invaders conquer and annex the land. Then they deport the leaders and other survivors to what is now Iraq. Israel ceases to exist. Only Judah will survive, and only until 586 BC, when Babylonian invaders erase their nation, too.

Bible writers talk about a “day of the LORD” or “on that day” or “day of visitation” or “there’s a time coming.” It’s a day that can go in one of two directions. It can be a good day—a day God comes to save his people. It’s something to look forward to. Some scholars trace the idea back to what happened when God came to Egypt and with 10 plagues, he freed the Israelites. But it can also be a fearful day to people at odds with God. To them, it is Judgment Day. But to people on good terms with God, his arrival for Judgment Day or any other reason is welcome. The prophet Joel describes it in graphic terms as a terrible day when invaders destroy sinful Jerusalem (Joel 1:15; 2:11). Obadiah uses the phrase that way as well. But to God’s people, the “day” is the day of salvation (Joel 2:32).

It’s not clear who’s doing the complaining here. It could be the innocent people who suffer because of what their leaders did to provoke invaders to come. Or it might be the rich complaining about themselves and lamenting all they’ve lost. In which case, “Boohoo” might sound appropriate.

If Micah was talking about Israel’s exile into Assyria in 722 BC, it’s uncertain what regrouping he’s referring to here. The northern tribes never regrouped, as far as historians can tell. Israel became known as the Lost Tribes of Israel. The southern Jewish nation of Judah, however, did return. They started coming back 50 years after Babylonians levelled Jerusalem and deported survivors to what is now Iraq. In time, they restored a fragment of what had been the Jewish nation—but as only a province of the Persian Empire and later as a province of the Roman Empire. Scholars seem to acknowledge that Micah talks about both nations, but that Judah seems to be his main target.