What does the name Micah mean?
It is a shortened form of a Hebrew question meaning who is like the Lord. The book ends with that question in Micah 7:18, who is a God like you, and so the prophet's name becomes his final summary.
Micah · chapter 7 of 7
Micah 7: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
Updated on
What happens in Micah 7?
Micah 7 begins with a lament over a society without upright people, where betrayal and bribery reign. In the middle of it the prophet declares that he will look to the Lord and wait for the God of his salvation, acknowledges his sin and trusts that the Lord will bring him into the light. The book ends praising a God who pardons iniquity, casts our sins into the depths of the sea and is faithful to Abraham.
The last chapter of Micah moves from judgment to prayer. The prophet speaks in the first person, and his voice joins grief over the people's corruption with a hope that asserts itself against all the evidence. It ends with a praise that echoes Micah's name, which means who is like the Lord, in the form of a question.
Micah 7 summary
Micah laments like one who gathers summer fruit or gleans grapes after the vintage and finds nothing to eat. The godly has perished from the earth and there is no upright person among mankind; all lie in wait for blood and each hunts his brother with a net. Their hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the desire of his soul. The best of them is like a brier.
Do not trust a neighbor or put your confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms. A son treats his father with contempt, a daughter rises up against her mother, and a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
But the prophet declares that he will look to the Lord and wait for the God of his salvation; his God will hear him. He tells his enemy not to rejoice, because though he fall he will rise, and though he sit in darkness the Lord will be his light. He will bear the indignation of the Lord because he has sinned against him, until he pleads his cause and executes judgment for him; he will bring him out to the light and he will look upon his vindication. His enemy will see it and shame will cover her, who said where is the Lord your God. The Lord will shepherd his people with his staff. As in the days when they came out of Egypt, he will show them marvelous things, and the nations will see and be ashamed.
The book ends with a question of praise: who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us, tread our iniquities underfoot and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. He will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as he swore to our fathers from the days of old.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-6: Lament over a corrupt society where no one can be trusted.
- vv. 7-10: A confession of hope: the prophet waits for the God of his salvation.
- vv. 11-17: The promise of rebuilding, shepherding and marvels before the nations.
- vv. 18-20: Praise to the God who pardons and is faithful to the covenant with Abraham.
Key verses in Micah 7
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Micah 7:7
After describing a society in ruins, Micah decides to look to the Lord and wait for the God of his salvation. It is a decision of faith in the middle of disillusionment, supported by the conviction that God will hear him.
Micah 7:8
The prophet warns his enemy not to rejoice, because though he fall he will rise, and though he sit in darkness the Lord will be his light. Hope does not deny the fall but affirms that it is not final.
Micah 7:18
Micah asks what God is like the Lord, who pardons iniquity and does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love. It is one of the clearest confessions of God's forgiving character.
Micah 7:19
The Lord will again have compassion, tread our iniquities underfoot and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. The image of the sea suggests a complete forgiveness that puts them out of reach.
Main themes
- Corruption and distrust
- Waiting on the Lord
- Falling and rising
- God's forgiveness
- Faithfulness to the covenant with Abraham
People and places
- Micah
- The Lord
- The enemy
- The remnant
- Abraham
- Jacob
Micah 7 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. To what does Micah compare his condition at the start of the chapter?
Answer: To one who gathers summer fruit and gleans grapes after the vintage and finds nothing to eat. — Micah 7:1
2. What does Micah say about the judges and princes?
Answer: That they ask for a bribe and give judgment for a reward. — Micah 7:3
3. Who are a man's enemies according to verse 6?
Answer: The men of his own house. — Micah 7:6
4. What does Micah decide to do in verse 7?
Answer: To look to the Lord and wait for the God of his salvation. — Micah 7:7
5. What does Micah say the Lord will be to him though he sit in darkness?
Answer: His light. — Micah 7:8
6. Where will the Lord cast all our sins?
Answer: Into the depths of the sea. — Micah 7:19
Application for today
Micah 7 speaks to those who live surrounded by disillusionment: divided families, corrupt institutions, friends who cannot be trusted. In a small group you can talk about how to keep hope when people fail. Micah does not deny the pain, but he decides to look to the Lord and wait.
The chapter also teaches us to live repentance without despair. The prophet acknowledges that he will bear the Lord's indignation because he sinned, but he trusts that God will plead his cause and bring him into the light. Whoever knows that God casts sins into the depths of the sea can admit his faults without fear and begin again, and can forgive others with the same heart.
Micah ends with praise to the God who forgives and keeps his promises since Abraham. After judgment, the book leaves a solid hope: the Lord delights in steadfast love. The next book, Nahum, turns again to Nineveh, the city Jonah had visited.
Frequently asked questions about Micah 7
How does Micah 7:6 relate to the New Testament?
Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 10:35-36 when warning that following him may divide families. In Micah it describes a society broken by betrayal; in Matthew, Jesus warns his disciples that they might face opposition in their own household.
Why does the book mention Abraham at the end?
Because forgiveness and restoration rest on the covenant God swore to the patriarchs. The people's hope does not rest on their merits but on God's faithfulness to his promises.