Prophecies of the fall of Samaria, Judah and Jerusalem: Micah 1–7

Micah was probably written between 735 and 700 BC: the end of the reign of Jotham’s rule, all of Ahaz’s rule, and most of Hezekiah’s rule. He saw fall of Samaria to the Assyrians, having already prophesied it, and he might have seen Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah with the (failed) attempt to take Jerusalem.

After the judgement, when God could find nothing left to save, came a promise of restoration that would come ‘someday’:

^{Micah 2:12-13} Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again
like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again be filled with noisy crowds!

Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile,
out through the gates of the enemy cities,
back to your own land.
Your king will lead you;
the Lord himself will guide you.

The question is, which day?

At face value, it was the return of exiles from Babylon. But there was also the promise of a great restoration than was actually experienced that first time. It would be in the last days:

^{Micah 4:1}In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.

With a strong nation arising:

^{Micah 4:6-7} In that coming day …
I will gather together those who are lame,
those who have been exiles,
and those whom I have filled with grief.
Those who are weak will survive as a remnant;
those who were exiles will become a strong nation.