Mikha 7 | Concluding Psalms of the Book

Chapter 7 of Mikha is spoken entirely in the first person, in a “psalm-like” style that resembles the literary tone of the Psalms. It appears to contain implicit prophecies, spoken by the prophet as narrator. The first section of the chapter is a harsh lament from the prophet over the difficult state of affairs and the lack of produce (7:1), but especially over the crumbling social fabric. The verses describe a society in which no one can be trusted: “... From her who lies in your arms. For a son denigrates his father; daughter rises up against mother; women stand against their husbands' mothers; a man's own household are his enemies” (7:5–6). One cannot rely even on the closest family members and must be careful around them.

However, the lament concludes with an expression of hope for salvation. This hope is not phrased as a prophetic promise of future redemption despite the present suffering; instead, it is voiced in the first person by the one lamenting, showing that even in the moment of mourning he feels trust and hope in God’s salvation. This stands in contrast to the state of society described earlier: while people cannot trust even their closest relatives, God can be trusted: “Yet I, I will look toward the Lord; I will await my God who will save me, my God who will heed me” (7:7).

In the next section, the prophet expresses acceptance of the calamity as deserved from God: “I will bear the rage of the Lord’s anger, for I have sinned against Him” (7:9), and from that place, he looks forward to the moment of salvation: “Until He upholds my case and favors my justice. He will bring me out into the light; I will behold His righteousness” (ibid.). The following verses go on to describe redemption (vv. 14–17) and conclude with praise to God for forgiving sin, and a hope that this will be fulfilled for us: “He will again have compassion for us; He will subdue our iniquities and hurl all of our sins into the deepest of seas. You will show truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham, as You swore to our fathers in the earliest days” (7:19–20).