Week 16 - God's Desire for Man

In chapter one, the book of Micah opens with a court scene as God calls witnesses (the earth and the people, 1:1) and speaks of His judgment against the people of Judah. After speaking of blessings that will come with the promised Messiah, the focus now turns back to the days of Micah. The court scene is reintroduced as the Lord introduces His controversy with the people, 6:2. The mountains are instructed to hear the controversy as well as the earth. This is in reference to Deuteronomy 4:26 which calls heaven and earth as witnesses to the covenant agreement between God and His people. The children of Israel had violated this covenant and God now begins to lay out His case against them. In this court scene, we may properly envision God as the plaintiff and the Israelites as the defendant. God is going to reveal an unpleasant truth to the children of Israel: they had sinned greatly against Him, from the beginning.