Micah 2:1-5
#394 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time)
Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the Lord:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.
On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
“Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!”
Thus you shall have no one
to mark out boundaries by lot
in the assembly of the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 2:1-5
The second chapter of the book of the Prophet Micah opens with a denouncement of the evil rich who seek to steal the land of the poor. The practice, also mentioned in Isaiah, was prevalent in Judah. A person’s inherited land was, under Mosaic Law, supposed to be exempt from these schemes (1 Kings 21:1-4). However, the greedy were violating this precept.
The punishment the prophet mentions relates to the initial division of property among the Israelites when they came into the land, led by Joshua. Boundaries were established for each person and tribe (see Joshua 13-21). Those who are found guilty of stealing land will have no place in the final reckoning (e.g. the Kingdom of Heaven).
CCC: Mi 2:2 2534
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 4:1-4
#897 Mass for Various Needs Context (II. For Public Needs, 16. In time of War of Civil Disturbance, Second Option)
In days to come
the mount of the LORD's house
Shall be established higher than the mountains;
it shall rise high above the hills,
And peoples shall stream to it:
many nations shall come, and say,
"Come, let us climb the mount of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
that we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples
and impose terms on strong and distant nations;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
Every man shall sit under his own vine
or under his own fig tree, undisturbed;
for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 4:1-4
This passage begins the core message of the book [Micah 4:1-5:15]. The prophet expresses hope in the consolation flowing from the messianic age to come. (Many scholars believe that this optimism comes from the rule of King Hezekiah of Judah's great reforms (761-686 BC).)[2]
The selection itself is almost identical to Isaiah 2:2-4 and very similar to Zechariah 8:20-22. It envisions the end times (eschaton) when all things will be renewed and all people will hear the redemptive word of God. This messianic age will be one of idyllic peace where war and rumors of war will no longer exist. The world will come to unity and all peoples will live in harmony.
CCC: Mi 4:1-4 762
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 5:1-4a
#12C Solemnities C Context (4th Sunday of Advent C)
#636 Proper of Saints Context (Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sep 8)
#707 Commons Context (Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
#5C BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, Christmas 5)
The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 5:1-4a
The Prophet Micah, a contemporary of the Prophet Isaiah, speaks in the voice of God (“Thus says the Lord”) prophesying that the Messiah will come from the Clan of Ephrathah. At that time, this group was synonymous with the town of Bethlehem which was roughly five miles south of Jerusalem (see Joshua 15:59 and Ruth 4:11). The reference to the origin of the ruler as being “of old” is a reference to the ancient line of King David.
Eight centuries before Christ, Micah foresees that Israel’s domination by foreign powers will end only with the Messiah. The intervening years are seen by the prophet as analogous to the labor pains of childbirth. His prophecy is consistent with the Emmanuel oracle from Isaiah 7:15. The passage concludes with the attributes of the future monarch, that he will not only bring peace: but “he shall be peace” (even clearer in the Jerusalem translation “He himself will be peace.”).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 6:1-4, 6-8
#395 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time)
Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the Lord,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the Lord has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.
O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the Lord requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 6:1-4, 6-8
We hear in these verses, from the Prophet Micah, a lament by God against the impious people of Israel. His complaint (often read as part of the Stations of the Cross) reminds the listener of the great love God has shown in delivering the people from cruel bondage in Egypt. The prophet then switches to the voice of the people who ask what it is that will please the Lord. He lists greater and greater sacrifices, culminating in the sacrifice asked of Abraham, the sacrifice of the supplicant’s first born. The passage ends with God’s response, for the listener to repent from evil and love what is good. He closes with the phrase made popular in song: “and to walk humbly with your God.” This is one of the best expressions of the prophetic teaching on religion, the preparation for such New Testament passages as James 1:27.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 6:6-8
#598 Proper of Saints Context (St. Henry, Jul 13)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 6:6-8
We hear in these verses from the Prophet Micah, a response by the prophet to a lament by God against the impious of Israel. The prophet asks what it is that will please the Lord, listing greater and greater sacrifices, culminating in the sacrifice asked of Abraham: the sacrifice of the supplicant’s first-born. The passage ends with God’s response, for the listener to repent from evil and love what is good, closing with the phrase made popular in song: “…and to walk humbly with your God.” This is one of the best expressions of the prophetic teaching on religion, the preparation for such New Testament passages as James 1:27.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 7:7-9
#243 Weekday Years I & II Context (Optional Mass of the 4th Week of Lent)
I will look to the LORD,
I will put my trust in God my savior;
my God will hear me!
Rejoice not over me, O my enemy!
though I have fallen, I will arise;
though I sit in darkness, the LORD is my light.
The wrath of the LORD I will endure
because I have sinned against him,
Until he takes up my cause,
and establishes my right.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see his justice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 7:7-9
This selection concludes the Prophet’s lament in v.7 with faith and trust that God will forgive the sins of the people. It then begins the final section of the book which presents his own contrition and hope for the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy to those who return to him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
#235 Weekday Years I & II Context (Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent)
#396 Weekday Year II Contest (Tuesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time)
Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 7:14-15, 18-20
This is the very end of the book of the Prophet Micah. In the previous chapters he has chastised and condemned the excesses and corruption of Jerusalem and Samaria (rich exploiters of the poor, fraudulent merchants, venal judges, corrupt priests and prophets). Now at the end, he presents the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy to those who return to him.
The passage begins with a prayer of Micah. He asks that the people (likely a remnant returning to the region following their exile in 537 BC) might be given back their historical lands, and live in peace. Following the two verses not used, in which the prophet proclaims that all surrounding nations will be in fear of the power of God, he continues with two petitions in a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s mercy and forgiveness. The first is a petition to Yahweh, probably dating from the time of return from exile. There is a note of longing that comes through: “and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.”
The second petition is Israel’s prayer for forgiveness: “Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency.” It recalls God’s pledge of faithfulness and grace. His mercy flows from his love of the people. “The book ends by recalling the promises of the covenant binding Yahweh and the patriarchs. The Lord had pledged his 'faithfulness' ('emet) and 'grace' (hesed) to the Israel of old, and he was not about to renege now.”[1]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fin
[1] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 17:33, pp. 289
[2] The Navarre Bible: “Minor Prophets”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 193
#394 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time)
Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the Lord:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.
On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
“Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!”
Thus you shall have no one
to mark out boundaries by lot
in the assembly of the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 2:1-5
The second chapter of the book of the Prophet Micah opens with a denouncement of the evil rich who seek to steal the land of the poor. The practice, also mentioned in Isaiah, was prevalent in Judah. A person’s inherited land was, under Mosaic Law, supposed to be exempt from these schemes (1 Kings 21:1-4). However, the greedy were violating this precept.
The punishment the prophet mentions relates to the initial division of property among the Israelites when they came into the land, led by Joshua. Boundaries were established for each person and tribe (see Joshua 13-21). Those who are found guilty of stealing land will have no place in the final reckoning (e.g. the Kingdom of Heaven).
CCC: Mi 2:2 2534
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 4:1-4
#897 Mass for Various Needs Context (II. For Public Needs, 16. In time of War of Civil Disturbance, Second Option)
In days to come
the mount of the LORD's house
Shall be established higher than the mountains;
it shall rise high above the hills,
And peoples shall stream to it:
many nations shall come, and say,
"Come, let us climb the mount of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
that we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples
and impose terms on strong and distant nations;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
Every man shall sit under his own vine
or under his own fig tree, undisturbed;
for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 4:1-4
This passage begins the core message of the book [Micah 4:1-5:15]. The prophet expresses hope in the consolation flowing from the messianic age to come. (Many scholars believe that this optimism comes from the rule of King Hezekiah of Judah's great reforms (761-686 BC).)[2]
The selection itself is almost identical to Isaiah 2:2-4 and very similar to Zechariah 8:20-22. It envisions the end times (eschaton) when all things will be renewed and all people will hear the redemptive word of God. This messianic age will be one of idyllic peace where war and rumors of war will no longer exist. The world will come to unity and all peoples will live in harmony.
CCC: Mi 4:1-4 762
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 5:1-4a
#12C Solemnities C Context (4th Sunday of Advent C)
#636 Proper of Saints Context (Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sep 8)
#707 Commons Context (Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
#5C BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, Christmas 5)
The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 5:1-4a
The Prophet Micah, a contemporary of the Prophet Isaiah, speaks in the voice of God (“Thus says the Lord”) prophesying that the Messiah will come from the Clan of Ephrathah. At that time, this group was synonymous with the town of Bethlehem which was roughly five miles south of Jerusalem (see Joshua 15:59 and Ruth 4:11). The reference to the origin of the ruler as being “of old” is a reference to the ancient line of King David.
Eight centuries before Christ, Micah foresees that Israel’s domination by foreign powers will end only with the Messiah. The intervening years are seen by the prophet as analogous to the labor pains of childbirth. His prophecy is consistent with the Emmanuel oracle from Isaiah 7:15. The passage concludes with the attributes of the future monarch, that he will not only bring peace: but “he shall be peace” (even clearer in the Jerusalem translation “He himself will be peace.”).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 6:1-4, 6-8
#395 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time)
Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the Lord,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the Lord has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.
O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the Lord requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 6:1-4, 6-8
We hear in these verses, from the Prophet Micah, a lament by God against the impious people of Israel. His complaint (often read as part of the Stations of the Cross) reminds the listener of the great love God has shown in delivering the people from cruel bondage in Egypt. The prophet then switches to the voice of the people who ask what it is that will please the Lord. He lists greater and greater sacrifices, culminating in the sacrifice asked of Abraham, the sacrifice of the supplicant’s first born. The passage ends with God’s response, for the listener to repent from evil and love what is good. He closes with the phrase made popular in song: “and to walk humbly with your God.” This is one of the best expressions of the prophetic teaching on religion, the preparation for such New Testament passages as James 1:27.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 6:6-8
#598 Proper of Saints Context (St. Henry, Jul 13)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 6:6-8
We hear in these verses from the Prophet Micah, a response by the prophet to a lament by God against the impious of Israel. The prophet asks what it is that will please the Lord, listing greater and greater sacrifices, culminating in the sacrifice asked of Abraham: the sacrifice of the supplicant’s first-born. The passage ends with God’s response, for the listener to repent from evil and love what is good, closing with the phrase made popular in song: “…and to walk humbly with your God.” This is one of the best expressions of the prophetic teaching on religion, the preparation for such New Testament passages as James 1:27.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 7:7-9
#243 Weekday Years I & II Context (Optional Mass of the 4th Week of Lent)
I will look to the LORD,
I will put my trust in God my savior;
my God will hear me!
Rejoice not over me, O my enemy!
though I have fallen, I will arise;
though I sit in darkness, the LORD is my light.
The wrath of the LORD I will endure
because I have sinned against him,
Until he takes up my cause,
and establishes my right.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see his justice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 7:7-9
This selection concludes the Prophet’s lament in v.7 with faith and trust that God will forgive the sins of the people. It then begins the final section of the book which presents his own contrition and hope for the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy to those who return to him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
#235 Weekday Years I & II Context (Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent)
#396 Weekday Year II Contest (Tuesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time)
Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mi 7:14-15, 18-20
This is the very end of the book of the Prophet Micah. In the previous chapters he has chastised and condemned the excesses and corruption of Jerusalem and Samaria (rich exploiters of the poor, fraudulent merchants, venal judges, corrupt priests and prophets). Now at the end, he presents the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy to those who return to him.
The passage begins with a prayer of Micah. He asks that the people (likely a remnant returning to the region following their exile in 537 BC) might be given back their historical lands, and live in peace. Following the two verses not used, in which the prophet proclaims that all surrounding nations will be in fear of the power of God, he continues with two petitions in a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s mercy and forgiveness. The first is a petition to Yahweh, probably dating from the time of return from exile. There is a note of longing that comes through: “and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.”
The second petition is Israel’s prayer for forgiveness: “Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency.” It recalls God’s pledge of faithfulness and grace. His mercy flows from his love of the people. “The book ends by recalling the promises of the covenant binding Yahweh and the patriarchs. The Lord had pledged his 'faithfulness' ('emet) and 'grace' (hesed) to the Israel of old, and he was not about to renege now.”[1]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fin
[1] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 17:33, pp. 289
[2] The Navarre Bible: “Minor Prophets”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 193
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