The prophet Micah lived in the days of Hezekiah, the King of Judah, and the kings that preceded him. In 722 BC, in the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign, Shalmaneser, the King of Assyria, conquered the kingdom of Israel. This was the northern kingdom that had begun with Jeroboam, after Solomon's death, based around Samaria. The Assyrians led away its people, as described in 2 Kings 18:9.

Perhaps the Assyrian victory and the dispersal of the 10 lost tribes are related to Micah's prophecy, but - as in the other books of prophecy - at heart Micah is predicting broader spiritual events, especially the Lord's advent.

In Micah 1:1, 2, Micah starts out by proclaiming that the Lord is coming down as a witness against the people of the earth. Here the earth, internally, means the church - the Lord’s church which forms a connection between God and man. ¹

Micah 1:3 says that Jehovah Himself will come down and restructure the church (meant by the earth) and will form a new heaven for that church. ²

In Micah 1:4-7 shows us an internal picture of the judgment on the Israelitish and Jewish churches. Mountains, valleys, fire, and water are all mentioned; all are representations of spiritual realities. When people of the church remember what those realities are, they will come to mind when they worship on a mountain, or treat the fire on the altar as holy. But when the spiritual meanings are forgotten, the representative things are done away with. This was true of both Samaria and Judah (Micah 1:5). ³

Verses 6 and 7 show the wickedness of Samaria, and what will happen to the idols there. ⁴ From its inception, the northern kingdom of Israel never had a good king. It had, as idols, the two golden calves that Jeroboam set up. All this will be destroyed.

Micah 1:8, 9 tell of the mourning of the people who love what is good, as far as Judah and even Jerusalem, which represents heaven.

However, in Micah 1:10-11, there's a mourning over the punishment as witnessed in some cities, which mean those doctrines that are used to try to justify the idolatry. But the anger is misdirected: people are angry with Jehovah, and not with the sins of idolatry that cause the punishment.

Micah 1:12 describes the mourning about the devastation of the church, which extends through all the heavens, even up to the highest.

In Micah 1:13-15, he's saying that the sins that were widespread in Israel, or Samaria, have also spread to the kingdom of Judah. To come to Adullam means to turn oneself towards evil.

Finally, in Micah 1:16, baldness means a lack of truths. Delightful sons are truths from God. Making yourself bald by shearing off your hair means you are spiritually denying the truths from God, i.e. that you are exiling yourself from your delightful sons. Consequently, everyone suffers deprivation. ⁵

To apply this to our lives... here's what it looks like:

1. We should turn away from evil and actively seek spiritual truths.

2. We shouldn't set up false gods in our lives, e.g things that we "worship" that really aren't useful.

3. We should try to look for the Lord in the Word, and to connect with Him.

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9156. 'For every matter of transgression' means any harm whatever and any loss whatever. This is clear from the meaning of 'transgression' as everything that is contrary to the truth of faith, thus that injures it or wipes it out, therefore any harm whatever done to it and any loss whatever of it. In the Word evils are sometimes called sins, sometimes iniquities, and sometimes transgressions; but what the specific meaning of each of them is, is not evident except from the internal sense. The word transgressions is used for deeds contrary to the truths of faith, the word iniquities for deeds contrary to the good of faith, and the word sins for deeds contrary to the good of charity and love. The first two kinds of deeds spring from a perverted understanding, the last from a wicked will, as in David,

Wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is constantly before me. Psalms 51:2-3.

'Iniquity' stands for evil contrary to the good of faith, 'sin' for evil contrary to the good of charity and love, and 'transgression' for evil contrary to the truths of faith. Since 'transgression' is evil which springs from a perverted understanding, and so is recognized from the truths of faith, the words 'I acknowledge my transgressions' are used.

[2] In the same author,

Remember Your mercies, O Jehovah, and Your loving-kindnesses. Do not remember the sins of my youth, ¹ nor my transgressions. Psalms 25:6-7.

'Sins' stands for evils springing from a wicked will, and 'transgressions' for evils springing from a perverted understanding. In Isaiah,

Behold, because of iniquities you have been sold, and because of transgressions your mother has been put away. Isaiah 50:1.

'Iniquities' stands for evils contrary to the Church's good of faith, and 'transgressions' for evils contrary to its truths of faith, 'mother' being the Church, which is said to be put away when it departs from faith. In Micah,

On account of the transgression of Jacob all this [will happen], and on account of the sin of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for in you the transgressions of Israel were found. Micah 1:5, 13.

Here 'sin' in a similar way means something contrary to the good of charity and love, and 'transgression' something contrary to the truth of faith; for 'Samaria' means a Church whose faith is perverted, as likewise does 'Israel' in this instance.

[3] Since transgressions are offences against the truths of faith, the word 'transgressions' also describes going over to the other side and defecting. The same word is used in the original language to describe these actions, as is evident in David,

On account of the multitude of their transgressions overthrow them, for they rebel against You. Psalms 5:10.

The word 'rebel' is used when people defect and go over to the other side. And in Isaiah,

Are you not those born of transgression, the seed of a lie, who inflamed yourselves among the gods under every green tree, who slaughter children in the rivers? Isaiah 57:4-5.

'Transgression', it is plainly evident from these words, means evil contrary to the truths of faith. 'Those born of transgression' are falsities which destroy the truths of faith. For this reason they are also called 'the seed of a lie', falsity being meant by 'a lie', 8908. For the same reason they are said 'to be inflamed among the gods under every green tree', which means in the internal sense worship arising out of falsities, falsities being meant by 'the gods', 4402 (end), 4544, 7873, 8867, and the perception of falsity because of a perverted understanding being meant by 'green tree', 2722, 4552. And for still the same reason it says 'you slaughter children in the rivers', by which the annihilation of the truths of faith by falsities is meant; for 'slaughtering' means annihilating, 'children' means the truths of faith, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2813, 3373, and 'the rivers' means falsities, 6693.

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