NOTES for Mic 2:1-13

When does the cup of God's patience overflow? When people who consider themselves God's people begin to deceive, rob, and drive out other people from that same nation. How can God protect His people from themselves? Calamities are inevitable. But if people turn to God after these calamities, He can begin the process of healing. The most important stage of that healing proves to be the gathering together and uniting of the remnants of the people under the rule of the King and God.

"This is an evil time," says the Lord. But who made this time what it is? The Lord? Or the people who committed evil? And the Lord probably has reasons not to show His mercy in every situation. Yes, God's mercy is boundless — but is it merciful to allow evil to flourish? And the Lord gives His people the opportunity to taste the fruits of their own lawlessness.

The call of the prophet "arise, and depart" seems at first sight a little bit strange: where thus to go the yahvist believers of Judea, where lives (we do not know what, but all the same) the people of God, where is the Temple, where finally is the place of God's presence? Of course God Himself, through the mouth of the prophet, says that His people in this state, in which the prophet found them, were rather in particular "nothing", but indeed, God Himself is not going to begin the history of His people from the beginning, on a blank sheet; so then where are His believers going to go? We can understand that, probably, only in the context of all which the pre-captivity prophets, from Isaiah of Jerusalem, said about the remnant, which in the time of the general apostasy and the spiritual decline kept faith, remaining faithful to the God of their fathers.

But the historic fate of this remnant, according to the testimony of all the prophets, promised to be difficult: a historic disaster, which had to become the consequence of the spiritual decline threatened the people, and the remnant had to remain faithful to God in-exil, in the dispersal, in foreign countries, among the heathen (the fact that the country of expulsion will be in particular Babylon, was not clear immediately). In such a context the call of the prophet "depart" sounds as a warning that will soon be fulfilled the predictions of those who spoke about coming disasters and about the remnant. But there is another thing in the words of Micah: the understanding of the fact that God's longsuffering is not infinite. Certainly, God can wait, and He waits sometimes for a very long time. But He waits as long as it makes sense to wait.

And there is sense as much as remain the chances to correct the situation without cardinal measures, in which can be imputed such catastrophe as the defeat to the war, the eviction and the dispersal. On such extremes measures, God goes obviously only when all other possibilities are exhausted. But before the disaster He warns His faithful so that they should know what to prepare to. And the words of the prophet, as we see, should be understood again like this: it is the warning that the situation is critical, that the disaster is inevitable and God will not adjourn it any more, holding the situation from total collapse. Not because He changed His plans for His people, but because the people left Him only one possibility to realize His plans.

The prophet's call, "rise and go," seems a little strange at first glance: where should faithful Yahwists go from Judah, where the people of God live, flawed though they are, where the Temple stands, where, finally, the place of God's presence is? Of course, God Himself, through the mouth of His prophet, says that His people, in the state in which the prophet found them, are almost no people at all; but God Himself is certainly not going to begin the history of His people from the beginning, from a blank slate. So where then should His faithful ones go? This can be understood only in the context of all that the pre-exilic prophets, beginning with Isaiah of Jerusalem, said about the remnant that, in times of universal apostasy and spiritual decline, would preserve faith while remaining faithful to the God of the fathers.

The historical fate of this remnant, according to the testimony of all the prophets, was not going to be simple: the people were threatened by a historical catastrophe that was to become the consequence of spiritual decline, and the remnant would have to preserve faithfulness to God in exile, in dispersion, in foreign countries, among pagans. It did not become clear at once that the land of exile would be Babylonia. In such a context, the prophet's call to leave sounds like a warning that the prophecies of those who spoke of the coming catastrophe and of the remnant would soon be fulfilled.

But there is something else in Micah's words as well: an understanding that God's long-suffering is not infinite. Of course, God can wait, and sometimes He waits a very long time. But He waits as long as there is meaning in waiting. And meaning remains as long as there are chances to correct the situation without radical measures, including such a catastrophe as defeat in war, exile, and dispersion.

God plainly resorts to such extreme measures only when all other possibilities have been exhausted. But before the catastrophe, He warns His faithful ones so that they know what to prepare for. And the prophet's words, as we can see, should also be understood in this way: they are a warning that the situation is critical, that catastrophe is inevitable, and that God will no longer delay it by holding the situation back from complete collapse. Not because He has changed His plans for His people, but because the people have left Him only one way to carry out His plans.