Micah 7:14-20
Micah’s Final Prayer to the Lord
Rich Freeman, DMin
As we close our study of the book of Micah, the great prophet of Israel and a contemporary of Isaiah, we see him praying for the Lord to take a more active role as the Shepherd of Israel. He pleaded, “Shepherd Your people with Your scepter, the flock of Your possession” (Mic 7:14). By using the word scepter, a kingly term, Micah showed how he longed for the promised Messiah, the son of David, to rule as king over His people (Genesis 49:10). During Micah’s time, the Israelites—the God of Israel’s flock—found themselves isolated and surrounded by their enemies. Micah looked to God for a restoration of happier times when he wrote, “In the midst of a fruitful field. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.”
Micah 7:15 and the following verses record God’s response to Micah’s prayer: “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles.” During the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites witnessed the ten plagues upon the Egyptians and their gods. When they reached the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was about to vanquish them, they personally witnessed the parting of the waters and the drowning of the army. When Jesus (Yeshua) returns to establish His kingdom and sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem, Israel will fully receive all God promised to Abraham (Genesis 15). Israel will no longer be under Gentile domination. In effect, it will be another miraculous exodus.
God continued His response to Micah’s prayer with the words, “Nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will put their hand on their mouth, their ears will be deaf” (Mic 7:16). All these nations, trusting in their own might, will recognize the greatness of the God of Israel when they see Him fulfill all His promises to the Israelites. The Gentile nations will refrain from speaking out against the God of Israel because of fear, reverence, and awe. His overwhelming power will prevent the nations from hearing any more about what God is doing for His people. God will cause the nations to become as servile and humble as snakes when they “lick the dust like a serpent, like reptiles of the earth” (Mic 7:17). Licking the dust is an image describing total defeat, as the nations surrender to Israel’s God and come before Him in fear of what He will do to them. The Lord’s answer to Micah’s prayer moved him to worship Him.
The last three verses of the book of Micah (Mic 7:18–20), which form a praise for forgiveness, are some of the most well-known during the Jewish high holiday season. In some Jewish traditions, these verses are read on the Day of Atonement following a reading of the book of Jonah. On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people recite the words of Micah 7:19–20 in a ceremony known as Tashlich, “you will cast,” by throwing pieces of bread into a body of water, symbolically casting away their sins. These words are:
He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from the days of old.
Growing up in Brooklyn, I recall witnessing this ceremony as a young boy. It was so intriguing to watch the people throw the bread into the water, and then see it slowly drift away and eventually disappear. However, I did not fully understand the spiritual picture this was painting. As followers of Yeshua, the Messiah, when we symbolically cast the bread into the water, we remember Yeshua has washed away our sins by becoming our atonement. He has cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.