“Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.”
2 Samuel 1:20 (NIV)
Understanding the theme of a book helps us understand the intended meaning of verses, for the theme of a book helps provide its context, and the context is very important in helping us to understand the meaning of any particular verse. It's like having a conversation - misunderstandings abound if you overhear just a sentence- only when the topic of the conversation is understood will the individual sentence have the meaning the speaker intended. Coming destruction from the hand of God because of a lack of justice within the community of God’s people, and restoration from that destruction is a general theme to the Minor Prophets, and yet each prophet has their own emphasis on that theme.
There is a clue to the specific theme of the book of Micah contained in chapter 1, verse 10 through 15, for Micah quotes the beginning of David’s lament in verse 10, over the death of Saul and Jonathan recorded in 2 Samuel 1, and then tells the nobles in verse 15, that they will flee to the same place David fled while he hid from Saul and his men, a place called Adullam.
For David to mourn over the death of Saul speaks highly of David’s heart. His heart is focused on God’s glory, and he knows that God’s glory is connected to His people’s lives and well being. David is telling the enemies of God’s people not to rejoice over the death of the king, which seems prophetic at 2 different levels.
Firstly the replacement king to Saul will inflict more damage to the Philistines than the king they killed. (Saul killed his thousands and David tens of thousands)
Secondly, there is no doubt that this song is speaking of the death of the true King our Lord Jesus Christ. The message is to the enemies of God as they celebrated the death of His Son on the cross. They would be wise to be silent, to keep their boasts to themselves for the death of this King is not the victory they imagine.
It seems that the specific theme of Micah is the destruction of kingship over God’s people by God’s hand and the restoration of a righteous King over God’s people by God’s hand.
Not only can we spot it in Micah 1:10-15 but we also see it in Micah 2:13, Micah 3:1-4, Micah 4:8, Micah 5:2, Micah 6:16 and Micah 7:14. The most well known to us, of course, is Micah 5:2 which is used by king Herod to direct the wise men to the town of Bethlehem.
Israel’s kings fell short, and led the people away from God, bringing destruction upon the nation, and yet God would remember His people and would bring forth a King from Bethlehem, whose origins stretch back before the times of the nation Israel.
The theme of Micah is the King.
May the theme of each of our lives be the King!
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