Micah 6:13

Analysis & Commentary

Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. Having catalogued Jerusalem's economic injustice and pervasive lying (v. 9-12), God announces judgment. "Therefore" (וְגַם־אֲנִי, ve-gam-ani)—literally "and also I"—emphasizes divine response to human sin. "I will make thee sick" (הֶחֱלֵיתִי הַכּוֹתֶךָ, hecheleti hakkotekha) uses חָלָה (chalah), to be weak, sick, diseased. The imagery suggests wasting illness—Jerusalem will languish under judgment. "In smiting thee" (הַכּוֹתֶךָ, hakkotekha) employs נָכָה (nakah), to strike, smite, defeat—military conquest.

"In making thee desolate because of thy sins" (הָשֵׁם עַל־חַטֹּאתֶךָ, hashem al-chattotekha) connects judgment to covenant violation. Shamem (desolate, devastated, appalled) describes the horror of post-conquest ruins. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 details covenant curses for disobedience: disease, defeat, deportation, desolation. Micah announces these curses are imminent. "Because of thy sins"—judgment isn't arbitrary but judicial, response to specific violations. Jeremiah later echoed: "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you" (Jeremiah 5:25).

This challenges prosperity theology claiming God always blesses. Scripture teaches God disciplines His people. Hebrews 12:6 quotes Proverbs 3:12: "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Suffering often results from sin requiring repentance, not faith requiring more claims on blessing. When Israel ignored prophetic warnings, God executed covenant curses. Believers should examine whether adversity signals divine discipline demanding repentance.

Historical Context

Micah prophesied desolation that came to pass in 586 BC when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. Jeremiah witnessed the fulfillment: "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!" (Lamentations 1:1). The temple burned, walls demolished, population exiled. Why? Not because God lacked power to protect but because covenant violation forfeited protection. Second Chronicles 36:15-17 explains: God "sent to them by his messengers...because he had compassion on his people...But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." Persistent rebellion exhausts divine patience, bringing judgment. The Church faces similar warnings: Christ threatens to remove the candlestick from unfaithful churches (Revelation 2:5).

Questions for Reflection

• How does recognizing that God disciplines His people "because of their sins" shape your response to personal and communal adversity?
• What sins in your life or church might be inviting divine discipline, requiring repentance rather than mere prayer for relief?
• How can you discern whether suffering represents general trials (common to humanity), specific discipline (for correction), or spiritual warfare (demonic opposition)?