Micah (& Co.?)

I've been writing a paper comparing writing style, content, and message of the books of Amos and Micah in the Old Testament. It was a fascinating study, but the most unexpected result was the inconsistencies in timeline that seemed to jump out of the text in Micah. I'll summarize a couple to give an idea.

Micah is introduced as receiving his prophecy during the time of king Hezekiah. Judah still stands as a kingdom and the people have not been taken away in exile at that point. Even in Jeremiah (80+ years later - Jer.26:18) the leaders in King Jehoiakim's court reflect back on Micah's prophecies.

The book starts with a mourning because of Judah's sin and anticipates God's punishment by sending the people into exile (1:16). But 2:12-13 speaks of Israel already in exile. And it breaks the flow of an address and rebuke to false prophets.

Chapter 6 and 7 are the same way. 6 calls for a shift in motive and behavior. It calls out sin and threatens the kingdom to be ruined and the people to be divided among the nations (exile). There also appears to be a natural end in 7:7. But then another passage of hope is tacked on speaking as if Israel is already in exile and prophesying hope of rescue.

At this point, I've become pretty convinced that the version of Micah we have now isn't the original version of the text. It appears to have been written first to the people in Judah who were complacent and concerned with selfish gain (at the expense of those in need). But after the kingdom was conquered by the Babylonians, it was revised (maybe just added to) to be relevant for the destitute people who had been dragged off in exile and to give them a source of hope.