Because of these evil conditions, Micah tells his hearers that Yahweh will surely bring punishment on the land. The Assyrians' captivity of the northern kingdom is the punishment visited upon them due to their iniquities, and the prophet now sees a similar fate in store for Judah. Unlike Isaiah, who boldly proclaimed that Jerusalem was Zion's city and for that reason could never fall, Micah sees no justice in having it spared. As the capital of the nation and the home of those persons most responsible for the corrupt practices that prevail throughout the land, it deserves punishment even more than the country villages, in which the victims of these unfair practices live. Micah proclaims in bold words, "Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob . . . who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. . . . Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble."
Micah's warnings were resented on the part of those who preferred to hear that all was well and that no evil would fall upon the land. Micah knew that his messages were not the kind that would gain popular approval, but true to his calling as a prophet, he declares, "But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin." We do not know if Micah believed that the judgments on Israel and Judah would be the final end of these nations — as Amos had taught — or that the judgments would be preparatory to a redeemed society — as Hosea had taught. Hope for the future is expressed in the messianic prophecy recorded in Chapter 5, but whether this prophecy is Micah's or an addition to the book made by a later writer is uncertain. What is unique about this prophecy is that it names Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah will be born. This prediction indicates that the coming Messiah will be a representative of the poorer classes of people; understanding their situation, the Messiah will champion their cause.
