Texts in Conversation
Micah recalls the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and the guidance of Moses and Aaron, echoing the courtroom speech in 1 Samuel 12 where past acts of rescue are recited before a call to accountability. Both texts follow a covenantal pattern that connects the memory of saving deeds with a summons to respond.
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1 Samuel 12:7
Hebrew Bible
5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his chosen king is witness this day, that you have not found any reason to accuse me.” They said, “He is witness!” 6 Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now take your positions, so I may confront you before the Lord regarding all the Lord’s just actions toward you and your ancestors. 8 When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 “But they forgot the Lord their God, so he gave them into the hand of Sisera, the general in command of Hazor’s army, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Micah 6:5
Hebrew Bible
3 “My people, how have I wronged you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! 4 In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt; I delivered you from that place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. 5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, how Balaam son of Beor responded to him. Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the Lord.8” 6 With what should I enter the Lord’s presence? With what should I bow before the sovereign God? Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Will the Lord accept a thousand rams or ten thousand streams of olive oil? Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion, my offspring—my own flesh and blood—for my sin?
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Whereas most messages of accusation in the prophetic literature culminate in an announcement of disaster, there are some that end by issuing a warning and providing an explicit opportunity for the miscreants to mend their ways. This is a notable example of the latter. It is composed of two formal elements. The first is an elaborate representation of a legal case “Yahweh vs. Israel,” in which God brings a grievance against his people. The second is molded on a cultic “entrance liturgy,” an individual’s inquiry as to the conditions of admittance to the sanctuary and an official answer. These quite diverse genres have been constructed into an impressive unity built around the theme of the divine covenant and its outworking in human society. Viewed as a unit, it represents an adaptation of a traditional type of speech, the covenantal formulation, extant in miniature in Exodus 19:3–6 and in fuller form in Joshua 24 and 1 Samuel 12. These covenantal formulations consist of two essential parts, a recital of Yahweh’s saving deeds and a call to obedience. It is these two motifs that are here dressed in garb borrowed from the lawcourt and the sanctuary ..."
Allen, Leslie C.
The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah
(pp. 621-622) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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