Following the prophecies of consolation and the description in the End of Days in Perek 4, Perek 5 includes four prophecies of consolation about the future. The four prophecies speak of: the renewal of the Davidic dynasty (1-3), the peace which will come forth from Beit Lechem in the times of the Messiah (4-5), the “remnant of Yaakov” which is found among the gentile nations (6-8) and the destruction of idolatry in Israel (9-14).
Perek 6: The developed economic situation in Judah caused the increase of trade routes in Judah, and with that came fraud and deceit. Foreign influence on the kingdom of Judah is noticeable in its idolatrous rituals and in social and economic spheres. This perek includes two rebukes of the people which are constructed as if they are legal actions of God against His people. In the beginning of the perek (1-7), God calls His people to justice for their ingratitude for the good that they have been granted. In the end of the perek there is a rebuke to the merchants of the city who are influenced by the distorted social order which was created by Omri and Achav (9-16). In contrast to these two rebukes, in the center of the perek we find God making a claim against man (8), which summarizes the ethics of the prophets. The Rabbis commented on this: “Michah came and reduced them to three [principles], as it is written, It has been told to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord does require of you: Only to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God.” (Makkot 24a).
In the beginning of perek 7 (1-7), Michah laments the gloomy situation of society in his time. He describes a discouraging social situation, where there is rampant corruption and no man his honest and faithful. From the general description of the evil, the prophet turns to describe the corruption in public life, and then he focuses on friends and family. The intimate relationships between people are replaced by deep suspicion and mistrust. The book ends with two prayers: a prayer to renew the kingdom of Israel to its former glory, as in the days of the Exodus from Egypt (14-17), and a prayer for the forgiveness of the sins of Israel (18-20).
