The prophet Isaiah led a school of prophets (Isaiah 8:16-18). Two of his students were Nahum and Micah. I say this because the phrasing in these two books is very similar to Isaiah’s use, and their ministry is in the appropriate time frame for Isaiah’s graduates.
Micah was well-known in Judah, and his writings were used in Jeremiah’s time to show the lawfulness and legitimacy of Jeremiah’s work (Jeremiah 26:16-19). Micah was a champion for the poor and oppressed. He railed against the false teachers of his day. He gave further prophecy of the coming Messiah; it was Micah’s writings (Micah 5:2) that indicated to Herod where Jesus was born (Matthew 2:4-6).
Yet, Micah did all this without the support of his wife. Micah was a man with a family, but his text at the end strongly indicates that, rather than support him, his wife actually worked against him in his efforts to spread God’s Word (Micah 7:5-10). Jesus quoted Micah to let His disciples know that, as with Micah, so it can be with us in our service to the Father (Matthew 10:34-37). Sometimes, even as you seek to do your best, and surrounded by family, yet you may find yourself all alone in devotion to God. The Lord says that this should not discourage us. Instead, be prepared to walk alone hand-in-hand with God.
We must love our family and always seek their welfare, caring for them and being the examples they need. However, they must never be allowed to compromise our service to the Lord. Never!
