Some simple steps:

I. Read the introduction to the book

o       Let the scholars do the work for you.

§        Who wrote it?

Micah.  (1:1).  We don’t know squat about Micah.

   The author, Micah, was of the town called Moresheth
                                    which may be the same town mentioned in 1:14, Moresheth- gath. If so, Micah came from a little town not far from
                                    Jerusalem (25 miles SW of Jerusalem near the Philistine city of Gath)Heater writes, "Isaiah was apparently a more urbane prophet, personally acquainted with
                                    kings and leaders. Micah, like Amos, may not have been part

of the official prophets' guild. His trips to Jerusalem as a 'country' prophet no doubt confirmed what he had heard from a distance. (From
                                    www.Bible.org)

§        Who did He write it to? 

Samaria- Israel’s capital and Jerusalem- Judah’s capital (1:1)

§        What was the audience like?

At that time they were being, about to be, or already had been overrun/ conquered by neighboring nations.

§        Why did he write it?

Who knows!  God told him so he said it and we have it to read.  We can’t always know why.

§        When did he write it?

During the reign of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah

(*** See attached Map***)

Eighth Century B.C. probably before the fall
                                    of

     Samaria in 722/21 B.C. to Sennacherib's march to Judah
                                    in

     701
                                    B.C.

     A.   That Micah mentions the "decrees of Omri" (c. 885-874

          B.C.), the
                                    "works of the dynasty of Ahab" (c. 874-853;

          Mic 6:16), and Assyria
                                    indicates that at least part of

         
                                    Micah's ministry was before the fall of Samaria in

          722/21 B.C.

     B. 
                                     The similarities between Micah 6:10-11 and Amos 8:5-6

          supports
                                    a time which would have been before the fall

          of Samaria

     C.  
                                    If 1:10-16 is describing the march of Sennacherib from

          Lachish to Jerusalem in 701 B.C. we may have a terminus

          boundary for the book

     D.  
                                    Jeremiah affirms that Micah predicted the fall of Jerusalem
                                    during the reign

       
                                       of Hezekiah (716-687 B.C.)

(all the above is from www.Bible.org)

§        Is it a letter to a person or church or is it a document to be read by all?

“Hear O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it”

-         The word bears subjective and personal overtones.

o       It represents a familial relationship.

o       It may signify those relatives (including women and children) who are grouped together locally whether or not they permanently inhabit a given location:

o       This word may refer to the whole of a nation formed and united primarily by their descent from a common ancestor.^[1]

§        What is the literary context?

·        Is it a poem, a letter, a teaching, a historical document, a song, etc.

It is “The Word of the Lord” (1:1)

-         It is a prophecy

-         Figurative language is being used, lots of symbolism

§        Does any of the above matter?

Ask yourself; does how God related to us today in the same ways he related to the people in the book of Micah?

(Remember Hebrews 13:8.)

God is a person of character who’s character does not change. 

II. Read the entire book

o       Read it again

o       Read it again in other translations

o       Jot down any overall impressions/ themes about the book. 

§        What is the big idea?

The sins of the people

God’s punishments:

God’s justice:

Man’s way out:

o       Do not focus on specifics

o       Write down major questions that have to do with the book as a whole

o       Only focus on specifics when they relate to the major questions

III. Read a more specific paragraph/section/chapter

o       Read it again

IV. Ask the Bible some questions

§        Things you don’t understand

§        Things you think you understand but have never really studied for yourself

What questions do you have?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

V. Find the answers to your questions

o       What does it mean?

o       Word studies (original language, not Webster’s)

o       Bible Dictionaries (Make sure the word you look up is the correct one.)

o       Bible encyclopedias (same as above)

o       Commentaries (these are as a last resort since they are mostly the opinions of others)

o       The internet (www.crosswalk.com, www.biblegateway.com, www.bible.org, www.studylight.org)

o       Concordances (see how the same word is used other places)

VI. Ask yourself some questions

o       Once you’ve done all the research, what does it say?

§        Do not read your meaning into the text.  Take the meaning from the text.  Let the text say what it says

o       What does that have do with our world today?

o       What difference does it make?

VII. Verify it

o       Does it say that somewhere else in the Bible?

o       Pray

^[2]