First Round of Judgment and Salvation: As with most other prophetic books, the book of Micah begins with an introductory verse (1:1) that gives the prophet’s name, the time period in which he ministers, and the object of the message that God gives him. Micah begins with an invocation, a call to listen to the Lord. The call goes out to the whole earth and all who are in it, but the message is specifically directed toward Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, and briefly toward Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom. Micah announces that the Lord has a case against Israel. He will witness against Israel by exposing her evil deeds (1:2–7). The concept of the witness is connected to the covenant (Deut. 30:18; 31:19, 26; Josh. 24:27). After all, the witness was present at the ti…