Will the church go belly up and become extinct? No, Micah says, for three reasons, which we find in his book in 7.8-17. I include my own translation from the Hebrew.
Within 7.8-17 there are three sections: verses 8-10, 11-13 and 14-17. Leslie Allen calls the first a psalm of confidence, the second an oracle of salvation and the third a prayer of supplication. Preferred dates and historical setting for this material run the gamut; I think it likely that Micah is anticipating the scourge of Judah under Babylon and beyond (he was aware of that according to 4.9-10).
Why does it all matter? What is the concern that underlies the text? We have heard the accusation against Judah followed by judgment mapped out in chapter 6. Then we have read of the desperate straits of the remnant of God’s people in, for example, 7.2. What, we might think, will we hear next? Will chapter 7 close with a prophecy about entering an age of pure paganism? Will the church go belly up? Was the intention of having a faithful people in this nasty world a really fine idea, but a bit much for even God to hope for? Micah will have none of it.
