Micah 1:  “…which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem”
Capitals of northern and southern kingdoms.

4  “…Like waters poured down a steep place”
Not a slow trickle, but a fast moving pour.  No resistance.

5  “…What is the transgression of Jacob?  Is it not Samaria?  And what are the high places of Judah?  Are they not Jerusalem?”
Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom.  Represents Jeroboam and the other leaders of the north.  Jeroboam set up golden calves as idols in Bethel and Dan to keep the people from going to Jerusalem each year to worship God at the temple.  Unfortunately, the kings of Judah, southern kingdom, allowed idol worship to occur on the high places.  Not all southern kings were evil, but they rarely tore down the false places of worship even when they tried to follow God.

7  “…all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire…they shall return to the pay of a harlot”
Interesting section.  Harlotry is what the Bible uses to refer to idol worship or any worship that isn’t toward God.  God and God alone deserves the relationship with us which requires our worship.  Commentary suggests the gold and silver which overlaid the idols may have come from Assyria as they worshipped the same gods.  Once God allows the Assyrians to come in and conquer the people, they will take back the gold and silver.  Thus the “pay of harlotry” will return to the ones who initiated the harlotry.  Sad that the Assyrians, although allowed by God to conquer the Israelites, will attribute their success to their false gods.  They’ll refuse to acknowledge the one true God and be destroyed for it.

8  “…I will go stripped and naked…”
Not bare naked.  Just removal of the outer garments as a sign of mourning.

8  “…a mourning like the ostriches”
Apparently ostriches make a cry that sounds somewhat mournful.

13  “O inhabitant of Lachish…the transgressions of Israel were found in you”
City of Judah near the border with the northern kingdom.  According to this passage, the first to start picking up the idolatry from the north.

16  “Make yourself bald and cut off your hair…For they shall go from you into captivity”
More signs of mourning.  He gives the reason.  The people will go into captivity.

I hope you enjoy reading and studying His word.  May it accomplish what He desires.  Please feel free to comment or post questions.  Thanks for reading!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.