Micah: A Friends Illuminated Commentary

Micah 6:8 — “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” — is perhaps the most quoted verse in Quaker history after John 1:9. This brief prophetic book concentrates into seven chapters a vision of the just society that early Friends took as their mandate: the condemnation of rulers who devour the poor, the critique of false prophets who prophesy for profit, and the profound peace vision of every person sitting under their own vine and fig tree with none to make them afraid. Friends returned to Micah when they needed the prophetic tradition’s clearest statement of what faithfulness requires.

This commentary is shorter than others in the series, reflecting Micah’s brevity, but it is packed with quotation and cross-reference — showing how deeply this small book shaped Quaker preaching, social testimony, and devotional life. The free Group Study Guide is particularly well-suited to discussions of the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality, using Micah as a biblical foundation.