27. The Book of Micah: Justice, Mercy, and God’s Emotions with Dr. Cory Driver

Dr. Cory Driver unpacks the Book of Micah: justice, mercy, and God's emotions explained.

In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Kristofer Phan Coffman welcome back Old Testament scholar Dr. Cory Driver to dig into the Book of Micah. This short but powerful minor prophet speaks into the eighth century BCE, addressing both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms as Assyria threatens on the horizon. Dr. Driver explains why prophecy isn’t primarily about predicting the future but about communicating how God feels, and he shows how Micah brings that message home with striking specificity, naming small towns and villages to make clear that everyone, not just the powerful, is caught up in the story.

The conversation moves through the “Bible Bingo” terms of nations, place, injustice, hope, and repetition, then lands on the courtroom scene of Micah 6, where God calls creation itself as a witness against the people’s injustice. That scene sets up the well-known words of Micah 6:8, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, which Dr. Driver unpacks in its full context. He also shares a personal story about how Micah 7:5-6 unsettled and ultimately shaped his own faith, offering listeners a moving picture of how this ancient text still speaks to real life today.

Bible Bingo

Nations
Place
Injustice
Hope
Repetition

7-Word Summary

Without a strong foundation, the house crumbles.

Scripture References

Micah 1 (place names and wordplay)
Micah 3:11-12 (quoted verbatim in Jeremiah 36:18)
Micah 4:1-2 (vision of nations streaming to Zion)
Micah 5-6 (idolatry, militarism, injustice; God’s courtroom case)
Micah 6:1-8 (the famous “do justice, love kindness, walk humbly” passage)
Micah 7:5-6 (on untrustworthy family/society)
Jeremiah 36:18 (quotes Micah 3:11-12)

Resources Mentioned

Featuring

Cory Driver

Cory Driver is the Managing Director for the Center for L.I.F.E. (Leading the Integration of Faith and Entrepreneurship) at Miami University. He serves as an adjunct professor at Luther Seminary and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. He is the author of God, Gender and Family Trauma: How Rereading Genesis can be a Revelation, as well as Life Unsettled: A Scriptural Journey for Wilderness Times.

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Hosted By

Kathryn Schifferdecker

Kathryn M Schifferdecker is Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament at Luther Seminary. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2001, Schifferdecker was associate pastor for five years at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arkdale, Wisconsin, before coming to Luther in 2006. Schifferdecker is a frequent contributor to Working Preacher, Word & World, and the author of "Out of the Whirlwind: Creation Theology in the Book of Job" (Harvard University Press, 2008). She is currently writing a commentary on the book of Esther.

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Kristofer Phan Coffman

Kristofer Phan Coffman is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Religion and Cultures at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Kristofer is, to the best of his knowledge, the first Cambodian to receive a doctoral degree in any aspect of biblical studies or the study of the ancient world. He brings his own experience as a first generation Cambodian-American to his readings of the biblical text in an effort to help readers reframe their reading of ancient texts as a cross-cultural interaction, hoping to build skills both for the reading of the biblical text as well as the modern task of relating to people from cultures different than their own. In addition to his work in the New Testament, Kristofer writes on food, farming and sustainability. His first book, Harrowing the Gospels: A Cambodian (American) Rereading of Agriculture in Mark and Matthew will be published in the Brill Biblical Interpretation Series in Fall 2025, and he is currently writing a book on reading the Bible with cultural sensitivity for Baker Academic.

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About The Bible in a Year Podcast

This podcast guides you on a journey through the books of the Bible, providing insights on how Scripture can shape your life today. Each episode focuses on one or two books of the Bible in fun, engaging, and authentic conversations between Luther Seminary faculty and guest Bible scholars who are experts on the book(s) in question. Join us as we make our way through the Bible in a year — new episodes drop every Wednesday in 2026!