Micah 4:3-5: Under Their Own Fig Trees

Micah 4:3-5

Under Their Own Fig Trees



… but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken (3-4).



The expression, all shall sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, is indicative of perfect peace, security, and rural comfort of the most prosperous tranquility. The present conditions of globalization have rapidly transformed agriculture into a business, destroying its rural pristine sanctity. As agribusiness becomes a globally integrated enterprise, farmers from poor countries find themselves in direct competition with the mechanized projects of the corporate giants. In India the traditional small farmers find themselves dictated by the business interests of biotech major like Monsanto who enjoys the patent rights of traditional seeds and misuse their gene technology to modify seeds and impose them upon poor farmers at unaffordable prices. Micah’s vision of a new world serves as a safeguard against such corporate business practices, promising enjoyment and relaxation under their own vines and fig trees. According to the biblical economy, society must be built around the interests of the real producers and consumers, to meet the actual needs of people for food and drink. A just system must protect, not undermine, cultural, biological, economic and social diversity. Religious as well as political, economic and social freedom are interrelated.

● Lord, help us to lead a life of our own choice.

● ● Think of ways to protect personal rights against corporate giants.