Albert Barnes Commentary Micah 6:9

"The voice of Jehovah crieth unto the city, and [the man of] wisdom will see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it." — Micah 6:9 (ASV)

The voice of the Lord cries to the city—that is, Jerusalem, as the metropolis of their wealth and their sin, the head and heart of their offense. “Cries,” aloud, earnestly, intently, so that all might hear. So God says, “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She crieth at the gates, - unto you, O men, I cry, and my voice is to the sons of men” (Proverbs 8:1, 3-4); and Isaiah prophesied of John the Immerser, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3); and our Lord says, “He that heareth you, heareth Me. And the man of wisdom shall see Thy Name” (Luke 10:16). The voice of God is in the hearing of all, but the wise only sees the Name of God.

The word rendered “wisdom” means “that which is.” See ye the word of the Lord. They shall see His power and majesty and all which His Name expresses, as they are displayed individually in each work of His: He shall speak to them by all things in which He is; and so seeing Him now in a glass darkly, they shall in the future see all, His Glory, His Goodness, His Love, Himself, face to face.

Hear you the rod—that is, the scourge of the wrath of God. The name and the image recall the similar prophecies of Isaiah, so that Micah in one word epitomizes the prophecies of Isaiah, or Isaiah expands the word of Micah. “The rod in thine hand is My indignation” (Isaiah 10:5); “As if the rod lifted up Him, who is not wood” (Isaiah 10:15); “He lifteth up his rod against thee” (Isaiah 10:24); “Thou hast broken the rod (which is) on his shoulder” (Isaiah 9:3, Hebrew); “The Lord hath broken the rod of the wicked” (Isaiah 14:5); “whereon the grounded (that is, fixed by the decree of God) staff shall pass” (Isaiah 30:32).

And who has appointed it—that is, beforehand, fixing the time and place, when and where it should come. So Jeremiah says, “How canst thou (sword of the Lord) be quiet, and the Lord hath given it a charge to Ashkelon and to the seashore? there hath He appointed it” (Jeremiah 47:7). He who has “appointed it,” does not change His decree, unless man changes; nor is He lacking in power to fulfill it. He will surely bring it to pass. All which can be thought of, of fear, terror, motives to repentance, awe, hope, trust, is in that word “who.” It is God; hopes and fears may be infinite.