Injustice Will Not Stand in the Day of Judgment  Micah 3:5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant "Peace" While they chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Who puts nothing into their mouths:Micah became one of the many voices sent on God's behalf to warn the Jewish people of the judgment that was soon to fall upon them. Looking back, it is amazing how hardhearted they had become to God's warning. The more they were warned, the more they mocked true prophets and drew themselves to false prophets. These false prophets were willing to validate every evil and sin God's people were doing in return for money. For Micah, a faithful prophet, there was nothing but scorn and rejection. Things haven't changed much since then. In our own time, our land is covered with those who say they speak for God as they proclaim peace and prosperity. And this is for a nation that is increasingly calling good evil and evil good. But in the end, all the false prophets of peace and safety will be laid low in shame when God's own hand is raised to bring about the judgment our sin deserves (1:2-5). The same will be true of all who have misused their power as judges and princes. Those who were placed in power to defend the oppressed and to bring justice and righteousness will one day be judged for when they have just the opposite. Personal gain and hunger for power had blinded them of justice and caused them to turn a blind eye to the injustice the powerless in society were suffering. We would all be well served if every business person, every politician, and every religious leader was given a course on God's stern warnings to those in power from this account from Micah. The ruins of the many who have misused their power are proof enough that judgment will become their legacy and shame their end. | |||
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Micah 1:1-4:13  1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.2 Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple. 3 For behold, the LORD is coming out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth. 4 The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire, Like waters poured down a steep place. 5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? 6 "Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field, Places for planting a vineyard; I will pour down her stones into the valley, And I will uncover her foundations. 7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, Mourning for Israel and Judah And all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay desolate, For she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, And they shall return to the pay of a harlot." 8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals And a mourning like the ostriches, 9 For her wounds are incurable. For it has come to Judah; It has come to the gate of My people— To Jerusalem. 10 Tell it not in Gath, Weep not at all; In Beth Aphrah Roll yourself in the dust. 11 Pass by in naked shame, you inhabitant of Shaphir; The inhabitant of Zaanan does not go out. Beth Ezel mourns; Its place to stand is taken away from you. 12 For the inhabitant of Maroth pined for good, But disaster came down from the LORD To the gate of Jerusalem. 13 O inhabitant of Lachish, Harness the chariot to the swift steeds (She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion), For the transgressions of Israel were found in you. 14 Therefore you shall give presents to Moresheth Gath; The houses of Achzibshall be a lie to the kings of Israel. 15 I will yet bring an heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah; The glory of Israel shall come to Adullam. 16 Make yourself bald and cut off your hair, Micah 2 Woe to Evildoers Because of your precious children; Enlarge your baldness like an eagle, For they shall go from you into captivity. 1 Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand. 2 They covet fields and take them by violence, Also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, A man and his inheritance. 3 Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, against this family I am devising disaster, From which you cannot remove your necks; Nor shall you walk haughtily, For this is an evil time. 4 In that day one shall take up a proverb against you, And lament with a bitter lamentation, saying: ' We are utterly destroyed! He has changed the heritage of my people; How He has removed it from me! To a turncoat He has divided our fields.'" 5 Therefore you will have no one to determine boundaries by lot Lying Prophets In the assembly of the LORD. 6 "Do not prattle," you say to those who prophesy. So they shall not prophesy to you; They shall not return insult for insult. 7 You who are named the house of Jacob: "Is the Spirit of the LORD restricted? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good To him who walks uprightly? 8 "Lately My people have risen up as an enemy— You pull off the robe with the garment From those who trust you, as they pass by, Like men returned from war. 9 The women of My people you cast out From their pleasant houses; From their children You have taken away My glory forever. 10 "Arise and depart, For this is not your rest; Because it is defiled, it shall destroy, Yes, with utter destruction. 11 If a man should walk in a false spirit And speak a lie, saying, ' I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,' Israel Restored Even he would be the prattler of this people. 12 "I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. 13 The one who breaks open will come up before them; Micah 3 Wicked Rulers and Prophets They will break out, Pass through the gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the LORD at their head." 1 And I said: "Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is itnot for you to know justice? 2 You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, And the flesh from their bones; 3 Who also eat the flesh of My people, Flay their skin from them, Break their bones, And chop them in pieces Like meat for the pot, Like flesh in the caldron." 4 Then they will cry to the LORD, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds. 5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant "Peace" While they chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Who puts nothing into their mouths: 6 "Therefore you shall have night without vision, And you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, And the day shall be dark for them. 7 So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God." 8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin. 9 Now hear this, You heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who abhor justice And pervert all equity, 10 Who build up Zion with bloodshed And Jerusalem with iniquity: 11 Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us." 12 Therefore because of you Micah 4 The LORD's Reign in Zion Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest. 1 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. 2 Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. 4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5 For all people walk each in the name of his god, Zion's Future Triumph But we will walk in the name of the LORD our God Forever and ever. 6 "In that day," says the LORD, "I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; 7 I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever. 8 And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem." 9 Now why do you cry aloud? Is thereno king in your midst? Has your counselor perished? For pangs have seized you like a woman in labor. 10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, Like a woman in birth pangs. For now you shall go forth from the city, You shall dwell in the field, And to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; There the LORD will redeem you From the hand of your enemies. 11 Now also many nations have gathered against you, Who say, "Let her be defiled, And let our eye look upon Zion." 12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, Nor do they understand His counsel; For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor. 13 "Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hooves bronze; You shall beat in pieces many peoples; I will consecrate their gain to the LORD, And their substance to the Lord of the whole earth." | |||
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| Micah 1:1-4:13 v. 1 Micah – Not to be confused with the prophet mentioned in 1 Kings 22. Moresheth – a city in the tribe of Judah days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah – Three kings of Judah. This dates the prophecies of Micah to about the same time as that of the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos. Samaria and Jerusalem – The head cities of Israel and Judah. The prophecies are not for just these cities; the prophecies concern all twelve tribes. v. 3 the LORD is coming out of His place – Not literal, for the Lord is everywhere. Symbolic language meaning that the Lord is no longer in His mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, but has taken up a seat of judgment because of the extensive sins of Israel. tread on the high places of the earth – The worship of idols was done in high places. This is also a reference to places of self-idolatry and pride (Amos 4:13). v. 4 mountains will melt – See Psalm 68:2. valleys will split wax before the fire like waters poured down a steep place – Both the high and low places, the powerful and the powerless, will know the coming judgment of God. v. 5 transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria…high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem – The major cities of Israel and Judah were infected with idolatry. The idolatry of the nation was so widespread and dominant, that idolatry was even practiced in the Temple in Jerusalem (Eze. 8:1). v. 6 places for planting a vineyard – completely desolated pour down her stones into the valley, uncover her foundations – not one stone would be left upon another v. 7 her carved images shall be beaten to pieces – By the conquering Assyrian army, for the gold and silver they contained. her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire – Prostitutes gave money to the pagan temples to adorn the idols and decorate the temple. This was, literally, the pay of a harlot. v. 8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked – like one who is utterly grieving and mourning jackals – tanniyn (Heb.) dragon, serpent, sea monster. Probably the jackal, a small dog-like creature whose night-time howls were mournful. ostriches – ya`anah (Heb.) owl, ostrich, literally translated as "daughters of the owl" v. 9 For her wounds are incurable – there is no cure for the sins of the Israelites v. 10 Gath, weep not at all – Gath was a city of the Philistines. In other words, Don't cry over your trouble in the city of your enemies. This phrase is also used in 2 Samuel 1:20. Beth Aphrah roll yourself in the dust – Or Bethel-aphrah (Heb.) meaning "house belonging to Aphrah" or "house of dust." This is a play on words: roll yourself in the dust of the house of dust. v. 11 Shaphir – the strongest place in Galilee The inhabitant of Zaanan does not go out – another city in Judah Beth Ezel mourns – A place near Jerusalem (Zech. 14:5). May refer to Jerusalem itself. Its place to stand is taken away from you – or, "its protection is taken from you" (NIV) v. 12 Maroth – Marowth (Heb.) meaning bitterness pined for good – or waited hopefully or expectantly v. 13 Lachish – Lachiysh (Heb.) meaning invincible. a city south of Jerusalem swift steeds – rekesh (Heb.) meaning horses, mules, or dromedaries (She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion – This seems to imply that Lachish was the first to fall prey to pagan and idol worship. transgressions of Israel were found in you – meaning that the city was a very wicked place v. 14 give presents to Moresheth Gath – Moresheth Gath was a place near Gath, a Philistine city. They would send presents along with their request for help fighting the Assyrians. houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel – Achzib (Akziyb, Heb.) meaning deceit. Although the kings of Israel would rely on the strength of Achzib, that strength would fail Israel. v. 15 Adullam – a fenced city in the south of Judah (2 Chron. 11:7) toward the Dead Sea v. 16 Make yourself bald and cut off your hair because of your precious children – Cutting off one's hair was a sign of great mourning and despair, usually done after the death of a close family member (Job 1:20, Jer. 7:29). Enlarge your baldness like an eagle – This refers to molting, which is when a bird sheds feathers and then grows new ones. for they shall go from you into captivity – This was accomplished in Israel, partly by Tiglathpileser, and more completely by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria (2 Kings 15:29, 17:6) and in Judah when Sennacherib came. Micah 2 v. 1 work out evil on their beds! – Instead of resting and perhaps meditating or praying, these evildoers are planning new sins and evil deeds (Ps. 36:4). morning light they practice it – Those who plan evil at night rise in the morning eager to begin their plans. the power of their hand – In other words, there is nothing stopping those who devise evil from acting on their plans. NIV translates this, "it is in their power to do it." v. 3 against this family I am devising disaster – The disaster is the impending fall of Israel to the Assyrians and their captivity in Babylon. you cannot remove your necks – The image of an ox held in a yoke. Instead of carrying the easy yoke of obedience to the Lord, they will instead feel the heavy yoke of His judgment upon them. haughtily – proudly v. 4 To a turncoat He has divided our fields – Or, "He assigns our fields to traitors" (NIV). v. 5 you will have no one to determine boundaries – There will be no land to divide. v. 6 prattle – to talk at length in a foolish way v. 8 You pull off the robe with the garment – stripped them naked Like men returned from war – Men who are returning home from war are no longer in fear for their lives, and thus go about their business feeling safe. v. 9 From their children You have taken away My glory forever – As the Israelites were taken into captivity in Babylon, they were deprived of the ability to worship God in the Temple and receive His glory. The children who were also taken into captivity were deprived of this chance to worship through no fault of their own. v. 11 prophesy…of wine and drink – Speaking of men who falsely prophesy that the judgment of the Lord is not coming and there is nothing to worry about. Drink and be merry, in other words. prattler – nataph (Heb.) meaning to drop, drip, distill, prophesy, or preach v. 12 I will surely gather the remnant of Israel – This is a promise of the restoration of Israel after captivity, and also a reference to the return of the Messiah, when "all Israel shall be saved" (Rom. 11:26, John 10:16). v. 13 The one who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out, Pass through the gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the LORD at their head – Another reference to the return of Christ. Micah 3 v. 1 heads of Jacob – This warning is for the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Jer. 26:18.) v. 2 strip the skin from My people, And the flesh – like wild beasts or butchers v. 3 Who also eat the flesh of My people – Not literal. The wickedness of the sinful people of Israel was so deep that they would stop at nothing in their desire for more. v. 5 who puts nothing into their mouths – The people will believe the smooth words of the false prophets who provide the people with nothing, but fail to heed the warning from God, who has continually provided for them. v. 6 night without vision…darkness without divination – It will be obvious that the false prophets who told the people not to worry of God's coming judgment were completely wrong. sun shall go down on the prophets – The false prophets will have been found to be so obviously wrong that they will be held in contempt by the people. v. 9 equity – justice, fairness v. 12 the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest – Also translated, "high hills." The picture is of the Temple completely destroyed with thorny brush and thick undergrowth growing in the Temple Mount. Micah 4 v. 1 in the latter days – referring to the coming of the Messiah (Is. 2:2) v. 2 Many nations shall come – Christ offers salvation to all who live on Earth, to every nation, not just the Jews (Is. 2:3, Luke 24:47) v. 3 swords into plowshares…spears into pruning hooks – This promise of peace is coming with the establishment of Christ's Kingdom upon the Earth. v. 4 everyone shall sit under his vine – An expression that signifies peace, contentment, and prosperity (1 Kings 4:25). v. 5 all people walk each in the name of his god – Until Jesus calls to them and reveals His truth to them, people will continue to worship the religions and idols they are used to. v. 8 tower of the flock – Jerusalem the daughter of Jerusalem – the church v. 10 bring forth, O daughter of Zion – The trouble of Israel is compared to a woman who labors to give birth. She will struggle with pain, but should do so with the expectation of deliverance. dwell in the field – referring to being turned out of their houses and camping along the road to Babylon be delivered – After 70 years of captivity, a remnant of Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem. v. 12 will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor – During the harvest, the sheaves are cut down, bound up, and laid out in order to be ground down. The enemies of the Lord will receive similar treatment when He brings their judgment. v. 13 your horn iron…your hooves bronze – The Lord will give His people all the strength they need to accomplish the goals that He sets for them. | |||
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"Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant "Peace" While they chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Who puts nothing into their mouths" –Micah 3:5 We realize, Lord, that little has changed from Micah's day til now. We are constantly pulled in so many directions by the world around us, by what we see in popular culture and the media. Guard Your people, Jesus, and protect us from false prophets who seek to lead us away from You. Reveal the truth to us, Lord, and give us minds that know You so well that we can see through the charlatans around us. | |||
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