In The Word
Read: Micah 3:1-4:7
Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to know justice?
2 “You who hate good and love evil,
Who tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones
And chop them up as for the pot
And as meat in a kettle.”
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time
Because they have practiced evil deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be ashamed
And the diviners will be embarrassed.
Indeed, they will all cover their mouths
Because there is no answer from God.
8 On the other hand I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests instruct for a price
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord saying,
“Is not the Lord in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
Zion will be plowed as a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.
Peaceful Latter Days
4 And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
And the peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
That He may teach us about His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For from Zion will go forth the law,
Even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they train for war.
4 Each of them will sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid,
For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble the lame
And gather the outcasts,
Even those whom I have afflicted.
7 “I will make the lame a remnant
And the outcasts a strong nation,
And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
From now on and forever.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The call to hear the message of the Lord has been declared again by Micah. This time the focus was placed on the rulers and spiritual leaders of Judah and Israel. They hated good and loved evil (Micah 3:2). Corruption was in the governing body. They were abusing their authority and exploiting the poor. In verses 2-4, we see a picture of ravenous wolves rather than human beings. The day would come when they would cry out to the Lord, but He would not hear them.
Working with these people were the false prophets. Those who were entrusted by God to guide His people now misled them. For a price, priest and prophets would tell people what they wanted to hear: peace, when war and judgment was looming. Those who were given to protect and guide God’s people allowed selfish ambition to blind them, while proclaiming that the Lord was in their midst (Micah 3:11b).
God takes the care of His people seriously. Those who are called to shepherd must do so with great responsibility. They are to love and protect, to serve and be an example. They are to speak the Word of God even if it is uncomfortable to hear, such was the case with the prophet Micah (Micah 3:8). God will not let His people continue under unrighteous leadership. Do not fear such leadership, the Righteous Rule is coming (Micah 4:1-7)! God will cast down corrupt leaders and false prophets. It will be His righteousness and His justice that will protect us and guide us. Micah 4:5 says, “As for us, we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”