In The Word
Read: Micah 3:1-4:7
Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“Hear now, you leaders 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,
Smash their bones,
And chop them up as for the pot,
And as meat in a cauldron!”
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 This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray:
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They cry out, “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 put to shame,
And the diviners will be ashamed.
Indeed, they will all cover their lips
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,
And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who despise justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who build Zion with bloodshed,
And Jerusalem with malice.
11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Is the Lord not in our midst?
Catastrophe will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you,
Zion will be plowed like 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’s go up to the mountain of the Lord
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
So that He may teach us about His ways,
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For from Zion will go forth the law,
And 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 beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift a sword against nation,
And never again will they train for war.
4 Instead, each of them will sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid,
Because the mouth of the Lord of armies 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 “On that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble those who limp
And gather the scattered,
Those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will make those who limp a remnant,
And those who have strayed a mighty nation,
And the Lord will reign over them on 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.”