Micah 3

The oppressive rulers (vs. 1-4)—Leaders are supposed to lead their people, of course, not fleece them. That wasn’t happening in Micah’s day. This chapter starts out with a message to “heads of Jacob, and you rulers of the house of Israel” (v. 1). They were supposed to be just (v. 1), but rather they “hate good and love evil,” (v. 2), and “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" (v. 3). The abuse of power is one of the most consistent crimes among rulers down through history; James Madison said to never trust any man with very much of it. Ancient Israel was plagued with the same malady. And when these leaders finally do “cry to the Lord,” then “He will not hear them; He will even hide his face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds” (v. 4). There will always be a day of reckoning for wickedness; and when men call on Jehovah in that day, it will be too late.

A word to the false prophets (vs. 4-8)—Next, “the prophets who make my people stray” (v. 5) come in for censure. They cry “peace,” but they devour the people, and they make war against the true prophet of God, “him who puts nothing into their mouths,” i.e., doesn’t assist the false prophet in his evil ways. There will be nothing but “darkness without divination” for these evil men (v. 6). “So the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners abashed; indeed they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God” (v. 7). They never did truly speak the Lord’s message, but the day will come when they won’t even be able to speak their lies. In contrast, Micah was a true prophet of God: “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of justice and might,” and he was doing the job the Lord wanted done: “To declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin” (v. 8). People must be warned away from the sin they are living in; but the message they too often here is one of “peace.” False teachers will always tell people what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear. It was as true in Micah’s day as it is today. And visa versa.

A stirring rebuke (vs. 9-12)—The chapter ends with a powerful censure of these leaders: “Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity, who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity” (vs. 9-10). Their judges took bribes, their priests and prophets did their work solely for money (v. 11), and “yet they lean on the LORD, and say, 'Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us'” (v. 11)—they have the unmitigated gall to think that a holy, righteous God would approve of their activity and not hold them accountable. Well, we have leaders in our country today who think the same thing. The Lord had a message for the rulers of his day: “Because of you, 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” (v. 12). Notice this denunciation was against Judah and Jerusalem, not the northern kingdom. Interestingly, this verse will save Jeremiah’s life about 100 years later. The event is related in Jeremiah 26. That great prophet condemned Jerusalem and the people were going to kill him for it. But there were some people who came to his aid: “Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: ‘Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: 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’’” (Jeremiah 26:17-18). So one prophet saved the life of another. It is noteworthy that Micah’s prophesy in 3:12 did not come to pass for well over 100 years. According to the passage in Jeremiah, Micah made this prediction in the reign of Hezekiah, who was one of the better rulers in Judah. But the Lord knew in advance the ways of the people and sent His prophet to try to save as many as possible.