Micah 3
Micah 3 primarily deals with the wrongdoing of Israel’s leaders—those who hold power—and the judgment that will result from it. It is divided into three main parts. The first (verses 1–4) is a rebuke of the wickedness of the leaders. The second (verses 5–7) continues with a warning about false prophets. Finally, the third (verses 8–12) concludes with words about a true prophet and the coming judgment on Jerusalem.
1verseI said, “Please listen, you heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Isn’t it for you to know justice?
2verseYou who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones;
3versewho also eat the flesh of my people, and peel their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as meat within the cauldron.
4verseThen they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them. Yes, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they made their deeds evil.”
5verseThe LORD says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray—for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, “Peace!” and whoever doesn’t provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:
6verse“Therefore night is over you, with no vision, and it is dark to you, that you may not divine; and the sun will go down on the prophets, and the day will be black over them.
7verseThe seers shall be disappointed, and the diviners confounded. Yes, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.”
8verseBut as for me, I am full of power by the LORD’s Spirit, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his disobedience, and to Israel his sin.
9versePlease listen to this, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice, and pervert all equity,
10versewho build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11verseHer leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money; yet they lean on the LORD, and say, “Isn’t the LORD among us? No disaster will come on us.”
12verseTherefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high places of a forest.
The Responsibility of the Leaders and Judgment (Verses 1–4)
Micah rebukes Israel’s rulers and judges for not knowing God’s justice. They mistreat the people, trample on justice, and are indifferent to the suffering of the weak. God warns that He will not listen to the prayers of these evil leaders, and that He will not help them when they face trouble.
A Warning Against False Prophets (Verses 5–7)
False prophets seek only their own interests. When food is plentiful, they call for peace, but when it is against their interests, they proclaim war. God says that He will no longer reveal Himself to these false prophets, and that they will wander in darkness.
A True Prophet and the Destruction of the City (Verses 8–12)
Micah confesses that he is filled with the Spirit of God, and that he proclaims justice and God’s will with strength. He then prophesies that Jerusalem will become desolate because of the leaders, the prophets, and the priests’ injustice. In this way, Micah makes it clear that God will surely judge the power class and religious leaders who lack justice.
Meditation Points
- Reflect on the firm judgment against those who distort God’s justice.
- Let us consider that true spirituality is not outward authority, but truth and justice, and love for the weak.
Applying It to Me
- Let us reflect on whether we are acting justly even in the small responsibilities entrusted to us, and whether we might be distorting the truth for our own benefit.
- Let us examine whether our words and lives are close to the appearance of a true prophet before God, or whether there is the appearance of a false prophet who pursues the world’s interests.
