Book of Micah Chapter Three Commentary by
Ron Beckham
Audio Bible Study - Micah 3:1-5
Verse 1. "And I said, 'Hear now, heads of Jacob and
rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know justice?’"
God is speaking through the prophet Micah, DIRECTLY to the leaders of the Jewish
people, and He is speaking just as directly to the rulers of this world today.
Everyone who is in a position of ANY type of authority should listen to the
words of God as expressed through His servants, such as this prophet. And of course, ALL of us
are in some position of authority in one manner or another, whether we acknowledge it or not.
The table server, the waiter or waitress, has to some extent, authority over
the tables he or she waits upon, just as the janitor is in charge of the area he
or she will clean. We think of authority as ruling over someone else, but God
views the one in authority as the servant of all (Philippians 2:3-8). "Justice" in this verse is literally being honest and fair
in our treatment of others. You and I have been made leaders by Almighty God, and we are to be JUST in what
we do.
Verse 2. "You who hate good and love evil, who tear off
their skin from them and their flesh from their bones,"
In what they publicly said and in their official outward actions, the leaders
of Israel and Judah hated "evil" and loved the "good." But their actions were not the same as their
words, and that problem is rampant in today's world as well. Duplicity in our
motives is like a raging disease of the soul that eats us from the inside. And
when you harm somebody, thinking, "No one will see me," you offend Almighty God,
who knows your every thought and sees all that you do. The rulers of
Israel and Judah were actually among those who "hate good
and love evil."
David, in Psalm 140:12, correctly observed "that the
Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor."
If you and I charge excessive rents or raise the cost of our goods and services
beyond that which is reasonable, merely so that we might have more; God sees
what we do. To make a profit is not wrong, but when you outrageously take
everything that your neighbors have, it is like you "tear
off their skin from them and their flesh from their bones." In such
actions, God will judge you and me.
Verse 3. "And 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."
In what is called the Apocrypha, in Wisdom 12:5, an allusion is made to
cannibalism, suggesting that the people of the time at least knew of such
practices. In most of the world, throughout most of human history, cannibalism
has reasonably been thought of as an evil practice. Certainly, at the least, the
one who does such a thing violates the Law of God, where it says, "You shall not commit murder" (Exodus 20:13). But the
statement, "eat the flesh" in this verse is an
allusion, a parable that is to reveal to the leaders how their actions look to a
holy God.
The leaders of a people are supposed to be God's shepherds of that nation or
whatever political or religious entity they serve. The President, Bishop, King, Queen or Prime
Minister of a land is supposed to care for his or her people in practical ways
that help them, not hurt them. This verse refers back to Micah 2:2 and 8, where God
observed that the leaders were taking "fields...
houses... (a man's)
inheritance" and even his or her clothing in the satisfaction of debts.
God sees that taking everything from someone is like taking their life by
boiling them in a "pot," as though they are "meat in a kettle."
Verse 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.”
"Why doesn't God answer my prayers?" is the cry of many people. Translated,
this question often means, "Why won't God do what I want Him to do?" as though He is
somehow wrong in what He does or refrains from doing. The assumption is that if suffering is in the
world, which of course it is, then God does not exist, or if He does, He is
mean-spirited and does not care. The reality is: God DOES exist, He is good, and
He DOES care deeply for you and me.
Notice what was to happen when trouble was to be allowed
for the leaders of Israel and
Judah: They would finally do the right thing and "cry out to the
Lord, but He (would) not answer them" in
their need because if He did, they would go right back to mistreating others. We
pray, expecting that God will do what we want, and "He
(sometimes) will not answer" because we "have practiced evil deeds," which tend to be "below the
radar" of our understanding. Part of the reason that trouble is allowed in this
world is so we will see our sin, our need and be changed for the good.
Verse 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.”
Micah now turns from God's description of the "heads of
Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel" (Verse 1), that is, the leaders
of Judah and Israel; and He now addressed the false "prophets" who
filled God's chosen land. They had become like dogs, who, if you kept on "giving them something to bite with their teeth" (which
means to feed them money), they would in turn tell the rulers everything was
going to be all right. The kings of Israel and Judah wanted their countries to be at "peace," and so they placed false prophets on the payroll,
and as long as the money was paid, they were told what they hoped to hear.
They were NOT going to have peace, for God saw that His people had lapsed into
evil thoughts and behavior. They had to be disciplined and corrected, for He
knew that would be the only way for them to return to His kind of faith, His will once more. If the
leaders of these countries were to wake up and start listening to God's true
prophets, they would fire the false prophets and stop paying them. If they did
fire them, the money would cease and those prophets would tell the truth, that "holy war" was about to come upon that land.
Father, give us hearts that look to You, trust in You, and help us to have
good intentions toward others. Enable us to love the truth and to follow
You. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - Micah 3:6-10
Verse 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.”
The leaders of Israel and Judah, including kings, judges, priests and people
of wealth, did not want to hear "negative" words. They wanted to hear that their
way of life would continue just as it was, and so false prophets abounded in the
land, telling them exactly what they wanted to hear. God's true prophets, those
who spoke for Him, were also in that place, but they told those of Israel and
Judah what they did NOT want to hear, and "therefore" the people were
confused and became unable to
"see" or "hear" God's perspective.
The leaders and the people, many of them, had become godless, proud, cruel,
grasping and mean-spirited. Their leaders were supposed to serve the people
around them and model a godly life for the whole world. God was warning
them through prophets like Micah, that His corrective judgment was about to come
upon them, but they would not listen. "Therefore it (would)
be like night for
them." The "sun (would)
go down" on true prophesy and they would be like the
blind, visionless, walking in "darkness." And note that all this would happen
because they did not WANT to hear the Lord.
Verse 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."
Around the world it is common in cities to often see the shop of an
"astrologer." In some municipalities they are in shops on many street corners. They are in
businesses in which they pretend, even to themselves to be "seers" of the
future, and some also claim they are "diviners" of the dead. As it was in the
lands of Israel and Judah, so long ago, it has become today. Those shops remain
open because there are people who will pay to hear lies.
Note that the "seers" of Israel DID become "ashamed" and "the diviners" were
"embarrassed," just as God said. The disaster they denied would
happen, did
occur, and when an explanation of it was demanded of them from survivors, all
they could do was "cover their mouths" because they had nothing to say. Those
who lie in such a manner as they did, will eventually be placed into situations where it is
obvious they have "no answer from God."
Verse 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."
You can see in these verses and in other places within Scripture, why the
prophets of God were not popular with the leaders of Israel (Jacob) and Judah to
the south.
Men like Micah and Isaiah were striding through the land, shouting from hilltops
and marketplaces that the leaders of that place, both political and religious,
were men who needed to repent. They were sinners who had to change
their ways. If they did not, judgment would fall on that land.
The "seers" of Verse 7 were the false prophets of that time and place who
assured the political leaders that God's prophets were wrong about the impending
disaster that was to come. Micah, the speaker and writer of these verses, on
the other hand, was "filled with power" from God. He was moved to speak by the
"Spirit of the Lord," who gave him the "courage" to speak out for "justice," to
tell them the truth; to "make known to Jacob (also called 'Israel') his sin."
Verse 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,"
At the time these words were written, there were two nations of the Jews. The
one to the north was called "Israel," which God, through the prophets, tended to
call "Jacob," after the man whose name had been changed to "Israel." "Jacob"
meant "supplanter," whereas "Israel" translates "He strives with God" or "Overcomer."
The other nation, to the south, was called "Judah," after the tribe named for
one of Jacob's sons.
Notice that God speaks interchangeably about the two nations, as
though, in His mind the two are one. And indeed they are. Jews everywhere are
indeed the nation "Israel." This was even
though God identified Himself as the One who caused the one to become two, saying, "This thing
(the division of the nation) is from Me" (1 Kings
12:24 & context). He was observing here in Micah that each of those nations did "abhor
justice and twist everything that is straight." Both national groups were to be
judged by the Lord.
Verse 10. "Who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with violent
injustice."
What is your home made out of? When we were in Yucatan, in Mexico, some years
ago, we observed houses made out of sticks. While in Israel, we saw ancient
ruins which had been made out of stone. In Southern California, where we live, many of
the houses are made from stucco. In this verse, we see God's view that our
attitudes and actions create life situations that are very much like the
material of the "houses" in which we live.
Or if you prefer, the leaders of "Zion," which meant "fortress," built their
safe homes out of the proceeds gained from properties confiscated from "widows"
and their "children" (Micah 2:9) because a payment was missed on a debt. God's
perspective is that the homes of the rulers, priests and false prophets of that
land, were built out of "bloodshed" and "violent injustice." God was
directly addressing "Judah" in this verse by referring to "Jerusalem," its
capital, and if our treatment of others is harsh, He is also speaking to you and
me.
Lord, increase our faith and our love through the
Holy Spirit of God. Give us strength that we may treat others with justice, and look to You in
all things. We love You, Lord, and we need You desperately.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - Micah 3:11-12
Verse 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.'"
There is really nothing wrong with money. Like a hammer or a saw is helpful
in building a house, money is a useful tool for those who need to buy clothing
or food. Yet there's a problem because, as Paul the Apostle told a younger man,
"the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed
from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10). Like a hammer, money can be misused. PRAY about the money you
receive, and PRAY about how you spend your money.
There is ordinarily nothing wrong with those in government or ministry being
paid for what they do. As Jesus said, "The workman is worthy of his wages" (Luke
10:7), a statement that was quoted by Paul the Apostle in 1 Timothy 5:18. But
when greed takes over, that which is otherwise acceptable can become very bad.
In Judah, the "leaders" had begun to "pronounce judgment for a bribe, her
priests" began to "instruct for a price," and the false "prophets" were in it
for the "money." As to the gifts of
the Spirit, Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely
give" (Matthew 10:8). How do we do it? - we must pray and God will
show us the way.
Verse 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.”
Another important "therefore" is found in this verse. Because the leaders,
priests, prophets and wealthy people of the land coveted fields and seized houses
(Micah 2:2), cast out women and children from their homes (2:9), lied to the
people (2:11, 3:5), treated the people badly (3:2-3), and took bribes (3:11),
disaster would come. And if you wonder, "Where is justice in this world?"
take a look at this verse. There IS a price for our sins. And look to the Lord, for these verses speak to
us all.
Because the leadership of that country had become utterly corrupt, including politicians, landowners, wealthy men and women, priests, prophets
and religious leaders; and because ordinary people had been corrupted as well,
"therefore," destruction would come upon the land. The very metropolitan city
of Jerusalem was to be destroyed to the extent that crops would be grown where
the city used to be. Trees would grow where the magnificent Temple once stood.
Look to the Lord, lest you end up like "Zion," which was "plowed as a field."
Father, we come to You as sinners
in need of redemption. We confess our sins of greed
and corruption, as individuals and as nations, and ask
forgiveness and healing. Cleanse us, restore us and
fill us with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus Name.
Amen.
