Wicked Rulers and Prophets

Micah 3:1-12 

1 And I said:

"Hear now, O heads of Jacob,
And you rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not for you to know justice?

2 You who hate good and love evil;
Who strip the skin from My people,
And the flesh from their bones;

3 Who also 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."

4 Then they will cry to the LORD,
But He will not hear them;
He will even hide His face from them at that time,
Because they have been evil in their deeds.

5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets
Who make my people stray;
Who chant "Peace"
While they chew with their teeth,
But who prepare war against him
Who puts nothing into their mouths:

6 "Therefore you shall have night without vision,
And you shall have darkness without divination;
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
And the day shall be dark for them.

7 So the seers shall be ashamed,
And the diviners abashed;
Indeed they shall all cover their lips;
For there is no answer from God."

8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD,
And of justice and might,
To declare to Jacob his transgression
And to Israel his sin.

9 Now hear this,
You heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And pervert all equity,

10 Who build up Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with iniquity:
11 Her heads judge for a bribe,
Her priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the LORD, and say,
"Is not the LORD among us?
No harm can come upon us."

12 Therefore 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.

Micah preached the bad news to convict the people of God of their sin.  He did this as a prophet, but also as one of God who was full of God’s Holy Spirit.  He confronted the leaders of Israel to know and exercise true justice and to love good instead of loving evil (Amos 5:15, Romans 12:9).  They were to stop using and abusing the people they were supposed to be serving and ministering truth and justice to.  Because they were unrepentant in these things, God would not hear their cries for help and prayers for relief from their sin’s consequences.  Yes, they cried peace, peace while feeding themselves and finding no peace for themselves (Ezekiel 13:10) in return.  God took away their vision and yes-man prophets who had no message from Him to give.  Micah was given a message because he was called, chosen, and faithful (Revelation 17:14).  He spoke plainly and directly of how their judges did no justice unless it was bought from them for a price and the priests did their work as a service for pay instead of service to God which brought them needed support.  This is unfortunately reflected in our days also with self-appointed pastors and priests serving their pockets and pride instead of following the example of scripture to serve God and His people in humility.  The sincere ministers of the Lord deserve to be supported but not as an employee, rather as to honor and enable them for service (1 Timothy 5:18, 1 Corinthians 9:14).  He called them to love justice instead of hating it and to be fair instead of perverting what is good and right.  They should not be bought for a price but at the price of Christ’s atoning work of righteousness to come as seen by those searching through the scriptures of His coming and work even then.  They continued to do all for monetary gain (1 Samuel 8:3) instead of as 1 Peter 5:2 instructs the ministers of God to do instead in humble service and as godly examples.  The penalty and consequences of refusing these things led to ruin and destruction of where the people of God should have been worshiping and serving the LORD in the temple.  We now serve Him in these bodies as temples 1 Corinthians 6:19) making up the larger temple which is the church (1 Peter 2:5).  May we learn from the bad examples to do according to the scriptures instead that we might please and honor God as we minister to one another in humility and fairness in all our service.  Remember the wicked self-seeking rulers and false prophets and the consequences of ungodly motives and actions.  Do not imitate them but Christ in others (1 Corinthians 11:1) according to God’s word.