Daily Devotional Monday 19th December 2022
by William MoodyMicah 3
Rulers and Prophets Denounced
3:1 And I said:
Hear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
Is it not for you to know justice?—
2 you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin from off my people1
and their flesh from off their bones,
3 who eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
and chop them up like meat in a pot,
like flesh in a cauldron.
4 Then they will cry to the LORD,
but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 the seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
for there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the LORD,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
who detest justice
and make crooked all that is straight,
10 who build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
its priests teach for a price;
its prophets practice divination for money;
yet they lean on the LORD and say,
“Is not the LORD in the midst of us?
No disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.Footnotes
[1] 3:2
Hebrew from off them (ESV)
Micah is now led to focus on the leaders in Israel, the civil and religious leaders. There were corrupt rulers (v1-4) who should know justice (v1) but sadly they hate good and love evil (v2a). Today we can see this where there is a hatred for Biblical values and beliefs and a devotion to sinful practices.
The corrupt leaders devour people and very graphic language is used to (v2b-3). Leaders should seek to build people up and not to rip them apart. These leaders had religion but it was useless religion (v4)
Sadly, there were also corrupt prophets (v5-7) who tailored their message (v5) as they spoke well of those who fed them and they spoke evil against those who didn’t give them anything. These prophets who were entrusted with spiritual light live in darkness (v6). They live in disgrace (v7) which includes shame and not living in God’s grace.
Into this darkness comes the faithful prophet Micah (v8) who has the power of the Spirit, integrity (justice) and who preaches against sin
The verdict of God (v9-12) is that the corrupt leaders, priests and prophets all face condemnation as they are twisted (v9), cruel (v10), deceived (v11) and help bring judgment (v12). It is important we examine ourselves.
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