I’ve been thinking about how God promised destruction for the wicked since the last time we met. Today we continue our study in Micah 3.
What the Bible Says
Micah talks to the leaders of Jacob and Israel. He speaks to them about justice. Asking why they hate “the good” and love “the evil”.
He then gives examples to help them see how they are doing that.
who tear the skin from off my people
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.
A graphic picture indeed eh? I could see the leadership recoil from such a picture, but Micah is showing them what their actions toward their very own people are like in the eyes of the Lord.
Cry to the Lord Unanswered
I wondered here who was doing the crying for a while until I remembered that Micah was speaking to the leadership of Israel and Judah.
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.
Why would God listen to folks who follow after ‘the evil’? Doesn’t make sense that an all-holy God would bend his ear to people deliberately doing evil does it?
Warning to False Prophets
God issues a warning to the prophets who cry “peace” for no real reason. Happy enough when they have food in their mouths and war-like when they don’t. .
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.
Disgrace is coming their way. No answers from God. Shame and despair. The darkness of night will fall upon them. Nothing good will happen to these bad prophets.
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.
But Micah is different. He is a prophet from God that is filled with power, the power of the Spirit of the Lord. He will tell Jacob and Israel their sin.
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.
A Specific Warning
Micah is clear when he speaks to the leadership of Jacob and Israel. Those who do evil, perverting justice, accepting bribes and more. This warning comes to all those who are doing evil and yet say “The Lord is in the midst of us”.
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.”
These people are bringing down judgement on Israel. Because of such people Zion will become like a plowed field, Jerusalem ruined, and the more. Destruction is at hand.
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.
Ponderings
Oh.. isn’t that an interesting way to put it?
you who hate the good and love the evil,
When you put it that way, doesn’t it make good and evil more of a tangible thing? THE good and THE evil. Not just a love or hate of a generic idea of good and evil.
This line I don’t fully understand
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
Closing thoughts
The imagery of the plowed field makes sense to me as a farmer’s daughter. After a field lies fallow over the winter, with weeds starting to come up and the leftovers of the previous season’s crop remaining. When you plow the field it looks SO much better. It’s also the first step in preparing the field for a new crop. That imagery makes sense to me. The wanting to get rid of the wrongness so a new thing can happen.
I got to thinking about the mountain of a house a wooded height. When I look at this verse in other translations they talk about the temple (Jerusalem) being leveled and becoming like an overgrown hill.
Isn’t it fascinating how different translations word things? I’m always amazed at how looking at other translations brings clarity.
You are right – making good and evil tangible is key to being able to think about them more concretely.
Interesting what you found in different translations about the “wooded height.” I’ll have to go look at that.
i found it interesting as well, deepens one’s understanding for sure.