After declaring the judgment
that was to fall upon the false prophets in Jacob and Israel, Micah
began to contrast himself with their pernicious ways. Rather than
being filled with greed and falsehoods, Micah was “full of
power, judgment and might” “by the spirit of the LORD”, and
he was given this power “to declare unto Jacob his
transgression, and to Israel his sin”. In chapter three and
verse nine of his prophecy, Micah charges the leadership of Jacob and
Israel with two sins and calls upon them to hear him. We read:
Hear this, I pray you,
you heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel,
that abhor judgment,
and pervert all equity.
The
verse begins, “Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of
Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel,” Micah wrote, “Hear
this” or “listen to, obey, consent to and agree” “I
pray you” which shows the intensity of his request, “you
heads” or “top, height, chief and upper part” “of the
house of Jacob” which was the habitation of those who lived in
“supplanter or heel-catcher”. Micah added, “and princes”
or “chief, ruler, commander or dictator” “of the house of
Israel” which is a reference to those who lived within “God
prevails or governed by God”. Micah's idea is to focus upon the
leadership within Jacob and Israel, and with the power, judgment and
might of the Spirit of the LORD behind him, they would do well to
listen.
The
verse continues, “that abhor judgment, and pervert all
equity.” After drawing their
attention, Micah then began to appraise these leaders' character. He
said they “abhor”
which means “loathe, make abominable and detest” “judgment”
which refers to “right, justice, rectitude and ordinance”, and
they “pervert” or
“twist, make crooked, prove perverse, declare perverse and
distort” “all equity” or that which is “straight,
upright, correct, right, fitting and proper”. In other words, as
Micah stated before, the reputations of the leadership were those
“who hate the good, and love the evil”.
Although we realize we are
in the middle of a thought as we conclude this verse, we can imagine
Micah calling these rulers together and then declaring their
wickedness unto them. What if that were to happen today? Would it be
well received? If we were to examine the leadership in our country,
would they be found to be those who “abhor judgment” and
“pervert all equity”? Perhaps as we meditate upon these
things we should pray for the leadership within our country, and use
our normal time of complaints to call upon the Spirit of the Living
God to fall upon them and ourselves.
Next
time Micah adds additional indictments against these leaders,
so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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