Explore the Bible: November 13

Leaders Needed • Micah 3:1-12

By Don Hicks

We have just had an election and, hopefully, prayed diligently for good leaders to be elected. So you probably have given a lot of thought to the need for God-fearing leaders. The prophecies of Micah can teach us a lot about good leaders.

Micah lived and preached in Judah around 730-690 B.C. This makes him a contemporary of Isaiah, but neither of the prophets makes any reference to the other. Greg Pouncey, senior pastor of First Church, Clinton, and author of the LifeWay commentary for this quarter, wrote that Micah means, “Who is like Yahweh?”

The King James Version of the Bible in the first verse of the book of Micah tells us, “The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.”

The Bible regularly identifies the historical details of an account because this demonstrates its historical accuracy and dependability. Moresheth is near Tekoa, the home of the prophet Amos.

Volume 14 of the Layman’s Bible Book Commentary in its introduction to the Book of Micah makes the point that both Micah and Amos were opponents of religion that majored on rites and ceremonies rather than righting the treatment of the poor and oppressed.

Micah writes, “As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin. Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert everything that is right, who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with injustice” (Micah 3:8-10 CSB).

Apparently, the Israelites — including their chief priests and scribes at the time of Jesus’ birth truly believed Micah’s claim, “I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob…” (Micah 3:8 CSB).

When King Herod asks the chief priest and scribes where the Messiah would be born, (Matthew 2:4b CSB), they answered immediately. “’In Bethlehem of Judea,’ they told him, ‘because this is what is written by the prophet: And you Bethlehem, in the land Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel’” Matthew (2:5-6 CSB).

This holiday season when you hear the CHRISTmas story or think about the story of the Wise Men searching for Jesus the King of the Jews, remember the prophesy made by Micah when he was “filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD.” This great truth should also make us very thankful this Thanksgiving season.

Micah’s prophecies of the Messiah also include honest statements about why we need a Savior. The second verse of Micah says, “Listen, all you people; pay attention, earth and everyone in it! The Lord God will be a witness against you, the Lord, from His holy temple” (Micah 1:2 CSB).

The prophet stresses it this way: “Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?” (Micah 3:1 CSB)

Then Micah listed several actions that they should have known were unjust or evil:

— “You hate good and love evil” (Verse two).

— This is what the LORD says concerning the false prophets:

— They lead people astray (Verse five).

— Proclaim peace when they have food to eat (Verse five).

— Declare war against the one who puts nothing in their mouths (Verse five).

— Rulers of the house of Israel abhor justice (Verse nine).

— Pervert everything that is right (Verse nine).

— Build Zion with bloodshed (Verse 10).

— Build Jerusalem with injustice (Verse 10).

— Leaders issue rulings for a bribe (Verse 11).

— Priests teach for payment (Verse 11).

— Prophets practice divination for money (Verse 11).

— Yet they lean on the LORD, Saying, “Isn’t the LORD among us?” (Verse 11).

— Saying no calamity will overtake us (Verse 11).

Verse 3:12 says “Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the temple mountain will be a thicket.”

This is not the end of the story. The thicket on the temple mountain will not survive God’s love and redemption which is certain for those that come to love the LORD GOD: “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. People will stream to it, and many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD’” (Micah 4:1 CSB).

Hicks is missions director for Jasper Association in Bay Springs. He may be contacted at donaldwhicks@gmail.com.