(Micah 3:1-12)
And I said,
“Hear now, you leaders of JacobAnd rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not for you to know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
Who tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Smash their bones,
And chop them up as for the pot,
And as meat in a cauldron!”
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time
Because they have practiced evil deeds.
5 This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray:
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They cry out, “Peace!”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be put to shame,
And the diviners will be ashamed.
Indeed, they will all cover their lips
Because there is no answer from God.
8 On the other hand, I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who despise justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who build Zion with bloodshed,
And Jerusalem with malice.
11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Is the Lord not in our midst?
Catastrophe will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Just because someone declares something holy, like fighting "a holy war", doesn't make it so, and doesn't justify the actions. And just because one asks God for help or peace doesn't mean He'll listen. How does it make sense that while a person is working against the Lord and His will, that He would help in any way? Basically, that person is asking God to work against Himself and His plans.
God is in omnipresent and omnipotent; He is also omniscient! Which means, He knows the future and He knows what is in our hearts. When He sees us sincerely seeking Him for His help and peace, He will answer. And it begins with us humbly realizing and admitting that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. We are all in need of a Savior and His help, and only He is able. Sin impedes our prayers, but God will "hear" and answer when we confess and are reconciled with Him and make requests that are in His will.
While we cannot lose our salvation, we will struggle at times to remain steadfast. Therefore, it helps to continuously nurture our relationship with the Lord, in prayer and in His word, and in being involved in church. As well, the Lord doesn't just want us to be obedient in our own strength, He wants us to rely on Him and His strength! The Lord Jesus desires to do everything WITH us, and FOR us!!! But He will never force us to do anything. It is always our choice, each step of the way.
Verses 8 and 9 describe it beautifully! Even when rulers use rhetoric that twists their intentions, because they love power and actually despise justice and law and order, and even when they encourage or explain away persecution against Christians, Jews and those who don't agree with their hedonistic idealisms - as believers, we have within us the Holy Spirit of promise!!! Let us be encouraged that we have direct access to the Lord's power, so that He can guide us to live and to act with justice and courage.
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