Condemnation of Corruption

                                                             Sunday School Lesson

                                      

Lesson: Micah 3:5-12
                                                                                              
Golden Text: “But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin” (Micah 3:8).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  We don’t have to look far to find a country that’s full of corruption.  Everyday newspapers are full of corruption in many arenas including political, economic, entertainment, sports, financial and yes, even churches.  Sleaze is everywhere!  Here in America we’ve seen politicians run for office on a fight corruption platform and then be arrested months later and prosecuted for all kinds of corruption.  But this is not new.  Our lesson this week describes the corrupt world in which Micah ministered.  He was called to preach in a land where the leaders, both religious and political, and the courts were filled with corruption, like many places in the world today.  Micah accused the leaders of not caring for those whom they should have protected.  History has proved that when any nation has selfish, greedy, corrupt people in leadership roles, that nation deteriorates rapidly and is soon destroyed.  Micah confronted such corruption in this week’s lesson.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  Micah was a contemporary of Hosea in the northern kingdom of Israel and Isaiah in the southern kingdom of Judah.  Micah’s hometown was Moresheth-Gath (see Micah 1:14), located in Judah about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem, near the Philistine city of Gath.  Although Micah primarily preached to the people in Judah, he also had some words for Israel (see Micah 1:1).  Micah received his messages via visions from the Lord (see Micah 1:1) and in Micah 1:3-7, the prophet spoke of the judgment God would bring upon both Israel and Judah referring to them as Samaria and Jerusalem, the capital cities of Israel and Judah respectively.  In the remaining portion of chapter 1, Micah describes the weeping and mourning that will take place (see Micah 1:8-16).  Then in chapter 2:1-2, he spoke out against those who laid awake at night, plotting wickedness and then getting up at dawn to carry out their schemes simply because they could.  Micah declared that when these wicked people wanted a certain piece of land or someone else’s house (though it was all they had), they would take it by fraud and threats of violence (see Micah 2:3).  Then in verse 3, the prophet declared that the Lord God said that He would reward their evil with evil; nothing could stop Him; never again will His people be proud and haughty after He’s finished with them.  Micah continued to say that when Judah’s day of judgment arrived, they would be ridiculed by their enemies, and no one would be left in the land to divide it into tribal territories (see Micah 2:4-5).  Micah went on to accuse the people of trying to stop him from preaching God’s message of doom, but he continued declaring that God’s Word is good to anyone who lived uprightly (see Micah 2:6-7).  To make matters words, God called His people His enemies because they were stealing from the poor, driving widows from their homes and leaving the children without an inheritance (see Micah 2:8-9).  Then in verse 10, God through Micah gave the people a way to avoid the oncoming judgment in the form of the Assyrian invasion.  He told them to get out of the land for it was not their resting place since they had defiled the land.  Then in Micah 2:11, God declared that the only prophet Israel wanted was one that would tell them what they wanted to hear; one that was a liar and a deceiver.  But God in His mercy also prophesied that He would cause a remnant to return after the Babylonian Captivity and He even prophesied the great gathering of all believers when the Lord returns (see Micah 2:12-13).  Note:  God gave his prophets visions of various future events, but not necessarily the ability to discern when these events would happen.  For instance, the prophets could not see the long period of time between the Babylonian Captivity and the first coming of the Messiah, but they could clearly see that the Messiah was coming.  God’s purpose for allowing Micah to see this prophecy concerning Judah’s destruction was not to predict exactly how this would happen, but that it would happen. 
III. THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF THE FALSE PROPHETS (Micah 3:5-7).   Micah 3:1-4 is not part of our lesson text, but leads us into our text.  In verse 1, the prophet denounced the sins of the leaders, including the priests and prophets.  They were the ones responsible for teaching the people right from wrong, but they had set the law aside and become the worst of sinners.  They hated good and loved evil. They were taking advantage of the very people they were supposed to serve.  For sure all sin is bad, but the sin that leads others astray is the worst of all.  In verse 2-4, Micah accused the leaders of treating the people miserably in order to satisfy their own desires.  And to make matters worse, they had the gall to ask for God’s help when they found themselves in trouble, but God wouldn’t hear them.  This is where our lesson text begins.  
A. Prophets leading people astray (Micah 3:5).  In our first verse, Micah said “Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.”  The Living Bible translates this verse like this: “You false prophets! You who lead his people astray! You who cry “Peace” to those who give you food and threaten those who will not pay!”  God charged the prophets with prophesying falsely.  He said that the prophets “make my people err.”  They made it their business to flatter and deceive the people leading them into mistakes, both concerning what they should do as well as what God was going to do with them.  God’s people suffer when their leaders cause them to error and draw them out of the right way when they should be leading them in the right way.  The phrase “that bite with their teeth” seems to mean that these false prophets, who may have known the truth and should’ve known it lied to those who provided for them to the fullest.  It’s similar to our phrase “to hold one’s tongue.”  The prophets would lie to those people causing them to “err” by “crying peace,” telling them that they do well, and that all shall be well with them, while they were really in the paths of sin, and just a step away from ruin.  They gave encouraging messages to those who fed them well and lined their pockets only because they were well cared for.  Note:  Many pastors today preach only what the majority of the congregation wants to hear.  Things like “God is good” and “God is love.”  Yes, our God is such a God, but He is also a God of wrath.  In many churches, if that wrath message is given some in the pews would take it as a personal attack and stop attending.  Soon there would be a drop in attendance, a major cut in offerings, and most likely the firing of the pastor.  But on the other hand, these false prophets wanted to “war against him” that “putteth not into their mouths.”  In other words, the false prophets would only want to wage war on those who wouldn’t feed them or line their pockets.  We should be wary of ministries that overemphasize financial support.  Of course all ministries need help from God’s people.  However, when the emphasis on money becomes dominant, we should think about putting our support somewhere else, where God’s Word is dominant and taught faithfully.  The Lord is more pleased with our giving to the poor and destitute than building great cathedrals or buying private airplanes.  The Bible instructs leaders in particular not to be lovers of money (see I Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7).
B. Prophets without a vision (Micah 3:6).  In this verse God through Micah says “Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.”  God declared that the sentence for their wickedness was two-fold.  First He said “night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision.”  It’s interesting that the Lord would use this language because “visions” usually occurred during the day when a person was awake (see Daniel 10:7), while dreams normally occurred when one was asleep at night.  God was saying that those false prophets who had visions were going to be in the dark without any visions.  The word “night” refers to the darkness or the time when these prophets won’t be able to get any revelation from God.  Likewise, those prophets who used divination in order to receive revelation from God would also be in the dark so that they “shall not divine” or receive any word from the Lord.  Although God often revealed His will through visions, He specifically forbade the practice of divination which was considered to be witchcraft (see Deuteronomy 18:10-11).  Therefore, those prophets who engaged in divination were already in sin.  When God finally brought His judgment over the false prophets, He described it as “the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.”  The word “sun” is used here to symbolize God’s light or guidance that He gives to His people as a result of His grace or favor.  Note:  It’s really senseless to think that we can make it on our own through this world without divine guidance.  Just think how much more difficult it would be if our spiritual leaders couldn’t help us.  We need to pray for our spiritual leaders so they can stay close to God and be directed by His Spirit in order to be effective.
C. Prophets with no word from God (Micah 3:7).  Micah continues to say in this verse “Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.”  Once the Lord brings darkness or judgment upon the false prophets, He declared that “the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded.”  The word “seers” refer to those who claimed to have visions of future events.  It is an old term describing a prophet (see II Samuel 9:9).  God said that they would be “ashamed” or embarrassed.  The word “ashamed” in Hebrew means to turn pale.  Likewise, the Lord said that “the diviners” would be “confounded.”  The term “diviners” refers to those who claimed they could determine things through magic and they were outlawed in Israel (see Deuteronomy 18:10).  God said that they would be “confounded” or disgraced as shown when they “cover their lips.”  They will all show signs of complete embarrassment because everything they predicted was not going to happen.  Both the “seers” and the “diviners” would experience shame and disgrace because they will get “no answer of God.”  When these prophets tried to get information from God all they will be able to do is cover their faces with their hands while admitting they had no answers for the people.    
IV. MICAH’S STRENGHT OF MINISTRY (Micah 3:8-12)
A.  Micah full of power (Micah 3:8).  Whereas the false prophets would be embarrassed because their messages would prove to be lies, in this verse Micah said “But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.”  Micah declared that the major difference between him and the false prophets was that “truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might.”  Unlike the false prophets, Micah was not motivated by financial gain, nor was he concerned about saying only what people wanted to hear.  Neither was Micah fearful of reprisal for what he said to them.  The word “might” refers to force and strength.  His message was one of great force and strength unlike the messages of the false prophets who would soon proved to be completely wrong.  Their assurances of peace and safety would soon prove to be meaningless and empty.  But Micah’s message was strong and forceful and mighty and would soon be proved to be true and accurate.  Micah attributed the power of his ministry to the “Spirit of the Lord.”  This is why he could “declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.”  In other words, the presence of God’s Spirit in his life gave him the power to declare to “Jacob” or the nation of Israel, her sinfulness and continued disobedience to God.  Micah could also confidently warn the people that God’s judgment was coming upon them if they didn’t repent and return to Him.  Note:  Our power comes from the same source, God’s Spirit.  Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power to witness for Him when the Holy Spirit came upon them (see Acts 1:8).  We can’t witness effectively by relying on our own strength because fear will keep us from speaking out for God.  Only by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit can we live and witness for Him.  The Bible has that same power.  In the written Word of God there is the same force of truth, and we would be insane to think that we should not obey it.  Sometimes we may feel too weak to be used by God’s Spirit. Yet weakness is the number one qualification needed for God to begin to work in us. When speaking of the Lord, the apostle Paul declared in II Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” It’s most important that we allow the Spirit of God to work through the Word of God to use us powerfully to proclaim His truth.               
B. Perversion of justice (Micah 3:9-10).  
1. (vs. 9).  In this verse, Micah said “Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.”  The prophet specifically addressed the same group of people that he spoke to in verse1.  With the words “Hear this, I pray you” Micah was begging the leaders described as “ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel” to pay close attention to what he was about to say.  First Micah declared that the leaders (which included the prophets) “abhor judgment.”  The word “judgment” means “justice.”  The word “abhor” means to hate or despise.  Micah accused the leaders in Judah of despising justice.  The leaders were the ones who should’ve been enforcing justice but instead they hated it.  They were covetous and prostituted their offices for their love of money.  They would not be governed by any of laws, and wouldn’t grant justice to those who were oppressed.  Second, Micah declared that the leaders “pervert all equity.”  In other words they distorted, or twisted everything that was right.  Wrong to them became right!
2. (vs. 10).  Micah continues to say in this verse “They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.”  To show the depth of their sinfulness, Micah said that the leaders “build up Zion with blood.”  This means that instead of building Jerusalem upon justice and equity, the leaders allowed murder to run rampant throughout the land (see Jeremiah 22:13).  They also allowed all other forms of “iniquity” or sin to run rampant throughout the capital city of “Jerusalem.”  The term “Zion” was another name for Jerusalem, but was also used to refer to the land of Judah and the people of Israel as a whole (see Isaiah 40:9; Jeremiah 31:12).   Note:  Micah passes judgment not only on the religious leaders, but on the political leaders as well.  That same judgment could apply to many in political leadership today.  They profess to believe in the Lord but don’t promote Him in their lives.  They often run for office for personal gain, for increase in wealth, and for exemption from the same laws they approve for others.  Certainly, God is not pleased with this behavior.  Regardless of our lot in life, if we have confessed Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we must live accordingly (see Galatians 2:20).
C. A division of thoughts (Micah 3:11).  Still talking about the leaders, in this verse Micah says “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.”  Micah condemned three groups here.  First, he said “The heads thereof judge for reward.”  The “heads” were the political leaders.  They would only render favorable decisions to those who could pay a bribe.  This is the meaning of the phrase “judge for reward.”  Second, Micah said “the priests thereof teach for hire.”  Of course the “priests” were the religious leaders who were supposed to act stand before the Lord for the people.  They were indicted for teaching only those who could pay them which is the meaning of the words “teach for hire.”  Thirdly, Micah said that “the prophets thereof divine for money.”  The “prophets” were those who gave God’s messages to the people.  However, they only spoke to those who offered them money.  The phrase “divine for money” literally means to tell fortunes or the future for money.  The problem with all of these leaders was that they performed their duties only for money not because they held divinely appointed positions.  In essence, the heads or political leaders wanted rewards, the priests wanted to be hired to do their divinely appointed duties, and the prophets wanted to be paid for their services of sharing God’s messages.  Note:  Micah warned the leaders, priests, and prophets of his day to avoid bribes.  Pastors today accept bribes when they allow those who contribute much to control the church.  When fear of losing money or members influences pastors to remain silent when they should speak up for what is right, their churches are in danger.  We must remember that Judah was finally destroyed because of the behavior of its religious leaders.  The same warning must be given to those who have money.  Never use your resources to influence or manipulate God’s ministers, because that is bribery.  But in spite of all of the wrong the people were doing, Micah said “yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.”  In other words, many in Judah thought that they could live anyway they wanted without heeding God’s law and still be able to expect His protection and presence among them.  How wrong they were in thinking “none evil can come upon us.”  God is sovereign and can have mercy on whom He wants to show mercy and also judge whom He wants to judge.  When the Babylonians would invade Judah, the people would soon find out that just being God’s people does not guarantee His blessings.  Note:  Because they were, in profession, His people, they thought there was no harm or danger in their wicked practices.  It was true that the Lord was among them by his laws, and this puffed them up with pride; but if they thought for one minute that God was among them with his favor and love, they were sorely mistaken (Proverbs 15:29; Isaiah 1:15).  Too often we too, think that we have God with us, when we have by our sin provoked him to depart from us (see Psalms 66:18).
 D.The ruin of Jerusalem (Micah 3:12).   In our final verse Micah says “Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.”  The phrase “for your sake” refers to the leaders in Judah.  It would be because of them and their sins that Judah would suffer the consequences of those sins.  Micah said that first “Zion (or Jerusalem)” would “be plowed as a field.”  In other words, after the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and Judah, the land would look as if it had been plowed or turned upside down (see Jeremiah 26:18).  Second, “Jerusalem shall become heaps.”  Micah was prophesying that the Babylonian Captivity would end with Jerusalem becoming “heaps” or rubble.  This was confirmed by the book of Nehemiah.  When Nehemiah returned to the Jerusalem after the Captivity, he made a trip around the city to inspect the damage and found so much rubble that he had to get off his animal and walk through it (see Nehemiah 2:12-14).   The third consequence of the leaders’ sins Micah said was that “the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.”  In other words, the Temple Mount, here referred to as “high places” would become so barren that it would be overgrown with weeds and thickets just like those found in a forest.  Note:  Jerusalem would be destroyed just as Samaria; the capital of the northern kingdom was (see Micah 1:6).  This happened in 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army attacked the city (see II Kings chapter 25).  Although Micah blamed the corrupt leaders, the people were at fault as well.  They allowed the corruption to continue without turning to God or calling for justice.    
                             
V. Conclusion.  As Christians, we have had our sins forgiven through the blood of Christ.  Still, if we continue in sin, there may be temporal consequences.  Our judgment at the judgment seat of Christ may be for rewards, but in this life it is possible and even probable to feel the corrective hand of the Lord because of our sin.  It is better for us to be standing for the Lord alone than to be listening to the wrong voice and putting ourselves in the way of judgment and correction.  Unfortunately, some don’t care, but God does.  This week’s lesson has reminded us that the southern kingdom of Judah was doomed because of their corruption.  The same thing will happen to any person or nation under God’s watching eye.