FILLED WITH POWER, SPIRIT AND JUSTICE

Passage: Micah 3:1-12

Key verse: 8

NIV

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

3 Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2     you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
3 who eat my people’s flesh,(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(D)
who chop(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(F)”

4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.(G)
At that time he will hide his face(H) from them
    because of the evil they have done.(I)

5 This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,(J)
they proclaim ‘peace’(K)
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.(L)
The sun will set for the prophets,(M)
    and the day will go dark for them.(N)
7 The seers will be ashamed(O)
    and the diviners disgraced.(P)
They will all cover(Q) their faces(R)
    because there is no answer from God.(S)”
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,
    to Israel his sin.(T)

9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(U)
10 who build(V) Zion with bloodshed,(W)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.(X)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(Y)
    her priests teach for a price,(Z)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(AA)
Yet they look(AB) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”(AC)
12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(AD)
    the temple(AE) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(AF)

Read full chapter
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Rulers and Prophets Denounced

3 And I said:
(A)Hear, you heads of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel!
(B)Is it not for you to know justice?—
2     you (C)who hate the good and love the evil,
(D)who tear the skin from off my people[a]
    and their flesh from off their bones,
3 (E)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.

4 (F)Then they will cry to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them;
(G)he will hide his face from them at that time,
    because they have made their deeds evil.

5 Thus says the Lord concerning (H)the prophets
    who lead my people astray,
(I)who cry “Peace”
    when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
    who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore (J)it shall be night to you, without vision,
    and darkness to you, without divination.
(K)The sun shall go down on the prophets,
    and the day shall be black over them;
7 (L)the seers shall be disgraced,
    and the diviners put to shame;
(M)they shall all cover their lips,
    for (N)there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, (O)I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob (P)his transgression
    and to Israel his sin.

9 (Q)Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel,
(R)who detest justice
    and make crooked all that is straight,
10 (S)who build Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 (T)Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
    (U)its priests teach for a price;
    (V)its prophets practice divination for money;
(W)yet they lean on the Lord and (X)say,
    “Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
    (Y)No disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
    (Z)Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem (AA)shall become a heap of ruins,
    and (AB)the mountain of the house (AC)a wooded height.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Micah 3:2 Hebrew from off them
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Micah's words to leaders (1-4). Micah declares judgment on the injustice of Israel's leaders, who chop his people up like lambs to the slaughter. Since they do not hear the warning of God's word, God will not hear their cries. 2. The LORD's words to prophets (5-7). The LORD sees the corruption of false prophets, who use their position to exact benefit from people. God will silence them for their abuses, putting them in darkness, shame and disgrace. 3. Micah's Spirit-filled warning to Jerusalem (8-12). Micah is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to declare God's rebuke on sin. Israel's bad influence filled even Jerusalem with bloodshed. Her leaders, priests and prophets were manipulative and greedy. Hezekiah heard this warning and repented. Jerusalem was not destroyed by Assyria; the LORD relented and delivered her (Jer 26:18).

Prayer: Father, you rebuke and discipline those you love. Help me repent before your words and live.

One Word: Be filled the Spirit of the LORD