Proper 26: Old Testament, Micah 3:5-12 

Micah 3:5-12

Micah, dear Micah prophesied around the same time as Isaiah. His book of prophecy is much smaller than his contemporary. But smaller doesn’t mean less important or less potent. So the issue as we look at what has been labeled “The Minor Prophets.” They are minor only in the size of their contribution to the scrolls, but mighty are their proclamations.

Micah spoke to the evils of both northern and southern kingdoms. Samaria and Jerusalem were clearly in the Lord’s crosshairs and Micah was the weapon of choice. Today’s reading regards the ongoing issue of false prophets. What Jesus in the New Testament would label as “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” “Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who make my people stray” (Micah 3:5a). The Lord points to the false messages coming from corrupt tongues as actually causing the destructive choices of his people. The Lord goes on to pronounce judgments against them, the prophets and the people who gave them heed.

It is a battle in every age to listen to the messengers of our culture with a discerning ear. Men and women of influence fight for followers in every place. Their lifestyles demand attention and cash, following and contribution. It is the same near the twenty-first century people of God. And the most frightening thing is, discernment is more than rare. Our church culture has gone astray and it fosters many voices who claim Jesus, but are truly miles from him. Books come off presses, podcasts are produced and even church structures are erected and are filled with people that never, ever get the gospel right. Micah fought that. Micah battled that. It's the absence of battle for the right message in those who listen to “prophets”, where today’s Israel is most like its ancestors.

We are so busy with the good things that drip from the hands of God that we sacrifice the very best in pursuing them. Our nation’s congregations have lost their way in many instances. Words have been redefined and Bibles “overtranslated” to the point where some are not faithful pictures of the original languages. “Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money” (Micah 3:11). It’s ugly.

God’s people only had a few years left before being taken away. God wasn’t done with them, but the immediate path was fiercely painful. Loving the truth is costly. Always. Sacrificing the truth for lies is infinitely moreso. Lord, teach us Your truth.