# Micah 03 š: Corrupt Leaders and False Prophets
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### God Will Judge Judahās Sinful Leaders
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā I said, āListen, you leadersĀ of Jacob,
you rulers of the nationĀ of Israel!
You ought to know what is just,
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā yet youĀ hate what is good
and love what is evil.
You flay my peopleās skin
and rip the flesh from their bones.
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā YouĀ devour my peopleās flesh,
strip off their skin,
and crush their bones.
You chop them up like flesh in a potā
like meat in a kettle.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā Someday these sinful leadersĀ will cry to theĀ LordĀ for help,
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have done such wicked deeds.ā
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā This is what theĀ LordĀ has said about the prophets who mislead my people, āIf someone gives them enough to eat,
they offer an oracle of peace.
But if someone does not give them food,
they are ready to declare war on him.
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā Therefore night will fall, and you will receive no visions;
it will grow dark, and you will no longer be able to read the omens.
The sun will set on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn to darkness over their heads.
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā The prophetsĀ will be ashamed;
the omen readers will be humiliated.
All of them will cover their mouths,
for they will receive no divine oracles.ā
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā But IĀ am full of the courage that theĀ Lordās Spirit gives
and have a strong commitment to justice.
This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion
and Israel with its sin.
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā Listen to this, you leaders of the familyĀ of Jacob,
you rulers of the nationĀ of Israel!
YouĀ hate justice
and pervert all that is right.
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā YouĀ build Zion through bloody crimes,
Jerusalem through unjust violence.
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā HerĀ leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases,
her priests proclaim rulings for profit,
and her prophets read omens for pay.
Yet they claim to trustĀ theĀ LordĀ and say,
āTheĀ LordĀ is among us.
Disaster will not overtakeĀ us!ā
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā Therefore, because of you,Ā Zion will be plowed up likeĀ a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the Temple MountĀ will become a hill overgrown with brush!
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Micah describes the leaders' cruelty with butcher imagery, tearing skin and cooking flesh in a pot (3:2-3).
2. The false prophets' message depended on whether they were paid (3:5, 11).
3. "Peace" (*shalom*) was the false prophets' favorite message (3:5; compare Jeremiah 6:14).
4. Micah contrasts himself with them as one filled with the Spirit of the Lord (3:8).
5. The leaders built Zion with bloodshed (3:10), likely through forced labor and injustice.
6. Judges took bribes, priests taught for a price, and prophets told fortunes for money (3:11).
7. 3:12 is quoted in Jeremiah 26:18, a century later, as a reason to spare Jeremiah's life.
8. According to Jeremiah 26:19, King Hezekiah responded to Micah's warning by seeking the Lord.
9. Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC.
10. The temple mount becoming a wooded hill (3:12) pictures complete abandonment.
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, unlike the leaders who devoured them (3:2-3; John 10:11). He was anointed with the Spirit, as Micah was filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord (3:8; Luke 4:18).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. Micah says the leaders hate good and love evil (3:2). How can leaders lose sight of their calling to serve?
2. The prophets proclaimed peace when they were fed and war when they were not (3:5). How can money and comfort corrupt spiritual leadership?
3. Micah was filled with power, the Spirit of the Lord, justice, and courage (3:8). Where do you need the Spirit's courage to speak truth?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 2: The leaders hate good and love evil.
- š verse 8: Micah is filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and courage.
- š verse 12: Because of them, Zion will be plowed like a field and Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[John 10#Verse 11.|John 10:11-13]] - The Good Shepherd and the hired hand.
- š [[Luke 04#Verse 18.|Luke 4:18]] - The Spirit of the Lord is on Jesus.
- š [[Jeremiah 26#Verse 18.|Jeremiah 26:18-19]] - Micah's words remembered.
- š [[Ezekiel 34#Verse 02.|Ezekiel 34:2-4]] - Woe to shepherds who feed themselves.
- š [[1 Peter 05#Verse 02.|1 Peter 5:2-3]] - Shepherd God's flock willingly, not for gain.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Micah 03 - SOAP|Empowered for the Season]]
## š Internal Notes