Micah 3:7-12

Micah 3:7

Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.

Then they will realize that they were bringing a false message and as a result they will be ashamed at the fact they have deceived the people with their lies.  Both the diviners and seers who claimed that they were bringing the true word of God will suffer shame.  In fact, the last part of this verse has to do with an allusion to the leper.  The false prophets will cover their lips as the leper was required to do under the law.  And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.  (Leviticus 13:45)  These false prophets will be as spiritually unclean as the leper was physically unclean and will be treated as such because God will not give any answers or words to these false prophets.  Just like today when many preachers are proclaiming a false gospel.  Their teachings did not come from the LORD and he will not put any of his words into their mouth nor will he give them understanding of his word.

Micah 3:8

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 now asserts the difference between being a true prophet of God and a false prophet.  Contrary to the belief that the Holy Spirit did not indwell people in the Old Testament is the above statement that Micah makes concerning the fact that he is full of power by the spirit of the LORD which would be the Holy Spirit.  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.  (1 Peter 1:11)  1 Peter 1:11 teaches plainly that the Holy Spirit did indwell believers in the Old Testament.  The Holy Spirit also gives him the ability to make proper judgments which in today’s Christianity you are not allowed to do or else you will be accused of being a hater.  The Holy Spirit also gives Micah the might to proclaim the message.  The word “might” means “strength.”  He also gave Micah the clear mind and understanding to declare unto Jacob which was the ten northern tribes and Israel which was the entire nation of Israel from Dan to Beersheba their sins and transgressions against the LORD.  Bringing a proper rebuke of sin does not mean you hate, it means you care enough to risk rebuke and even your life to warn others they are on the path to eternal damnation.

Micah 3:9

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.

Micah now broadens his scope of denouncing all aspects of the governments of both the northern ten tribes and Judah.  These leaders were so corrupt that they actually hated true and fair justice.  They did not share Micah’s true concern for true justice.  They also perverted all moral uprightness or fairness here called “equity.”

Micah 3:10

They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

These leaders not only persecuted the poor people but if they did not comply with the demands of the leaders, they would be put to death just as Naboth was put to death because he refused to sell his vineyard to Ahab.  Their greed resulted in the deaths of many people who owned things that the leaders wanted.  They not only filled the land of Israel with death but they also filled it with all kinds of iniquity whether it be theft, bribes, false judgments or anything else Jerusalem had also become a city of sin.

Micah 3:11

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.

Those who wanted to have their cause adjudicated in court would face the possibility that the presiding judge would accept a bribe and then would find in favor of the one who bribed him.  The priests were supposed to be the people who were experts in the law of God and to help keep the people obedient to the law of God.  They too were also teaching for hire, that is, telling the people what they wanted to hear instead of what they needed  to hear.  That problem still exists in Christianity today where there are many preachers who tell their people what they want to hear and normally they would be found heading up mega-churches.  The false prophets themselves were also bringing false prophecies for anyone who would desire to pay them well.  Instead of them bringing the true word of God, they would concoct prophecies that sounded wonderful so the people would not have to worry about any coming judgment.  Then because of all these things both the people and the leaders would consider themselves to be in step with the LORD and actually believed from what these false teachers and prophets were teaching that they were in good harmony with the LORD and honestly believed that nothing evil such as a deportation to Assyria would ever happen to them.  There are those in Christianity who tell the people in false churches what they want to hear and those congregations believe that they are in good with the LORD when in reality they are his enemy.  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  (Matthew 7:21)

Micah 3:12

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.