Micah 6:9-16

Micah 6:9

The LORD'S voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

 

Here Micah tells the people that the Lord is crying in the city which was probably either Samaria or Jerusalem or maybe both.  It is not a crying of tears but a bellowing forth of the upcoming judgment that the northern ten tribes will face very soon.  Those who are arrogant and neglect the warning sudden destruction will come upon them.  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  (1 Thessalonians 5:3)  There will come a time in these last days when unsaved man will proclaim peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them.  In like manner those who rejected the message of Micah will face sudden destruction.  Then we read that the man of wisdom will see the LORD’s hand in all this and will fear.  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.  (Proverbs 9:10)  Those who fear the LORD are showing much wisdom because they are heeding his message.  When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. the Lord had warned the people that when you see the army approaching to get out of the city immediately.  The Christians listened and not one was lost in the destruction of Jerusalem.  However, over a million Jews were killed and thousands taken into slavery.  Jerusalem and Samaria and every other city along with them will know the rod of God’s justice and who had appointed it.  Notice the destruction was appointed which means it was an intentional plan of God. 

 

Micah 6:10

Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

 

Then there are indictments against their commerce.  The treasures of wickedness would be the way many of them dealt with the people as they increased their wealth by cheating and other criminal activity.  It would be like looking at a mansion and knowing that it was bought with drug money.  Then it speaks about the scant measure.  The word “scant” means “insufficient or inadequate” which is speaking of the way they would measure out what is being purchased.  It would be like someone weighing out meat on a scale and then placing their thumb on it to sell ¾ pound of meat for a full pound.  Amos had also prophesied to Israel against this illegal practice.  Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?  (Amos 8:5) 

 

Micah 6:11

Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?

 

Then the LORD states that should he count those to be of a pure and righteous heart who cheated their customers and used a bag of deceitful weights where they would make the weights heavier when buying valuable metals but lighter when weighing out food or other items.  Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.  (Deuteronomy 25:13)  Different weights were an abomination unto the LORD under the law.  A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.  (Proverbs 11:1)

 

Micah 6:12

For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

 

The rich men should have been satisfied with the wealth that the LORD had allowed them to amass but their eyes were filled with greed and wanted more so they would even resort to violence and murder to get what they wanted.  Not only were the rich men sinning maliciously but the citizens also had resorted to lying to each other about whatever was in view and they spoke lies one to another for the simple purpose of deceiving one another.  {1} Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.  {2} They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.  (Psalm 12:1-2)  David had already seen this practice being used in his day which was about 250 years before Micah.  It proves that without salvation, man’s nature never changes.

 

Micah 6:13

Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

 

A healthy society is one that is based on truth, prosperity, honesty, truthful leadership and times of peace but here God is stating that he is going to make their society sick by smiting them.  The smiting of God will reach down to the very heart of their society as their enemies will triumph over them and all their wealth will do nothing to help them.  They will become a desolate society and not only one that is bereft of their material goods but also their spiritual lives will become arid like a desert in contrast to the spiritual waters from glory which irrigates the spiritual person.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  (Psalm 1:3)  Desolation is not just physical but spiritual as Amos prophesied.  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:  (Amos 8:11)  The days being spoken about is the day of judgment which they will experience.  They have despised the word of the LORD and chose not to heed the written word of God and the prophets which were sent to them but soon they would realize that the words of the LORD were words of life and all they will be hearing in captivity will be the words of the false teachers and priests.  The famine they will suffer will not be one of physical food nor of water which will take care of their physical needs but their greater need will be to hear the words of God so they can come back spiritually to the LORD but because of their despising of the LORD and his words, he will withhold the words of life from them.

 

Micah 6:14

Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.

 

One of the guarantees that God gave Israel that if they became rebellious to him is that they will eat and never be satisfied.  And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.  (Leviticus 26:26)  Then they shall be cast down in the midst, that is, right where they live.  They will not be able to meet the enemy on the outskirts of their cities but the enemy will come right into the middle of the cities and destroy from within.  Then they will try to save their families and their material goods but it will be futile because both the people and the spoils will be taken to Assyria.  Then even those things which they try to hide or the people they will hide will eventually be given up to the sword.  The onslaught will be complete and will be felt throughout all Samaria.

 

Micah 6:15

Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

 

The false prophets were telling the people that times of prosperity were on the horizon and that there was no enemy who would attack and overtake them.  So armed with false information, they sowed their crops as usual in hopes of having a great harvest but even if they did, it would not help them because they would sow and do all the work but the enemy would come and reap the grown harvest for themselves.  The same situation was with the olive trees which grew olives and then was made into a refreshing oil.  The oil was used widely in the Middle East for their enlivening effects.  Then they would plant the grape vineyards and that would be used for wine but they would not benefit from the grapes because the enemy was going to reap the grapes and take them as their own and drink the wine made from them.

 

Micah 6:16

For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

 

The people of Judah were guilty for following the statutes of Omri.  Omri was probably the most powerful king the northern kingdom had, he ruled from 885-841 B.C.  Under his leadership the northern kingdom had unprecedented political and economic prosperity.  However, in the city of Samaria he built a temple to Baal and the influence of that worship had extended down to Jerusalem through Athaliah who was the daughter of Omri.  Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.  (2 Kings 8:26)  After Omri died his son Ahab reigned as king and continued in the idolatry of his father Omri.  And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.  (1 Kings 16:30)  The people of Judah had walked in the evil counsels of these two men.  Since they chose to walk in the paths of Omri, God was going to make them a desolation which he did in 586 B.C. when Babylon invaded and took them.  And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.  (Jeremiah 19:8)  To hiss was to express contempt for them and was used to deride them.  Then they were to carry the reproach of sin which would cause them to be rebuked.  They were once known as the people of God but now they will bear the reproach of being a people under the condemnation of God which was promised in the law if they took up a life of disobedience.  And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.  (Deuteronomy 28:37)

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