Reflections on Micah 2

Micah 02 (Contemporary English Version)


1. Doomed! You're doomed! At night you lie in bed, making evil plans. And when morning comes, you do what you've planned because you have the power.
   
2. You grab any field or house that you want; you cheat families out of homes and land.
   
3. But here is what the LORD says: "I am planning trouble for you. Your necks will be caught in a noose, and you will be disgraced in this time of disaster."
   
4. When that happens, this sorrowful song will be sung about you: "Ruined! Completely ruined! The LORD has taken our land and given it to traitors."
   
5. And so you will never again own property among the LORD's people.
   
6. "Enough of your preaching!" That's what you tell me. "We won't be disgraced, so stop preaching!"
   
7. Descendants of Jacob, is it right for you to claim that the LORD did what he did because he was angry? Doesn't he always bless those who do right?
   
8. My people, you have even stolen clothes right off the backs of your unsuspecting soldiers returning home from battle.
   
9. You take over lovely homes that belong to the women of my nation. Then you cheat their children out of the inheritance that comes from the LORD.
   
10. Get out of here, you crooks! You'll find no rest here. You're not fit to belong to the LORD's people, and you will be destroyed.
    
11. The only prophet you want is a liar who will say, "Drink and get drunk!"
    
12. I, the LORD, promise to bring together the people of Israel who have survived. I will gather them, just as a shepherd brings sheep together, and there will be many.
    
13. I will break down the gate and lead them out-- then I will be their king.
    

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In chapter 1 of Micah, the prophet charged Israel and Judah with turning away from God to worship idols, bringing God's judgment on themselves. Chapter 2 addresses the inevitable sins that follow when a people turn away from God. The people had turned to preying on one another. They would lie awake at night dreaming up "evil plans on their beds!" (verse 1) Love for God and love for our neighbor are inseparable. Jesus taught that the whole of scripture is about these two loves, or what is often referred to as the Great Commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Not only are these two loves inseparable in the teaching of scripture, this inseparability is built into our natures. If one or the other becomes imbalanced, so does the other. As long as we remain true to our love for God, love for our neighbor will also remain true. But if our love for God falters, love for our neighbor is sure to falter as well.

God's judgments follow the sin. The judgment He had in mind for these Israelites who schemed of ways to take people's land from them was to have their land taken from them and then to be taunted by the nations around them. Neither could they expect any justice to be available to them to restore them their land, for "there will be no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by casting lots." (verse 5)

Working against Micah in preaching his message of warning from the Lord, were the false prophets of Israel. These false prophets had no word from the Lord, but instead preached what the people wanted to hear. These prophets told Micah to stop preaching this stuff. "Shame will not overtake us." (verse 6) But Micah pushed back saying, "Don't My words bring good to the one who walks uprightly?" The upright had nothing of which to worry. For them, Micah's message brought good. This meant that the false prophets could only be protecting those who were not upright in their conduct. In their present state and frame of mind, the preacher these false prophets would cheer was one who invented lies and preached "about wine and beer." (verse 11)

Verses 12-13 conclude the first of three sections found in Micah. Each section concludes with a promise of regathering and blessing the nation after it has been destroyed and the people exiled. The promise given at the end of this first section uses the shepherd and sheep metaphor often found in scripture. The Lord, as their Shepherd, and will bring them together again as "sheep in a pen." Though it will be only a remnant He gathers, they will be numerous enough it will be a noisy sheep pen. The Lord as their Shepherd will break "open the way" for them and go before them as they advance. Then the metaphor changes, and it says the Lord will lead them as their King.

Israel still awaits the fulfillment of this prophecy. Will it be fulfilled through the church, as some believe, or will it be fulfilled for Israel after the Lord's return?