And I [Micah] said. Hear, I pray you, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice? You who hate the good and love the evil, who pluck and steal the skin from off [My people] and their flesh from off their bones: Yes, you who eat the flesh of my people and strip their skin from off them, who break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot, like meat in a big kettle. Then will they cry to the Lord, but He will not answer them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil. Thus says the Lord: Concerning the false prophets who make My people err, when they have anything good to bite with their teeth they cry. Peace; and whoever gives them nothing to chew, against him they declare a sanctified war. Therefore it shall be night to you, so that you shall have no vision; yes, it shall be dark to you without divination. And the sun shall go down over the false prophets, and the day shall be black over them. And the seers shall be put to shame and the diviners shall blush and be confounded; yes, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God. But truly I [Micah] am full of power, of the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor and reject justice and pervert all equity. Who build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. Its heads judge for reward and bribe and its priests teach for hire and its prophets divine for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? No evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion on your account be ["plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps [of ruins], and the mountain of the house [of the Lord] like a densely wooded height.
Micah 3: 1-12 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
The below was a footnote of these passages in Micah.
In his 500k The Land and the Book, Dr. William Thomson wrote, "Mount Zion is now in the eighteenth century, for the most part, a rough field. From the tomb of David I passed on through the fields of ripe grain. It is the only part of Jerusalem that is now or ever has been plowed." When Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in A.D. 1542, the architect omitted Mount Zion, the City of David, from the area he enclosed, and strangely enough it was only partly built up again. How, except by divine inspiration, could Micah have foretold that particular part if Jerusalem would be "plowed like a field"? (copyright The Lockman Foundation)
If nothing else, can we discern from the teachings of the Old Testament what is good, right, and just for ourselves. We can follow their example and not do what they did in the past. Truthfully, I am in earnest prayer for our world as it seems harder and harder each day to do that and know what is truth and what is falsehood. I can't really just turn my head and not watch the news or see things on social media, but all the hate and unrest is becoming a bit too much. What is propaganda? What is truth? We know who is in charge in our world today [Satan]. I pray for our America, but I also pray for all the other countries. Jesus told us to Love One Another. Prayers that as leaders of countries, they can have a Godly heart and lead with a Godly spirit.
Thanks for visiting and linking up a Sunday Scripture Blessing. I pray blessings on everyone's week ahead. :)
~hugs~
Peabea
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Whenever I read Paul's words in the New Testament about "these things happening for your instruction," I always feel a little sad for the Old Testament followers of God who endured in faith, and then we so often squander the lessons. And I guess they were involved in no small amount of squandering lessons themselves. Thanks for this sweet reminder to take God's Word to heart when it is first delivered to me.
ReplyDeleteYes. It's becoming more and more disheartening, more and more difficult to decipher. Pray without ceasing and love one another.
ReplyDeleteInteresting commentary about Jerusalem. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Our world and our nation and its leaders need our prayers!
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a heartfelt post. Prayer and Christ is the answer. Great post. Thank you!
ReplyDelete