Misleading God's People

Introduction

In our last two dives into chapter 3 and our examination of chapter 2 looked at three general groups, all powerful and influential in both the northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The first group were the wealthy who were using their material possessions and the power that gave them to put their wicked desires into play. The second group was the rulers and political leaders, who are pictured like vicious beasts devouring the people. The third group are the prophets, who use their religious position to maximize their profits, prophecying favourably towardes those who pay them and plotting war against those who don’t.

Now Micah turns his attention more generally to those he calls the “heads” of Israel more broadly and focuses on their devotion, not to God, but money. Such unholy leadership is bound to lead God’s people to only one thing: ruin.

Heads who Destroy the Body

Addressed to the “heads” and “rulers” of Israel, the terms being interchangable.

These heads and rulers are a broad group that seems to include everyone Micah has already addressed and then some. Specifically, three groups are in mind here, and they are those who occupy offices within the people of God for specific roles.

Rulers. Kings and officials addressed at the beginning of this text. The administrative leaders of God’s people.

Priests, the theological leaders and those who are called to bring God’s people into right worship.

Prophets, already addressed, are those with the office of declaring God’s revealed will and keeping the officials and kings accountable to the Law.

All three of these offices have been abused by those who hold them, and not only will they be judged for this, but all the people of God will suffer for it.

Actions that counter the office

The main charge against these men is this: they are abusing their offices in a way that counters the purpose for which that office exists.

Detest Justice: they are not only indifferent to the practice of justice among God’s people, but they detest it because it goes against their personal agenda. Justice is rooted in knowing God and being an accurate image-bearer of his character. These men despise justice because they loath to serve any end that isn’t their own, and because they themselves are not righteous men.

They make crooked all that is straight. Not only do they avoid justice, but they take what is already straight and defile it.

Money-Driven Leaders

Micah then draws their motivations down to one thing, something he has already accused the prophets of having, a love of money.

1 Timothy 6:9–10 ESV

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

What Paul is saying here is not that money inherently makes someone evil, nor that money is evil, nor that desiring to make a decent living is evil. But the desire to be rich is really a culmination of desires, most of them evil. Money is a road to fulfilling all kinds of fleshly pleasures. With it people satisfy coveteousness, lusts, idolatry. They gain a way to make themselves look more physically attractive, to offer bribes, to pay off enemies or hire mercenaries, they can pride themselves in spending rediculous amounts of money simply to gain respect and make others jealous. Money is the root of all kinds of evil because it can satisfy most of our evil desires, and that is what makes it so appealing to the sinful human heart.

This is why Scripture often deters about a desire for riches, warns those who have wealth, and shows its ultimate futility. Thomas Watson argued that when God makes a man wealthy, it is far more often to curse him than to bless.

What is said to those who sell their office for money is true of any who use their office to benefit themselves rather than serve the divine purpose, since serving money is just a simple way to serve self.

They use blood an iniquity, a destruction of God’s gifts to the people under them, to build a nation for their own benefit, not for God.

“Yet they Lean on the LORD”

But the shocking aspect comes in the middle of verse 11, “yet they lean on the Lord.” They have confidence in God, it is true, but their confidence is misinformed. God will not protect them simply because they are Israelites, they are in material prosperity, or because of the office they hold.

Selfish leaders the cause of the destruction of God’s people

The end of this style of leadership, verse 12. Not only they, but their charge and those under them, will feel the wrath of God.

One of the problems with dispensational theology is that it interprets certain historical events, like the restoration of the state of Israel, as a sign that God is restoring the racial group as his people. In reality, God’s people are never defined, in the OT or NT, apart from their ethics and worship. Israel has come no closer to worhsipping God than they were in the days of Micah. God’s people are always defined by faith, and that is what these corrupt leaders misunderstood. They relied on God’s promises as a safety for them against judgement and destruction when those promises were clearly only ever relavant for a faithful people of God.

Conclusion

A warning for leaders.

A warning for all Christians, members in the Priesthood of faith.

Watch ourselves

The flesh and its desires must be mortified, not satisfied.

Money is a tool to build God’s Kingdom, not satisfy our cravings.

Sin is always the result of insubordinate desires, not money or power directly. James 1:14, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”

Seeing all that we have and all that we do as holy, existing for the single purpose of showing God off and glorifying him.