HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1191
M ICAH 4
page 821
11
Suppose a prophet full of lies would say
to you,
“I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and
alcohol!”
That’s just the kind of prophet you would
like!
Hope for Restoration
12 “Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep
in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again
be filled with noisy crowds!
13 Your leader will break out
and lead you out of exile,
out through the gates of the enemy cities,
back to your own land.
Your king will lead you;
the Lord himself will guide you.”
Judgment against Israel’s Leaders
1 I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel!
You are supposed to know right from
wrong,
2 but you are the very ones
who hate good and love evil.
You skin my people alive
and tear the flesh from their bones.
3 Yes, you eat my people’s flesh,
strip off their skin,
and break their bones.
You chop them up
like meat for the cooking pot.
4 Then you beg the Lord for help in times
of trouble!
Do you really expect him to answer?
After all the evil you have done,
he won’t even look at you!”
3
5
6
7
8
This is what the Lord says:
“You false prophets are leading my
people astray!
You promise peace for those who give
you food,
but you declare war on those who
refuse to feed you.
Now the night will close around you,
cutting off all your visions.
Darkness will cover you,
putting an end to your predictions.
The sun will set for you prophets,
and your day will come to an end.
Then you seers will be put to shame,
and you fortune-tellers will be disgraced.
And you will cover your faces
because there is no answer from God.”
But as for me, I am filled with power—
with the Spirit of the Lord.
I am filled with justice and strength
9
10
11
12
to boldly declare Israel’s sin and rebellion.
Listen to me, you leaders of Israel!
You hate justice and twist all that
is right.
You are building Jerusalem
on a foundation of murder and
corruption.
You rulers make decisions based on
bribes;
you priests teach God’s laws only for
a price;
you prophets won’t prophesy unless
you are paid.
Yet all of you claim to depend on
the Lord.
“No harm can come to us,” you say,
“for the Lord is here among us.”
Because of you, Mount Zion will be
plowed like an open field;
Jerusalem will be reduced to ruins!
A thicket will grow on the heights
where the Temple now stands.
The LORD’s Future Reign
1 In the last days, the mountain of
the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world
will stream there to worship.
2 People from many nations will come
and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of
the Lord,
4
• Leadership
M I C A H 2:11
Whether in Old Testament prophecy or
government bureaucracy, people prove
again and again that they don’t want
to hear the truth if it is bad news or has
anything to do with judgment. Micah
spoke against prophets who encouraged
the people to feel comfortable in their
sinful lifestyles. Preachers and teachers
are often popular when they don’t ask
too much of us, when they tell us that our
greed and lust might even be good for
us and that we needn’t worry about hell.
A godly teacher speaks the truth—and
often makes listeners uncomfortable.
The next time you experience discomfort
during a sermon or lesson, ask God if
the speaker is out of line or if the Holy
Spirit is trying to point out an area of sin
in your life.