Micah: Bribery And Corruption

by Merchant, Paul | Category: Minor Prophets? Major Issues! | Mar 2006

Every morning on my way to work I pass one of Edinburgh’s cathedrals which stands between the Conan Doyle public house and a large John Lewis department store. A large banner hangs over the front door of the cathedral - ‘Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly’. This challenging banner is a quotation from the prophet Micah. The brief, blunt words confront you like a shaft of light piercing the morning mist hanging low across Scotland’s capital city. It is a salutary reminder for me as I approach another day’s work.

Problems

Micah was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea and Isaiah and prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaziah and Hezekiah. He spoke out against bribery and corruption. He exposed the corrupt politics of the rulers and business men, ‘Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money’ (3:11).

‘Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire - they all conspire together’ (7:3).

Micah observed how bribery and corruption run through society like a broken sewer pipe down a street, seeping its pollution into every relationship, for ‘a son dishonours his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man’s enemies are the members of his own household’ (7:6).

Observing all this social and religious decadence was the God of Israel who had made promises, oaths and covenants regarding His chosen people. Micah knew the covenant obligations of the people of God and he yearned for his compatriots to exercise justice, peace and righteousness in their dealings with each other and in the laws of civil society. But he saw what was going on and saw that God would deal with his people. Micah was a man of God who knew how God deals with sin through the process of judgement, repentance, salvation, new life, hope.

‘Therefore, the LORD says: "I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity"‘ (2:3).

Micah speaks the truth, but as a man of God he does not leave his countrymen without hope. He describes his God, ‘Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry for ever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea’ (7:18-19).

Twice Micah refers to God in His shepherd, caring character (5:4; 7:14). He predicts that salvation will come through one to be born, and his prediction is this Shepherd would come from among the common people and deliver them from oppression and injustice and recover their right relationship with God.

Micah was assured of this and displays his faith, ‘But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me’ (7:7).

The great Shepherd

About 800 years later wicked king Herod had a verse from Micah quoted to him about the child Jesus whose star had been seen by the wise men from the east, ‘"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times"‘ (5:2).

Christ was revealed to the shepherds at His birth on the first occasion He came to earth. Next time He comes He will be the great Shepherd of His people, for Micah says, ‘He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth’ (5:4).

Micah sees the Messiah - Christ - as the chief leader, the greatest ever leader who will succeed in bringing peace and justice to a corrupt world, because He died to deal with its corruption. From a nation riddled with bribery, corruption and dysfunctional family life, Micah predicts that the future reign of Christ will resolve the problems of this world. Until then, disciples of Christ are instructed not to offer the easy sacrifices of the wealthy, but rather to live out in their daily lives three simple commandments, ‘To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ (6:8).

(Bible quotes from the NIV)

Merchant, Paul | Mar 2006
Minor Prophets? Major Issues!