Micah 2
by David Groendyk
Transitioning from chapter 1 to chapter 2, Micah turns his attention from general populations to specific people. One of the major themes of Micah is the social injustice going on in Israel, and here in chapter 2, Micah is calling out the rich, elite leaders of Israel for their particular sins.
In vv. 1–5, Micah explains how the rich leaders are oppressing the poorer classes. They’re exploiting those who are helpless for their own gain. These leaders know the lower class cannot fight back, and so they steal the possessions and houses and fields from them. One of the ways Micah describes this oppression is by saying that the leaders “devise wickedness and work evil on their beds” (v. 1). How evil! These people aren’t seeing something they want and taking it in the heat of the moment; they’re lying awake at night on their beds plotting and scheming how to take advantage of the poor. This is premeditated sin.
In vv. 6–11, Micah explains how these rich leaders are directly rejecting the word of God. Even though God has promised that Israel will be punished for their sin, these leaders are proclaiming that no judgment will overtake them (v. 6) and that the people should feel free to eat, drink, and be merry (v. 11)! Here is an important reminder for us: one of the biggest lies Satan uses to tempt us to sin is to tell us that God will not judge our sin. That’s the first outright lie the serpent tells Eve in the Garden of Eden to contradict God: “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). Once we’ve decided in our minds that God doesn’t care enough about this sin to punish me for it, we’ve lost the battle. We’ve just given ourselves the freedom to sin. Judgment must surely come for our sin. And that’s why Christ taking our judgment for us is so wonderful and beautiful.
The promise of coming judgment, besides driving us to find salvation in Christ, also helps believers in another way. The injustice and wickedness of these evil leaders will not go unpunished. Though unfortunately we see many evils both from our civil leaders and from certain television prosperity-gospel preachers at a time like this, it’s a comfort for us to know that God sees it all. God is watching, and he will hold them all accountable for what they’ve done and said. Take heart, dear Christian, because this evil will not last.
Finally, this chapter ends with a brief glimpse of hope in vv. 12–13. When we read these two verses, it’s hard not to think of Psalm 23 or John 10. Despite all of these evil leaders among the people, God promises for them a shepherd who will rule over them, lead them, and take care of them. And that shepherd would be the Lord himself. Despite the impending judgment and exile of the people of Israel, God would restore them and return them to their land, and he would give them another leader who would never fail them and never lead them into sin as their current leaders did. Praise God for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who never fails us, never leaves, never forsakes us, and is always watching out for us.