The Lord brings correction to His people from time to time, especially those who claim to speak for God. To do this the Lord used the prophet, Micah. 

Micah preached to both Israel and Judah during the same time as Isaiah. He denounced both kingdoms’ oppression, pride, greed, corruption, false piety, and arrogance. Micah confronted the sin of the leaders and those who blindly followed their leadership. As the Lord used Micah to confront their sins, he would make it clear that God’s love never dies, even after the Lord gave repeated opportunities to repent as they continued to neglect those warnings. Adherence to Micah’s message of warning was the first step in their healing process. 

The Lord spoke a strong and pointed word to the prophets who were telling lies to the people, “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” (Micah 3: 5-7).

For the leaders of the nation who foolishly followed these false prophets leading the people astray, the Lord had this to say, “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” (vs. 9-11).

Perhaps the greatest sin of the leaders was their assumption, “No harm can come to us for the Lord is here among us.” (vs. 11). Proximity to religious activity does not define us as God’s people. Obedience to the Lord is what defines us.

When the Lord is calling out our sins, it can be a very confusing time. There is something we can do in the confusion to reset our faith and align once again with the will of God, “The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). 

Choosing to live that way will reset our faith and open the door to receiving the greatest expression of God’s love – the forgiveness of our sins. While that was true in the Old Covenant, imagine how much more profound it will be for those of us living in the New Covenant where the sacrifice of Jesus fully accomplished the redeeming plan of God’s love.