THE WICKED LEADERSHIP Having revealed the sins of the common people, he now addresses the leaderships: the king: the kings and rulers, the elite and the judges; those who were set to serve the people and to perform justice to everyone, but instead they misused their positions, robbed the people of their wealth and enjoyed an extreme luxury, leaving the people moaning of hunger and oppression. This chapter includes three important talks, addressed to the wicked rulers: The first, that they are voracious leaders (1-4); the second, that they are deceitful (5-8); and the third, that they take bribes. It talks as well about the fruits of the wicked leaderships (9-12). Here, the prophet Micah rebukes the leaderships for being deceived by the words of the false prophets, who proclaimed that captivity would soon come to an end, and that the return from it is very close at hand. He calls on them to discern and see the truth, and not to go after the lies. 1. A call to the rulers to know justice 1. 2. The evil oppressors 2-4. 3. The false prophets 5-7. 4. Micah and the power of the Spirit 8. 5. An open rebuke to the rulers 9-12. 1. A CALL TO THE RULERS TO KNOW JUSTICE: “Listen, O heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Should you not know justice?” (Micah 3:1) It was fitting for the elders of Israel to live among the people, to partake of their daily life, but instead they turned to become an aristocratic ruling class, that lived in Jerusalem. And the judges, who were supposed to teach the people the divine truth, have put the Law aside, and have become more evil than the people. They are only preoccupied with abusing their positions and authority. Indeed, the prophets repeat their accusation of the people, saying: “Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom, Your princes are rebels” (Isaiah 1:10, 23). Again Micah says, “Should you not to know justice?” Actually, on every possible occasion they strongly rebuke them. What then? Are we going to put the blame on God? God forbid, if we entertain such a thought! The fault is actually theirs. Is there any reasonable justification other than that you refuse to obey Him1?! St. John Chrysostom Addressing the rulers, who were entrusted to practice justice, yet trampled upon it, he put his words in the form of a question: Are you not the ones responsible for justice to punish the transgressors and to exonerate the innocents? How then, have you diverted to strongly support evil? How then, have you practiced greed and dispossessed the needy of everything they have? How have you stripped the skin from them, and the flesh from their bones2? 1 Homilies on John, 52. 2 Commentary on Micah 3: 1-4 PG 81: 1756. 52 Theodoret of Cyrus We should not marvel to see a simple prophet dare to judge the rulers and the judges. He, after all, enjoys the divine truth and bears a special awe, whereas those supposedly great men, having disregarded the truth in their life and behavior, became weak and unable to defend themselves. Wherever the truth is, fear will have no place for itself. One, bearing the fear of the Lord, would humbly fear neither people nor events. Who is he, who asks: “Should you not know justice?” Of course they know it, and know the Law and the statutes by heart, yet being strangers from them in their life and behavior, they came to be without knowledge. 2. THE EVIL OPPRESSORS: “You who hate good and love evil; who strip the skin from My people, and the flesh from their bones” (Micah 3:2) When the love of money and greed crawl into the heart, man loses his inner insight and his discernment; he would hate the good for others and love evil. This the first feature of oppressors, to hate good and love evil; they deal with the poor as cannibals, slaying the poor for their banquets and cooking their flesh. In the book of Ezekiel, God rebukes the evil shepherds, saying: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? …… With force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered … Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them’” (Ezekiel 34:2, 4, 10). “Who also eat the flesh of My people, flay their skin from them, break their bones, and chop them in pieces, like meat for the pot, like flesh in the caldron” (Micah 3:3) It was fitting for the spiritual leaders to give themselves up to the account of the people, and not to fulfill their covetousness, devour the people like voracious beasts, like cannibals. He presents a horrible and an extremely painful portrait for their limitless cruelty. “Then they will cry to the Lord, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds” (Micah 3:4) God will never hear the cries of him, who eats the flesh of his brother, no matter how loud they may be; but will hide His face from him, and will let justice take its coarse; “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy” (James 2:13). As he did not hear the cries of his brother when he was prosperous, he will cry during his affliction and will have no response; and as he hid his face from his poor brother, God will hide His face from him. As Adoni-Bazek said: “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather their food under my table; as I have done so, God has repaid me” (Judges 1:7). And the Psalmist says: “With the merciful, You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man, You will show Yourself blameless; ith the pure, You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious, You will show Yourself shrewd. 53 For You will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks” (Psalm 18:25- 27). And the wise Solomon says: “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, will also cry himself and not be heard” (Proverb 21:13). The instant I withdraw from evil, I become worthy of You hearing my prayers1. St. Jerome Lord, You accommodate the reward to the intentions of the people! You provide the saints with what their holiness deserve, the innocent and those without sin with what is fitting for them, and the elect and the perfect with what is perfect, whereas for those who divert from the right way and take the wrong one, You will guarantee what is fitting for them2. Theodoret of Cyrus 3. THE FALSE PROPHETS: “Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who make My people stray; who chant ‘Peace’ while they chew with their teeth, but who prepare war against him, who puts nothing into their mouths” (Micah 3:5) While the false prophets chew the flesh of their brethren with their teeth, they proclaim false peace with sweet yet false words supported in this by the rich and those with authority. But this situation will not last long, as war is definitely on its way. Some interpret the expression “Chew with their teeth” as bite their lips with their teeth, in an attempt to shut their lies in and to keep any word that could reveal their deceit from slipping their lips by mistake. They greedily eat the flesh of others, their mouth is incessantly open to devour, and if someone tries to stop them, they make war against him threatening him with serious divine judgment. This is how greed for ugly profiteering works (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7). The prophet Jeremiah says: “you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies” (Jeremiah 20:6). He, who uses the words of God in an evil way, utters lies3. He does not forbid them to listen to prophets, but to hear those who prophesy lies (Jeremiah 23:16). When you listen to a prophet like Moses, you are not hearing him, but you are hearing the Lord who speaks through him. When the false prophets tell visions out of their own hearts, they fail to change the hearts of their listeners, and accordingly they work in vain4. Origen “Therefore you shall have night without vision, and you shall have darkness without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them” (Micah 3:6) Running after the love of money, the false prophets attached themselves to the rich, walking in the spirit of hypocrisy and justifying oppression. Having rejected the Sun of righteousness, their minds became dark, their life turned into a night without a day, they lost every inner enlightenment, and their thoughts disturbed them. 1 Homily 2 on Ps.5. 2 Comm. On Ps.18. 3 Homilies on Jer., hom. 19: 14: 9. 4 Fragments from the catena, 15 (F. of the Church, vol. 97) 54 The Lord proclaims the helplessness of the false prophets, as they will have night without vision, and darkness without divination; they will get into a state of great depression, and shame and disgrace will dwell over them. "The sun will go down" (Jeremiah 15:9) on those prophets, who lead His people astray. They will dwell in darkness “Shall have night without vision, and shall have darkness without dawn”. “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places” (Matthew 12:43). This is what would happen to those people; “So shall it also be with this wicked generation” (Matthew 12:45) 1. St. Ephram the Syrian “So the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners abashed; indeed they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God” (Micah 3:7) When someone seeks a counsel from those false prophets, they can only present the darkness they have inside them, as they “have no answer from God”. Covering their upper lips, namely their moustaches and beards (the Hebrew word ‘sapham’), which, for Hebrew men, had a special significance referring to courage and manhood, was a sign that the prophets were in a state of grief, because God refuses to proclaim Himself to them. That is why, the leper was ordered to cover his moustache (Leviticus 13:45). This custom also came in Ezekiel 24:17, 22) 2. 4. MICAH AND THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT: “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin” (Micah 3:8) While one day the false prophets would be exposed and disgraced, Micah, the true prophet, on the other hand, would continue to be justified through the work of the mighty Spirit of the Lord, and his holding to the divine truth. The secret of the power of Micah is the work of the Holy Spirit in him, who qualified him for the prophetic work and filled him with power, truth, courage, and to talk with authority. He has no fear of the oppression of people, even of those with authority; according to the words of the prophet Isaiah: “For the Lord God will help me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7). Being aware of his helplessness to achieve this work on his own, yet the prophet Micah was sure that the Spirit of the Lord is the secret of his power, because “Who is sufficient for these things” (2 Corinthians 2:16); and according to the apostle: “Our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5). Contrary to the false prophets who were greatly depressed, he got filled with the power of the divine Spirit, carrying an inner power, truth, and might. He felt no weakness, lacked no knowledge of the truth, and never lost his heroic work in the Lord. He, as though to tell them that there is no comparison between him and the false prophets, said: “What is the chaff to the wheat?” (Jeremiah 23:28) Having enjoyed those qualifications, the prophet Micah dared to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. The men of God were committed on certain occasions to reveal the truth of their missions, and the divine possibilities they enjoyed 1 Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron, 11: 8. 2 James M. Freeman: Manners and Customs of the Bible, 1972, article 612. 55 not for the sake of boasting, but for the sake of fulfilling their ministry and the edification of God’s kingdom in this world. In his commentary on the second epistle to the Corinthians (11:21, etc.), St. John Chrysostom makes it clear that the apostle Paul did not do that to boast himself, but to mute the mouths of those who intend to destroy his mission by denying his apostleship. St. John Chrysostom presented several examples of those who defended themselves for the sake of the edification of the Church and the success of the divine work. The prophet Samuel once said: “Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken; or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you” (1 Samuel 12:3). And the prophet Amos said to Amasiah: “I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a herdsman, and a tender of sycamore fruit, Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, And the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel’” (Amos 7:14, etc.). So the prophet Micah does here as well1. 5. AN OPEN REBUKE TO THE RULERS: “Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity” (Micah 3:9) Enjoying the mighty Spirit of the Lord, the prophet Micah does not lack the possibility of bold talk against the rulers and the judges who abhor justice and pervert equity. By perverting equity, he probably means abusing the interpretation of the word of God for their own benefit, the way the heretics abused certain texts to support their heresies. In his letter (19:8) St. Cyril the Great wrote about those, who corrupt the truth by abusing certain texts of the Holy Bible. He sent, enclosed to his letter, a copy of the letter addressed by St. Athanasius the Apostolic to Epicetetus, which the heretics have perverted. “Who build up Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with iniquity” (Micah 3:10) Intending to build a prosperous city, the rulers preoccupied themselves with building luxurious constructions and establishments on the expense of the poor masses of the people. Under the pretension of caring for the beauty of the city, they broke the Law and oppressed the poor. “Who build up Zion with bloodshed” (Micah 3:10). They did not learn how to control themselves, although they have received the commandment “You shall not kill”; through other different means they were urged to keep this commandment, but they did not stop this evil habit. And when they saw the Lord, they cried out, saying: “Crucify Him.” For what motive? And for what charge against Him, big or small? Is it because He honored them? And, although being God, He became man for their sake and performed limitless miracles for their benefit? Is it because He forgave their sins? Or is it because He called them to His kingdom? The actual reason for having Him crucified has actually been their great evil, foolishness, and absolute insanity2. 1 Cf. St. John Chrysostom: Homilies on Second Corinthians, Homily 24:3. 2 St. John Chrysostom: the Gospel of St. Matthew, Homily 68:1. 56 St. John Chrysostom “Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, ‘is not the Lord among us? No harm can come to us’” (Micah 3:11) The prophet condemns the religious leaders, who work like wage laborers seduced by bribe, and are perverted because of their love for money. He, as well, warns the rich and those with authority against using their possibilities to influence the ministers of God, which is counted as a bribe! And warns the false prophets, who turn into profiteers, tailoring their prophesies according to the amount of silver they are offered, and are not preoccupied with proclaiming the will of God, but with how to make more money according to the way of Balaam “who loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15). Although you are allowed, O priest, to eat from the altar, yet not to live in luxury “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain” (1 Corinthians 9:9). The apostle Paul labored and toiled day and night, that he might not be a burden to anyone, satisfied with the available food and cloths (2 Thess. 3:8). He also held God as witness of how devoutly, justly, and blamelessly he behaved himself among the believers (1 Thessalonians 2:10). He confirmed as well, that he has not dispatched any of his disciples to collect anything from the Churches. In certain of his epistles he expressed his pleasure for the gifts sent by some, but he collected them not for himself, but for the poor saints in Jerusalem, namely the Jews, who were the first to believe in Christ and were consequently denied by their parents and relatives, lost all their possessions and were persecuted by the priests of the temple and the people. Yet, that situation was misused by some, who, under the pretension of helping the poor, got rich and ‘ate out of gold and porcelain plates1. St. Jerome All the religious and civil leaders, rulers and priests, agreed on one issue, namely the love of money. And through their practice of formal worship, without spirit, they assumed that God is in their midst protecting them against any evil, assuming that their wicked behavior would cause them no harm, because they are the ‘people of God’. Faith that does not work with love is a dead faith with neither spirit nor life. “Is not the Lord among us?” Are we not in the city of Jerusalem, the city of God? Are not His temple, His ark of covenant, His Holy Book, His priests, and His daily sacrifices all within our hands? They abused the divine privileges that are presented to them for the sake of their sanctification, forsook the holiness, held fast to formalities, and deviated the gifts of God from their true goal assuming that God is in their midst as long as they have them, even if they persisted on their love of the world, of oppression, and of violence. “Therefore because of you, Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple, like the bare hills of the forest” (Micah 3:12) This prophecy had its active effect after more than a century, when the prophet Jeremiah (26:18), being deeply impressed by it, quoted it and its quotation saved his life, 1 Commentary on Micah 1: 3: 11. 57 when he faced death in the days of king Jehoachim. They proclaimed to care for the construction of Jerusalem (10) not knowing that, by caring for streets and luxurious buildings, they contributed to the destruction of the holy places. Although they assumed that no perdition would ever dwell upon them as long as God is in their midst, yet because of their persistence on oppression, God allowed for the destruction of Jerusalem and for turning all its building into fields and ruins. What would dwell over Zion reveals what would dwell over the depths of those evil people because of their persistence on their wickedness, and of hiding behind the presence of Zion and the temple of the Lord as a sign of the dwelling of God among them. Here also, the prophet Micah could not stand to see Jerusalem smeared with bloodshed and oppression, while the rulers of the house of Jacob abhor justice, the priests teach for pay and the prophets divine for money. What does he say about the consequences of all that? “Zion shall be plowed like a field; Zion shall become heaps of ruins; And the mount of the temple like the bare hills of the forest.” Mourning the lack of uprightness, he says: “The prince asks for gifts, and the judge seeks a bribe” (Micah 7:1-4). His language mostly came like that strong statement of the prophet David, saying: “Help me, O Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of me” (Psalm 12:1) 1. St. Gregory the Nazianzus Some believe that this prophecy has been literally realized on the hand of Titus, when the Romans plowed the land on which the city was built to guarantee its utter devastation. 1 In defense of His Flight to Pontus, 2: 58. 58 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF MICAH 3 LET ME KNOW THE TRUTH TO BECOME A LEADER My soul is terrified when I hear about the wicked rulers Who assume that they know the truth and defended it. While they are far from knowing it! You are the divine Truth, Open up my eyes to know You; Let me walk in You, to live eternally. Grant me the love of goodness, and the hate of evil; Let me love goodness whatever it may cost; Let me hate evil whatever its seduction may be. Let me wish goodness for all men; To love You, the Philanthropic; Uproot from me every greed and selfishness. Uproot from me the violent nature; Grant me the free-giving love; To love and not to seek being loved; As I love You, even in my opponents. Let me be compassionate towards the others, to be worthy of Your compassion; Let me respond to the requests of others. To be worthy of You hearing my voice, and responding to my prayers. Uproot from me every hypocrisy To set forth with the truth with no adulation; Let me seek Your favor, and not that of others. Let me attach myself to You, to have Your light shine on me. To recognize Your will; And to get enlightened by the splendor of Your righteousness. That my whole life becomes a day with no night; Light with no darkness; And love with no hate. Grant me the power of Your Holy Spirit; To be filled with power, truth, and might. To utter the truth, whatever it costs. Not to adulate the rich or those of authority. To utter Your words with no perversion. Let me worship You by Spirit and truth; Not to be swallowed by formalities with no spirit; To realize Your dwelling in me; To set in me the spiritual Zion; And to sanctify my depths to become a temple for You.
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