Mic 3:5-8 | KingComments | STEP | After Micah has spoken about the leaders in the previous verses, he speaks about the false prophets in . A prophet is supposed to pass on God’s words and thereby lead God’s people on the right path. But instead of leading the people, these prophets seduce the people. Opposite the false prophets in , Micah places the true prophet. He speaks here in a sarcastic way. The leaders rule by power. The false prophets exercise power by twisting the words of God. In this way they are in the process of leading God’s people, “My people”, astray. In this way the prophets support the judges in their malice. Today there are powerful leaders, governors, and also people with a captivating charisma, who promise prosperity and healing, which deceives many. Often these are also people who thereby exercise power. What they have in common is that they do not serve the Lord Jesus but their own belly ( ; ). The false prophets are people who predict peace and happiness for a bite of bread and some money. To serve their own bellies they deceive the people instead of telling them their sin and preaching penance. They rock the people of God to sleep by flattering and encouraging them in their sins. And if they get nothing, they foretell doom. The content of their preaching depends on the amount of money they receive. They let themselves be influenced in their preaching by the money or gifts they receive. They only preach for the rich and they promise them only prosperity. The degree of prosperity they predict depends on the amount of money or the gift. The poor are told that they will experience even more misery, because they have nothing to buy a good message with.

‏ Micah 3:5-8

Again Against the False Prophets

After Micah has spoken about the leaders in the previous verses, he speaks about the false prophets in Mic 3:5-8. A prophet is supposed to pass on God’s words and thereby lead God’s people on the right path. But instead of leading the people, these prophets seduce the people. Opposite the false prophets in Mic 3:8, Micah places the true prophet. He speaks here in a sarcastic way.

The leaders rule by power. The false prophets exercise power by twisting the words of God. In this way they are in the process of leading God’s people, “My people”, astray. In this way the prophets support the judges in their malice. Today there are powerful leaders, governors, and also people with a captivating charisma, who promise prosperity and healing, which deceives many. Often these are also people who thereby exercise power. What they have in common is that they do not serve the Lord Jesus but their own belly (Phil 3:19; Rom 16:18).

The false prophets are people who predict peace and happiness for a bite of bread and some money. To serve their own bellies they deceive the people instead of telling them their sin and preaching penance. They rock the people of God to sleep by flattering and encouraging them in their sins.

And if they get nothing, they foretell doom. The content of their preaching depends on the amount of money they receive. They let themselves be influenced in their preaching by the money or gifts they receive. They only preach for the rich and they promise them only prosperity. The degree of prosperity they predict depends on the amount of money or the gift. The poor are told that they will experience even more misery, because they have nothing to buy a good message with.

Night and Darkness for the False Prophets

Prophets are supposed to spread light for God’s people. These false prophets pretend to have ‘the light’. They pretend to be enlightened people who know more than the ordinary members of God’s people. But false prophets draw from dark sources. Therefore, darkness will be their destiny.

Because these false prophets have violated the consecrated ministry of prophet so much, the LORD pronounces a fourfold judgment on them, all in connection with darkness. The first judgment is in short, in Hebrew: “Night for you!” They will see no more visions from the realm of darkness; there will be no more occult apparitions. The darkness with which they are connected will completely surround them. Their divination will be over. They will no longer have a message from the abyss for anyone.

They will never see the sun again (Amos 8:9; Jer 15:9), it will never be day again for them. The setting of the sun aptly indicates that these prophets have no connection with the Lord Jesus, the Sun of righteousness. They have led others into the darkness, while presenting the light to them. Because they present themselves as divinely enlightened persons who promise daylight to those who ask their counsel, they will end up in darkness.

Seers and Diviners Ashamed

“The seers” and “the diviners” belong to the false prophets. Their shame will be revealed because there will be no answer from God. There will come a time when they will stand exposed, tongue-tied, because all their prophecies will be denounced as lies. It will become clear that they have spoken without the LORD having sent them. Their shame will be seen when none of all their beautiful promises will turn out to be true.

Covering the mouth, literally mustache, seems to be a sign of sadness and here also of shame (cf. Lev 13:45).

Filled With Power to Preach

In contrast to the false prophets, Micah now speaks about himself and gives the characteristics of the true messenger of God. He knows of himself that he speaks through the Spirit. This is not pride, but an awareness of God’s presence.

Every part of this verse is of great significance. It shows the preparation and equipping of the prophet of God. He speaks with power through the Holy Spirit (2Tim 1:7), while the false prophets speak only from their own spirit (Eze 13:3). He is full of holy courage to make known to the people their sins, despite what the people desire (Mic 2:6).

If there is such a clear difference between the false prophet and the true prophet, how come the people fail to distinguish between counterfeit and real? The cause of this is their luxurious, opulent life and their low moral condition. As a result, they have a complete lack of interest in the things of God. Materialism has blinded their eyes and flattened their feelings, leaving them without any interest in these essential things.

And if they want to satisfy their religious feelings, they are happy to pay a false prophet with part of their wealth. In return, he gives them a sermon that soothes their conscience and makes them revel in their lust. The same applies to contemporary Christianity. One chooses and pays a preacher who weighs his words so cautiously that he bypasses and prevents any stimulation of conscience (2Tim 4:1-4).

These kinds of preachers are false prophets who believe that the gift of God can be obtained for money (2Pet 2:15; Acts 8:18; Jude 1:11). True prophets are not out to please people, but they please God Who examines the heart (1Thes 2:4; Gal 1:10). They do not let themselves be bribed to say what people like to hear. Because Micah is free from the crimes of his contemporaries, he can address his adversaries with the power of a clear conscience. Fearless, he can testify against the sins of the house of Israel.

Such a message is not received with enthusiasm. Teeth gnawing, he is listened to. Only a few will let themselves be addressed by it. Those who are called by the LORD to rebuke therefore need a lot of courage to persevere.

For this service and the perseverance therein it is necessary to be filled with the Spirit. Filling with the Spirit is a command for every believer (Eph 5:18), how much more than for those who present God’s Word to others. On Pentecost all believers are filled with the Spirit, but it also happens later (Acts 13:52). The fullness of the Spirit is only limited by our ability to receive. If there are elements in our lives that prevent this, we must first get rid of them. It’s not that we get more of the Spirit, but the Spirit gets more of us.