Mic 7:4 | KingComments | STEP | Instead of finding someone to serve God with his hands, Micah sees the hands full of energy working decisively and effectively to do evil ( ). For this they have their hands well placed. Their hands are skilled in doing injustice. Doing evil is not an incident, but a situation has arisen in which they can do nothing but do evil. This evil is most strongly expressed in “the prince”, “the judge” and “a great man”. It is the people who occupy a leading or prominent place in the people. Micah describes their way of working. The prince demands the condemnation of an innocent person. The judge is bribed and pronounces the sentence. Whoever is great in social status or economic influence, the man of prestige or the rich, someone who has power and therefore influence, ensures that his will prevails. He gets what he has set his sights on by using his money and influence. The prince and the judge do what he wants. These three malefactors form a cord of three strands of injustice, making it strong just like a twisted cord. Also by them, by twisting one sin into another, a case is completely twisted and great injustice is done. Injustice permeates all the fibers of the social climate. This is no different today. Such a climate of injustice can only arise and continue to exist if those who are “the best” and “the most upright” offer the protection of “a briar” and “a thorn hedge” ( ; cf. ). Such figures at the top of a society not only disappoint when you expect something from them, but they cause injury and pain ( ). When all, even the ‘good ones’, are so depraved, the measure of injustice is full. This is what must be judged. When it comes, they will not know what to do, because they have not listened to the warnings of the watchmen, who are the prophets of God. “The day when you post your watchmen” is the day the prophets have announced (cf. ; ).

‏ Micah 7:4

A Cord of Three Strands of Injustice

Instead of finding someone to serve God with his hands, Micah sees the hands full of energy working decisively and effectively to do evil (Mic 7:3). For this they have their hands well placed. Their hands are skilled in doing injustice. Doing evil is not an incident, but a situation has arisen in which they can do nothing but do evil. This evil is most strongly expressed in “the prince”, “the judge” and “a great man”. It is the people who occupy a leading or prominent place in the people.

Micah describes their way of working. The prince demands the condemnation of an innocent person. The judge is bribed and pronounces the sentence. Whoever is great in social status or economic influence, the man of prestige or the rich, someone who has power and therefore influence, ensures that his will prevails. He gets what he has set his sights on by using his money and influence. The prince and the judge do what he wants.

These three malefactors form a cord of three strands of injustice, making it strong just like a twisted cord. Also by them, by twisting one sin into another, a case is completely twisted and great injustice is done. Injustice permeates all the fibers of the social climate. This is no different today.

Such a climate of injustice can only arise and continue to exist if those who are “the best” and “the most upright” offer the protection of “a briar” and “a thorn hedge” (Mic 7:4; cf. Jdg 9:14-20). Such figures at the top of a society not only disappoint when you expect something from them, but they cause injury and pain (2Sam 23:6).

When all, even the ‘good ones’, are so depraved, the measure of injustice is full. This is what must be judged. When it comes, they will not know what to do, because they have not listened to the warnings of the watchmen, who are the prophets of God. “The day when you post your watchmen” is the day the prophets have announced (cf. Jer 6:17; Eze 3:17 ; Eze 33:7).