Micah 3:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

2:10), as the Apostle Paul states, also tends to those who wander from the path. What then does He proclaim? "Is it not for you to understand judgment?" By judgment, He indicates either a fair and unbiased assessment or condemnation that pertains to them. These words require comprehension of judgment that goes beyond mere study; for what harm does it bring to one who has committed offenses? What grief does it cause those who are wicked? Rather, this "understanding of judgment" is where those who are habitual sinners, through the experience of impending trials, and facing the just punishments of the authorities, will eventually discern the true weight of their authority and the severity of the Lord's judgments. Thus He declares that it is imperative for you, through what will soon befall you, to grasp the concept of judgment - you who are perpetually inclined toward evil and disregard good - you who launch fierce and unchecked assaults on My works, akin to savage beasts, who flay sheep and rend their flesh without mercy, cooking it as if in cauldrons. In this, He highlights all forms of greed, insatiability, and abuse of power. Since they have engaged in such deeds, they will cry out, but He will not regard them with His compassion; had they implored Him for mercy, He would not have imparted it. This aversion stems from their own wrongdoing to those lower in rank, as they employed every manner of deceit, cruelty, and malicious schemes against them. This applies aptly to the scribes and Pharisees. As the leaders of the people, they governed the masses as if they were mere flocks of sheep, ruthlessly attacking the followers of Christ, and, like savage beasts, tore apart the faithful, sharing their spoils among themselves. Consequently, they received the divine message through the prophet Isaiah, who proclaimed, "When you spread out your hands ... to me, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear; for your hands are full of blood" (Isaiah 1:15).

Those who have devoured the flesh of my people and stripped their skin will cry out to the Lord, yet He will not respond to them. The prophet addresses the leaders and authorities of the populace. They seized the wealth of the people while ignoring the pleas of the oppressed, remaining indifferent to the suffering of the poor who sought their mercy. Consequently, when they, too, cry out to the Lord during their distress, they shall find no response from Him.

The Lord speaks to the prophets who flatter my people, who gnash their teeth and proclaim peace. Those who fill their mouths with offerings they proclaim peace to, while to those who do not provide for them, they declare conflict. The prophet condemns the deceit of these false prophets who, under the guise of true prophets, took on the title of the Lord’s prophets, filled with His Spirit. They labeled anyone who opposed them or failed to offer them anything as scornful of God’s prophets, resorting to dire forecasts.

Previously, it was spoken of the Lord as their leader who will declare: "Hear ye, the heads of the house of Jacob, and the remnant of the house of Israel." Notably, most translations, except for the Seventy, refer to them as "the leaders of the house of Israel" instead of "the remnant." The Lord, who paves the way for His people and walks ahead of them, also serves as the guide for a simpler group whom He refers to as His flock. He warns those unwilling to heed His guidance, who are prideful and judge the people without following His path, and instructs: "Hear, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and leaders of the house of Israel. What is it that He instructs them to listen to? It is that they are not suited to grasp the truth, because they despise good and pursue evil." In other words, they disqualify themselves from knowing God’s truth, which is profound beyond measure, as a corrupt mind cannot fathom its depths. How can those who loathe righteousness and seek wrongdoing possibly understand God’s truth, those who scorn the virtuous and honor the sinful? It’s vital to reflect on the severity of these actions: if it is wrongful to disfavor good, how much worse is it to detest it? If neglecting evil is already a fault, then diligently pursuing it is an even greater sin. The prophet then illustrates the brutal conduct of the judges and their inhumanity toward those under their authority, stating: "Those who strip their skin from them and their flesh from their bones." They have consumed the flesh of God's people, flayed their skins, crushed their bones, and piled their flesh as if preparing a meal in a pan, just as meat in a cauldron. At that time, they will cry out to the Lord, but He will not be attentive and will turn away His face from them because of their wicked ways. It was not enough for them to plunder the flock; they also exhausted their bodies with harsh dominion, seeking to obliterate and reduce them to dust. Just as they have offered My flock to the devil and his angels, stripping My people of their dignity and decency, throwing their bones and flesh into a boiling cauldron stirred by the king of Assyria, they too, when the day of judgment approaches, will reach out to the Lord and receive no response, for they have ignored those who sought their aid. They will stretch out their hands to God, and He will turn His face away from them, for they have turned away from those who implored them. They will experience great loss due to their extreme wickedness: they have not been true kings, but tyrants; not true leaders, but ravenous lions; not genuine instructors, but wolves in sheep's clothing. They indulged in their greed and grew fat, thus preparing themselves as prime sacrifices for the very judgment of the Lord that awaits them. Up to this point, the message has been against corrupt leaders; the subsequent words, however, are aimed at false prophets and deceitful teachers who mislead God's people through cunning flattery, offering them false hopes of understanding the Holy Scriptures.