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Cheating and Violence

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Addressing a national seminar of Southern Baptist leaders, George Gallup said, “We find there is very little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who are not active religiously...The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are remarkable similar in bo … More

Cheating

I am the LORD, and it makes sense to respect my power to punish (v. 9). This verse is probably best understood to indicate that when the Lord’s voice speaks, the man of wisdom should give heed to what the voice says and take note from whom the voice comes. The rod indicates that the Lord’s voice delivers and the man of wisdom will hear and hence will believe that judgment will in fact fall . So listen to my message for the city of Jerusalem: you store up stolen treasures and use dishonest scales (v. 10). But I, the LORD, will punish you for cheating with weights and with measures (v. 11). The indication is that their heart attitude and relationship with God are not right. This is evidenced by the fact that in their dealings with fellow men they gave less than true value through the use of short measures, the use of scales that did not weigh properly.

You rich people are violent, and everyone tells lies (v. 12). Because of your sins, I will wound you and leave you ruined and defenseles (v. 13). The following verses enumerate the forms God’s judgments will take. You will eat, but still be hungry; you will store up goods, but lose everything I, the LORD, will let it all be captured in war (v. 14). You won’t harvest what you plant or use the oil from your olive trees or drink the wine from grapes you grow (v. 15). This will happen because you followed the sinful example of kings Omri and Ahab (v. 16). This verse gives the reason why God’s judgment must fall. These are northern kings who represented the epitome of wickedness and everything that God hated. Now I will destroy you and your property. Then the people of every nation will make fun and insult you. Because the people were following the commands and practices of these Kings, they were in bad shape and ripe for punishment.

Application

I want to always be open and honest with everyone and never in anyway try to cheat someone.

Micah 6:9-16 (English Standard Version)

The voice of the LORD cries to the city-- and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: "Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it! Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed? Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins. You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword. You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine. For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people."

View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »

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