Cheating And Violence
July 12, 2021
Commentary
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 (NET)
9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city! It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord. Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city!
10 “I will not overlook, O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much.
11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales, or a bag of deceptive weights.
12 The city’s wealthy people readily resort to violence; her inhabitants tell lies; their tongues speak deceptive words.
13 I will strike you brutally and destroy you because of your sin.
14 You will eat, but not be satisfied. Even if you have the strength to overtake some prey, you will not be able to carry it away; if you do happen to carry away something, I will deliver it over to the sword.
15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them; you will squeeze oil from the olives, but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink.
16 You follow Omri’s edicts and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; you follow their policies. Therefore I will make you an appalling sight; the city’s inhabitants will be taunted derisively, and nations will mock all of you.”