1:1–3:12 Section
The towns and cities of the northern kingdom followed the example of Samaria. The towns and cities of the southern kingdom followed the example of Jerusalem.
In the same way, the people of each kingdom followed the example of their leaders. Their leaders included rulers, kings, prophets, judges and priests.
Samaria, Jerusalem, and the leaders taught God’s people to hate what is good. They taught them to love what is evil. They taught them to worship false gods instead of worshipping only God.
They taught God’s people to rob, cheat and drink too much alcohol. They taught them to treat needy people badly. Prophets cared more about making money than about speaking messages from God. Priests cared more about making money than about teaching people the Law of Moses.
Judges didn’t make their decisions based on what was right and fair. They made decisions based on who paid them money. All of these things went against how God wanted people to live. In the Mount Sinai covenant God had taught his people his ways for living.
The leaders and people knew that God had made a covenant with them. They knew that God is patient. But they used God’s patience as an excuse to keep sinning.
Micah spoke to the people and the leaders of the northern and southern kingdoms. He told them all the wrong things that they were doing. He shared God’s messages of judgement as poems. The Spirit of the Lord made him brave enough to speak against them. This is the Holy Spirit.
Micah announced what would happen because God’s people continued to sin. God would bring judgement against them. Samaria and the northern kingdom would be destroyed by Assyria. Jerusalem and the southern kingdom would be destroyed by Babylon.