Verse 1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
God sees the actions of all people, and He knows the thoughts of all people. This should be a deterrent to sin, but since Satan and his fallen angels have deceived most people into believing that God either doesn’t exist or that He created everything and then just left it all in the hands of mankind to do with as they will, most people do not believe God will require consequences for their actions and thoughts. But the prophet Micah, consistent with other prophets in Scripture, warns that great sorrow or distress will come from God because of the sin and rebellion of wicked mankind. The wicked and powerful down to the drug dealer and petty thief devise their plans even when resting at night. They think of ways to enlarge their fortunes and power, and then they put their plans into action. But God will bring “woe” to them and they will reap upon themselves the evil they did to others. Guaranteed. “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” Isaiah 3:11 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:20-21
Verse 2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
The rich have always taken the poor people’s land, whether by force or violence, by fraud, or by the use of banks and their dishonest lending practices.
Application: A modern day example of this verse in action is the situation in Lahaina, Maui where almost the entire town, mostly occupied and owned by locals for decades, was destroyed by direct energy weaponry (DEWs), killing innocent men, women and children. Almost immediately, the powerful and connected were offering to buy the people’s land cheap. Land grabs today appear to be achieved by technology that can create massive fires, destructive wind storms, floods, tornadoes, and so forth. The creators, developers and owners of this technology are actively oppressing “a man and his house” and taking that which his ancestors left to him as his heritage.
Verse 3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.
The prophet Micah reports what the LORD told him, which was that the nations Israel and Judah were evil and so He was going to make a judgement and bring evil upon them that they could not avoid or escape. The Hebrew word translated as “devise” is “chashab” and it means to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent or make a judgement.
Application: God will always bring evil upon the oppressors. He usually accomplishes this in regards to wicked nations through allowing another nation to rise up in power and then invade and capture those that His judgement is upon. Egypt was conquered by Assyria, Assyria conquered by Babylon, Babylon conquered by Medo-Persia, Medo-Persia conquered by Greece, Greece conquered by Rome, Rome conquered by multiple nations, and now the world is watching the demise of the United States of America as well as other Western nations through perpetual undeclared war involvement, debt, communism, economic manipulation, invasion of illegals, human trafficking, and so forth. Only through the return to this Earth of the LORD Jesus Christ will this cycle end, the nations be subdued under His authority and Kingship, and righteousness reign in His spiritual Kingdom.
Verses 4-5 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields. 5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.
The word translated as “day” is “yowm” and it can mean an actual or specific 24 hour day, a time period in general, or a lifetime. Therefore it can refer to the actual physical event the prophet Micah is warning about that is to occur to the people of Israel and Judah that brings judgment and punishment, and/or it can be in the future. It can also refer to spiritual things regarding the Kingdom of God, and the phrase often refers to the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ as ministering servant and again as conquering King ending time and this world and ushering in eternity. In the verses above, it seems to be predicting a judgement in which the people and their land will be plundered. Since a person’s wealth and well being was tied to the land due to the nations Israel and Judah being agricultural in nature, the loss of their land or their crops and livestock could result in poverty and/or starvation and death. The Hebrew word translated as “portion” is “cheleq” and it means portion, share, part, territory, a parcel of land, one’s possession or an award from God. The “promised” land was given to the patriarch’s Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to their descendants. Micah warns that it will be “removed” and that no one will have the land by casting lots as was done in ancient days when dividing up a portion of land. Therefore, the people should be in mourning as they will be “utterly spoiled” (devastated, ruined and destroyed).
Application: The phrase, “in that day”, throughout Scripture is found in warnings of judgement and ruin. “And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.” Isaiah 5:30 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.” Isaiah 5:23 “For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;” “Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?” Obadiah 8
It is also found in verses of hope. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” Isaiah 10:20 “And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: And I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.” Hosea 2:18-19
And it also is found prophesying about the LORD Jesus Christ. “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shalt be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10 “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:” Amos 8:9 “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:” Amos 9:11 “And may nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.” Zechariah 2:11
Verse 6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
The prophet Micah states that there will be a time when the people do not want to hear from God.
Application: The Word of God is prophesy. The Word of God is that which convicts people of their sins and that leads people to repentance and conversion. Micah’s prophecy was to Israel and Judah and was fulfilled. Because these two nations did not listen to the prophets God sent to warn them of judgement, they went into captivity never to rise as a nation again. But in Scripture, because it is “living” there are similitudes of prophecy in which a prophecy for a specific time and place will repeat at a different time and place. Today is such a time in this world in that people do not want to hear from God or from His servants. They guarantee this by attending mainstream organized evangelical establishment churches where only the “love” of God is taught and nothing is taught regarding judgement, personal responsibility, obedience, correct end-time prophecy, and the tactics of the enemy or Satan. They refuse to use the only English Bible that is not copyrighted and therefore is not the words of man but the very words of God Almighty, and therefore, they are not hearing from God. And when God sends a prophet to warn the nations, that prophet is ridiculed and made of no consequence and the people continue living in the ways of sin and the Devil.
Note: the physical nation of Israel that exists today is not of God, but is a creation of the United Nations and the Illuminati. Jesus pronounced the Israel of His day to be desolate and that it would be destroyed and removed due to their rejection of Him, their promised Messiah. This happened in 70 A. D. and no amount of historical manipulation or evangelical twisting of Scripture will change that truth. Those people in the churches today who are in total support of today’s fake Israel are being disobedient to the Word of God, are promoting a lie to the saved and unsaved alike, and are asking for God’s wrath to be poured out. In essence, they are calling God a liar. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17
Verse 7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
The Hebrew word translated as “straitened” is “qatsar” and it means to be short, to be impatient, to be vexed, or to be grieved. The prophet Micah is saying that God’s spirit is not restricted and He will go where He wishes it to go and cause His servants to prophesy according to His will. And those who hear the Word of God and who receive it and walk according to it will be blessed. The righteous want to hear from God, but the wicked do not lest they be convicted and repent. They love their sin too much and they love that which Satan gives them in this life.
Verse 8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.
God is seeing the actions and the hearts of His people as becoming an enemy. They are apostate or turned away from God
Application: People calling themselves “Christians” today can be an enemy of God by fostering wrong doctrine, false prophesies, fake bibles, and easy believe-ism. This leads people astray and can often causes spiritual death in those taken in by these deceived “Christians”. The reference in the verse above about taking the garment may be seen as “fleecing the flock”: taking money and possessions from believers under false pretenses.
Verses 9-10 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. 10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
This appears to be a picture of eviction. The powerful elite in Israel and Judah were grabbing land and houses from the less fortunate who could not defend themselves. The land was given to the people by God and cost them nothing and wicked men took it for personal gain. All the evil works of the people of Israel and Judah were going to destroy them in the end when the LORD God was going to repay them for their violation of His laws. The inheritance of these unfortunate victims of greed which was supposed to go to their children and grandchildren was taken away and negatively affected future generations.
Application: This practice has been seen in the very recent past as banks foreclosed on people’s houses when the financial market was manipulated and fell and they were unable to make their mortgage payments. This affects the lives and inheritance of the children of these families.
Verse 11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
The Hebrew word translated as “spirit” is “ruwach” and it means wind, breath, mind, spirit, air, gas, vain, empty thing, animation, temper, anger, impatience, patience, prophetic spirit, and spirit of the living. So a man walking in the spirit at first reading seems to be a man walking in the Spirit of God. But a man walking in the Spirit of God should not lie or deceive (falsehood). And since the S in spirit is not capitalized, it does not seem to be referring to the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost. So it appears that this man is a false prophet claiming to be walking in the Spirit of God so that people will listen to him and believe him, but his prophesying is of complacency and intoxication and not of repentance and righteousness. And the rebellious people of Israel and Judah during the prophet Micah’s life and writing of this book wanted that kind of prophet (easy believe-ism) as he told of pleasant things they wanted to hear, and so God promises they will have lying prophets.
Application: Are there lying prophets in the Church today? Remember that a Biblical prophet is not a fortune teller or a predictor of the future, but one who brings forth the Word of God which may or may not contain warnings of future times and events. A pastor is a prophet every time a truthful sermon based on Scripture is given to a congregation. This writer, in a sense, is a prophet by simply explaining the Word of God. The Church has been given gifts of the Spirit to aid them in ministry here on Earth which are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will.” verses 7-11 So, yes, there are many lying or false prophets in the Church today operating as agents of Satan but having the appearance of righteousness. Which is why the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” The Western world today is in the same spiritual condition that the nations Israel and Judah were in during the days of Micah, rebellious against the God who created all things, rejecting truth and embracing the lies of Satan and his servants, many of whom are in the Church leading the sheep astray. All people want is entertainment and the good life, and many of them will pass into eternity and find that Hell is not entertaining or good. Don’t be one of them.
Verses 12-13 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. 13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them. (Micah 2)
The nation Israel went into captivity during the reign of king Hezekiah of Judah, so both nations were intact at the writing of this book by the prophet Micah. Eventually the nation Judah went into captivity and the people were in Babylon for 70 years after which a remnant was able to leave and go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall and work on the Temple. So the physical or natural meaning of these verses came to pass as some of the people were assembled and put back in their “fold” until the Roman occupation of Palestine when the “fold” was broken up and the people scattered throughout the world, never to reassemble again because Jesus pronounced their land desolate due to their rejection of Him. The spiritual meaning of these verses came to pass when the Church was established on the day of Pentecost and the Holy Ghost/Spirit, also called by Jesus the Comforter, was given to all converted believers in the LORD Jesus Christ, establishing the spiritual Kingdom of God. The Israel of God today is the Church, made up of people from all nations, languages, and races.