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Matthew Henry |
M I C A H.
CHAP. II.
In this chapter we have,
I. The sins with which the people of Israel are charged–covetousness
and oppression, fraudulent and violent practices
(ver. 1, 2),
dealing barbarously, even with women and children, and other harmless
people,
Opposition of God’s prophets and silencing them
(ver. 6, 7),
and delighting in false prophets,
II. The judgments with which they are threatened for those sins, that
they should be humbled, and impoverished
(ver. 3-5),
and banished,
III. Gracious promises of comfort, reserved for the good people among
them, in the Messiah,
And this is the sum and scope of most of the chapters of this and other
prophecies.
| The Sins of the People. | B. C. 740. |
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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.
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.
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.
4 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.
Here is,
I. The injustice of man contriving the evil of sin,
God was coming forth against this people to destroy them, and here he
shows what was the ground of his controversy with them; it is that
which is often mentioned as a sin that hastens the ruin of nations and
families as much as any, the sin of oppression. Let us see the steps of
it.
1. They eagerly desire that which is not their own–that is the
root of bitterness, the root of all evil,
v. 2.
They covet fields and houses, as Ahab did Naboth’s vineyard. “Oh
that such a one’s field and house were mine! It lies convenient for me,
and I would manage it better than he does; it is fitter for me than for
him.”
2. They set their wits on work to invent ways of accomplishing their
desire
(v. 4);
they devise iniquity with a great deal of cursed art and policy; they
plot how to do it effectually, and yet so as not to expose themselves,
or bring themselves into danger, or under reproach, by it. This is
called working evil! they are working it in their heads, in
their families, and are as intent upon it, and with as much pleasure,
as if they were doing it, and are as confident of their success (so
wisely do they think they have laid the scheme) as if it were assuredly
done. Note, It is bad to do mischief upon a sudden thought, but much
worse to devise it, to do it with design and deliberation; when the
craft and subtlety of the old serpent appear with his poison and venom,
it is wickedness in perfection. They devised it upon their beds,
when they should have been asleep; care to compass a mischievous design
held their eyes waking. Upon their beds, where they should have
been remembering God, and meditating upon him, where they should have
been communing with their own hearts and examining them, they
were devising iniquity. It is of great consequence to improve
and employ the hours of our retirement and solitude in a proper manner.
3. They employ their power in executing what they have designed and
contrived; they practise the iniquity they have devised, because it
is in the power of their hand; they find that they can compass it
by the help of their wealth, and the authority and interest they have,
and that none dare control them, or call them to an account for it; and
this, they think, will justify them and bear them out in it. Note, It
is the mistake of many to think that as they can do they may do;
whereas no power is given for destruction, but all for edification.
4. They are industrious and very expeditious in accomplishing the
iniquity they have devised; when they have settled the matter in their
thoughts, in their beds, they lose no time, but as soon as the
morning is light they practice it; they are up early in the
prosecution of their designs, and what ill their hand finds to do they
do it with all their might, which shames our slothfulness and
dilatoriness in doing good, and should shame us out of them. In the
service of God, and our generation, let it never be said that we left
that to be done to-morrow which we could do to-day.
5. They stick at nothing to compass their designs; what they
covet they take away, if they can, and,
(1.) They care not what wrong they do, though it be ever so gross and
open; they take away men’s fields by violence, not only by fraud, and
underhand practices and colour of law, but by force and with a high
hand.
(2.) They care not to whom they do wrong nor how far the iniquity
extends which they devise: They oppress a man and his house;
they rob and ruin those that have numerous families to maintain, and
are not concerned though they send them and their wives and children a
begging. They oppress a man and his heritage; they take away
from men that which they have an unquestionable title to, having
received it from their ancestors, and which they have but in trust, to
transmit it to their posterity; but those oppressors care not how many
they impoverish, so they may but enrich themselves. Note, If
covetousness reigns in the heart, commonly all compassion is banished
from it; and if any man love this world, as the love of the
Father, so the love of his neighbour is not in him.
II. The justice of God contriving the evil of punishment for this sin
(v. 3):
Therefore thus saith the Lord, the righteous God, that judges
between man and man, and is an avenger on those that do wrong,
Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, that is,
against the whole kingdom, the house of Israel, and particularly
those families in it that were cruel and oppressive. They unjustly
devise evil against their brethren, and God will justly devise evil
against them. Infinite Wisdom will so contrive the punishment of their
sin that it shall be very sure, and such as cannot be avoided, very
severe, and such as they cannot bear, very signal and remarkable, and
such as shall be universally observed to answer to the sin. The more
there appears of a wicked wit in the sin the more there shall appear of
a holy wisdom and fitness in the punishment; for the Lord will be
known by the judgments he executes; he will be owned by them.
1. He finds them very secure, and confident that they shall in some
way or other escape the judgment, or, though they fall under it, shall
soon throw it off and get clear of it, and therefore he tells them, It
is an evil from which they shall not remove their neck. They
were children of Belial, that would not endure the easy yoke of
God’s righteous commands, but broke those bonds asunder, and
cast away those cords from them; and therefore God will lay upon
them the heavy yoke of his righteous judgments, and they shall not be
able to withdraw their necks from that; those that will not be
overruled shall be overcome.
2. He finds them very proud and stately, and therefore he tells them
that they shall not go haughtily, with stretched-forth necks and
wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go
(Isa. iii. 16);
for this time is evil, and the events of it are very humbling
and mortifying, and such as will bring down the stoutest spirit.
3. He finds them very merry and jovial, and therefore tells them their
note shall be changed, their laughter shall be turned into mourning and
their joy into heaviness
(v. 4):
In that day, when God comes to punish you for your oppression,
shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a
doleful lamentation, with a lamentation of lamentations (so
the word is), a most lamentable lamentation, as a song of songs is a
most pleasing song. Their enemies shall insult over them, and make a
jest of their griefs, for they shall take up a parable against
them. Their friends shall mourn over them, and lay to heart their
calamities, and this shall be the general cry, “We are utterly
spoiled; we are all undone.” Note, Those that were most haughty and
secure in their prosperity are commonly most dejected and most ready to
despair in their adversity.
4. He finds them very rich in houses and lands, which they have gained
by oppression, and therefore tells them that they shall be stripped of
all.
(1.) They shall, in their despair, give it all up; they shall say,
We are utterly spoiled; he has changed the portion of my people,
so that it is now no longer theirs, but it is in the possession and
occupation of their enemies: How has he removed it from me! How
suddenly, how powerfully! What is unjustly got by us will not long
continue with us; the righteous God will remove it. Turning away
from us in wrath, he has divided our fields, and given them into
the hands of strangers. Woe to those from whom God turns away. The
margin reads it, “Instead of restoring, he has divided our
fields; instead of putting us again in the possession of our
estates, he has confirmed those in the possession of them that have
taken them from us.” Note, It is just with God that those who have
dealt fraudulently and violently with others should themselves be dealt
fraudulently and violently with.
(2.) God shall ratify what they say in their despair
(v. 5);
so it shall be: Thou shalt have none to cast a cord by lot in the
congregation of the Lord, none to divide inheritances, because
there shall be no inheritances to divide, no courts to try titles to
lands, or determine controversies about them, or cast lots upon them,
as in Joshua’s time, for all shall be in the enemies’ hand. This land,
which should be taken from them, they had not only an unquestionable
title to, but a very comfortable enjoyment of, for it was in the
congregation of the Lord, or rather the congregation of the Lord
was in it; it was God’s land; it was a holy land, and therefore it was
the more grievous to them to be turned out of it. Note, Those are to be
considered the sorest calamities which cut us off from the congregation
of the Lord, or cut us short in the enjoyment of the privileges of
it.
| Expostulation with the House of Jacob; The Sin and Punishment of Oppression. | B. C. 740. |
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6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall
not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
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?
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.
9 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.
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.
Here are two sins charged upon the people of Israel, and judgments
denounced against them for each, such judgments as exactly answer the
sin–persecuting God’s prophets and oppressing God’s poor.
I. Persecuting God’s prophets, suppressing and silencing them, is a sin
that provokes God as much as anything, for it not only spits in the
face of his authority over us, but spurns at the bowels of his mercy to
us; for his sending prophets to us is a sure and valuable token of his
goodwill. Now observe here,
1. What the obstruction and opposition were which this people gave to
God’s prophets: They said to those that prophesy, Prophesy ye
not, as
They said to the seers, “See not; do not trouble us with
accounts of what you have seen, nor bring us any such frightful
messages.” They must either not prophesy at all or prophesy only what
is pleasing. The word for prophesying here signifies
dropping, for the words of the prophets dropped from heaven as
the dew. Note, Those that hate to be reformed hate to be reproved, and
do all they can to silence faithful ministers. Amos was forbidden to
prophesy,
&c. Therefore persecutors stop their breath, because they have
no other way to stop their mouths; for, if they live, they will preach
and torment those that dwell on the earth, as the two witnesses
did,
Some read it, Prophesy not; let these prophesy. Let not those
prophesy that tell us of our faults, and threaten us, but let those
prophesy that will flatter us in our sins, and cry peace to us.
They will not say that they will have no ministers at all, but they
will have such as will say just what they would have them and go their
way. This they are charged with
(v. 11),
that when they silenced and frowned upon the true prophets they
countenanced and encouraged pretenders, and set them up, and made an
interest for them, to confront God’s faithful prophets: If a man
walk in the spirit of falsehood, pretend to have the Spirit of God,
while really it is a spirit of error, a spirit of delusion, and he
himself knows that he has no commission, no instruction, from God, yet,
if he says, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and strong drink,
if he will but assure them that they shall have wine and strong drink
enough, that they need not fear the judgments of war and famine which
the other prophets threatened them with, that they shall always have
plenty of the delights of sense and never know the want of them, and if
he will but tell them that it is lawful for them to drink as much as
they please of their wine and strong drink, and they need not scruple
being drunk, that they shall have peace though they go on and add
drunkenness to thirst, such a prophet as this is a man after their
own heart, who will tell them that there is neither sin nor danger in
the wicked course of life they lead: He shall even be the prophet of
this people; such a man they would have to be their prophet, that
will not only associate with them in their rioting and revellings, but
will pretend to consecrate their sensualities by his prophecies and so
harden them in their security and sensuality. Note, It is not strange
if people that are vicious and debauched covet to have ministers that
are altogether such as themselves, for they are willing to believe God
is so too,
But how are sacred things profaned when they are prostituted to such
base purposes, when prophecy itself shall be pressed into the services
of a lewd and profane crew! But thus that servant who said, My Lord
delays his coming, by the spirit of falsehood, smote his fellow
servants and ate and drank with the drunken.
2. How they are here expostulated with upon this matter
(v. 7):
“O thou that art named the house of Jacob, does it become thee
to say and do thus? Wilt thou silence those that prophesy, and forbid
them to speak in God’s name?” Note, It is an honour and privilege to be
named of the house of Jacob. Thou art called a Jew,
Rom. ii. 17.
But, when those who are called by that worthy name degenerate, they
commonly prove the worst of men themselves and the worst enemies to
God’s prophets. The Jews who were named of the house of Jacob
were the most violent persecutors of the first preachers of the gospel.
Upon this the prophet here argues with these oppressors of the word of
God, and shows them,
(1.) What an affront they hereby put upon God, the God of the holy
prophets: “Is the Lord’s Spirit straitened? In silencing the
Lord’s prophets you do what you can to silence his Spirit too; but do
you think you can do it? Can you make the Spirit of God your prisoner
and your servant? Will you prescribe to him what he shall say, and
forbid him to say what is displeasing to you? If you silence the
prophets, yet cannot the Spirit of the Lord find out other ways to
reach your consciences? Can your unbelief frustrate the divine
counsels?”
(2.) What a scandal it was to their profession as Jews: “You are
named the house of Jacob, and this is your honour; but are
these his doings? Are these the doings of your father Jacob? Do
you herein tread in his steps? No; if you were indeed his children you
would do his works; but now you seek to kill and silence a man that
tells you the truth, in God’s name; this did not Abraham
this did not Jacob.” Or, “Are these God’s doings? Are these the
doings that will please him? Are these the doings of his people? No,
you know they are not, however some may be so strangely blinded and
bigoted as to kill God’s ministers and think that therein they do
him service,”
(3.) Let them consider how unreasonable and absurd the thing was in
itself: Do not my words do good to those that walk uprightly?
Yes; certainly they do; it is an appeal to the experiences of the
generation of the upright: “Call now if there be any of them that
will answer you, and to which of the saints will you turn? Turn to
which you will, and you will find they all agree in this, that the word
of God does good to those that walk uprightly; and will you then
oppose that which does good, so much good as good preaching does?
Herein you wrong God, who owns the words of the prophets to be his
words (they are my words) and who by them aims and designs to do
good to mankind
(Ps. cxix. 68);
and will you hinder the great benefactor from doing good? Will you put
the light of the world under a bushel: You might as well say to the
sun, Shine not, as say to the seers, See not. Herein you wrong
the souls of men, and deprive them of the benefit designed them by the
word of God.” Note, Those are enemies not only to God, but to the
world, they are enemies to their country, that silence good ministers,
and obstruct the means of knowledge and grace; for it is certainly for
the public common good of states and kingdoms that religion should be
encouraged. God’s words do good to those that walk uprightly. It
is the character of good people that they walk uprightly
(Ps. xv. 2);
and it is their comfort that the words of God are good and do good to
them; they find comfort in them. God’s words are good words to good
people, and speak comfortably to them. But those that opposed the words
of God, and silenced the prophets, pleaded, in justification of
themselves, that God’s words were unprofitable and unpleasant to them,
and did them no good, nor prophesied any good concerning them, but
evil, as Ahab complained of Micaiah, in answer to which the prophet
here tells them that it was their own fault; they might thank
themselves. They might find it of good use to them if they were but
disposed to make a good use of it; if they would but walk uprightly, as
they should, and so qualify themselves for comfort, the word of God
would speak comfortably to them. Do that which is good, and thou
shalt have praise for the same.
3. What they are threatened with for this sin; God also will choose
their delusions, and,
(1.) They shall be deprived of the benefit of a
faithful ministry. Since they say, Prophesy not, God will take
them at their word, and they shall not prophesy to them; their
sin shall be their punishment. If men will silence God’s ministers, it
is just with God to silence them, as he did Ezekiel, and to say, They
shall no more be reprovers and monitors to them. Let the
physician no longer attend the patient that will not be healed, for he
will not be ruled. They shall not prophesy to them, and then
they will not take shame. As it is the work of magistrates, so it is
also of ministers, to put men to shame when they do amiss
that, being made ashamed of their folly, they may not return again to
it; but, when God gives men up to be impudent and shameless in sin, he
says to his prophets, They are joined to idols; let them alone.
(2.) They shall be given up to the blind guidance of an unfaithful
ministry. We may understand
as a threatening: If a man be found walking in the spirit of
falsehood, having such a lying spirit as was in the mouth of Ahab’s
prophets, that will strengthen their hands in their wicked ways, he
shall be the prophet of this people, that is, God will leave
them to themselves to hearken to such; since they will be deceived, let
them be deceived; since they will not admit the truth in the love of
it, God will send them strong delusions to believe a lie,
2 Thess. ii. 10, 11.
They shall have prophets that will prophesy to them for wine and
strong drink (so some read it), that will give you a cast of their
office to your mind for a bottle of wine of a flagon of ale, will
soothe sinners in their sins if they will but feed them with the
gratifications of their lusts; to have such prophets, and to be ridden
by them, is as sad a judgment as any people can be under and as bad a
preface of ruin approaching as it is to a particular person to be under
the influence of a debauched conscience.
II. Oppressing God’s poor is another sin they are charged with, as
before
(v. 1, 2),
for it is a sin doubly hateful and provoking to God. Observe,
1. How the sin is described,
When they contemned God’s prophets and opposed them they broke out into
all other wickedness; what bonds will hold those that have no reverence
for God’s word? Those who formerly rose up against the enemies of the
nation, in defence of their country and therein behaved themselves
bravely, now of late rose up as enemies of the nation, and,
instead of defending it, destroyed it, and did it more mischief (as
usually such vipers in the bowels of a state do) than a foreign enemy
could do. They made a prey of men, women, and children,
(1.) Of men, that were travelling on the way, that pass by securely
as men averse from war, that were far from any bad designs, but
went peaceably about their lawful occasions; those they set upon, as if
they had been dangerous obnoxious people, and pulled off the robe
with the garment from them, that is, they stripped them both of the
upper and the inner garment, took away their cloak, and would
have their coat also; thus barbarously did they use those that
were quiet in the land, who, being harmless, were fearless, and so the
more easily make a prey of.
(2.) Of women, whose sex should have been their protection
(v. 9):
The women of my people have you cast out from their pleasant houses.
They devoured widows’ houses
and so turned them out of the possession of them, because they were
pleasant houses, and such as they had a mind for. It was inhuman to
deal thus barbarously with women; but that which especially aggravated
it was that they were the women of God’s people, whom they knew
to be under his protection.
(3.) Of children, whose age entitles them to a tender usage: From
their children have you taken away my glory for ever. It was the
glory of the Israelites’ children that they were free, but they
enslaved them–that they were born in God’s house, and had a right to
the privileges of it, but they sold them to strangers, sent them into
idolatrous countries, where they were deprived for ever of that glory;
at least the oppressors designed their captivity should be perpetual.
Note, The righteous God will certainly reckon for injuries done to the
widows and fatherless, who, being helpless and friendless, cannot
otherwise expect to be righted.
2. What the sentence is that is passed upon them for it
(v. 10):
“Arise ye, and depart; prepare to quit this land, for you shall
be forced out of it, as you have forced the women and children of my
people out of their possessions; it is not, it shall not, be your rest,
as it was intended that Canaan should be,
You shall have neither contentment nor continuance in it, because it
is polluted by your wickedness.” Sin is defiling to a land, and
sinners cannot expect to rest in a land which they have polluted, but
is will spew them out, as this land spewed out the Canaanites of old
when they had polluted it with their abominations,
“Nay, you shall not only be obliged to depart out of this land, but
it shall destroy you even with a sore destruction; you shall
either be turned out of it or (which is all one) you shall be ruined in
it.” We may apply this to our state in this present world; it is
polluted; there is a great deal of corruption in the world, through
lust, and therefore we should arise, and depart out of it,
keep at a distance from the corruption that is in it, and keep
ourselves unspotted from it. It is not our rest; it was
never intended to be so; it was designed for our passage, but not for
our portion–our inn, but not our home. Here we have no continuing
city; let us therefore arise and depart; let us sit loose to
it and live above it, and think of leaving it and seek a continuing
city above.
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12 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.
After threatenings of wrath, the chapter here concludes, as is usual in
the prophets, with promises of mercy, which were in part fulfilled when
the Jews returned out of Babylon, and had their full accomplishment in
the kingdom of the Messiah. Their grievances shall be all redressed.
1. Whereas they were dispersed, they shall be brought together again,
and shall jointly receive the tokens of God’s favour to them, and shall
have communion with each other and comfort in each other
(v. 12):
“I will surely assemble, O Jacob! all of thee, all that belong
to thee, all that are named of the house of Jacob
(v. 7)
that are now expelled your country,
I will bring you together again, and not one of you shall be lost, not
one of you shall be missing. I will surely gather the remnant of
Israel, that remnant that is designed and reserved for salvation;
they shall be brought to incorporate in one body. I will put them
together as the sheep of Bozrah.” Sheep are inoffensive and
sociable creatures; they shall be as the flock in the midst of their
fold, where they are safe under the shepherd’s eye and care; and
they shall make great noise (as numerous flocks and herds do,
with their bleating and lowing) by reason of the multitude of
men (for the sheep are men, as the prophet explains this
comparison,
not by reason of their strifes and contentions, but by reason of their
great numbers. This was accomplished when Christ by his gospel gathered
together in one all the children of God that were scattered
abroad, and united both Jews and Gentiles in one fold, and under
one Shepherd, when all the complaint was that the place was too
strait for them–that was the noise, by reason of their
multitude
when there were some added to the church from all parts of the world,
and all men were drawn to Christ by the attractive power of his cross,
which shall be done yet more and more, and perfectly done, when he
shall send forth his angels to gather in his elect from the four
winds.
2. Whereas God had seemed to desert them, and cast them off, now he
will own them, and head them, and help them through all the
difficulties that are in the way of their return and deliverance
(v. 13):
the breaker has come up before them, to break down all
opposition, and clear the road for them; and under his guidance they
have broken up, and have passed through the gate, the door of
escape out of their captivity, and have gone out by it with
courage and resolution, having Omnipotence for their van-guard.
Their King shall pass before them, to head them in the way, even
Jehovah (he was their king) on the head of them, as he was on
the head of the armies of Israel when they followed the pillar of cloud
and fire through the wilderness and when he appeared to Joshua as
captain of the Lord’s host. Christ is the church’s King; he is
Jehovah; he heads them, passes before them, brings them out of the land
of their captivity, brings them into the land of their rest. He is the
breaker, that broke through them, that rent the veil, and opened
the kingdom of heaven to all believers. The learned bishop Pearson
applies it to the resurrection of Christ, by which he obtained the
power and became the pattern of our resurrection. The breaker has
gone up before us out of the grave, and has carried away its gates,
as Samson did Gaza’s, bar and all, and by that breach we go out. The
learned Dr. Pocock mentions, as the sense which some of the ancient
Jews give of it, that the breaker is Elias, and their King the
Messiah, the Son of David; and he thinks we may apply it to
Christ and his forerunner John the Baptist. John was the
breaker; he broke the ice, prepared the way of the Lord by the baptism
of repentance; in him the gospel began; from his time the kingdom of
heaven suffered violence; and so the Christian church is
introduced, with Messiah the Prince before it, on the head of
it, going forth conquering and to conquer.
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