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Micah 3:1–4. And he says: Hear this, the authorities of the house of Jacob and those left behind to the house of Israel: is there not judgment for you? Those who hate good and seek evil, stealing their skins from them and their flesh from their bones. As they devoured the flesh of my people, and stripped their skins from their bones, and crushed and crushed their bones like flesh in a horse and like meat in a mountain: thus they cry to the Lord, and will not listen to them: and will turn away his face from them at that time, because of your deceit in your undertakings against her. The leader who opened the gates to the enemies of Israel, who made everything easier for them, who removed difficulties for them, so that they could accomplish the rest with greater success and easily defeat their opponents, was the Lord Himself. And he will tell the rulers and the remaining people. “Speech” was used instead of: will speak to them. Those in power will be accused of negligence - that they did not care at all about their subordinates and became their destroyers and corrupters; and thus makes it clear to those corrupted and deceived by the willfulness of the authorities that for sins against them, punishment will befall the guilty. For the Creator of all things and the One who created man “for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we might walk in them” (Eph. 2:10), as the divine Paul says, also cares for those who err. So what does it say? “Do you not understand the judgment?” The court refers to either a correct and impartial determination or condemnation that has taken place regarding them. In these words one should understand knowledge of judgment not through study alone: ​​for for the one who committed these sins, what bad thing would happen from this? Or what grief would this cause to those who were wicked? But this “understanding of judgment” is one in which those who are accustomed to sin, through the actual test of future misfortunes, being subjected to due retribution from the executioners, finally themselves, it is said, will then recognize both the advantage of their inherent power and the power of the Sovereign courts. So, he says, it is especially necessary for you, with the help of what is about to happen to you, to know the judgment - you, always inclined towards evil and despising good, - you, making a wild and unbridled attack on My affairs, in no way inferior to the most ferocious beasts - flaying the skin from sheep, tormenting and mercilessly tearing their meat and, as it were, boiling it in pots. By this he points to every kind of greed, gluttony and power. Since they committed such deeds, then, he says, they themselves will cry out, but I will not honor them with My care; and if they had cried out, asking me for mercy, I would not have granted it. And this is because they themselves behaved badly towards their subordinates and used all kinds of craftiness, cruel and wicked tricks and intrigues against them. This can be applied, and quite rightly, to the scribes and Pharisees. Being leaders of the people, ruling over crowds of people, as if over flocks of sheep, they mercilessly attacked believers in Christ and, as if tearing off their skin, divided their meat among themselves and devoured the saints, no different from wild animals. Therefore, we heard the words of God, who through the mouth of Isaiah proclaimed: “Whenever you stretch out your hands... towards me, I will turn away my eyes... from you: and if you increase your prayer, I will not hear you: for your hands are full of blood” (Is. 1:15). Micah 3:5. This is what the Lord says about the flattering prophets of my people, biting their teeth and preaching peace against them, and without giving in to their mouth, he raised an army against them. Previously, he strongly blamed the Israelites for the fact that they voluntarily rushed to destruction, brought disasters upon themselves and were strongly inclined to negligence; to this he added that He was greatly offended by the fact that the evil and unclean demon always deceives and deceives them. He says this: “Get up and go, for you cannot bring this peace: for the sake of uncleanness, you have become corrupted by corruption. If we have been cursed, we will not persecute you; I have given you the spirit of a lie, and I have poured it into your wine and drunkenness” (Mic. 2:10–11). As a result, he strongly condemned those who received the power of government. Now, in good time, he directs his speeches at the false prophets and soothsayers who were with them, who, as if drop by drop, poured into their wine what came from the evil and unclean demon, obviously lies and deception. Thus, as if indulging in a kind of drunkenness, they lost their common sense. So they bit and committed many offenses, inclining them to follow their self-invented speeches, and not the revelations of the holy prophets received from God. They lied, telling the Israelites that they would live in peace and prosperity, and that no sorrow would trouble them. But their word was not from God; for unclean lips were not given the opportunity to proclaim such glorious and acceptable predictions. Since they disposed them to listen to them, they incited war against them, not themselves inciting the Assyrians to this, but arousing divine wrath against them; for because they listened to those, military disasters justly befell them. This accusation is one of the most fair and applicable to bishops and Pharisees; Having followed them, the pitiful crowd of Jews died and were exterminated, for they became wicked and murderers of the Lord. Micah 3:6. For this reason, you will have night because of vision, and you will have darkness because of sorcery, and the sun will set on the prophets, and the day will darken on her. Because, he says, you poured drops of lies into the wine and drunkenness of the people, biting them like wild beasts and, falsely announcing to them that they would enjoy peace, were the reason that they were exposed to the disaster of war; then in justice night and darkness will come upon you, although you pretend that you see, and imagine that you are trying to predict beautifully and not falsely; the sun will set from you and the very light of day will be darkened for you. We do not want to say that the sun actually hid its rays from them, or the light of dawn darkened for them, but that the greatness of the disaster was for them darkness and impenetrable night, and the disappearance of the sun's rays, and the concealment of light or anything else, whatever happened from such phenomena; for terrible and extraordinary disasters intoxicate the mind, confuse the heart and fill it with darkness. Truly, it can be said that even from the Jewish people, who impudently treated Christ, the sun was hidden in the spiritual sense, because God does not shine on them and spiritual light does not shine on them, but as if the night of sin had spread over them; for “being blinded,” as Paul says, “...Moses is always revered, a veil lies over their hearts” (2 Cor. 3:14–15); “They say that they should be wise, but become fools, and their foolish hearts are darkened” (Rom. 1:21-22). And that this would happen to them, Christ predicted to them, saying: “As long as you have light, walk in the light, that you may be sons of light” (John 12:36). Since they did not accept the divine light, that is, Christ, they were enveloped in darkness and for them “the night was filled with visions,” according to the word of the prophet. The same thing will happen with the inventors of heresies, who, pretending to be seers and trying to understand the mystery of Christ, speak pitifully, lies, and the harm resulting from error, as if drop by drop, pours into the hearts of the simplest, and thus leads them away from the dogmas of truth. So, “from the vision they will experience night and darkness,” and they will go away into utter darkness, having sinned against their brothers and wounding the weak conscience of those for whom Christ died (1 Cor. 8:12–13). Micah 3:7. And those who see the dream will be ashamed, and the voles will laugh at them, and all these things will speak against them, but they will not listen to them. They foreshadowed that there would be a great world and, captivating those who came to them with empty dreams, aroused in them a tendency to believe that everything would go as they thought, and everything they desired would be fulfilled. When in reality the outcome of events turned out to be completely opposite to what they were talking about, and exactly the opposite of what they expected happened; then finally, out of necessity, they were recognized as liars, idle talkers and deceivers, and reached such disgrace that no one wanted to listen to them. And how and why did those who spoke pleasant things subject those deceived by them to unexpected disaster, completely contrary to their joyful hopes? Micah 3:8. Unless I am filled with the Spirit of the Lord and with judgment and power, I will tell Jacob his wickedness and his sins to Israel. Shows that people who have the false glory of prophets must absolutely tell lies; for how can he who speaks not from God, Who is the truth, reveal the truth? (John 14:10) Nowhere did Christ say about Cain: “he is a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth: for” he is a liar, like his father (John 8:44). And he calls his father the inventor of lies, that is, Satan. And that those who speak from the spirit of the devil, when uttering what belongs to it, necessarily lie - can there be any doubt about this? Those who speak at the inspiration of God always express what is best and true, because they have the truth within themselves. So, he says, can anyone utter an infallible word of prophecy unless I fulfill it with My spirit, with some power and truth and judgment, so that he can fearlessly and fearlessly rise up against sinners and convict them? I believe that those who speak about God require very great and excellent courage; for sometimes they denounce a whole people, both kings and powerful people, who primarily rebel against those who strive to correct the morality of the people and do not tolerate the speeches of people who want to do good. Therefore, the blessed prophets endured suffering, were exposed to dangers, were killed in various ways, often falling under the unjust anger of the people guided by them; and the divine disciples were even scourged, for filled with power and judgment and righteousness in Christ, through faith in Christ they brought crowds of Jews to God (Acts 5:26). But, enduring the beatings, they rejoiced and left the Sanhedrin with delight, “for for the name of the Lord Jesus they were deemed worthy to receive dishonor” (Acts 5:41); they knew that, having suffered with Christ, they would reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12). Micah 3:9–10. Hear this, the elders of the house of Jacob and those who remain behind the house of Israel, who abhor judgment and corrupt all that is right, building up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wickedness. Being very good and then knowing the severity of the disasters that will befall them, the Creator uses all methods, resorts to every kind of exhortation and threat in the hope that those who have sinned will not turn back and will not want to repent, having learned what is appropriate after their iniquities and decided to do what, with the help of which, of course, the consequences of the wrath of the divine could be easily avoided. Every inquisitive person who is devoted to science needs to know that the word of the prophets in the Bible and the sacred writers, although continuous (i.e., presented holistically and coherently), it applied to different circumstances and in parts. Therefore, even if it sometimes seemed that the prophets were saying the same thing, it should be borne in mind that they proclaimed this, as I said, not in relation to the same circumstance and not to the same persons, but, often involving significant distances, they addressed their speech to other persons, at a different time and for a different circumstance. And this is because it was necessary to know everything that was going to happen, and to foretell the general disaster for those living throughout the entire earth. So, to you, says the word, to you who have reached such foolishness that you have begun to abhor justice, that is, to justice, and have perverted the law that directs to good knowledge, to you who think that you can build up Zion through murder and the unjust shedding of blood, and thereby make Jerusalem glorious and famous. But it would be better for them to think that they are destroying it, although they were appointed to create and organize it, as leaders of the flocks, priests and keepers of the law appointed by God. But in fact they destroyed Jerusalem with bloodshed; for they killed the prophets and added to them the Lord of all, I say, Christ: being the builders of Zion, they rejected Him. Although God clearly said: “Behold, I lay for the foundation of Zion a stone of great value, chosen, a cornerstone, pure... and he who believes in it will not be put to shame” (Is. 28:16); but, as I have said, the builders of Zion rejected this chosen and honorable stone. Meanwhile, he is placed at the forefront (Matthew 21:42); for Christ reigned over the pagans and over the circumcision, whom He created into one new man, creating peace with the cross and, as it were, binding a certain corner with unanimity in the spirit, as it is written: “The people who believed were one in heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). Since through sanctification and faith they became conformed to the cornerstone and most honorable stone, then the divine Peter beautifully and wisely writes: “you too are built like stone livingly,” a spiritual house, a holy church, a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (1 Pet. 2:5); for Christ has dwelt in the hearts of believers, and in them nowhere does He speak through the mouth of the prophet: “For I will dwell in them and walk around, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Cor. 6:16; Lev. 26:12). Micah 3:11–12. Their elders 19 gave judgment in gifts, and their priests answered in reward, and their prophets answered in money with the sorcerer, and rested in the Lord, saying: Is not the Lord in us? no evil will come against us. Because of this, for your sake, Zion will be cut down like a field, and Jerusalem will be like a vegetable storehouse, and the mountain of a house will be like an oak meadow. For the most holy God, one of the most abominable and extremely regrettable deeds is unjust judgment and acceptance of gifts, as it is written: “Whoever receives gifts unrighteously into the depths will not prosper” (Prov. 17:23). Some are so devoted to damned covetousness that they consider it nothing to distort the truth and trade in the truth. Just as those who have clogged their eyes with dust feel a weakening of their visual ability, so these too fall into blindness in relation to Christ: “for gifts,” as it is written, “blind the eyes of the wise, and sweep away the words of the righteous” (Deut. 16:19). Those who violate justice disfigure the pure beauty of divine virtues; for judgment belongs to God alone. Knowing this, the divine Moses says: “Thou shalt not accept 20 faces in judgment... as God’s judgment is.” (Deut.1:17). He who is accustomed to carry out unjust judgment, as it were, sacrilegiously touches the divine and supreme throne, and he does not know that he is a criminal against the most ineffable glory, which knows how to carry out right and fair judgment; for, as I have said, judgment belongs to God. In addition, it is scary to turn piety into a reason for profit and consider the work of God as a means to acquisition. I see how he leaves neither the prophet nor the priest who wants to receive a bribe without accusation, so that those who come to them for admonition are told only if they bring them bribes and gifts for this. I think that the word of God in the present case again reminds us of false prophets and not at all of those who perform sacred acts according to the law and truly, but of those who usually achieve these honors through illegal means and acquire this glory for themselves through purchases; for no holy prophet or true priest will make his soul guilty of such crimes. Then, those who sin in this way, he says, “I rest in the Lord, saying: Is not the Lord in us? no evil will come against us." And undoubtedly the God of all was in Israel; He delivered them from disasters in Egypt, brought them into the land of promise, and made them stronger and more powerful than their enemies. But at the same time, they needed to fully understand that God could not be with those who committed terrible sins and were accused of such abominations. After all, the holy cannot be in contact with the unclean, and the pure cannot be in contact with the dirty. And that they had vain thoughts, imagining that although they led a vicious life, although they did evil without measure, without restraint, nevertheless, God abides with them - they learn about this, he says, from the very events that happen. “Zion will be destroyed” and glorious Jerusalem “will be like a vegetable storehouse,” that is, it will be devastated and destroyed. And the very “mountain to the house”, that is, the church on a high hill, will turn into a “oak meadow”, just as if he said, it will turn into a refuge for wild animals and a hole for snakes; for just as animals and ferocious species of reptiles live on mountains and forests, so also in desolate places, and wherever there are many ruins. This is exactly what happened to the Jewish people, because they impudently treated Emmanuel himself. Then they completely perished, and not one stone was left upon another, according to the word of the Savior (Luke 19:44). Zion, which had been the subject of awe and wonder of ancient times, turned out to be arable land and convenient for farming. But we must know that God will be in us not when we have faith alone and as a result of this we seem to rest in Him, but when faith is joined to glorifying Him through works, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26), according to what is written. When deeds are inseparable from the blessings of faith, then it is God who will be with us, strengthen our strength, consider us his friends, delight us as relatives and deliver us from all evil. Slav.: “Yes, you will not know.” You might be interested in: