Micah 3:12

Micah announced a wholly different future for the Israelites. God would plow up (overthrow) Jerusalem like a field and tear down its buildings until they were only ruins (cf. Micah 1:5-6). Even the temple mount, the most holy place in all Israel, would become like a hilltop in a forest: overgrown and neglected.

Jeremiah, who lived a century later, quoted this portion of Micah’s prophecy to assure the Jerusalemites of his day that the doom of their city was certain (Jeremiah 26:18). Jeremiah prefaced this quotation with, "Thus the LORD of hosts has said." He viewed Micah’s prophecy as inspired of God (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16).

"Micah’s words, remembered for their shocking severity a hundred years later, deserve to be taken to heart by each generation of God’s people. They challenge every attempt to misuse the service of God for one’s own glory and profit. They are a dire warning against the complacency that can take God’s love and reject his lordship. They are a passionate plea for consistency between creed and conduct. The Lord is content with nothing less." [Note: Allen, p. 321.]

"If Micah were ministering among us today, he would probably visit denominational offices, pastors’ conferences, Bible colleges, and seminaries to warn Christian leaders that privilege brings responsibility and responsibility brings accountability." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 395.]