Micah 3:11 - Exposition

Judge for reward. The very judges take bribes ( Isaiah 1:23 ; Ezekiel 22:12 ), which the Law so stringently forbade (see Exodus 23:8 ; Deuteronomy 16:19 , etc.). The priests thereof teach for hire. The priests were bound to teach and explain the Law, and decide questions of religion and ritual (Le 10:11; Deuteronomy 17:11 ; Deuteronomy 33:10 ; comp. Haggai 2:11 , etc.). This they ought to have done gratuitously, but they corruptly made it a source of gain. Divine for money. The accusation in Micah 3:5 is repeated. These false prophets sold their oracles, pretending to have a suitable revelation when paid for it ( Ezekiel 22:28 ; Zephaniah 3:3 , Zephaniah 3:4 ). Yet will they lean upon the Lord. These priests and prophets were worshippers of Jehovah and trusted in him, as though he could not fosake his people. They had faith without love, divorced religion from morality, made a certain outward conformity serve for righteousness and truth. Is not the Lord among us? ( Exodus 17:7 ). As though the very fact that they had in their midst the temple, wherein Jehovah's presence was assured, would protect them from all harm, whatever their conduct might he. Such presumptuous confidence is reproved by Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 7:4 , Jeremiah 7:8 , etc.; comp. Amos 5:14 , and note there).