"But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin" (vs. 8).
A clear contrast is drawn in Micah 3 between Micah, the true prophet of God, and the false prophets who oppose him.
The false prophets are described in verses 6 through 8. They are mercenary men, prophesying in accordance with the reward that they receive. If they are fed, they prophesy peach. If not, however, they go to war (vs. 6). The Lord is not happy about this arrangement, and so He pronounces a curse upon them: "Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them" (vs. 7). There will be no answer from God for them (vs. 8).
Micah, however, is one who "tells it like it is." He does not hold back from calling out the sin of the leaders of the people. Publicly berating them for their crimes of bribery, injustice and bloodshed, he promises that they have destruction and devastation in store. "Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets" (vs. 12).
One test between true prophets and false prophets is the question: "Are you just telling me what you think I want to hear?" The strength of the true prophet is that his or her power comes from God, not from the people. When authority flows from the Lord and that is the approval that is sought, you can trust that the message isn't framed to fit the audience. May the Lord protect us from false prophets!
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