Good morning. I want to talk to you today about a passage that makes us uncomfortable, that challenges us, but that speaks directly to the moment we're living in. Turn with me to Micah chapter 3, verses 1 through 8.
And I said:
Listen, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
Should you not know justice?—
2 you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin off my people
and the flesh off their bones,
3 who eat the flesh of my people,
flay their skin off them,
break their bones in pieces,
and chop them up like meat in a kettle,
like flesh in a caldron.
4 Then they will cry to the LORD,
but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time
because they have acted wickedly.
5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat
but declare war against those
who put nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without revelation.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 the seers shall be disgraced
and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
for there is no answer from God.
8 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
and to Israel his sin.
The Prophet's Accusation (Verses 1-4)
Listen to how Micah starts: "And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones."
This is not polite criticism. This is a prophet who has seen enough. Micah is speaking to the leaders—the people who are supposed to know justice, who are supposed to protect the vulnerable, who are supposed to shepherd God's people. And what does he say about them? They hate good and love evil.
Think about that reversal. These aren't just people making mistakes or falling short. These are leaders who have fundamentally inverted their moral compass. What God calls good, they hate. What God calls evil, they love.
And then Micah uses this horrifying imagery—tearing skin, breaking bones, chopping people up like meat in a pot. Now, he's not saying they're literally cannibals. He's using metaphor to show us something deeper. When you exploit people economically until they have nothing left, when you crush them under systems of injustice, when you extract every ounce of dignity and resources from a community—that's what you're doing. You're consuming them. You're devouring them.
In our context, as African Americans, we know what this looks like. We've seen it in systems that were designed to break us down piece by piece. Mass incarceration that feeds off our communities. Predatory lending that strips away generational wealth. Food deserts that leave our neighborhoods malnourished while others profit. Educational inequity that robs our children of opportunity. These aren't accidents. These are the bones being broken in pieces.
When Prayer Becomes Meaningless (Verse 4)
And here's what God says through Micah: "Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil."
This should shake us. These leaders still think they have access to God. They still pray. They still go through religious motions. But God says, "I'm not listening." Why? Because you can't oppress people Monday through Saturday and expect God to hear your prayers on Sunday. You can't devour the vulnerable and then lift up holy hands. God doesn't honor that kind of hypocrisy.
James 5:4 echoes this when it says, "Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts." God hears the cries of the oppressed louder than the prayers of the oppressor.
False Prophets and Comfortable Lies (Verses 5-7)
Now Micah turns to the religious leaders, the prophets who are supposed to speak truth: "Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry 'Peace' when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths."
These are preachers for hire. If you feed them, they'll tell you what you want to hear. They'll preach peace and prosperity. They'll make you comfortable in your sin. But if you don't pay them? Then suddenly they're against you.
We see this today. Prosperity preachers who tell people that poverty is a sign of weak faith. Religious leaders who remain silent about injustice because speaking up might cost them their platform or their access to power. Prophets who have been bought and paid for, who confuse the American dream with the Kingdom of God.
And what does God say will happen to these false prophets? "It shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination." When you refuse to speak truth, eventually you lose the ability to see truth. When you trade prophetic clarity for popularity or profit, God stops speaking to you.
True Prophetic Voice (Verse 8)
But then—and this is crucial—Micah makes a declaration: "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 and to Israel his sin."
Micah is saying, "I'm different. I haven't been bought. I haven't been silenced. I'm filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and I'm going to speak truth whether it's popular or not, whether it costs me or not."
This is what authentic prophetic witness looks like. It's not about being popular. It's not about making people comfortable. It's about being filled with the Spirit and having the courage to name sin when you see it—especially when that sin is dressed up in religious language or political power.
What This Means for Us Today
So what do we do with this passage? How does it speak to us in 2026?
First, we have to ask ourselves: Who are we in this text? Are we the leaders who have confused power with justice? Are we the false prophets who only speak when it's comfortable? Or are we willing to be like Micah—filled with the Spirit, committed to justice, willing to speak truth?
Second, we need to examine our own complicity. It's easy to point fingers at politicians and preachers. But where have we stayed silent when we should have spoken? Where have we chosen comfort over conviction? Where have we benefited from unjust systems and looked the other way?
Third, we must reclaim the prophetic tradition. The Black church was built on prophetic witness. Our ancestors spoke truth to power even when it cost them everything. We can't abandon that legacy now just because it's politically inconvenient or socially uncomfortable.
Fourth, we need to listen to the cries of the oppressed. Micah reminds us that God hears those cries. Are we listening? Are we standing with those who are being devoured by unjust systems? Or have we become so comfortable that we've stopped hearing their voices?
The Call
Micah 3 is a hard word. It's a word of judgment. But it's also a word of hope, because it reminds us that God sees injustice and God will not let it stand forever. It reminds us that authentic faith always leads to justice. It reminds us that we serve a God who stands with the oppressed and against the oppressor.
The question is: Will we stand with God? Will we be filled with the Spirit and committed to justice like Micah? Or will we be counted among those who hate good and love evil, who devour the people for our own gain?
The choice is ours. But let's be clear: God is listening. And God will answer. The question is whether we'll be on the right side when He does.
Amen.
