Micah 2:1

Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. WOE TO THEM THAT DEVISE INIQUITY, AND WORK EVIL UPON THEIR BEDS! WHEN THE MORNING IS LIGHT, THEY PRACTICE IT. They do evil not merely on a sudden impulse, but with deliberate design. As in the former chapter, sins against the first table are reproved, so in this chapter, sins against the second table. A gradation: "devise" is the conception of the evil purpose; "work" or fabricate,' the maturing of the scheme (); "practice," or effect,' the execution of it. BECAUSE IT IS IN THE POWER OF THEIR HAND - for the phrase, see ; . Might, not righ...

The Prophet does not here speak only against the Israelites, as some think, who have incorrectly confined this part of his teaching to the ten tribes; but he, on the contrary, (in discharging his office, addresses also the Jews. He refers not here to idolatry, as in the last chapter; but inveighs against sins condemned in the second table. As then the Jews had not only polluted the worship of God, but also gave loose reins to many iniquities, so that they dealt wrongfully with their neighbors, and there was among them no attention to justice and equity, so the prophet inveighs here as we shall see, against avarice, robberies, and cruelty: and his discourse is full of vehemence; for there was no doubt such licentiousness then prevailing among the people, that there was need of severe and sharp reproofs. It is at the same time easy to perceive that his discourse is mainly directed against...

1-5 Woe to the people that devise evil during the night, and rise early to carry it into execution! It is bad to do mischief on a sudden thought, much worse to do it with design and forethought. It is of great moment to improve and employ hours of retirement and solitude in a proper manner. If covetousness reigns in the heart, compassion is banished; and when the heart is thus engaged, violence and fraud commonly occupy the hands. The most haughty and secure in prosperity, are commonly most ready to despair in adversity. Woe to those from whom God turns away! Those are the sorest calamities which cut us off from the congregation of the Lord, or cut us short in the enjoyment of its privileges....

CHAPTER II _Here the prophet denounces a wo against the plotters of_ _wickedness, the covetous and the oppressor_, 1, 2. _God is represented as devising their ruin_, 3. _An Israelite is then introduced as a mourner, personating his_ _people, and lamenting their fate_, 4. _Their total expulsion is now threatened on account of their_ _very numerous offences_, 5-10. _Great infatuation of the people in favour of those pretenders_ _to Divine inspiration who prophesied to them peace and plenty_, 11....

The prophet had declared that evil should come down on Samaria and Jerusalem for their sins. He had pronounced them sinners against God; he now speaks of their hard unlovingness toward man, as our Blessed Lord in the Gospel speaks of sins against Himself in His members, as the ground of the condemnation of the wicked. The time of warning is past. He speaks as in the person of the Judge, declaring the righteous judgments of God, pronouncing sentence on the hardened, but blessing on those who follow Christ. The sins thus visited were done with a high hand; first, with forethought: WOE - All woe, woe from God ; “the woe of temporal captivity; and, unless ye repent, the woe of eternal damnation, hangeth over you.” Woe to them that devise iniquity. They devise it , “they are not led into it by others, but invent it out of their own hearts.” They plot and forecast and fulfill it even in though...

EXPOSITION MICAH 2:1 § 6. _The prophet justifies his threat by recounting the sins of which the grandees and guilty._ MICAH 2:1 The prophet, himself one of the people, first inveighs against the sins of injustice and oppression of the poor. DEVISE … WORK … PRACTISE. A gradation. They are not led into these sins by others; they themselves conceive the evil purpose in their own heart; then they prepare and mature their scheme by reflection; then they proceed to execute it. Work evil; _i.e._ prepare the means for carrying out their conception (comp Isaiah 41:4). UPON THEIR BEDS. At night, the natural time for reflection (comp.

WOE TO THEM THAT DEVISE INIQUITY,.... Any kind of iniquity; idolatry, or worshipping of idols, for the word is used sometimes for an idol; or the sin of uncleanness, on which the thoughts too often dwell in the night season; or coveting of neighbours' goods, and oppressing the poor; sins which are instanced in Micah 2:2; and every thing that is vain, foolish, and wicked, and in the issue brings trouble and distress: now a woe is denounced against such that think on such things, and please themselves with them in their imaginations, and contrive ways and means to commit them: AND WORK EVIL UPON THEIR BEDS; when, the senses being less engaged, the thoughts are more free; but should not be employed about evil; but either in meditating on the divine goodness, and praising the Lord for his mercies; or in examining a man's heart, state, and case, and mourning over his sins, and applyin

CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The guilt and punishment of Israel (Micah 2:1) _ 2. The future restoration (Micah 2:12) Micah 2:1. In the first two verses the special sins of Israel are mentioned, the same as in Amos--idolatry, covetousness and oppression. Therefore punishment is to fall upon them. There would be a doleful lamentation: “We be utterly spoiled: he changeth the portion of my people; how does he take it away from me!” Their fields would be divided. Nor did they listen to the true prophets; they gave ear to the false prophets who flattered them. It is interesting to note that the sentence, “Prophesy ye not, thus they prophesy,” literally translated is, “Do not sputter, thus they sputter.” They did not give out the

SOCIAL INJUSTICE AND ITS PENALTY. The prophet denounces those for whom might is right (Psalms 36:4; and work evil seems a thoughtless scribal addition), who acquire property by illegal or inequitable process (Isaiah 5:8). Against such plans Yahweh declares His own to bring this family (_i.e._ Israel as a whole, Amos 3:1) under the foreign yoke (Jeremiah 27:12). A lament shall be made over Israel, whose land shall be given to the heathen (Micah 2:4, _mg._ 1; but text is doubtful here, and often to end of...

INIQUITY. Hebrew. _'aven._ App-44. Not the same word as in Micah 3:10. Note the incrimination in verses: Micah 2:1; Micah 2:2. See the Structure, p. 1253. WORK. plan. EVIL. wickedness. Hebrew. _ra'a'._ App-44. IS. exists. Hebrew. _yesh._ See note on Proverbs 8:21. IN THE POWER OF THEIR HAND.. Pentateuchal idiom. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 31:29). Compare Proverbs 3:27;...