When the governor of Illinois was accused of corruption, he made the late night talk show circuit.

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview May 17, 2009 "Corruption: A Path to Nowhere" Background: Micah 3:1-12 Lesson: Micah 3:1-2, 5-7, 9-12 Motivation: A well known politician was recently accused of corruption. His response? &q uot;if I'm corrupt, it's because I take care of my district." When the governor of Illinois was accused of corruption, he made the late night talk show circuit. Corrupt business people have caused untold economic distress to individuals, businesses and governments. However, corruption is nothing new; Micah railed against it in this week's passage. I. Act on Biblical Principles (1-4) A. Leaders Are Expected to Lead "Hear now, O heads of Judah..." (1) Jam es teaches that teachers bear a greater responsibility than common folk. (James 3:1) Paul extols the positive characteristics that leaders should possess (1 Timothy 3:1-13), while Peter denounces the evil of self-proclaimed leaders who go astray (2 Peter 2:1-22). B. Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse "Is it not for you to know justice?" (1 b) Micah's rhetorical question assumes a positive response. 1 / 7

2 In God's system of governance, leaders represent God to the people. They should therefore practice godly behavior and teach godly standards. Leadership doesn't provide an excuse for disobedience nor a rationale for ignorance. To allow injustice is to "Hate good and love evil." (2) C. Injustice Removes Protection from the Innocent (2-4) Micah's graphic word pictures "strip the skin" (2), "eat the flesh" (3) and "chop them in pieces," carry the theme of laying someone bare or breaking them down. While the unjust leaders probably saw themselves as shrewd business people or crafty politicians, God pictured them as barbarous butchers who stripped away every protection and devoured the livelihoods, dignity, and inheritance of their victims. Are we not seeing this repeated in our day? D. Lack of Integrity Means Forfeiting God's Protection "Then they will cry to the Lord, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds." (4) Just as the unjust leaders ignored the cries of their victims, so God will ignore their distress. When judgment came, they had no protection. II. Lead in Godly Paths (5-8) 2 / 7

3 A. Corruption Begins with Improper Motives "...who prepare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths." (5) The false prophets of Micah's day adjusted their message to the size of their "love offering." This single-minded focus on getting rich corrupts a person's perspective, character, and fellowship with God. (cf. 11) Paul calls the love of money "a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Tim. 6:10). James warned the unjust rich to "weep and howl for your miseries that are coming up on you!" (James 5:1). Politicians, Preachers or Business leaders who are inordinately obsessed with personal enrichment are susceptible to cutting ethical corners and developing a selfish "win at all costs" mentality that God abhors. B. Corruption Leads to Inadequate Vision "Therefore you shall have night without vision, and you shall have darkness without divination, the sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them." (6) A lack of ethics will lead to a short sighted vision. In the case of certain companies, quarterly earnings reports become the motivation for all sorts of unethical business dealings. Ultimately, reoccurring dishonesty will result in a kind of moral blindness where "the day shall be dark for them." C. Corruption Results in Shame "So the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners abashed; indeed they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God." (7) In the dark days after 9/11/2001 America seemed to experience a one week revival. Churches were packed, Congress was singing hymns, and "God Bless America" was politically correct again. 3 / 7

4 However, that period proved to be a thin sheet of religiosity stretched over pits of corruption. Less than a decade later, America is in a mess! Giving lip service to God while promoting one's own (corrupt) agenda, will result in shame. W eekly, it seems, we are seeing politicians humbled, business leaders jailed, and our nation held up in ridicule. Only true repentance and revival can reverse the course, much like in Micah's day. D. God's Vision is 20/20 "But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin." (8) While the unjust leaders are blind and powerless, God sees clearly. He sees sin and injustice and He has plenty of power and might to bring justice. III. Avoid Foolish Presumption (9-12) A. Contrast "Now hear this, you head of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity." (9) From a human perspective these people were "heads of the house" and "rulers." However, from God's perspective, they were unjust and lacked integrity. We're reminded that people are not always as they appear to be. 4 / 7

5 Samuel writes "...for the Lord does not see as a man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) B. Condemnation "Who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity." (10) The twin pillars of corruption are bloodshed and iniquity. In Micah's time, bloodshed was not just the result of murder. It could also have referred to unjust labor or business practices that deprived the working class of the means to feed their families. While iniquity is not hard to discover in today's society, we must also remain aware of the bl oodshed resulting from an average of 3,526 children aborted in the womb each and every day in America. C. Compensation "Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, "Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.'" (11) Believer's Study Bible p. 1256: 3:11 "Civil and religious tasks - judging, teaching and prophesying - are worthy of compensation from the people., But because they are essentials to society, they must never be controlled, motivated, or limited by the presence or absence of compensation. These ministering tasks had been reduced to another economic venture in Israel. Since the end result was injustice and false prophecy, Micah's message demands a return to justice and the word of God." 5 / 7

6 D. Consequence "Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest." (12) "Because of you" lays the blame for the nation's demise squarely at the feet of her leaders. "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan" (Prov 29:2). This should remind us that Christians are stewards of the vote. We have a responsibility to research candidates for office and wisely support righteous men and women. Application 1. Leaders have a responsibility to act justly and with integrity. 2. Corruption slowly destroys an individual, a business and a nation. 3. God holds us accountable. Leader Pack Item 17: Poster: Lesson Outline Biblical Illustrator: No Article Notes: **You may access David's Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: 6 / 7

7 g ; Dates: 5/16 - Share Your Faith Workshop; 5/16 - Oxygen, Summit/Women's Ministry; 5/17 - Robin Roewe Concert, 4:00 WC; 5/20 - FBA Lower School Awards Program; 5/24 - Memorial Day Weekend, normal schedule; 5/26 - Pre-K Graduation & Lunch; 5/27 - FBA 5 th Grade Graduation; 5/28 - FBA 8 th Grade Graduation; 6/4-8/6 - Metro Bible Study, WC; 6/5-6 - SBTC College/Single Ad Leaders Conf.; 6/ Vacation Bible School; 6/ Middle School & High School Camp; 6/17 - Midsummer's Night Thing; 6/ Children's Camp. 7 / 7