Micah 6:9-11

God was displeased with cheating and violence -- Micah 6:9-11: A wise man will listen to and obey the voice of Jehovah. He is the Lord and it makes sense to respect His power. He has power to bless and He has power to punish. He especially appealed to Jerusalem to hear and learn from the chastening rod of the Almighty. God charged them with talking about honoring Him and at the same time storing up things gotten by dishonest means. "Are there not still treasures gained by wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a false measure for grain that is abominable and accursed?" Amos said the people want the worship to quickly be over so that they could get back to their dishonest business dealings. They said, "When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?" (Amos 8:5) God expects more than lip service and partial obedience!

God could not tolerate their wrong. "Can I be pure Myself, and acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?" If God accepted or tolerated their evil deeds He himself could not be pure. The purity of Jehovah demanded punishment for their evil deeds. The purity of God led Him to say, "But I, the LORD, will punish you for cheating with weights and with measures." We often think "no one will find out." But God knew exactly about their deceitful weights and now they will face the deserved punishment.