Sins of the leaders

Including those mentioned so far, the sins of Israel’s ruling class are pointed out. The ruling class refers to the leaders, the priests, and the prophets. (1) They built Jerusalem (Zion) on a foundation of injustice and bloodshed. In other words, they justified the means by claiming that the end was right. (2) Their greatest concern was economic gain. As it is written, “Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money.” Having forgotten their true calling and seeking only material prosperity, the leaders present a pitiable picture. (3) Yet they would not examine their own sin. On the contrary, they boasted, saying, “Is the Lord not in our midst? Catastrophe will not come upon us.” “Is the Lord not in our midst?” means that the temple stood in Jerusalem, and that the Shekinah glory was shining in the Most Holy Place of the temple. As long as the temple stood, they believed that no disaster would come upon them. This was a kind of superficial faith. Such false confidence among Israel’s ruling class likely became even stronger after Sennacherib of Assyria failed in his attack on Jerusalem.

The result of sins

However, because of the sins of the leaders, Jerusalem will be destroyed. “Therefore on account of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.” (1) In order to grow crops, a field must be plowed and made level. In the same way, for Jerusalem to make a new beginning, it had to be made level through judgment. (2) Jerusalem, where the Lord once dwelt, would eventually become an uninhabited ruin. Jeremiah quotes this verse (Jer. 26:18). (3) The reason judgment comes is that the leadership misled the people of Israel and guided them in the wrong direction. The sin of the leaders is also emphasized in the Gospels. The Pharisees said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons,” thereby rejecting Jesus’ Messiahship (Matt. 12:24). In Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus declared as follows. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’” This declaration of Jesus is in line with Micah 3:12. Even now, the people of Israel have not accepted Jesus. This, too, can be said to be the responsibility of the leadership. Let us pray for the repentance of the leaders. Let us also seek to break free from superficial faith.