The bad rulers (Mic 3:1-3:3)

“I said.

‘Listen!

You officials

Of Jacob!

You rulers

Of the house of Israel!

Should you not know justice?

You hate the good!

You love the evil!

You tear the skin

Off my people!

You tear the flesh

Off their bones!

You eat the flesh

Of my people!

You flay their skin

Off them!

You break their bones

In pieces!

You chop them up

Like meat in a kettle,

Like flesh in a caldron!’”

Micah has a bitter rebuke concerning the savage behavior of the leaders in Israel and Jacob.  Yahweh, via Micah, used descriptive language to explain what these leaders were doing to their people, treating them like cattle.  Micah wanted them to listen to what he had to say.  They hated the good things, but loved the evil things.  They were skinning the people, tearing off their flesh, and eating them like cannibals.  They were breaking their bones and chopping them up to boil them like meat in a kettle.  This was despicable behavior.

Many people in the pit (Ezek 32:27-32:28)

“They do not lie

With the fallen warriors

Of long ago,

Who went down

To Sheol

With their weapons

Of war.

Their swords

Were laid

Under their heads.

Their shields

Are upon their bones.

The terror

Of the warriors

Was in the land

Of the living.

So,

You shall be broken.

You shall lie

Among the uncircumcised.

You shall lie

With those

Who were killed

By the sword.”

Although the fallen warriors of long ago also went down to Sheol, they, however, brought their weapons of war with them. Their swords were laid under their heads. Their shields were placed on their bones. Despite this honor in the shadowy underworld afterlife of Sheol, these good warriors had also brought terror in the land of the living. As for the Egyptians and their allies, they would be broken. They would lie in the bad section with the uncircumcised and those who were killed by the sword.

Against the altars in the high places (Ezek 6:4-6:7)

“Your altars

Shall become desolate.

Your incense stands

Shall be broken.

I will throw down

Your slain

In front of your idols.

I will lay

The corpses

Of the people of Israel

In front of your idols.

I will scatter your bones

Around your altars.

Wherever you live,

Your towns

Shall be waste.

Your high places

Shall be ruined.

Thus your altars

Shall be waste.

Your altars

Shall be ruined.

Your idols

Shall be broken.

Your idols

Shall be destroyed.

Your incense stands

Shall be cut down.

Your works

Shall be wiped out.

The slain shall fall

In your midst.

Then you shall know

That I am Yahweh.”

Yahweh continued to tell Ezekiel that these Israelite altars would become desolate. The incense stands would be broken. Yahweh would throw down the dead corpses in front of the idols there. He was going to scatter their bones around these altars. No matter where they might live, Yahweh was going to lay waste to these high places, so that they all would be ruined. The idols would be broken and destroyed. Their incense stands would be cut down. All their works would be wiped out, as many died among them. They would all know that Yahweh was the one who did all this.

Judges (Sir 46:11-46:12)

“The judges also,

With their respective names,

Were holy famous men.

Their hearts did not fall

Into idolatry.

They did not turn away

From the Lord.

May their memory be blessed!

May their bones send forth new life

Where they lie!

May the names of those

Who have been honored

Live again in their children!”

Sirach does not name any specific judges in his praise of these judges to whom a whole book of the Hebrew Bible describes in some detail, Judges. They did not fall into idolatry, since they did not turn away from the Lord. Their memory should be blessed. Their bones should bring life to where they have been placed. Their names should be honored, as they live again in their children. Despite this plea to honor their names, Sirach does not mention any one particular name of a judge, even though the whole institution of judges was held in high esteem.

Yahweh saves (Ps 34:19-34:22)

Resh   

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous.

However, Yahweh rescues them from all.

Shin   

He keeps all their bones.

Not one of them will be broken.

Tav     

Evil brings death to the wicked.

Those who hate the righteous

Will be condemned.

Vav     

Yahweh redeems the life of his servants.

None of those who take refuge in him

Will be condemned.”

The righteous ones are not without trouble and afflictions, but Yahweh saved them from all their troubles. He kept their bones from being broken. Death would fall upon the wicked. Those who hated the righteous would be condemned. Yahweh saved the lives of his servant. Anyone who took refuge in Yahweh would not be condemned, while those who hated the righteous will be condemned.

God is greater than any mortal man (Job 33:12-33:22)

“But in this you are not right.

I will answer you.

God is greater than any mortal man.

Why do you contend against him?

You say.

‘He will answer none of my words.’

God speaks in one way.

God speaks in two ways,

Although people do not perceive it.

In a dream,

In a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falls on mortals,

While they slumber on their beds,

Then he opens the ears of men.

He terrifies them with warnings.

So that he may turn man aside from their deeds.

He tries to keep them from pride.

He wants to spare their souls from the pit.

He wants to spare their lives from traversing the river.

They are also chastened with pain upon their beds.

They have continual strife in their bones.

Their lives loathe bread.

Their appetites loathe dainty food.

Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen.

Their bones, once invisible, now stick out.

Their souls draw near the pit.

Their lives draw near to those who bring death.”

Elihu felt that Job was wrong. He cannot contend against God, since God is greater than any mortal. Job was complaining that God was not listening and communicating with him. Elihu explained that God communicated in 1 or 2 ways but people do not understand it. Sometimes, he communicates via a dream when people are asleep with terrifying results. Other times, God strikes mortals with painful illness while they are in their beds also. This painful experience may be a learning experience. They get so sick that they do not want to eat anything. They waste away so that all that you see are their bones sticking out through their skin as they get close to death. So God does communicate but we mortals do not hear or understand dreams and illness. The pit may mean a burial place or Sheol, but probably just a burial place.