The Judges (vv. 2-7). “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8 nasb). These judges did not do justly (v. 2) or love mercy (vv. 3-4), and they walked in defiance of God’s will (v. 5). The pronoun “you” in verse 2 is plural, for the Lord is addressing all the guilty judges. They championed the causes of the guilty because they were bribed, and they failed to care for the orphans and widows. (See Ex. 22:21-24; Deut. 10:17-18; Isa. 1:17; 10:1-2; Jer. 5:28; 22:3, 16; Amos 2:7; 4:1; 5:11-12; 8:6; Ezek. 16:49; 18:12; 22:29.) Judges are to uphold the law and not show partiality (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 16:19; Isa. 3:13-15; Mic. 3:1-4), a principle that also applies in the local church (1 Tim. 5:21). Even during the glorious days of Solomon’s kingdom, the state officers were abusing people and disobeying the law (Eccl. 5:8)–yet Solomon had asked for an understanding heart (1 Kings 3:9).

Does verse 5 describe the evil judges or the abused people? If the judges, then it is a terrible indictment against people who are supposed to know the law and walk in its light (Isa. 8:20; 59:1-15; Rom. 1:21-22). But it’s possible that the pronoun “they” in verse 5 refers back to the weak and needy people described in verse 4. The priests and Levites did not always do their jobs well, and the common people did not know the law well enough to defend themselves. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). When the law of God is ignored or disobeyed, this shakes and threatens the very foundations of society (11:3; 89:14; 97:2), for God’s moral law is the standard by which man’s laws must be judged.