Micah 6:15

15 You'll plant grass but never get a lawn. You'll make jelly but never spread it on your bread. You'll press apples but never drink the cider.

Micah 6:15 Meaning and Commentary

Micah 6:15

Thou shall sow, but thou shalt not reap
Either that which is sown shall not spring up, but rot in the earth; or if it does spring up, and come to maturity, yet, before that, they should be removed into captivity, or slain by the sword, and their enemies should reap the increase of their land, their wheat and their grain: thou shall tread the olives;
in the olive press, to get out the oil: but thou shalt not anoint with oil;
as at feasts for refreshment, and at baths for health, this becoming another's property; or, it being a time of distress and mourning, would not be used, it being chiefly at festivals, and occasions of joy, that oil was used: and sweet wine;
that is, shalt tread the grapes in the winepress, to get out the sweet or new wine: but shalt not drink wine;
for, before it is fit to drink, the enemy would have it in his possession; see ( Leviticus 26:16 ) ( Deuteronomy 28:30 ) ; these are the punishments or corrections of the rod they are threatened with for their sins.

Micah 6:15 In-Context

13 I'm fed up. Beginning now, you're finished. You'll pay for your sins down to your last cent.
14 No matter how much you get, it will never be enough - hollow stomachs, empty hearts. No matter how hard you work, you'll have nothing to show for it - bankrupt lives, wasted souls.
15 You'll plant grass but never get a lawn. You'll make jelly but never spread it on your bread. You'll press apples but never drink the cider.
16 You have lived by the standards of your king, Omri, the decadent lifestyle of the family of Ahab. Because you've slavishly followed their fashions, I'm forcing you into bankruptcy. Your way of life will be laughed at, a tasteless joke. Your lives will be derided as futile and fake."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.