The Healing Kingdom: Micah 5:1-4

It's funny how now every time I look at Micah, I see Jesus.  

Jesus makes the illusive...real.  

The painful... healed.  

The chaos...shalom.  

The despair...hope.

Let's look at the first couple of verses in chapter 5:1-5:

Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek with a rod. (5:1)

Micah makes it perfectly plain that God's judgment on their sin is coming in the form of the Assyrians.  Isn't it ironic that the people of Israel wanted a pagan way of life?  They compromised their covenant with Yahweh, thinking that they could live with both the pagan gods and the one true God. But the very people they emulated would be the very ones who would come and crush them.  

How often do we think we can balance compromise with truth and falsity with faith?  

Often.

We make excuses such as:

• God understands how weak I am.
• He wants truth but we must be practical, too.
• His Word is uncompromising about that, but it also looks exceedingly intolerant, so I am going to smooth off the rough edges.
• The culture makes some good points. I don't think we need to be so unbending.

These statements have some merit to them. Far too long we have gotten into the mode of not even considering another way of looking at something, only later to find out we were advocating dogma, not what the Bible actually teaches. 

In other words, we allow the culture to define the debate, and then we react to it. We aren't prepared biblically to defend our position; instead we allow Christian culture to speak out against secular culture.

But is Christian culture based on the Bible?  Or is it based on cherry-picked verses?  Or worse, is it based on the teachings of particular teachers, who effectively think for us? He or she says this or that, and we get a free pass to not explore it for ourselves.

In my lifetime, I have seen lots of accommodation to the secular culture and its values. In the 70's,  divorced pastors could not pastor a church. Christians worried about remarrying.  Divorce was not OK.  Period.  People worried that their witness for Jesus was compromised by their personal life. 

How could a spouse/pastor/teacher/leader who is a Christian do bad or immoral things? 

Then secular culture started winning.  Many kids saw their parents profess Christ, and then descend into the ugliness of divorce.  Many parents no longer demonstrated forgiveness when it came to their former spouse. 

I watched this happen many times. 

But Christian culture also said that Christian people could not be addicts, abusers, liars, manipulators, gay, battle with mental health issues or have problems with their families. 

Over and over, the proof-text people used was that we are all new creations in Christ.  

Christian culture was adamant about this instant new life and that there was no room for failure or sin. If you failed or engaged in sin, well, were you really a Christian?  Truly born again?

The failure of Christians was not allowing people to grow (at the Holy Spirit's pace) in the knowledge of the Lord, and to be transformed by Christ.  Christians were not always merciful with human frailty.  

Then secular culture started winning.  Many Christians saw more mercy in secular culture than in their churches.  They were tired living in the shadows. They came out into the "light" of a tolerant culture which greeted them with no standards or restraints, but a new identity. 

The church did, in the 80's, start to acknowledge that our mental, emotional health and our past did affect our lives. So did child abuse. So did addiction.  So did divorce and family disruption. So did family trauma. 

The church reacted, at least in my experience, with a doubling down on asserting we were new creations.  Christians should not have these battles. If they do, they need to get right with God.  Now.  Anyone claiming to be as Christian is just that.  No wolves in sheep's clothing; just sheep who need to get it together. 

So, domestic violence continued in Christian families; lying and manipulative pastors kept preaching and exploiting their followers and the Christ's table was only open to those who were living according to Christian culture's definition. 

The church failed to see that discipleship is a process and that process can take years.  Decades. A deep brokenness in people takes a deep healing.  

The allure of the secular culture, with its welcoming arms, inviting you to be whatever you want to be, was hard for many to ignore.  Secular culture said: Do what you think is right; we won't judge. Anyone who judges is to be ignored and excoriated. 

So, at the end of the day, Christian culture was too demanding, and expected people to act morally from the very start. Secular culture was too inviting, and expected people to act freely from the very start.

In Micah's day, was this happening?  Was following Yahweh too demanding, without any mercy extended to the weak, the broken, and the struggling?

Was following the secular culture too easy, without any restraint exerted on human nature, and everyone could do what they wanted to do? 

We come to God as we are, but God wants to heal, transform and free us to be who He created us to be. 

Micah sees that, for we need to be welcomed into a kingdom where our King, our Shepherd, welcomes us and we live in His power, His provision, His mercy.  In other words, we live in Jesus.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”

Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.(5:2-5)

He will be our peace.  Gently leading us.  Admonishing us. Guiding us.

Yes, our churches need to hold standards, but do so by preaching the Word in its fullness.  We can't be other people's Holy Spirit.  God's word goes out and it doesn't return void, but we must let Him work. 

Our Christian culture must reflect the love of Christ. 

This love set the early church apart from the Roman empire.

It needs to be no different today. 

Restoration, Not Rejection (Micah 4:6-13)

God is in the business of restoration.  The enemy of humanity's soul would have us believe He's all about judgement and condemnation. But as you read through His prophets' and His Son's words, you find a balance presentation of both justice and mercy, judgment and restoration, discipline and obedience.  

His justice is motivated by His love.  If people are killing, exploiting, lying and destroying one another, who wouldn't intervene in something like that?  Love is not indifference; it is hands-on, making sure that evil doesn't continue to control people--those who are perpetrators and those who are victims.  

His mercy is motivated by His love.  He wants restoration, shalom and joy to be His children's place--all of us sitting under our "own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid" (4:4).

His judgment is motivated by love.  If He shows His people what is right, merciful and loving, and then people disdain His words and His ways, why wouldn't He then judge such rebellion?  If those standards did not have love behind them, people would descend deeper and deeper into sin, knowing that God will not act, that law has no meaning and that sin wins.

His restoration is motivated by His love. The Fall is not our permanent habitation--living in the debris of our first parents' fateful and endlessly damaging decision to not listen to God and follow His ways. He had hovered over the waters of chaos, and brought forth light. He seeks above all else to bring light to the darkness.  His Son called Himself "the Light of the World." Why? Darkness was never what His Father wanted.  

His discipline is motivated by His love. What kind of parents would allow their child to run in front of a car?  What kind of parents would never tell their child that moving cars are dangerous? What kind of parents would, after grabbing that child out of harm's way, act like it was no big deal?  The parents' disciplining that child would reinforce the serious nature of the child's disobedience, to prevent another incident. The parents might not be around the next time.  God is always there, but He wants us to obey Him and not be shattered by disobedient thoughts and actions. 

His demand for obedience is motivated by His love.  How often do we live with regret about something we knew we shouldn't do, but we did it anyway?  How often do our decisions mar and scar us, and even though we are forgiven, we still bear the consequences of what we did?  God wants a richness and peace in our lives and knows that what we do, outside of His ways, can steal our joy, rob us of peace and make us even despair of this life. 

So, let's look at the Lord's plan for His people--not judgement, destruction and chaos, but reconciliation, restoration and shalom: 

“In that day,” declares the Lord,

I will gather the lame;
I will assemble the exiles
and those I have brought to grief.
I will make the lame my remnant,
those driven away a strong nation.
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion
from that day and forever.
As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem. (6-8)

Do you see Jesus in this?  God's restoration is given to those who need it most: life has lamed them, in body, soul and spirit and God reaches deeply into their lives to heal them. Jesus came to those who needed God the most:  the hurting, the marginalized, the angry, the weary and those who knew God but somehow didn't know God. 

Why do you now cry aloud—
have you no king?
Has your ruler perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?
Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem you
out of the hand of your enemies. (4:9-10)

Babylon/chaos/suffering/exile are never our permanent homes.  The enemy tells us that our brokenness is who we are and to take our identity from that. By joining with other similarly broken people, we feel we are not alone, because there are others who see themselves as we do. We couldn't all be wrong.  

But Babylon with cheers, beach tents, fancy hotels and lots of parties doesn't make it any less Babylon; it's still, underneath all that glamour, a place of lies, alienation and separation from the One who dearly loves us.

But the Lord redeems us. Rescues us. Hears our cries. Steps into our Egypt and leads us out. Goes into our Babylon and brings us back. Reaches into our brokenness and reminds us our true and unassailable identity is that we are His children, made in His image. He speaks over our chaos and says, "Let there be Light!  And it's My Son!" 

But now many nations
are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
let our eyes gloat over Zion!”
But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
and you will break to pieces many nations.”
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth. (4:11-13)

Wow. In the darkest night of these children's soul God promises a glorious return to peace, prosperity and assurance that His time of judgment will end.  It will end, not leaving them alone and without knowing where they are going, but it will end with them gloriously returned to their beloved Jerusalem.  The very City of David will be restored, for God will not allow His children to live among the ruins. 

Do you see Jesus in this? 

For us, what stands between our sin and our Jerusalem is the cross.

The Message takes John 1:5 and makes it our clarion call:

Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.

Amen!

Micah 4:1-5: The Mountain of the Lord

It's easy for us to focus on the negative in absolutely everything!  A funny quote I remember hearing as a kid was, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, did you like the play?"  That's taking optimism to a whole new level!

Sometimes putting a positive spin on something seems inappropriate or insensitive.  But on the other hand, seeing the good in a world of chaos is what sustains us.

Think of the early church.  Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God, with its "constitution" found in Matthew 5-8, where blessings come from humility; where loving your enemies is not an option; where saying, "just looking" doesn't cut it; where being reviled elevates you to the status of the prophets of old and where anger is tantamount to murder...but if you walk out on a sunny day in Jesus' day, you do not see any of this going on. 

You hear the cries of the victims in the arenas with the roars of the blood-thirsty crowds; you hear the come-ons from the temple prostitutes or see them in action; you see Romans guards ready to confront you if they feel you are out of line and you see the tax booths where the tax collectors--Jews, no less--are bleeding the people dry, all to support reprobate emperors and brutal armies. 

Wow. 

The contrast could not be greater between the kingdom of this world and the one Jesus says has arrived. 

Jesus ends His Declaration of Interdependence with this wonderful analogy:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matt. 7:24-27 NIV). 

The Rock:  Solid. Sure. Formidable.  

Jesus' teachings qualify.  But so does the Savior Himself. 

Interesting to note:  After Jesus is done preaching, He goes down the mountainside and heals a leper.  Boom!  The Kingdom of God in action!  Jesus shows the incurable can be cured!  But even more important: He restores dignity to one of the lowest of the low in His society. A person plagued with disease is viewed as someone who is under punishment from God.  Jesus shows that no: disease, chaos, sin, alienation, shame and hopelessness are part of the old kingdom that His Kingdom will overcome.

When Jesus?

Where Jesus?

One person at a time. 

You. 

Me. 

Those who love and follow the Savior as workers in His fields that are bursting with a bounty of broken souls, ready for a compassionate harvesting.  

Micah has the much the same issue.  Micah is talking about the power and the beauty of a holy God, whose righteousness is never-ending nor never-failing. But everywhere you look in Micah's society, you find: idolatry, corruption, exploitation and compromise.  Micah constantly calls out what is going horribly wrong in the northern kingdom. Micah mourns that justice and righteousness are in short supply, and he doesn't let up on why.

But then we come to chapter 4.  

Listen: 

In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it (4:1)

He is talking abou the restored temple. But he is also alluding to not just the physical one, where heaven and earth meet as you enter the Holy of Holies, but the One where Heaven and earth meet: Jesus Christ. John 1:51 says: “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ [Gen. 28:12] the Son of Man.”

The Son Man and the Son of God.  

But until that glorious day, the people have hope that they will gather once again at the restored temple.  Exile will not last forever.   

Listen: 

Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever (4:2-5). 

There is is!  Justice!  Righteousness!  Shalom!  Wisdom!  Taught by God Himself!  "Many nations!"  The words to Abraham of His people being a blessings to the nations will be acted out every day, in and out of the restored temple!

But also we hear echoes of the One to come. 

But the hope for the people of Micah's time will be that one day, they will gather at the temple once more to learn of God and know who He is. 

Did you catch the last part? 

The ultimate restoration of the people then and now will be: 

All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever (4:5) 

No "golden age" brought about by human-ordained wisdom, however well-intentioned it may be.  The Kingdom of God is only made possible by the Son of God and the new hearts of those who choose to love and follow Him.

So, when we walk outside, and see the nations walking after their own "gods," (i.e., made up by us) and hear the cries of the oppressors and the oppressed, we will continue to walk "in His name." 

Our hope?  The mountain of the Lord has a name:  Golgotha. 

In whose name do we walk in?  

Choose and know that either the kingdom of this world or the Kingdom of God will prevail because of our choices.

One person at a time. 

"For What's It's Worth": Looking At Micah's Time and Our Own

I want you to stop a moment, and reflect how Micah's day is really no different from our own. 

The world is in a mess: We are experiencing political chaos; wars and rumors of wars; deep societal divisions on how to fix the problems that beset us; thinking everyone else is wrong, and me/my friends/family/denomination/social group has it all together and everyone else is wrong/stupid/a victim of a conspiracy that they deny exists/ misled/misguided or just plain ignorant of the real issues. 

In summary: We are not moving towards resolution because our common ground is laden with land mines. 

We don't seek it because it blows up in our face every time.  

The '60's rock group, Buffalo Springfield, nailed it in (yes, it was in the Viet Nam era, but a good song escapes its time and keeps ringing true) their song, "For What It's Worth":

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
A-telling me I got to beware.

I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down.

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Are getting so much resistance from behind. 

Time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down.

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and a-carrying signs
Mostly say hooray for our side. 

It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down. 

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the man come and take you away...

Yes. That song says it all.  

So, back to Micah and his day.  Let's ask some important questions. 

Is every priest corrupt?  Are there some that are horrified at what their fellow priest are doing and saying, but are too afraid to say anything, lest they lose their livelihood?  Do they see "results" (the people look more and more to them for guidance, and the land remains productive and fertile) so they can't completely dismiss the claims made about the pagan gods? Do they wonder if Yahweh can co-exist with the other gods, just that everyone needs to give Him more praise?  Do they wonder if Yahweh is as angry as Micah claims He is, why hasn't His judgement rained down? 

Are the corrupt priests that the only ones that matter, for they wield the most power and have the most influence? 

What about the leaders?

Are they all out for personal gain?  Are there some that are trying to honor Yahweh with what they say and do, but are overridden time and time again by the corrupt leaders?  Are all of them unjust, or are there some who do try to alleviate the plight of the poor, but secretly, so they won't be disdained by their colleagues?  Are there some who try to slip in more compassionate suggestions but find they are out voted time and time again?

Are all the leaders endlessly planning evil, or is just a few but because they are powerful, their few drops of poison are morally debilitating the people?

Are all of the people on board with the ways things are?  Are there people who privately question how their leaders and priests can so brazenly ignore the ways of Yahweh, and are waiting for Him to respond, as Micah is saying He will?  Are some of the people praying for a return to the faith of their fathers and are disgusted/saddened/angry/fearful that those who call themselves the "chosen people" are acting no differently than the pagans?

Are the young people disgusted with the hypocrisy of the leaders/priests/parents/teachers/prophets who say anything goes, despite their scriptures saying otherwise?  Do the young even know their scriptures, or has it been a long time since they sat under a Torah-centered teacher?  Or have they ever? Or do they take a pragmatic approach and decide if it ain't broke, don't fix it?  Are there some who hear the words of Micah and wonder if there is any validity to them? 

Sound familiar? 

What will be people say about our time 50 years from now?  Will they ask: 

Why didn't the people believe His word?  Follow His ways?  Honor Him by honoring each other?  Praise Him with all of their heart, mind and soul? Trusted His Son to transform their hearts and so uphold a society based on principle, not pragmatism?

Or will they ask:

What Word?

What Scriptures?

What are you talking about? 

Jesus?  Who's that?

Or will there be a remnant who will teach/preach/live/adore His word, His ways and His Son?

Pray for that remnant.

Pray to be that remnant. 

The Power of the Judge and the High Priest (Micah 3:8-12)

In Micah's day and in all of the prophets' day, Jesus stands waiting for the day when He will come and  usher in His Father's kingdom.  As Paul puts it, 

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship (Gal. 4:4-5).

Then He came and fulfilled the promise made to the Jewish people:   

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins... Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:1-4; 11-14) [emphasis mine] 

He came to fulfill the promise by God to Abraham:  "And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me." (Gen. 22:18)

The church in Corinth was an example of what the nations so desperately needed: reconciliation to God by the cleansing (once and for all) blood of Jesus:

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) 

I was recently reading Isaiah, whose words are contemporaneous with Micah's: 

The oppressor will come to an end,
and destruction will cease;
the aggressor will vanish from the land.
In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
one from the house of David—
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness. (Is. 16:4b-5) [emphasis mine] 

Sound familiar? 

The Judge becomes the High Priest to sacrificially create the new heart necessary for human beings to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)

The Judge could have stayed the Judge and simply expected the people to listen and obey. But without a changed heart, eventually the people would grow weary, cynical and give up or engage in compromise...why?  It's just easier for fallen flesh. 

Or He could have come just as a High Priest, cleansing our hearts and now we just wait for Him to return.

He came as both:  He wants mercy flowing from a new heart and now goes into the world with truth and justice, fashioned and sustained by Him.

Love. Justice. Righteousness. Jesus embodies those qualities and by His blood, imparts them to us:  

But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin]. (1 Cor. 1:30)

It is in Jesus and upon Him alone that we have the basis for true change: "In fact, no one can lay any other foundation than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 3:11)

Micah cannot look the other way when justice is perverted and paraded as truth.  He cannot look the other way when those who know better cast restraint away to keep their power and status as leaders.  He cannot look the other way when people are complacent at what is going on, and retreat into a kind of moral inertia:  

But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin. (3:8) 

Truth hurts. But truth sets us free.  

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right;
who build Zion with bloodshed,
and Jerusalem with wickedness.

Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.
Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No disaster will come upon us.” (3:9-11) 

Those who lead must do so as God leads: in righteousness and in truth. If not, the results are catastrophic: 

Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets. (3:12) 

Jerusalem was soon devastated.  

Should we expect anything less? No, we are not Israel, but God's demands for His justice and righteousness to be implemented through changed hearts still stands. Do we say, "Hey, we are a Christian nation!  God will not let anything bad happen to us."

Really?  

Refiner's Fire

Thank you, dear readers, for your patience.  I like to be consistent in my postings, but having moved cross country from Idaho to Tennessee, it's been a challenge!  

It's interesting to move to a place where the evidence of Christianity is everywhere. Just like in Idaho, there are numerous churches.  In Idaho, it was the LDS church that made its presence greatly felt; here in Tennessee, you find a plethora of Baptist churches.  

People are polite here.  They smile, call you "honey" and have a friendliness that is very endearing.  Idaho used to be like that.  When we first moved there 25 years ago from northern California, it was refreshingly nice.  People looked you in the eye, smiled and said, "hello." I felt we had died and gone to heaven.

Change is inevitable, to be sure, but it's the kind of change that can be discouraging.  Idaho experienced a boom in population that I have never seen before.  After Covid, our state was flooded by people who were disgusted with how their governments handled the epidemic. For some, it was the final straw.  

We came to Idaho after 9/11 caused my husband to lose his job in telecommunications. HP in Boise offered him a job and we are forever grateful to God for opening up that door to us. 

Around 2020, we saw a shift. People no longer looked you in the eye or smiled; they didn't say, "hello" and seemed almost offended if you did. The drivers became more aggressive, bullying you by tailgating and some used the interstate to race other like-minded individuals.

My son-in-law calls the problem a "scarcity of resources."  If we cannot get what we want or need, a certain kind of desperation sets in, and we justify becoming meaner, more aggressive and less caring about other people. I experienced this trying to go to the head of the line at a restaurant, where my husband was waiting, having dropped him off to go and find a parking spot.  The people in front of me would not move, and I had to inch my way around them, despite telling them my husband was up at the front.  They assumed that I was (a) pulling a fast one (b) trying to take their spot, and because the restaurant was crowded, and they'd have to wait even longer, or (c) didn't want to be bothered by me or my request. 

People from states where "dog eat dog" is the norm, politeness is seen as weakness.  Everybody's just trying to survive in those states where taxes are high, everywhere is crowded, housing is expensive and crime is rife. Trust no one and just get it done

Idaho is different.  It is largely faith-based, and people believe that other people matter.  But there is a significant number of people who bring a different value system with them, and it contrasts greatly with what Idaho is all about. 

Tennessee has that same Idaho vibe, but it is much stronger.  

Resources here are not scarce.  Housing is still somewhat affordable, but some of that is changing due to people coming in from out of state with money to spare and that has had some affect on housing prices.  But people are still able to do what they need to, and you don't sense an overwhelming competitive spirit here. 

So.  What does have to do with our focus on God's justice and His prophets, specifically, Micah?

It's easy to be a believer when the larger society agrees with the values you hold.  

When people are polite. 

When they stop for you at the side of the road when you have car trouble.

When they hold the door for you when you are juggling several bags of groceries. 

In other words, it is easy to walk in faith when those around you share a common ground. But what happens when a society shifts into a more self-focused attitude, and people see you as an impediment, not a fellow human being?

That's when you lean into Jesus. More and more.  Longer and longer. In other, words, you can't draw water from society's well, and because it is no longer heathy for your soul, you seek the Living Water.  Often.  Every hour. 

Think of our persecuted brothers and sisters across the world for whom their faith in Christ can cost them their jobs, family and even their lives.

How do they endure?  

They lean into Jesus with all their heart, soul and and spirit. Maybe that is why God in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus' reiteration in the New Testament focuses on the whole person--mind, soul spirit--being totally dependent on God.

Society in Micah's day was careening towards judgement because the people had decided that pagan values were far more advantageous that following Yahweh.  But I suspect there were people in Micah's day who had not walked away and who leaned into Yahweh with everything they had, especially as things deteriorated morally. 

Persecution has the curious habit of separating those who are moral because they are surrounded by like-minded individuals from those who, no matter what is going on around them, depend on God for everything they are, say and do. 

Maybe that is why God allows persecution of His church, for it refines His children's faith into something more precious than gold. His children value Him above all else, and as a result, they radiate His love, kindness and wisdom as they walk in a hostile society. 

People see their joy.  Their hope.  Their willingness to speak the truth in love.  

The Refiner's fire would one day burn as Micah continued to preach. 

The Refiner's fire will burn in our future.

In the meantime, lean into Jesus.  Longer.  Every day, every hour. 

Keep preaching the Gospel, not with fiery speeches, but by radiating Jesus in everything you are, say and do.  

 

Without Vision, The People Perish (Micah 3:3-8)

I have returned!  My family and I have just relocated to Tennessee from Idaho.  We drove five days with two dogs and crossed five states.  Whew.  We are here safe and sound, awaiting for our stuff to arrive to our new house so we can enjoy unpacking billions of boxes (how did we get so much stuff?) and settling in.  I am excited to rejoin you in our discussion of Micah. 

Let's look at Micah 3:3-8:

This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,
they proclaim ‘peace’
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.

Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination.
The sun will set for the prophets,
and the day will go dark for them.

The seers will be ashamed
and the diviners disgraced.
They will all cover their faces
because there is no answer from God.”

But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin.

These are not only powerful words, but powerful accusations against those who should know better.  Just as Jesus had kind words for the people, who He saw as sheep without a shepherd, He saw the leaders as rapacious wolves.  

Why?  They knew better--they had His Father's words and knew the Law. 

The nation of Israel has stopped following God's truth, having been seduced to follow their own. Who failed them?  First, their prophets.  

Proverbs 29:18 diagnoses the problem facing the nation of Israel:  "When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. / But whoever obeys the law is joyful."

Why "joyful"?  God's words are meant to give us purpose, identity and hope.

Purpose:  To partner with Him, to bring His light, love and joy to a world drowning in darkness, hatred and hopelessness.

Identity:  We are His children.  We are not accidents, just merely existing until life is over. Or orphans, wandering through this life trying to work it out on our own.

Hope:  Life can be a bait and switch at times.  Life promises you the sun, moon and stars and you find out that they are made of paper maché and are hanging by twine.

But notice what Solomon says that when people do not "accept divine guidance," they "run wild."  Why?  Their flesh, infiltrated with the Fall, leads them to accept lies as truth, because this "truth" justifies what they are already doing.  The people have appropriated pagan values and live under the idea that this is the best way to live. 

But God's law, which does not allow dehumanizing each other; protects the stranger in the land; provides for the poor and the widow; protects slaves; and teaches that dependence on Yahweh is based on His covenant relationship with His people. He honors His commitment to it even when the people fail to honor theirs. 

How does God keep His people on the right path, reminding them of what He expects and how He sees the world? His prophets.

Jesus is the ultimate prophet, for His words are the fulfillment of every utterance the prophets spoke in the Hebrew scriptures.  But until the "fulness of time" when He came to us, the people needed the prophets to keep close to what God revealed through each of them.

So, these prophets in Micah's day come under scrutiny, for their utterances are not honoring God but saying what the people want to hear.  The people are satisfied and the prophets live well.  Their prophetic utterances keep them living large, for they say, "Peace!" in complete contradiction to what God's prophets are saying that judgement is coming to Israel due to their spiritual adultery.  These prophets deceive the people so that they can continue to live well. But woe unto anyone who fails to support their message, threatening their way of life.  

Hey Micah, who do you think you are?  We are doing well.  Doesn't God honor His prophets with blessings?  We are blessed.  We prophesy, the people carry on, life goes on and no one is buying what you are selling about judgment this, and judgment that.  But let us remind you, you upstart, that we have the people's ear, not you.  If you cause any of them to turn away and listen to the likes of you, watch yourself, big boy.  We will go to war and we know who will win.  We have God on our side.  How do we know?  We live well, and all those doomy and gloomy things have not happened.  There is nothing even on the horizon that supports your careless words.  

If you know what's good for you, you will take your marbles and go home. This is not a suggestion.

But God will not be mocked.  Because "His" prophets have deceived the people so they can profit from their words, God will allow the darkness to fall over them. The armies of the enemy will sweep over them as well as the people.  

God would no longer speak through them.  

He sought to inspire them.

But they conspired against Him. 

God did not abandon these prophets.

They abandoned Him.

Micah asserts where his power comes from:  Not the flesh, not the culture, not popularity amongst the people, but from God Himself.  He accepts wherever that may lead, because God's truth is more important than anything else.

Jesus carried on the same prophetic tradition of holding fast to truth, despite consequences, when he confronted Pilate:

Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” (John 18:37)

LIke Micah, who spoke with "justice and might," Jesus was Himself Justice and Might, come in the flesh, to set us back on the right path and show us what it means to walk in His Father's ways. And like Micah, we are empowered by His Spirit.

Paul's words to Timothy still ring true:

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. (2 Tim. 4:2-4)