Today's text is Micah 2:1-11. Here it is in the Message version:
1-5 Doom to those who plot evil,
who go to bed dreaming up crimes!
As soon as it’s morning,
they’re off, full of energy, doing what they’ve planned.
They covet fields and grab them,
find homes and take them.
They bully the neighbor and his family,
see people only for what they can get out of them.
God has had enough. He says,
“I have some plans of my own:
Disaster because of this interbreeding evil!
Your necks are on the line.
You’re not walking away from this.
It’s doomsday for you.
Mocking ballads will be sung of you,
and you yourselves will sing the blues:
‘Our lives are ruined,
our homes and lands auctioned off.
They take everything, leave us nothing!
All is sold to the highest bidder.’”
And there’ll be no one to stand up for you,
no one to speak for you before God and his jury.
6-7
“Don’t preach,” say the preachers.
“Don’t preach such stuff.
Nothing bad will happen to us.
Talk like this to the family of Jacob?
Does God lose his temper?
Is this the way he acts?
Isn’t he on the side of good people?
Doesn’t he help those who help themselves?”
8-11
“What do you mean, ‘good people’!
You’re the enemy of my people!
You rob unsuspecting people
out for an evening stroll.
You take their coats off their backs
like soldiers who plunder the defenseless.
You drive the women of my people
out of their ample homes.
You make victims of the children
and leave them vulnerable to violence and vice.
Get out of here, the lot of you.
You can’t take it easy here!
You’ve polluted this place,
and now you’re polluted—ruined!
If someone showed up with a good smile and glib tongue
and told lies from morning to night—
‘I’ll preach sermons that will tell you
how you can get anything you want from God:
More money, the best wines . . . you name it’—
you’d hire him on the spot as your preacher!
Who was the prophet, Micah? He was a contemporary of three other prophets: Isaiah, Amos and Hosea and lived in the 700s B.C. At this time, the people of God were living pretty securely in the Promised Land, but they had split into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Ten of the original 12 tribes inhabited Israel, whose capital was Samaria, and the other two, Judah and Benjamin, inhabited the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
It is remarkable to me that God sent not one, not two, but four prophets to the people at this time. The level of apostasy had grown to be very great. Speaking through these four prophets, God warned that both kingdoms would be overrun because of their great (spiritual) whoring.
God had, for example, commanded that all Jewish men journey to the Temple for worship, especially on the most holy feast days of the year. Bu-u-u-ut, the folks up in Israel decided that that was way too much trouble. The book of Hosea records that their king arbitrarily decided to establish two places of worship in the Northern Kingdom. Of course, he had no authority or mandate from God to do this; and, God was not pleased. Micah 2 describes those who pretend to speak for God and, by their lying deceptions, lead people astray.
Look at the characteristics of these false prophets, false leaders:
- they energetically, actively plan to do evil continually, and then get up out of bed and do it
- they bully, rob and steal from their "flocks", those they claim to represent and lead
- they are puffed up with pride
- they create a God of their own imagining
- they preach a false message to the people
- they provide a false sense of security
As I read this passage, I could not help but draw comparisons to our situation here in America. Do you remember what happened to the Chosen People, Israel and Judah? Well, Israel, because it was the more apostate of the two, was judged first. In 721 B.C., the Assyrians of Mesopotamia conquered and scattered the 10 northern tribes. Now, you would think that the Southern kingdom of Judah would learn from that, right? Well, no, Judah continued on in its apostasy as well. And then, just over 115 years later, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (from the East) invaded Judah.
The lesson here is that we ignore God and His messages to us at our own peril. Like the false prophets in Micah's day, we are prone to create a god of our own imagining, a god who is like a vending machine, one who is there for us to cater to our every whim. As it says in verse 11 - - - we want a god who promises limitless "beer and wine" (substitute your favorite vice in there).
This deception creates a false sense of security. Do not think that the Christian people of America are somehow exempt from the same standards of righteousness God instituted for His people, Israel. Yet, the prevalent attitude in the American Church is like that described in verses 6-7: "That will never happen here! That will never happen to us!"
God's response through Micah is: "Lately, my people have risen up like an enemy." (vs. 8)
My heart breaks over this because I am old enough to remember when things were much, much different in this country. And, you know? America was more prosperous in those days as well. Today, greed is rampant. Many are unemployed or underemployed. Many have decided they are content to live off of the largess of taxpayers. Many have to work 2-3 jobs just to care for their families. The number of children born out of wedlock is astronomical. Unwanted babies are murdered. We applaud or look the other way toward sexual perversity. So-called Christians look and act just like unbelievers.
And, we say, "God will not judge us! We are America!"
Look what God says in Galatians 6:7 (The Message) - - -
"Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God.
What a person plants, he will harvest."
This applies to nations as well as individuals.
When my pastor talks about repentance coming to America and praying for revival, he emphasizes that revival begins in the hearts of believers. We tend to think that God needs to do a mighty work in the hearts of "the apostates" in our country, not realizing that often "the apostates" include WE!
I know that I need to continually examine my own heart for signs of apostasy, signs that I have created a false god of myself and my own selfish desires, a false god who sits idly by waiting for my quarters. Such a god is not "the real thing".
I tell you truly: God will not do a mighty work in America until it starts in the hearts of His children. If we truly want things to change "up in here", we must look into our own hearts and ask Him to reveal any areas where we are worshipping falsely.
Good morning, Lord! We are submerged in spiritual battle, surrounded by evil forces who want to destroy our country and our souls. The messages we often hear are of a false god, created and propagated by those who serve themselves and Satan. Please give us a glimpse of who You truly are! Please reveal to each of us anything in our lives that is keeping us from following you truly, so that we can confess it, so that we can in purity walk....resplendent. In Jesus' name, amen.
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