September 25 - Micah 1-7: As Necessary Now As Then

These minor prophets are a bit of a challenge to me in seeing how their specific messages fit into the rest of the biblical story. I'm grateful for The Message and for Larry Crabb in helping me make sense of what I'm reading and understand how the prophets are relevant to my life.

I felt a little sheepish when I read Crabb's observations of the American church today. I mean, I appreciate "friendly people who are glad to be in church." I like "rhythmic music" and am "drawn to passionate preaching." Is that wrong??

I don't think so, and I don't believe that's what Crabb is saying.

What's wrong is when I mold the God of Creation into a god who works for me, "as a good God, a God of love who is for [me] and who longs to bless [me] with joy, purpose, and the good things of life."

As I'm learning, what matters to the Lord is what's going on in my heart and how I'm engaging with Him as He reveals Himself to me.

I was struck by how many verses in Micah could be said of our day and age:

"Don't preach," say the preachers. "Don't preach such stuff. Nothing bad will happen to us...Isn't he on the side of good people? Doesn't he help those who help themselves?" (2:6-7) 

"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!" (2:10-11) 

priests mass-market their teaching, prophets preach for high fees, all the while posturing and pretending dependence on God. (3: 10)

Lately, God has been showing me this reality, between the wedding last weekend and the funeral of a friend's mom earlier this week. What I heard and saw from a rabbi, multiple preachers, and others who claim to know the Lord was completely at odds with what I'm reading in the prophets. It's rather surreal, and I honestly don't know what to do with it.

"Tell Me what you see in My people today as they gather, sometimes in huge crowds, to worship Me and to hear what I'm saying...

"Do you see brokenness before a holy God? Do you see lament over their struggle with emptiness and failure? Do you see repentance from ways of relating that deserve severe punishment? 

Not much. 

Then My message in Micah's day is as necessary now as then." 66 LL

I feel like God is using Micah and the other prophets to "train [me] to respond to God's presence and voice" (Eugene Peterson) in new ways. I'm seeing my world through a different lens and evaluating myself through a different grid than I have before. Brokenness and repentance are playing a much bigger role in that evaluation, and I'm experiencing my own relational sin more deeply.

And lest I become discouraged by the continual judgment delivered by the prophets, and Micah is no exception, God reminds me - again - what He's like. (Thank You, Lord.)

From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He'll be no upstart, no pretender...He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God's strength, centered in the majesty of God-Revealed...Peacemaker of the world! (5:2-4) 

Where is the god who can compare with you - wiping the slate clean of guilt, turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don't nurse your anger and don't stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty...You'll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean. You'll stay true to your word to Father Jacob and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham... (7:18-20)

"Micah's name means 'Who is like the Lord?' And the answer to that question is found at the end of the book. God is full of mercy, not anger. He's compassionate, not condemning, forgiving our sin to the point of forgetfulness."  Eugene Peterson, Conversations, pg. 1430