The Minor Prophets: Micah

Introduction: My ancient relatives in Scotland began their service to the Royal House of Scotland at the time of Robert the Bruce. A Clan history on the web observes that “These Forsyths continued in service with the Royal Household until the Union of the Crowns in 1603.” These various officers of the crown served in several capacities as Constable of Sterling Castle and other related titles which meant nothing more than the ongoing fact that they were Stewards of the King. Please note that in their capacity they did not rule in the name of the king, but they did certainly use their positions to guard the royal property and manage it as carefully as they could. After all, they did succeed in holding the contract for 235 years, which is no small testimony to faithful and loyal service. Of course, in all of those years – many different regal authorities came and went, some good, mediocre and even downright wicked. I have no doubt, that being the survivors they were – they must have been caught up in ignoble dirty work at many and various times.

With that introduction, let me make a general observation from my two and a half decades in public service. In my public experience – I noticed how easy it was for the bureaucratic agencies to take on the tone and demeanor of the ruling powers in Washington, D.C. Carter’s gift of departmental status for the educational cohorts encouraged the public development of their fondest dreams. All manner of special needs and interests were spun out like so much candy to be distributed as widely as possible. Unhealthy trends became all the rage. Once Reagan assumed office, he promised to slow down the liberality of such growth and grudgingly the national establishment retrenched until Clinton took office and reigned over every sort of moral depredation imaginable. Standards of any sort were out of sync with the evolving national character of the degraded nineties.

What I am speaking about here is the ongoing habitual tone of office known and practiced by every public servant who feels powerful enough to emulate the example of a current resident in the White House, to whom they owe some form of allegiance and even gratification of being allowed to have a share of power in determining the course of the nation, or their small managerial part thereof! As we begin our consideration of the second chapter of Micah, let us keep the premise of this national mood in mind when we examine the charges against the stewards of the Judean realm.

Development: Our passage today is easily divided into three portions. In verses one to five we read of the charges against the Jerusalem regime. In verses six through eleven we see the polemic against prophets and people. Finally in the last two verses we sense a form of relief – a declaration that the Lord God of heaven and earth will eternally protect His own chosen remnant even in the midst of the destructive justice which He will rain upon the nation as a whole.

Even in Nazi Germany at the end of World War Two, there was a remnant of moral and godly people who had nothing to do with Der Furher and his wicked minions. One Conrad Adenour, along with thirty thousand other civil servants had resigned their careers and office rather than work for degenerate and wicked national socialists. It was from this remnant that modern Germany was organized. But, I get ahead of myself in explaining our text for the day.

Our first lesson for the day is found in verses one to five. In the context of the charges, we sense that the power brokers here cannot leave their dreams of domination for a moment, but must spend their sleepless nights plotting how to use their power to line their own pockets. How prophetically present are the themes here in these few verses. I had just read on the internet how Bill Gates has bought up all the surrounding houses to his majestic mansion, in order to improve his own privacy. Now, no one but those who he places in those homes can look over their back fence and see what goes on around his house.

In another wider criminal pattern, many governing bodies are beginning to use the public power of property confiscation to hand prime real estate over to richer and more powerful citizens who promise more in the way of public taxes if the municipalities will only condemn the property and arrange for them to make the purchase. Further out in the rural areas – land supposedly being protected from development is passing into the title of agencies and organizations whose future goal is to depopulate huge tracts of land so that the wild life may range free while the former occupants and being transported to sustainable communities. There has been a rural legend for the last twenty years that there are those who want to return seven of the Great Plains states to an endless range as a buffalo preserve. False scientists feel free to ruin Salmon and Beef farmers by repeating the wildest of lies, fabrications and accusations. I can still remember the year when Oprah the Liberal Mouth ruined the price of beef cattle and products for months on end. If it had not been for an understanding rural banker – we literally could have lost the farm!

These current issues are only a few of what is being accounted here from the prophetic ministry of the rural prophet Micah. However, in spite of the sins against the farmers – there is a small hope of physical salvation. After all, many of those who were earlier ruined must have drifted to the cities and the new princes of the corporate farms were left to be carried away by the Assyrians to destruction. This little thought out fact is very similar to the New Testament Church in Jerusalem, when in a burst of communist enthusiasm – the members of the church sold all that they had. They were free thus, to flee the persecution and when Jerusalem fell, those who owned their former property were more ruined in every respect than those who had left their property behind in both situations.

Look at the premise and promise in verse five: “Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot in the assembly of the LORD.” The commentators tell us that when the land was re-divided by lot to the survivors – those who had stolen the land had no representatives present to share in the original promise. They were captive playthings of the dreaded Assyrians. And we don’t even want to go there to explain what dreadful piteous tortures was their lot. Hell on earth we may certainly note it! Let us be certain that in our ordinary involvement in government and careers that we are not caught up in the all too common environment where the worldly wisdom and ways are so persistent and prevalent.

Our second lesson in this text six through eleven we sense the national involvement in the ongoing moral decay. The false prophets and priests apparently attack Micah “’Do not preach’ – thus they preach – ‘one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us.’” I can still remember when a local ministry council could not tolerate my being elected president since my conservative bias would have been a curse to their more liberal reputations!

Let us skip down to verse eleven, since one of you shared a story with me earlier in the week. “If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, ‘I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,’ he would be the preacher for this people!” According to the story – an area congregation once gave keg parties to attract a crowd to their facilities. And it isn’t only the capital city – there were several churches in my area who practically did the same – all in the carnival name of financing their operations for the coming winner. In one case – it was the sale of alcohol and in another it was the annual “Junk for Jesus” show that accomplished the same. I have even read that in England, the liberal churches have opted for pub night instead of a Bible Study to meet and greet people with the proper spirits!

One thing that we can make of this section for certain is that prophets and people were united in their opposition to the word and ministry of God’s ordained prophet! You know, I well understand this section because I have been there and known that sort of progressive treatment personally. A dear friend and pastor in Indiana had to make do with minimal pastorates and callings for most of his career, for the very same reason. It was a special blessing to help him find a congregation that loves and trusts him for the sincere and faithful service he is at long last able to give.

Verse ten is a terrible reminder that the Lord God may excommunicate those whose false loyalty is found out. This verse would eventually come true in the first destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple precincts.

Application: One thing that the false prophets got right was their attitude about who could stand the judgment outlined and ordained from Micah’s revelation concerning the mind of the Lord. The same false prophets in our day would decry the ending of this chapter. James Montgomery Boice reports: “The change of tone between Micah (to this point and the last two verses) is so extreme, however, that many commentators have argued that it cannot be taken at face value, that it is merely another false quotation taken from Micah’s rivals, or that it is the work of an editor who obviously included it in the wrong place.” Listen to the words of the Lord and let us make some common sense of the promises foretold: “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men. He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the LORD at their head.”

This will be our final lesson for today in taking the great hope that is promised here in these quiet confident words. Yes, many of the Lord’s own are caught up in wars, rumors of wars – death and destruction by accident and purpose, all subject to the natural forces which afflict mankind in so many deadly ways. And yet, even if the Lord’s own are caught up in the friendly fire that draws off the wicked to hell – they, who belong to Him, are promised: “I will surely assemble all of you.” Do you see in these majestic poetic words the proper image of the One who shall kick open the wall of death and having breached that great tower of power – He goes through making a way for the elect of all the earth to break out and follow Him on to glory. And who is this King of glory? We look back at the prophetic vision of David the king. Psalm 24 7-10: “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD of host’s he is the King of glory! Selah.”

One Lord, One King and Sovereign God over all, and He is the keeper of Israel – all of those whom He calls into His eternal kingdom. So as we close today, may we all the more certain that whatever providence comes our way through history – no matter how we are treated, no matter if we live or die: our King has gone on before us - He has kicked in the gates of death and all those who follow in His train may go to a finer place where every knee shall bow and every tongue confess the glorious Name above all Names: Jesus Christ. Come quickly Lord, come quickly!

PREACHING RESOURCES
Bentley, Michael.  Balancing the Books: Micah & Nahum.
Boice, James Montgomery.  The Minor Prophets: An Expositional Commentary 2.
Waltke, Bruce.  Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries:  Micah
The Holy Bible:  English Standard Version.
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