The art of interpreting the Bible is to first determine its meaning for the original audience and then apply it to our current age. When we do this to Micah’s message, we discover a clash between the prophet and his self-deceived audience.
Micah challenged business practices and spoke inconvenient truths to the leading men of Israel. They refused to hear his words.
“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
“one should not preach of such things;
disgrace will not overtake us.” (Micah 2.6)
It is worth repeating the information about wealth disparity that I wrote about yesterday. The following comes from “The Guardian.”
“The world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes to $869bn (£681.5bn) since 2020, while the world’s poorest 60% – almost 5 billion people – have lost money.
“The details come in a report by Oxfam as the world’s richest people gather from Monday in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum meeting of political leaders, corporate executives and the super-rich.
“The yawning gap between rich and poor is likely to increase, the report says, and will lead to the world crowning its first trillionaire within a decade. At the same time, it warns, if current trends continue, world poverty will not be eradicated for another 229 years.”
As we place Micah’s message beside reporting from Davos, questions arise:
(1) How does Micah’s message relate to the modern-day reception of voices that challenge the status quo or speak inconvenient truths?
(2) Are there parallels between those who told Micah to not preach with how the powerful react to whistleblowers, activists, or ethical leaders?
(3) Most importantly, how will Micah’s message influence our praying and behavior today?
God’s Patience
According to the Psalm writer, the fool is the person who believes they can live any way they please and no accountability will take place. They use their power to “eat up [God’s] people as they eat bread” (Psalm 14.4).
If we’re listening to Micah, we know that accountability is inevitable.
Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
Is the Lord’s patience exhausted?
Are these his doings?
Do not my words do good
to one who walks uprightly? (Micah 2.7)
As we apply Micah’s message to our current age, let’s ask more questions:
(1) How does the fact of ultimate reality of God’s opinion influence our understanding of justice, mercy, and accountability, both at personal and societal levels?
(2) What are the current issues where we might be testing the limits of ‘divine patience’ through collective actions or inactions?
(3) How may we best apply the reality of accountability to our attitudes and actions?
Exploitation and Inequality
Russian children’s commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova has said that more than 700,000 Ukrainian children have been taken from Ukraine to Russia since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine (Radio Free Europe).
Of the nearly 24,000 deaths in the war between Hamas and Israel, approximately 10,000 of the dead are children under 18 (Wisconsin Public Radio).
Africa has the largest number of child laborers; 72.1 million African children are estimated to be in child labor and 31.5 million in hazardous work (International Labor Organization).
Let’s read Micah’s message with these statistics in mind.
But you rise up against my people as an enemy;
you strip the robe from the peaceful,
from those who pass by trustingly
with no thought of war.
The women of my people you drive out
from their pleasant houses;
from their young children you take away
my glory forever. (Micah 2.8-9)
Questions:
(1) How does this passage challenge us to address issues of social injustice, particularly regarding the treatment of marginalized or vulnerable populations?
(2) Do our prayers and concerns about these issues rival that of our interest in the Kansas Chiefs reaching the Super Bowl again?
False Promises
The gods of Israel’s neighbors required no ethical behavior. Sinful and oppressive actions were acceptable as long as people gave the appropriate sacrifices to the gods.
Micah and the other prophets clashed with this view. While the people wanted health and wealth preachers, the prophets proclaimed a message of accountability.
Arise and go,
for this is no place to rest,
because of uncleanness that destroys
with a violent destruction.
If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods,
saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
such a one would be the preacher for this people! (Micah 2.10-11)
The prophets should challenge our assumptions. At the very least, we should prayerfully consider their message and question our attitudes and actions.
(1) How does Micah’s message help us evaluate the integrity and ethics of our political and religious leaders?
(2) In what ways do our practices clash with the values espoused by Micah?
(3) How might Micah’s words inspire action against societal ills that are often ignored for the sake of personal comfort or convenience?
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 