I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Micah prophesied against the people of Israel and of Judah. He told them that disaster would come upon them because of their sins. While the disaster would come upon the whole nation, for the sins of the whole nation, the center of those sins was in the political capitals. The idolatry of the people had its center in their political systems. It was the political leaders who had turned the people to sin.
He continued by saying that sorrow awaited those who lay awake at night planning evil. He condemns those who, when they want a piece of land, find a way to seize it. As I read this I thought of the Kelo v. New London Supreme Court ruling of a few years back. This entire passage is an indictment of political leaders who use their power to increase their wealth and that of their cronies. Micah condemns leaders who claim to know right from wrong but, instead of doing what is right, do evil and oppress the people. He continues by condemning those religious leaders who use their prestige to disguise the evil of the political leaders. They promise to help the poor and weak while at the same time taking advantage of them for their own interests. Despite all that they do to bring injustice and oppression to the poor and weak, they believe that they will not be harmed because they believe they are on the side of good.
Micah promises that destruction will come upon such people. He also promises that the day will come when God will gather people from all over the world who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. God will teach them His ways and they will walk in His paths. God will gather the weak, the lame, and the poor. He will mold them together into a strong nation. They will turn their weapons into farm implements. They will not need to prepare for war because God will be their defender and they will serve Him.
This passage describes the opening of six of the seven seals on the scroll. With each of the first four seals a different horseman appears. The first one is given a crown and rides out to conquer the earth. The second one is given a sword and rides out to bring violence throughout the earth. The third horseman carried a scale and rode out to bring famine (and what sounds like severe inflation to me). The fourth horseman rode out to bring painful death to one fourth of the living creatures on the earth. When the fifth seal is opened John sees those who were killed because they served Christ. They called out asking how long until God held the people of earth accountable for their sins. They were given garments of purity and told to wait a short time longer until all had been fulfilled. Then the sixth seal was opened and the sky was rolled up like a scroll and the geographic features of the earth were moved from their places. When this happened the people of earth sought places to hide from God’s pending wrath.
There is much symbolism in this passage, but the key factor for me is that God is in control of all that happens. When a nation or power conquers, it is because God allows and desires it to be so. When violence springs up in one place or another, or even over the entire earth, it is because God has allowed mankind’s sin to yield its fruit. When famine and economic turmoil occur, once more, it is because God has so willed. When death spreads over the earth, it can only happen according to God’s discretion. Those who faithfully strive to serve God in the face of difficulty and persecution will be honoured by God. When God’s time is ripe He will bring about the end of this earth. But nothing happens before God’s time and outside of God’s control. He will care for those who choose to serve Him.
Let us praise the Lord when He calls us to serve Him, even when it is in ways that might seem less than desirable, even when we are called to serve Him on the night shift. God will bless us when we serve Him faithfully and praise Him despite any unpleasant circumstances. I will praise the Lord, even when He calls me to serve Him in difficult situations.
Let us not be ashamed of being viewed as foolish by human standards. Who, but God, has seen all that there is to see. Human wisdom is not to be desired above that of God. It is God alone who created the world. He alone has understanding of how everything works and fits together. Let us seek wisdom from God, not from mere men who do not truly understand.