Micah 3:9-4:5
“For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever” (Micah 4:5). This verse begins with a rather obvious statement, that everyone chooses what god or gods they will serve and ends with a ringing affirmation, that the people of Israel will remain steadfast in their relationship with the God who led their ancestors out of Egypt.
Actually what the prophet Micah says is that all peoples will walk “in the name of” their own god. When I read these words I think of how fans often show support for their favorite teams by wearing jerseys or tee-shirts emblazoned with the team’s logo. Some fans are so dedicated to a team that they become known for that allegiance (and there is no end to the number of teams available to choose from). In sports terms I guess I walk in the name of the San Antonio Spurs or the Tennessee Titans. They are my favorite teams and I show them a certain amount of support and loyalty, I feel a sense of pride when they win games, and I try to keep up with their trades and statistics. But I don’t ever want to be defined on those terms alone. Instead I wish to be known as someone whose primary focus is on “God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth….” I would like to be known as someone who wears God’s jersey, so to speak, and who is attentive to God’s word.
“All the peoples walk, each in the name of its god….” Assuming this is true, whose jersey do we wear? Who do we serve? Who do we follow? If we take the words of Micah seriously there really is no question.
Prayer: O God, may we be devoted in our worship of you and in serving you faithfully. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Showing posts with label Micah 3 and 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Micah 3 and 4. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
"Strange Days Indeed"
Micah 3:9-4:4
Revelation 8:1-13
Luke 10:17-24
In his song “Nobody Told Me,” John Lennon speaks in quirky images about life and all it’s perplexities, referring at one point to “Strange days indeed…most peculiar, Mama.” It’s typical stuff from the former Beatle. Lennon’s words are apt today in light of our three readings. For example, Micah warns his readers that “…Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height” (Micah 3:12). Revelation lists a number of calamities that will strike the earth affecting about one-third of all creation (Revelation 8:7ff). In Luke, Jesus discusses the authority he will give his disciples, “to tread on snakes and scorpions; and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10: 19).
But by far the most wondrous vision comes again from Micah where a new day of peace and prosperity will dawn for God’s people, so great that it will attract the nations and lead them to accept Jesus authority. It lies sometime in the future—“In days to come,” says Micah (Micah 4:1). But it will happen, “for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken “ (4:4). Why the tension between the dire warnings of Revelation, Luke, and the earlier portions of Micah and the promise of peace later in the Micah passage? Probably because both carry a great deal of truth. God’s grace begins with God’s judgment. It always has. Early in the book of Genesis God warns Adam and Eve that to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is to die (Genesis 2:17). When they eat it there are severe consequences, but they do not die. Later in Genesis God repents of creating humanity because of the evil that men and women do. God uses the waters of a mighty flood to “blot out” all people. “But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord” (6:5-8). And on it goes. In sovereignty God holds us accountable for our sins, but in mercy God continues to love and care for us. “In days to come…they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees…” (Micah 4:1, 4). It is by this tension that we know we matter to God, that what we do has meaning to God, that God is keenly interested in what we are about. Calamities may rise and fall, God’s people may struggle against nature and evil, but throughout—and especially in the end––God’s will is done and the earth becomes what it was intended to be.
Prayer: Lord, we live in strange times full of mystery and uncertainty. By your grace us to find our way through all the while praising your holy name. Amen.
Revelation 8:1-13
Luke 10:17-24
In his song “Nobody Told Me,” John Lennon speaks in quirky images about life and all it’s perplexities, referring at one point to “Strange days indeed…most peculiar, Mama.” It’s typical stuff from the former Beatle. Lennon’s words are apt today in light of our three readings. For example, Micah warns his readers that “…Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height” (Micah 3:12). Revelation lists a number of calamities that will strike the earth affecting about one-third of all creation (Revelation 8:7ff). In Luke, Jesus discusses the authority he will give his disciples, “to tread on snakes and scorpions; and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10: 19).
But by far the most wondrous vision comes again from Micah where a new day of peace and prosperity will dawn for God’s people, so great that it will attract the nations and lead them to accept Jesus authority. It lies sometime in the future—“In days to come,” says Micah (Micah 4:1). But it will happen, “for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken “ (4:4). Why the tension between the dire warnings of Revelation, Luke, and the earlier portions of Micah and the promise of peace later in the Micah passage? Probably because both carry a great deal of truth. God’s grace begins with God’s judgment. It always has. Early in the book of Genesis God warns Adam and Eve that to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is to die (Genesis 2:17). When they eat it there are severe consequences, but they do not die. Later in Genesis God repents of creating humanity because of the evil that men and women do. God uses the waters of a mighty flood to “blot out” all people. “But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord” (6:5-8). And on it goes. In sovereignty God holds us accountable for our sins, but in mercy God continues to love and care for us. “In days to come…they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees…” (Micah 4:1, 4). It is by this tension that we know we matter to God, that what we do has meaning to God, that God is keenly interested in what we are about. Calamities may rise and fall, God’s people may struggle against nature and evil, but throughout—and especially in the end––God’s will is done and the earth becomes what it was intended to be.
Prayer: Lord, we live in strange times full of mystery and uncertainty. By your grace us to find our way through all the while praising your holy name. Amen.
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