By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
I am about to conclude my study of the Book of Micah which I have been focusing on for a number of weeks now.
I was deeply captivated by the passage of Micah 7:1-7 which is currently my passage of study. As I scanned through the poetic literature in this passage, I couldn't help but notice a growing similarity between the ills in the society of Micah's day and those of our contemporary society.
ABOUT MICAH
Micah was a pre-exilic minor prophet of Judah. Bible scholars say that he prophesied between 727 – 696 BC, about a century before the fall of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. He may therefore have witnessed the fall of Samaria (Northern Kingdom) to Sargon II in 722 BC and the invasion of Judah in 701 BC by Senacherib.
Micah spoke about the coming judgment on Judah and condemned the idolatry that was prevalent in his society. He also spoke of God's mercy through the coming of the Messiah (5:2-5). He proclaimed God's restoration and forgiveness for His people (7:8-20). God would therefore preserve His faithful remnant.
Micah’s contemporaries were Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and Jeremiah.
PASSAGE ANALYSIS
In Micah 7:1-7, Micah presents a picture of a society gone riot. Law and order was broken down; greed and dishonesty reigned among the ruling class and justice was open to the highest bidder, so to speak.
Micah laments in deep sorrow about the moral decay in Jerusalem. Here is the specific picture captured in Scripture. For the purpose of this reflection, I have structured it along five parts below:
A) The poor were neglected. The society was so insensitive to the plight of the vulnerable among the people that gleaning left overs during harvest was impossible. (7:1-2). This is a sharp contrast to the picture presented in Ruth 2:5-20 concerning Boaz's kindness to Ruth, a destitute Moabite woman.
B) The righteous were scarce. It appears that the faithful were persecuted and many may have perished because of their convictions against evils in the society (7:3). The other possible scenario is that the society was so given to evil that even the righteous fell into the corrupt system. This is perhaps a stronger possibility. No one spoke the mind of God or condemned evil which was now a lifestyle in the society. Perhaps only an insignificant remnant of faithful people (including the prophet) could be found in Judah.
C) Wickedness had pervaded the society and had become a way of life. People were senselessly murdered and possibly robbed. Others were betrayed even by people who were closely related to them (7:2-3).
D) Corruption was so rampant among the ruling class that it was an open secret. The justice system was rotten to the core. Injustice was systemic and endemic. The mighty outdid one another in corrupt schemes! (7:3-4).
E) The passage concludes with a prophetic exhortation to faithfulness. The prophet warns those who have ears to hear to exercise wisdom in dealing with the despicable circumstances.
What should the righteous do in the face of this scale of wickedness?
They should not trust people without exercising their prudence. Even the closest friend may turn out to be an enemy on a mission to betray the righteous. The faithful are to be candid about what they disclose to others for the sake of their safety (7:5-6). There was a siege mentality against the righteous.
The fact that members of a family could betray one another is evidence of a rotten society whose moral bonds were broken by wickedness.
Is it possible that the regime of Micah's day may have turned into a police state of sorts? There may have been vigilantes who turn in those who oppose the policies of the ruling elite or questioned the moral excesses of the society.
F) The message of hope. The prophet concludes the passage by placing his hope in God. He proclaims "Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me" (7:7).
This is an encouraging conclusion to a sad tale of a depraved society. Yes, no matter what prevails around us, those who know the LORD shall wax strong in their life of obedience. God will preserve them for His divine purposes.
Yes, God hears His remnant who call on Him in truth. He knows them by their names. He will spare them (cf. Malachi 3:16-18)
The Bible warns in 2 Timothy 2:19 "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
May we therefore remain standing in the midst of the growing wickedness in our society.
This warning was possibly meant for the few faithful remnant in Micah's day who may have rejected the evil system and suffered for their convictions.
CONCLUSION
Having studied this passage, I can identify several moral applications that are relevant to our society of context.
The world is increasingly becoming wicked and ungodly. The poor and downtrodden are at the mercy of the powerful ruling elite who abuse their positions of authority for personal gain and perpetuate acts of impunity.
The fear of God is no longer evident in our heavily secularized society where skepticism about religion is widely embraced.
Those who stand out against the excesses of our society are often persecuted or humiliated. It is therefore easy for godly people to be tempted to look the other way in circumstances that their voices should be heard.
Some would readily argue that it is inappropriate to stand out for others because such actions come at a price.
Corruption is so common nowadays that a traffic police officer collects bribes from a motorist in full view of his passengers or passers-by!
On the issue of justice, powerful elites are hardly convicted of crimes, thanks to a corrupt judicial system. A recent judicial ruling on a corruption case touching on some members of the political class sent shivers down the spines of elites in Kenya.
This was a rare one of its kind.
How should Christians respond to these vices of society? Is it enough to keep off? Should we speak out on societal ills or will that attract the social justice movement tags?
Allow me to conclude with a famous quote by Pastor Martin Niemoller, a German Holocaust survivor:
"First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out for I was not a socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out for I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews and did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."
Think about that....
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
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