Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Read Micah 1:1–2:13
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1. What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so.
2. When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance.
3. But this is what the Lord says: “I will reward your evil with evil; you won’t be able to pull your neck out of the noose. You will no longer walk around proudly, for it will be a terrible time.”
4. In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about you: “We are finished, completely ruined! God has confiscated our land, taking it from us. He has given our fields to those who betrayed us.” Micah 2:1-4
When was the last time you lay awake at night eagerly awaiting the next day? Perhaps it was an upcoming fishing trip that you and Dad had been planning for weeks. Or maybe it was Christmas Eve, and you just couldn’t get your mind off the presents, lights, excitement, cookies, and music.
Micah’s prophecies comment on the thoughts for the next day that kept Israelites up at night. But their anticipation involves trips and activities far different from fishing and holiday decorating—theirs were plans for fraud, threats, and violence. That’s why Micah’s prophecies include visions of judgment for both Israel and Judah and messages directed to the kings who could have stopped it.
Today, many people fall prey to the ambitions of the powerful. Some lose their houses, jobs, life savings, and even their lives. Some of these wrongs are protected by the law. But just because the law allows us to do something doesn’t mean that we should do it. Taking away people’s possessions “by fraud and violence” invites God’s judgment.
Never use position or power to take what you want by force. Instead, be content with what God has blessed you with, and rely on him to provide for your needs and fulfill your heart’s desire.
