Month: January 2022 (Page 3 of 4)

The prophet Micah lived in a time when both Israel and Judah were “characterized by moral and religious corruption, social oppression, political intrigue, economic injustice, personal vice, deception and treachery’ (NLT Study Bible).  During his lifetime, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire (722 BC) and the southern kingdom of Judah came close to the same (701 BC).  God allowed this because of the ungodliness of people who presumed upon the Lord’s goodness: “Yet they claim to trust the Lord and say, ‘The Lord is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!” (2:11 NET).   

Micah “paints a terrible picture of the decay of ordinary justice, the abuse of power by the courts’ judges, and the prevalence of bribery…lust for money has invaded the religious sphere and priest and prophet have grown accustomed to favoring the rich and brow-beating the poor…He sees the evils of society not only as the heartless exploitation of the weak by the strong, but a failure to grasp the meaning of true religion” ( J.B. Phillips). 

In Chapter 7, Micah grieves over society’s decadence.  Looking for the godly was like looking for fruit after the harvest had already ended: “…There is no grape cluster to eat and no fresh figs that my stomach craves” (7:1 NET).  As he walked through the city, he grieved that he could not find an honest person anywhere: “What misery is mine” (7:1).  Wickedness had become widespread, with the whole fabric of life seeming to unravel. The people were without law, justice, and righteousness. 

People took advantage of each other, creating an adversarial culture that lacked trust. “Faithful men have disappeared from the land; there are no godly men left.  They all wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt their own brother with a net” (7:2 NET).  With the lack of faithful men, the vacuum left in society invited violence.

Government had become corrupt, to the point where those in authority plotted and maneuvered to satisfy their personal ambitions. “They are experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men announce what they wish, and then they plan it out” (7:3 NET).  They were basically crooked: “The best of them is like a thorn; their godly are like a thorn bush” (7:4 NET). 

Micah is fully aware that God was now bringing punishment on the people. “But your judgement day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion” (7:4b NLT). In the midst of all this, Micah gives fair warning concerning relationships. “Do not rely on a friend; do not trust a companion!” (7:5 NET).    

Even worse was the mistrust and conflict in the family. “For a son thinks his father is a fool, a daughter challenges her mother, and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are his own family” (7:6).  Men, can you see how relevant Micah’s words are today, as we witness the decline and fragmentation of civil order and family life? “Where there is no trust or confidence, and when occurrences are multiplied throughout a city and nation, the general situation deteriorates to a frightening degree” (Bible Speaks Today).

In this confusing time, Micah encourages us keep our eyes on the Lord: “But as for me, my eyes look for the Lord.  I will wait for the God who will save me; Yes, my God will deliver me?” (7:7 Phillips).  Men don’t allow the political voices of our day to get your eyes off Jesus. Lead your family daily in discussions of scriptural truth as it relates to the here and now. 

During this past Advent season as my wife and I prepared to welcome Jesus anew into our story, I enjoyed reading many inspiring thoughts of Jesus coming to live among us.  But after reading the following tweet, I must say I was disturbed.  I could not get the one sentence out of my mind. 

On Christmas Eve, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent out the following tweet: “It was the labor movement that brought you the holiday weekend.”  The day before, Sanders had tweeted: “The Democratic Party must once again become the party that stands for the working class in this country.”  To me, this is mixing ideology with religion. 

I have intentionally tried to stay out of politics in this blog, instead taking my stand on “Jesus and His kingdom.”  But Senator Sanders’ quote was just too much for me. The message seems intended to change the narrative of Christmas.  Associating the labor movement with any religious “holy day” seems to warrant outcry – if not at least a good bit of clarification.

When looked at through one lens, this sitting senator seems to imply that the Christmas tradition was brought by the labor movement to a culture starving for some “Good News”.  However, it was the angeI of the Lord who told the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).  I respect the Senator for his courage to foster positive change in our country.  I do not, however, share the view that “the labor movement” is responsible for Christmas. 

First, the senator seems to be total disregarding history. Christmas, which celebrates the birth of God’s only begotten Son by the Virgin Mary has been celebrated for 2,000 years all over the world.  The early labor movement may have played a role in President Grant’s 1870 declaration of Christmas as a federal holiday, but regardless of Grant’s declaration, the birth of Jesus would still be celebrated.  The light might go dim, but it will never go out. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5 NLT).  Certainly not a U.S. Senator’s voice.

Secondly, equating the “labor movement” with Christmas can be perceived as bordering on idolatry.  Could it be that a human construct, which has helped many Americans raise their standard of living, has become a religion for some?  I grew up among iron miners in Northern Michigan.  I see how labor unions have helped struggling families. My people were solidly union.  But Senator Sanders, only the gospel of Jesus Christ can save us.  The elderly Simeon, upon seeing the baby Jesus, proclaimed, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people.” (Luke 2:30-31). 

Thirdly, Christmas (the birth of Christ) really happened. The Creator of the universe sent his Son into the world, to bring all of us together through his death on the cross. Christ’s birth, death and resurrection happened so we could have the peace our world so desperately seeks. “For God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:19).

Finally, our contemporary, secular world will never drown out the music heard throughout the heavens, giving worship and praise to Lord Jesus.  It will go on for all eternity. “To him, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever” (Rev 4:13).