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Micah 5:2-5a - Lectionary for Advent 4C

12/18/2018

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12/18/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

The Bible paints a fascinating picture of God’s power at work. The creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all, the one who is all-powerful, is also the one who works in humility. Actually, if we think about it, humility gives an honest assessment of one’s character and qualifications. It would be perfectly humble for God to spend all eternity proclaiming his greatness and destroying everything that doesn’t correspond to him. But that isn’t at all how the Lord uses his power.

In our Old Testament passage from Micah 5 we see that God’s kingdom is unassuming. The little  town of Bethlehem, one of the lesser places in Judah, is the place where the ruler identified in ancient times would arise. I’ve heard Bethlehem referred to as “a wide place in the road where the bus doesn’t stop unless you flag it down.” A quick check of census data shows that it’s around 20,000 people, which, in my reckoning is more than a wide place in the road. But it’s not that large, and wasn’t very large in the time of Christ’s birth. It could easily be seen as a place of obscurity, making the coming ruler someone from very humble surroundings. Yet this is the ruler who, in Micah 5:2, had an origin from antiquity.

God’s plan often seems obscure to us. It often seems delayed. If God had planned to raise up a redeemer, why did he wait? What was going on? The fact is, we don’t know. People have often speculated, but it’s just speculation. The Scripture doesn’t say, though in Paul’s letter to the Galatians it says that the birth of Christ was at just the right time.

In his time, God gathers his people together. The shepherd who seemed idle was actually at work (v. 4). Everything was moving along just fine. Like a flock of sheep under the care of a good shepherd, God’s people are secure, even if the shepherd doesn’t seem to be doing anything. His greatness protects them even from enemies such as the Assyrians, mentioned in verse five.

In the face of fearful enemies, God is able to care for his flock. Again, Micah uses the language of a shepherd getting to work, thoguh here in verse five it is seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. These may seem like insignificant forces, especially against an opponent like the Assyrians. But once again, God’s care for his people arises from humble surroundings.

Micah tells us that God is able to take care of his people. This is great good news. Though he may not seem to be busy, we can trust that the almighty Lord is on the job and that his people will be just fine.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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God Preserves a Remnant

7/10/2018

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Tuesdays are for the Old Testament
7/10/18

Lessing, R. Reed & Andrew E. Steinmann. Prepare the Way of the Lord: An Introduction to the Old Testament. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2014. Chapter 33, “Micah” pp. 497-506.

Lessing opens this chapter by observing that Micah is often overshadowed by Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah, all from the same time period (Lessing 2014, 497). However, Micah contains some very well-known passages.

Micah is not known for his parentage but for his hometown, near Gath. Micah made much of his rural background but defended his role as a genuine prophet (Lessing 2014, 497).

The frequent restoration passages in Micah have suggested to some that Micah was a post-exilic compilation. Lessing affirms the possibility of predictive prophecy, so doesn’t have a problem with unity of composition prior to the events (Lessing 2014, 498).

Micah basically divides into three parts: chapters 1-3, 4-5, and 6-7. The ideas generally flow from judgment to forgiveness (Lessing 2014, 498). The work of Micah was between 751 and 687 B.C. There are addresses about both Samaria and Jerusalem (Lessing 2014, 500). This time was characterized by economic and military turmoil. The rising power of Assyria along with demographic shifts caused considerable cultural confusion.

Micah’s prophecies give an important role to the idea of a remnant (Lessing 2014, 501). God always plans and succeeds in saving some people for himself. The theme of disaster is also prominent (Lessing 2014, 502). God’s control of the world extends to his bringing disaster, if needed, to resolve a conflict. Christ is pictured in the new David coming to rule Israel (Lessing 2014, 503). He is both gentle and mighty. He is the one who works peace and brings light out of darkness. By his power he confronts sin. As the merciful Lord he will lead his people out of sin.

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Micah 3:5-12 - Lectionary for Pentecost 22A

10/31/2017

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10/31/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

It’s popular in some circles to “speak truth to power.” The clause is usually taken to indicate that those in power do not have the truth. They need to be confronted and, ultimately, replaced. It also usually indicates that the person or organization which approaches “the establishment” in a strident and forceful manner is, by definition, speaking the truth.

Micah 3:5-12 speaks truth to power, but it does it in a different way. Here, God’s prophet conveys the word of the Lord against other prophets. Some were making prophecies of peace for their friends but of destruction against those who didn’t provide them with whatever they wanted. God’s message for those false prophets is that they will find God doesn’t do what they predict.

God calls his people to righteousness and justice. Yet we must realize that it is the Lord who defines what that looks like. He is the one who is able to define sin. He is also the one who is able to forgive sin and restore his people.

What happens when we really speak truth to power? If it is the real truth, it should lead to repentance. There’s no need for the power to collapse. It can be reformed. And all change will come from the work of God, not from our forceful personality.

May the Lord correct those who are in error. May he establish justice and peace.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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Micah 6:1-8 - Lectionary for Epiphany 4 A

1/24/2017

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1/24/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament reading for this week is Micah 6:1-8. In this reading, God accuses his people of neglecting him. He asks what has gone wrong. Has he been wearisome? Has he offended them? It isn’t uncommon for people to act as if they despise God. Why is this? History, as God reminds his people in this passage, shows that God is the one who rescues his people. When they are enslaved he redeems them from slavery. When they don’t know where to go or what to do he raises up prophets. He has created a sacrificial system so they can be forgiven of their sin. When they ignore God and reject him, he still guards them and draws them back to himself.

What is the response God desires? Should we give great offerings, burnt offerings, rich gifts? Thousands of rams? Rivers of oil, a precious offering? Do we give our children? That is what the false gods require.

Rather than those offerings, here is what God requires. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk in humility. Sadly, history has shown that these are not in our natural vocabulary. We want to define justice. We want to love kindness or mercy, but really just our own, as we have defined it. We want to walk humbly as long as everyone else recognizes it.

It would be easier for us to make the precious offerings described in verse seven than to actually meet the demands of verse eight. Our sinful state prevents us. It is nothing God has done. It is our doing. The prophecy of Micah declares us guilty.

What is the cure for that guilt? God has given us that as well. He gave his Son, God the Son, true man and true God, to die in our place, taking our guilt upon himself. Our response is to look to the righteousness of Christ, to do the justice he does, to love his mercy, and to see that we are not God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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    About Throwing Inkwells

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