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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy
word.
“Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil
on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their
power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They
defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance.”
“Therefore, the Lord says: ‘I am planning disaster
against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer
walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. In that day, people will
ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: “We are utterly
ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns
our fields to traitors.”’ Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the
Lord to divide the land by lot.”
Micah 2:1-5
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks
be to God.
One of the primary sins committed against God by the
people of Israel was the worshiping of false gods and idols. This was done
willingly and willfully even though God had clearly commanded to have no other
gods before Him.
This sinfulness would have been enough in its own right
to bring God’s judgment but as we read the opening verses of Micah, Chapter 2,
we find the Lord pinpointing another major transgression, one that will also
lead Him to act. Look again at these words:
“Woe to those who
plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they
carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize
them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob
them of their inheritance.”
“Therefore, the Lord
says: ‘I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save
yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day, people will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful
song: “We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it
from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.”’ Therefore you will have no one in
the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by lot.” Micah 2:1-5
The main issue at hand here is the matter of the rich
taking advantage of the poor. As we can see in the scriptures, this most often
happened in the form of land grabbing, the rich coveting fields and homes that
were not their own and then robbing or defrauding the less fortunate to take
them. Given that land was often the most valuable thing someone would own and
usually passed down from generation to generation, the stealing of land from
the needy sometimes removed their inheritance as well.
Remember how God had commanded His people to have no
others gods before Him. Well, you may remember He also demanded the following:
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything
that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17
There was a reason God ordered His people not to covet
for when they did, it would lead to illicit, wicked behavior.
Obviously, the rich didn’t get the memo or perhaps
thought their stature and prominence put them above the law and maybe even
above the Lord. After all, their behavior wasn’t exactly showing obedience or
respect to what God had told them to do.
Well, as we have seen over and over again in the
scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments, there are negative consequences
for one’s negative actions. Or in other words, there is always a price to be
paid for sin. Here’s what the rich could expect to happen in response to their
iniquities as God thwarted their evil plans:
“Therefore, the Lord
says: ‘I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save
yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day, people will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful
song: “We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it
from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.”’ Therefore you will have no one in
the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by lot.”
Note here that the rich could do nothing to save
themselves from God’s judgment. They may have had a lot of wealth but no dollar
amount would ever be enough to pay God off and stop His punishment. Disaster
was on its way and the once high and mighty of the affluent Israelite upper
class were about to take a fall, no longer able to walk with pride in their
time of calamity, the time they were squarely in the crosshairs of God’s
consequences. Those who had always garnered esteem because of their treasures
would now be reduced to laughingstocks as they were utterly ruined, ridiculed
and taunted by the general public.
There’s a couple of important lessons for all of us in
this passage today.
First, the Lord says what He means and means what He
says. When He gives a command, we have no other option but to obey it fully
without compromise. Had the rich done that, then they would have never coveted
in the first place and thus would have avoided sin.
Second, the Lord holds a special place in His heart for
anyone who might be considered the lower class in any society, expecting that the
needy will never be abused or exploited but rather be looked after and cared
for. Mistreat someone less fortunate and you’ll have to answer to God for it.
In the end translation, when we plot against others to
bring them harm in some way, we need to remember that God sees every moment we
spend scheming. Nothing is done outside of His sight. We need to remember as
well that God will send judgment on anyone who thinks they are going to get
away with exploiting someone less fortunate.
For He always has a way of thwarting plots when they are
based in sin. There’s no use even trying.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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