Thought provoking comments from an intro to the book of Micah

Right there in my own Bible I read this starting below.

Micah began his work approximately 750 - 731 B.C.

These were days of unrest, insecurity, and hardship, especially for peasants and villagers. The harassment of the passing armies, which not infrequently overran the small villages and made slaves of their inhabitants, caused a condition of fear. In both Israel and Judah, the rulers,the wealthy, the conniving priests and prophets in the capital cities, feeling secure within strong fortifications, oppressed the poor. The peasants had no protection either from the Assyrians or the "grafters" of their own nation. Micah, championing the cause of the oppressed, fearlessly following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, preached at the risk of his life.

Spiritual Message

Micah had a deep suspicion of the wickedness in the cities. He saw the greed in the hearts of the leaders of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel in eigth century B.C. At the same time, he also saw the growing power of the Assyria and began to meditate on the meanings of the lightning raids of those warlike people into the land of Israel

Micah saw a connection between the wickedness of the leaders of Israel and the threatening military activities of the Assyrians. God was going to use the Assyrians to punish and destroy these wicked people. By the forces of nature and the crises of history, God would bring His judgment on these wicked men. They oppressed the poor, they debauched themselves in sensual pleasures, they flouted the Law with bribes - but God would have the last word. Their religious rituals could not cover the depth of their hypocrisy and sin. (END)

What struck me was that Micah saw a connection between the wickedness of the nation and the increasing raids into the nation by the Assyrians. They weren't two separate and unrelated events in his understanding. The raids into Israel didn't bother Micah as much as the WHY of the raids. And through the crisies of history God would judge what He saw fit to judge. There's a lot of talk these days by this group and that group an this party and that party but I'm wondering what the God the nations is thinking. None of the political parties clamoring for attention and much of the church doesn't seem to factor Him in right now. Its a global crisis but it's only economic etc. We're not ancient Israel but there seem similarities between Micah's day and our own. If Micah's view is a correct godly one it's kind of hard to believe God hasn't overturned much wickedness that He has looked upon in all this present crisis. I know what's going on but WHY. How is the God of the nations involved right now in this crisis of history?

Interesting question/observations. The word of God say that the land will vomit the inhabitants out if they refuse to follow the Lord's Law. I think what we are seeing in all these abnormal weather patterns, tornado s , earth quakes increaasing etc... is just that. It'll come down to a report where Cal had a major earthquake and at the same time the midwest was rocked by a seris of tornado s and the east coastline and southern areas were hit by hurricanes, and that all at once. Science will try to explain it away, you know "globle" warming.

The globle economy? I think that the Lord is just reconing with the people of the earth, his servants, and calling them into accountability. The talents, the coins etc.... No where in the word is it said that God's servants had to be born again christians, as we read thoughs accounts we often times assume that to be the case.

For the first time in history we have a sitting President who has made the claim that America is not a christian nation. That will come to no surprise to any serious thinking person. But he made the statements inorder to appease the nation of Islam and also said that America would never go to war against thoughs nations. Well.... a hook will be set in his jaw and he will find that our nation will do alot that is against his will. There will be many fires to put out here in America, fires out of major natural disasters and the like. The economy being the least of our problems. These are exciting times though, for the committed christian/ the disciple of Jesus Christ. The power of God delights in showing up where there is an open contest betweent two opinions. A good look at the book of Job and the things that satan asked to be placed in his power is insightful, than look at the prophets and see what you think, as you see the things happening in Israel, look also to Amos and see that God has always been involved in the other nations as well as examples from the life of Jonah. The true christian can also bring judgement by shaking off the dust as it were when the message of the gospel is refused. All in all I don't really think the church/christian, really believes thay have any authority in this life to bring God's judgement to bear in thier communities, of course there is alot of heart searchings that first must happen. Anyway enough rambling.....

I see this as far more simple.

What God wants us to do is right and the consequences are good ones.

Sin is doing what we want when we know it is not what God wants. Because it is not what God wants, it carries with it bad consequences.

The prophets were sent to tell Israel, Judah (and sometimes other nations as well e.g. Jonah sent to Ninevah) the inevitable consequences of continuing to do what God did not want them to do (sinning). Sometimes they listened. Sometimes they did not.

We were charged in Genesis to take care of the world God gave us. We have not. Climate Change is an inevitable result of this sin. God did not need to send it. We made it happen ourselves because of greed, selfishness, apathy and lack of love for others in the world (especially those in the majority poor world). It is the inevitable result of our own sin, but it is the innocent in the poorest parts of the world who are suffering the results worst. Likewise the financial problems where greed, avarice and corruption have caused the problem the world now faces. Our sin here is again affecting not just ourselves but those innocent of those sins in the poorest parts of the world.

And of course irrespective of any 'solutions' both will affect generations to come ('sins of the fathers' etc.).

There is certainly no shortage of religious hypocrisy in the world today.

In regard to Islam. Do not believe all that is put out by Muslim Propaganda. Islam is losing ground badly, especially in Africa. This is a quote from an interview with Ahmad Al Katani, a leading muslim cleric about Islam in Africa, 'As to how that happened, well there are now 1.5 million churches whose congregations account for 46 million people. In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity. Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Ever year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity. These numbers are very large indeed …..

I was in Egypt recently and interestingly even poor people tend to have satellite TV and there are a large number of good Christian channels. There is also of course (to a more limited degree) the internet, so it is becoming ever more difficult for Muslims to lie about christianity and its beliefs. Women in particular find the Christian concept of equality far more appealling than their subjection to men under Islam. There are even Christian soap operas on television and all of this of course in Arabic so muslims in other middle eastern countries can both watch and understand.

Satan's time is short so his counterfeit religion will get ever more desperate but God already has the victory!

In the meantime of course we do need to change our ways and to start loving God, loving all of his people (muslims included!) and loving his creation. This will require some very bold changes of direction including taking actions to help the vast majority of people living in abject poverty outside the rich western world. This would have to be sacrificial giving, we in the minority west giving up some of the things we have taken for granted to make the world fairer and better for the majority. I somehow doubt that any of our western leaders are up to it (but you never know!).

Whatever happens we must do the best we can personally for our God as however little that might be, it will somehow be transformed into a part of the new Earth which Christ will one day bring into being.