No Rest for the Wicked

July 5, 2015 Background Scripture: Micah 2 Lesson Passage: Micah 2:4 – 11 As we continue our study of the Minor Prophets, our attention turns to Micah. Like the prophecy of Amos, it is a prophecy that warns of God’s vengeance against those who oppress the least among them. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and prophesied against the capital cities of Samaria and Jerusalem where Israel and Judah’s leadership resided. It should be noted that Micah’s prophecy is a stern warning to those who are God’s people but choose to walk contrary to God’s will. God does not tolerate evil among His people—especially the leaders among them. Those who lead God’s people receive a sterner warning against evil deeds. No truer picture could be painted to show that God’s people are never given a license to sin—nor is sin overlooked indefinitely by God—than the prophecy of Micah. As Micah lays out God’s claims against the wicked, there is a clear reminder that God is omniscient and “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good”. God sees the deeds of the wicked that oppress the poor. God also knows the heart of man and He sees the covetous desires of those who devise plans to take from the poor. Some effects of evil deeds last long after the deeds are done. Future generations may no longer fear the Lord if they believe that the wicked can have their way without fear of repercussions. Men, women, and children were all being oppressed by wicked people who had either wealth or power or both. God was going to remove everyone from their place because the land was being spiritually polluted by the sins of God’s people. They would not be allowed to continue to inhabit the land. God had created the nation from a small family. God had led them out of bondage in Egypt and given them a law to properly govern themselves as His children. Finally, God had given them a fertile land to call their own. But now that they were settled into the land, they were rejecting God’s law that was delivered to them as a framework for governance. They apparently did not know that God’s law and God’s provision were complementary and not intended for one to be accepted and the other rejected. They wanted the land with no strings attached so that they could live in it as they chose to live. They did not consider that God was watching their every deed and He knew their heart’s desire. Since wickedness had replaced righteous living, then the land of promise would no longer be available as a refuge for the people of God. Micah’s prophecy served much like an eviction notice. The terms of occupation had not been kept and therefore the occupants would be removed from the land. The sin of God’s people would lead to their self-destruction. The wicked would no longer be at ease and continue to live as if God did not exist. They would no longer be allowed to rest in the promise land while ignoring the conditions of God’s promises. God’s desire is to walk among His people. However, holiness will not dwell in the midst of evil. God was going to remove the evil from His sight. The wicked would be punished and the poor protected. Robert C. Hudson June 29, 2015