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

God Will Never Forget

June 28, 2015 Background Scripture: Amos 8 Lesson Passage: Amos 8:1 – 6, 9, 10 Today’s lesson recalls a somber time in the waning days of the northern kingdom of Israel. No longer did the prophecy warn of impending doom if there was no national repentance. The prophecy now is a message of inevitable doom because the nation had gone beyond the point of no return. The Prophet Amos delivered God’s declaration that the nation would fall and never rise again. The northern kingdom would never be reestablished. All of God’s promises would now apply to the southern kingdom of Judah which would become the remnant of God’s covenant people. Israel’s time would be over forever. Their empty worship would be turned into mourning. Finally, the oppression of the poor and needy in Israel would be avenged by God. God vowed that he would never forget the sins against the poor and needy. God champions the cause of those who are marginalized by society’s elite. The wealthy and mighty would now have to contend with God and would not continue to abuse the overmatched masses at the bottom of society. God was going to remove joy and laughter from the land and replace it will mourning and despair. Moreover, Israel was going to experience the worse kind of famine. This would not be a famine for lack of physical food or thirst because of a drought in the land. God was going to withhold His word from them. They would seek Him but would not be able to find Him. They would desire to hear the prophet speak God’s word into their hearing but there would be none. The people would go to great extent seeking the word of God but would not be able to find it. The false prophets would be exposed and rejected. The promises of the false prophets would fail because they were counter to God’s warnings. The fate of the northern kingdom of Israel gives plenty of reasons for one to stop and reflect on the deeper meaning of it all. The northern kingdom initially represented ten of the twelve tribes that were given full allotments of land. The southern kingdom of Judah was primarily made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The tribe of Levi was dispersed in cities among the northern and southern kingdoms as their inheritance under Joshua’s leadership. It is possible that the northern kingdom could represent those who are favored and delivered from worldly situations but who never come to true repentance and conversion. If so, the message is clear that God never forgets sin and if sin is not dealt with and the person reconciled to God, then that person will face eternal punishment. The northern kingdom was not given a second chance after God’s patience had run out. Likewise, there is a day of reckoning for all of mankind. Those who are converted and turn to God will have their sins forgiven but those who refuse to repent or trust in God for salvation will be forever doomed. Sin separates man from God. Only after God removes our sin can we have peace with God. If we refuse to allow God to remove our sin, then our sin will be a testimony against us and God will never forget. Robert C. Hudson June 19, 2015