Faith Formation: Justice, Kindness, humility

Woe to those who devise wickedness and evil deeds on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in their power. They covet fields and seize them, houses and take them away; they oppress householder and house, people and their inheritance. Therefore thus says the LORD: Now, I am devising against this family an evil from which you cannot remove necks, and you shall not walk arrogantly, for it will be an evil time. On that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and wail with bitter lamentation and say, "We are utterly ruined; the LORD alters the inheritance of my people; how he removes it from me! Among my captors he parcels out our fields." Therefore you will have no one in the LORD's assembly to allot you a piece of land. Micah 2:1-5

Micah pronounced "Woe" upon those who exploited the poor, coveting even what little other's possessed. They who were most secure in life, who had the means to increase their lot in life as a leisure activity while reclining on their beds, were condemned to lie in the graves wickedness. In spite of their power and because of their evil they would be forgotten "in the LORD's assembly." At the end of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles their reigns were brief, and they were the first to be carried away into exile. History would not treat them well.

Since they arrogantly devised wickedness and evil, the LORD devised an evil against them. They would find themselves destined to walk away from their palaces under yokes of slavery and shame, exiled never to return. Typical of ancient conquering empires they would be carried away, and "no one remained except the poorest people of the land." The last king in Jerusalem saw experienced the fullness of the "woe." "They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah; they bound him in fetters and took him to Babylon." 2 Kings 25:7

Their captors, or maybe even the oppressed of the land, would sing in mockery of their wicked and now lost power. The sarcasm drips from the taunt. "Boo-hoo for you who cry, 'We are utterly ruined; the LORD alters the inheritance of my people; how he removes it from me! Among my captors he parcels out our fields.' They themselves had tried to alter the inheritance of the people, ruining others for the sake of their own benefit. They lament that "our fields," which they coveted and schemed to acquire were being parceled out, possibly back to the very poor ones from whom they had been taken. Micah would have applauded Mary's Magnificat, "He has brought the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty." Luke 1:52-53 Taunt songs were terrible, filled with ridicule intended to shame. "By the rivers of Babylon - ... our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion." Maybe, finally in Babylon they would feel remorse and lament their failings and long for the way of God they had forsaken. Maybe in Babylon they were learn to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. Micah had no sympathy for the plight of the powerful, the pitiful "woes" of the wealthy.

Perhaps, surprisingly the violation of the poor was because of coveting by those who already possessed the most. Of the Ten Commandments the prohibition of coveting seems minor in comparison to idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, bearing false witness, or dishonoring ones parents. Coveting is not an outward, obvious activity. Rather coveting begins in the heart, mind, soul, and body, and then is put into action. It is want, desire and lust that treats things as mere objects to be possessed or exploited, rather than respect, care and kindness that treat others as people. Luther made two commandments out of these words, whereas other traditions retained them as one commandment. The focus of Micah's lament and accusation concerned property, the very basis of stability and livelihood for people. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. ... Neither shall you covet neighbor's house or field, ..." The Apostle Paul called coveting "idolatry" Colossians 3:5, and "a root of all kinds of evil" 1 Timothy 6:10 Micah called coveting wickedness and evil.

Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk humbly with God.

Pastor Tim Bauer