Faith Formation: Micah - Justice, Kindness, humility

A day for building of your walls! On that day the boundary shall be far extended. On that day they will come from Assyria to Egypt and from Egypt to the river, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain. But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their doings. Micah 7:11-13

With Jerusalem's enemies defeated, or at least their purpose as God's tools to bring Israel to repentance and renewal accomplished, the prophets looked to rebuilding and restoration. The people of Israel had been scattered to Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt. During the days of a latter prophet in Isaiah 40-55, Ezra, and Nehemiah many, though not all, made their way back home. It was a day of great hope, and also a traumatic time of evaluating what they had experienced and how they would live into the future. Isaiah 40-55 expressed hope and encouragement. Ezra and Nehemiah dealt with the trauma and uncertainty of those who did not welcome the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Particularly disturbing was the question of what to do with the remnant who had been left behind, who had intermarried with non-Jews. In order to reestablish purity Ezra and Nehemiah cursed them and forced the separation of families. Those who did not separate were ostracized and condemned. The origin of the Samaritans and the animosity towards them by the people may have stemmed from this time.

Any nation having seen decline longs for a return to its golden age. Israel looked back to the ideal age of David and Solomon when their territory and power were at its height. The prophets looked forward to an idealized age when Jerusalem would be the center of the world, nations would stream to it to learn the way of God, and a universal peace would reign between peoples and all creation. The "day" would not be "a day of darkness and gloom" Joel 2:2, or "Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, not light..." Amos 5:18. The "day" the prophet and the people longed for was like the "days to come" when "the mountain of the LORD's temple shall be established as the highest of the mountains ... peoples shall stream to it ... For out of Zion shall go instruction..." Micah 4 It would be a day of peace. The imagery of an extensive kingdom from Assyria to Egypt, sea to sea and mountain to mountain expressed this hope. Such language may have inspired the American hymn, "O Beautiful for Spacious Skies ... from sea to shining sea." Looking back to the great kings the Psalm offered the hopeful prayer, "May he (the king) have dominion from sea to sea and from the River (Tigris, Euphrates, maybe Nile) to the ends of the earth." Psalm 72 The king deserved dominion because of the way he cared for the poor and delivered the needy. Zechariah looked forward to the coming of a king, in what would become a messianic text, whose "dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth." Zechariah 9:9-10

More than a matter of power or dominance though, the "day" was a day of reunion and return of the scattered people. "On that day they will come to you..." It would be a holy time of celebration. We know this hope and joy when families gather from many places for Christmas and Easter or for a baptism or wedding. Religious festivals draw people to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Mecca, and to the Ganges in India. Israel longed for the return of the exiles to renew faith and life together with God.

Israel did not return to a paradise or a perfect welcome. Jerusalem still lay in a heap of rubble needing reconstruction. The land had been resettled by others. The vineyards and olive groves had been unattended. "... the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their doing." Yet as spring follows winter and bare brown earth sprouts new life, hope and joy would inspire the exiles who came home.

Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk humbly with God.

Pastor Tim Bauer