Micah's Lament
Notes
Transcript
Handout
How should we respond to suffering?
How should we respond to suffering?
None of us like suffering - but it’s a reality of life that we all have to deal with from time to time. Whether it’s death, disease, disordered circumstances, or any other environment in which we suffer - suffering seems to demand a response.
One of the beautiful things about Scripture is that we have grand examples of suffering and how to traverse life’s challenges and flourish.
One of the good resources God gives us in Scripture is lament. We see examples of lament in so many books of the Bible - Job, Psalms, the Gospels, several prophets. There is even an entire book called Lamentations.
We even see it in the book of Micah.
Here, in the closing chapter of Micah’s book, he laments over the condition of Israel/Judah. Micah’s words here help us to see that lament is real and right, that there are good reasons to lament and that there is a resolve that we can have in the midst of our lament. So let’s begin by considering...
The reality and rightness of lament (1)
The reality and rightness of lament (1)
In a society that celebrates polish and refinement and even exaggeration - lament might seem like that last thing that we should do.
What is lament?
Stephen Um defines lament as “a passionate expression of grief and sorrow.” (p. 131)
Mark Vroegop defines lament as “a prayer in pain that leads to trust.” (p. 28)
Biblical lament is more than a verbal or prayerful complaint. It’s more than whining. Lament is a means by which we can respond to situations around us that are distorted from what they should be.
death of a loved one
infertility
loss of a friend
declining cultural moral values
corruption
war
sickness
sin
Micah, along with several other writers in scripture help us to see that lament is real and right.
Woe is me! For I have become
as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
As we’ve seen over the last several months, Micah has been called to the difficult task of pointing out the sin of his people, calling them to repentance, and warning them of the coming discipline from the Lord. As Micah looks back over what he has been called to do and as he surveys the lay of the land, he is worn out - he’s burnt out - he’s exhausted.
He cries out “woe is me” because he has reached His limit. There is no more that he can do - except lament - crying out.
In addition to revealing the reality and rightness of lament, Micah helps us to learn several of...
The reasons to lament (2-6)
The reasons to lament (2-6)
Are there good reasons to lament? Are there bad reasons to lament? I’m sure there are both. In this chapter Micah notes several public reasons for lament. Stephen Um discerns three reasons that Micah laments, noting “they all have two things in common: they are about the good of others and they are about the glory of God.” (p. 134) For Micah, this lament was personal because it had a public impact.
First of all...
The righteous have vanished (2)
The righteous have vanished (2)
The godly has perished from the earth,
and there is no one upright among mankind;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and each hunts the other with a net.
As Micah looks at his society, this nation that was called out by God to be a people that were distinct and different from among the nations of that time, he perceives that godly and upright people have vanished. The righteous are no longer living rightly. Rather than serving the good of humanity, they are serving themselves and (as we have discussed before) taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable.
The Apostle Paul summarized the reality of all humanity by stating.
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
It’s one thing to look at all of humanity, as Paul did, and observe that no one does anything righteous apart from God’s grace. It’s another thing to look at God’s people and make that same observation. While both are worthy of lament, God’s people forsaking God’s values leaves a void of goodness in society that is without replacement.
While Micah observes that the godly are gone, he also notes that...
The leaders are corrupt (3-4)
The leaders are corrupt (3-4)
The very people who should be models of right living and should uphold the standards of justice are modeling wickedness and corruption.
Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
thus they weave it together.
The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
Look at who Micah points out -
the prince (ruler),
the great man (or civic leader/influencer),
the “watchmen” (military or those who are looking out for the good of nation).
It seems like Micah is saying that character counts - and the numbers aren’t adding up for these leaders. The fact that the “best of them” are “briers” is a stinging indictment.
We could probably spend a great deal of time considering the grift, corruption, double-standards, and character of our national leaders. For Micah this was a heart-breaking situation. This was a reason for lament!
Is it for us?
Are we electing leaders who will model the values that lead to a flourishing society? Are we grieved when our leaders game the system for the own gain? I pray that we would lament and would expect more from our leaders. Israel/Judah needed more. We need more from our leaders.
But Micah also lamented because the corruption that was exhibited from the top resulted in the reality that...
The society can’t be trusted (5-6)
The society can’t be trusted (5-6)
Stephen Um suggests that the condition of the culture is tearing at the very fabric of what makes the society work. The family relationships that should provide confidence are undermined. The basic family units of his society had so fallen into disrepair that trust was broken.
Put no trust in a neighbor;
have no confidence in a friend;
guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your arms;
for the son treats the father with contempt,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
He posits his lament in the form of a practical application.
Neighbors - those who live close to us - should have a manner of trust. There should be an expectation that we might have each others backs or at least respect for reach others property.
Friends - should certainly be people we can trust - after all, the people who know you best know your weaknesses and strengths. Part of what makes a friend good is that they will compensate/overlook your shortcomings and respect/honor your strengths. In Micah’s culture, they were taking advantage of shortcomings and hamstringing strengths. With friends like that, who needs enemies?
Family - Micah notes that from spouses to children to in-laws to house-mates - no one could be trusted. He may be speaking in hyperbole, but there must be some truth to that. If everyone is out for their own good, then there is no one looking out for the good of the society or the glory of God!
The people of Israel were called to a higher standard than they were living up to.
As people who have been called out from our sin by Jesus, we too are called to a higher standard. How are we doing? Do our neighbors appreciate that we reside next to them? Can our friends be trusted with our weaknesses or will we be exploited? Can our friends trust us implicitly? Can our family members trust that we will support and encourage them?
A culture works best when it works well at its most basic element - which is part of the reason why we should defend the rights of families and protect the sanctity and I believe the biblical definition of marriage.
While these are the reasons that Micah laments, and we could certainly reflect on these in our own society, Micah communicates for us that it is completely appropriate to lament over...
The personal presence of sin (9)
The personal presence of sin (9)
While we are focusing on verses 1-7 this morning, there is a bit of this theme of lament that carries into the later parts of this chapter. Look at what Micah communicates in verse 9.
I will bear the indignation of the Lord
because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall look upon his vindication.
Micah is careful and clear to admit that he is not perfect. He has his own flaws and shortcoming. He admits that he is willing to be disciplined for his own failures.
He is not alone in his personal lament.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
In some ways, it’s easy for us to look at the culture at large or at each other and point fingers - all the while forgetting that we deserve discipline from the Lord as well.
When we lament over our own sin and clearly recognize our own failures, we can then show a bit of grace and mercy to others around us.
While Micah demonstrates lament over public issues and even his personal failures, elsewhere in Scripture we learn that we can lament in...
The painful circumstances of life
The painful circumstances of life
Stephen Um notes that roughly 40% of Psalms are laments (p. 132). Whether it’s death, sin, war, sickness, national crises or any number of other trials that we may face - the Psalmists model for us how to lament - how to pray from pain in a way that leads to trust.
In his book Dark Clouds Deep Mercy, Mark Vroegop shares his personal journey in learning to lament.
2004 - his wife was pregnant with their 4th child
she was awake most of the night near the end of her pregnancy because something wasn’t right
No movement could be felt
Months of anticipation were met with the undifferentiated white noise of an ultrasound machine - no heartbeat- their daughter Sylvia - only a few days away from being full-term, would not live to see the light of day.
In the days the followed, Mark’s wife Sarah had to endure the grueling pain of childbirth - knowing that Sylvia would not breath, her eyes would not open, her voice would not cry out.
Mark stated that he learned in the days and weeks to follow to cry out to the Lord with great “candor”. He learned that scripture actually gave words to his emotions as he wrestled with God.
Lament is a God-ordained means of us expressing our frustration with life’s circumstances.
However, as I said before, there is something more to lament than simply complaining. Micah demonstrates that extra element to biblical lament in verse 7 as he shows us...
The resolve of lament - hope in God (7)
The resolve of lament - hope in God (7)
We may cry out to God regarding the sin of our culture, the corruption of our leaders, or the pain of our circumstances - but there is a sense in which lament leaves us to resolve - we resolve to hope in God. We resolve to continue to commune with God - to stay in relationship with him. To trust that God is sovereign and in control. That God is aware of the pain, the sin, the crap of life.
But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
Micah turns his lament on one little word “but.” In turning to God he resolves to do three things.
First of all, to...
Look to the Lord
Look to the Lord
He’s not looking into himself - he knows that he will fail. He’s certainly not looking to the society - he recognizes that they seem to be worse off than he is. He’s lifting his gaze to the Lord.
There is a beautiful Psalm of Ascents that illustrates this look to the Lord.
A Song of Ascents.
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
In our pain, are we looking to God? Are we lifting our spiritual eyes of hope to his divine plan, or are we looking to the temporal circumstances of life around us?
Things may not change immediately, but looking to God acknowledges that he is at work.
As a result of looking to the Lord, Micah demonstrates secondly how we can...
Wait on God
Wait on God
We get to wait on God’s perfect timing - to bring salvation, to bring healing, resolution, forgiveness, etc.
So often our knee-jerk reaction is to cry out to God, beg for him to work, and then take it from his hands and do it ourselves.
Waiting on God requires humility. Peter gives us a beautiful illustration and instruction in this.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Notice that he uses the word “Casting” - in Greek it literally means “to throw upon.” This is not like our casting a line - like in fly fishing. That kind of cast keeps bringing it back. It’s more like a toss or a throw. We’re taking our care/concern/lament and tossing it to God - waiting for him to do something with it.
While we’re waiting, we get to express, finally, ...
Trust that God hears you
Trust that God hears you
Micah knows that God will hear us! He has walked with God enough to know that He is faithful even in life’s most daunting situations. He will act in his perfect time.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
I know that it may not always feel like our prayers are being heard. Keep praying, keep crying out, keep lamenting, keep talking to God.
If you feel like you don’t have words, go to the Psalms and let those sacred texts guide and inform your prayers.
(Psalm 7 - if time allows)
Conclusion
Conclusion
One of the most beautiful ways that we get to see this idea of lament and hope work together is in our salvation. You see, we get to come to the Lord with a healthy view of our fallenness and sinfulness. We get to some repenting of our sin, looking to him for our relief from the just punishment of our sin, casting our worries about our sin on the cross of Jesus Christ. He gives us eternal life and hope. He forgives us of our sinful failings and invites us to walk with him. Have you trusted in Jesus’ finished work on the cross?
In the difficult circumstances of life - let learn to lament...
it’s ok to lament - real and right
there are more than enough reasons to lament, but in that
let’s resolve to walk with God - looking, waiting, and trusting - recognizing that God has given us each other as well. You are not alone in suffering. You don’t need to lament alone.
Let’s pray.
Memory verse: Micah 7:7 “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
Discussion questions:
How would you define lament?
Why is lament valuable in our lives?
Are you making time to lament? If so, what are you lamenting over (personal or public reasons)?
How does hope in the midst of lament manifest itself in looking, waiting, and trusting?
Benediction
Benediction
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
References:
Prior, David. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Joel, Micah & Habakkuk. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1998.
Um, Stephen. Micah for You. The Good Book Company, 2018.
Vroegop, Mark. Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the grace of lament. Crossway, Wheaton, IL. 2019.
Waltke, Bruce K. “Micah.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 822–833. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/micah/
https://bibleproject.com/explore/category/how-to-read-biblical-poetry/
ESV Study Bible