Through the Hollow pt2

So I mentioned last week that the sickness and corruption of sin had made its way all the way into the hearts of both nations- Judah and Israel. And that the seat of government in both places had been fully consumed by this idolatry.

What does it look like for a nation to be ill? And how do God’s people respond when the nation they inhabit is so corrupted?

That’s Micah 2. So this morning we are going to dive into this pit of despair and look for signs of hope in the midst of desolation.

So the conditions are laid out really clearly in verse 1. Evil is the order of the day.

People go to sleep dreaming about how to be evil and then wake up the next morning and execute on their dream the next day.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (3) Woe to Wealthy and Oppressive Land-Grabbers (2:1–5)

The wealthy oppressors were so filled with greed that they were plotting their next move even before they got out of bed in the morning (something the Lord hates, according to

I think we see some of that in our day and time as well. I know there is nothing new under the sun, but it sure seems like we keep finding new ways to corrupt people’s souls and entice them into the bondage of sin every day.

The past decade we have seen huge increases in the number of people addicted to gambling and pornography. We have seen massive scandals revealing the depths of human trafficking for horrendous purposes.

We have seen the growth of live streaming leading the glorification of death to the point of live streaming suicides and murders.

The crisis of drug overdose, homelessness, financial malfeasance…I could go on and on.

And that does not even mention what has occurred in the church and in organizations claiming to be Christian.

And I do sometimes wonder if the growth of all of this is actually growth or if it is coming to light because of how connected we all are or if it is just more and more acceptable.

Truly don’t know.

But in Micah’s day it was just the norm. And I make that statement because of verse 2 and verses 8-9.

What was being done was being done in broad daylight.

People were being robbed and abused. Children were being exploited and discarded. And it went on unopposed.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (3) Woe to Wealthy and Oppressive Land-Grabbers (2:1–5)

So they take a poor victim’s inheritance (family land handed down from ancestors). According to covenant law, land was supposed to remain in the family. Ultimately it belonged to the covenant Lord (

We see that today in our country. We see evil and call it good. People celebrate if people they do not like or who are different from them are hurt or maligned.

The people of Micah’s time, like ours, had lost the Imago Dei. They saw some people as less valuable than others.

The powerful hurt the powerless just because they can get away with it.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (4) The Wealthy Wicked and Their False Prophets versus Micah and His God (2:6–11)

First, he charges them with attacking innocent passers-by as if they were enemies—“the powerless are the prey of the powerful.”

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (4) The Wealthy Wicked and Their False Prophets versus Micah and His God (2:6–11)

the Lord charges the oppressors with dispossessing women of their pleasant homes (cf. v. 2). The women may have been widows; if so, the homes would be the ones they inherited from their husbands. Widows were especially vulnerable to exploitation (cf.

We have seen that in the last decade. Immigrants, the poor, the helpless, the marginalized, the addict, the powerless…all pushed to the side.

Some vivid examples from our own state

the demolition of homeless camps in Tulsa and Norman this week

the attempts to cut Medicaid expansion in this recent session of the OK Congress

random sweeps in southwest OKC targeting people who speak Spanish- regardless of immigration status

Those have all occurred in the last 6 months.

And they have been spurred on with no regard for or feedback from any of those communities. That’s abuse of power.

There is a difference between enforcement of laws- which is necessary and biblical- and the manipulation of public opinion to condone actions for the benefit of a few. That’s evil. And that is what is happening in Micah.

What is quite frightening in Micah is not just what is happening, but who is advocating for and defending these actions.

Look at verses 6-7 and verse 11.

The people of God are not just condoning these things but advocating for them in their preaching- to such an extent that the assembly is fully corrupted. The preachers are preaching lies.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (4) The Wealthy Wicked and Their False Prophets versus Micah and His God (2:6–11)

All judgment prophecy is rejected by these charlatans. “Their” refers to the wealthy, oppressive land-grabbers of vv. 1–5, who support such prophets. Many of the same greedy oppressors had attempted to silence Amos and Isaiah (

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (4) The Wealthy Wicked and Their False Prophets versus Micah and His God (2:6–11)

Here such a prophet is called a liar and deceiver, obviously because he does not tell the truth and so leads others astray. His message is one of peace and prosperity (“plenty of wine and beer”).75 The sinful, covenant-breaking people deserve that kind of prophet

Basically God says- you have lied about Me and so all you want are preachers to tell you lies about what you are doing. So I am giving you over to them.

Look church, preaching and teaching scripture is a sacred trust. Everyone who endeavors to do it should do so with fear and trembling- because judgment comes for those who misuse the word of God for their own ends.

I am nervous every time I preach- not because I have not prepared, but because I know I am accountable for every word. And I can’t take them back or correct them easily.

Yet we live in a day where too many people don’t walk in that fear.

Just this last week I came across the following:

“When ‘love thy neighbor’ was written, your neighbors were likely extended family members, or people your family had known for generations. Not some random Africans or Indians that got airdropped into Ohio last week.”

I had to read it 2x to make sure it was not satire. That’s literal heresy.

And that flies around all over the place.

Look I am going to be fully transparent with you. I know there is a movement in our country that is spending a lot of money trying to sell us on the idea of a Christianization of America. And that movement wants us to be angry and afraid so we won’t ask questions.

There is an equal and opposite movement that is spending a lot of money to sell us on the idea of a nation where everything up to personal choice and no one should be held accountable for their actions unless that action is saying something is bad or wrong in which case that person should be cancelled and barred from polite society. And that movement also wants us to be angry and afraid so we won’t ask questions.

And both groups have people in them who say Jesus is on their side.

I want us to be angry that Jesus has been turned into a mascot to be used a political tool to elect people who don’t know Him or follow Him so they can get rich and enforce their version of Christianity- completely divorced from a coherent view of Scripture- on the masses.

Because as I can tell that’s what makes God angry. And I want to be on His side instead of claiming He is on mine.

That is what is happening in Micah and that is what we see happening far too often today.

And God, in Micah, has had enough.

Look at verses 3-5, and 10.

God is going to hold the people who have led the nations to this point to account.

He does the following:

Strips them of power

Brings disaster on them

Makes them a mockery

Gives their portion to their enemies

Leaves them with no inheritance

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (3) Woe to Wealthy and Oppressive Land-Grabbers (2:1–5)

In v. 1 the oppressing classes ruined others; now the tables are turned. Their enemies will divide up their land. The Lord will take it away from the scheming land-grabbers in Israel. He will give their fields to the treacherous Assyrians (see

Verse 10 is the worst pronouncement of all:

There is no place to rest.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (4) The Wealthy Wicked and Their False Prophets versus Micah and His God (2:6–11)

They are to go away into exile. Their wrongfully acquired land will no longer be their secure resting place and possession. The reason given is that they defiled it with their sins and ruined it beyond all remedy. Nothing but exile awaits.

The rest of God is the solace of His presence. God withdraws His protection from them and allows them to be utterly, and fully decimated.

Except for one group. The remnant.

Look at verses 12-13

God protects His people. He has them together and defended

sheepfold

pasture

And in due time they advance to retake what was God’s with Him at their head.

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah 2. The Restoration of a Remnant (2:12–13)

Although his people may be reduced to a remnant in exile, in the future they will be restored and will become a great throng.

God allows a season of disaster to cleanse the nation so His people can be unleashed to restore it.

And I will be honest. I fear we may be in that season. And I do not say that lightly.

Which is all the more reason we need to be diligent about sharing the good news of Jesus, living consistently with scripture, gathering together to worship and learn and encourage one another, and praying like we never have before.

Our world needs truth and hope like in no time I in my lifetime (and I am for sure historically there have been other times worse than this, but I am responsible for this one)

And only people who know and follow Jesus can share it with them.