Take two in the Morning: Micah 2, Proverbs 25

Micah 2 is basically the prophesy of Micah against the people. In vv.1-2, he statet that the people had become so wicked that they were consumed with it. They would plan their next evil deed even before they arose from bed. What was their evil? They had become consumed with material prosperity and were exploiting the poor in order to become more wealthy.

Some may call this "good business." They did. Yet their consumption with material things led to their placing trust in things rather than God.

In vv. 3-5, Micah prophesies about the coming judgment they should expect. He is forcasting that the Assyrians will come in and totally overtake them and then mock and taunt them. All that they had come to possess and trust in...would be taken from them by force.

In v.6-7, Micah notes that the people were telling him to stop saying these things. They were put out with the message and assumed that the messenger must be wrong. Now don't miss this. Many people today get "put out" with the message and choose to find a different messenger or seek to change the message...even before examining the how and why of the message they received. Micah tells them in v.7 (New Living Translation), "Should you talk that way, O family of Israel? Will the Lord’s Spirit have patience with such behavior? If you would do what is right,
you would find my words comforting." In other words: Don't seek to change the message, but align your life with its truth. If the message is convicting, don't look for a less convicting message, but seek to address the conviction itself. That is Micah's point. If you are in the will of God, these words are not convicting but comforting.

In vv.8-10 he notes that rather than listen, the people rebelled all the more. Then in vv.11, he says that what the people want is a prophet to preach on the joy of getting drunk. In other words, not a prophet of truth, but a chaplain of comfort. (See 2 Tim 4:1-5 for more on this from the Apostle Paul).

In vv.12-13, Micah tells the people that the calamity to come would not be the end. He tells them that one day their bondage will be over and they will again experience blessings. This should remind us that God is not into punishment for the sake of punishment. Discipline has as its goal "reconciliation and restoration."

Proverbs 25:4 is the takeaway today. "Take away the dross from the silver and there comes out a vessel for the smith." The only way to purify silver and remove its dross is to heat it to a perfect temperature where the impurities come to the surface so the silversmith can remove them. Often times, we want to complain about the heat when in fact, we should give thanks for the purifying work that makes us suitable vessels.