The Good ‘Ole Days?


Micah 7:1-7
1Woe 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.
2The 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.
3Their 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.
4The 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.
5Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;
6for 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.
7But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

This troubling passage could have been written this morning, for they express the feelings of a great many people around the globe, as they have done for millennia. I think that believers have long looked out upon the cultural landscape and despaired of the way people treat one another. Listen to the news for two minutes or read your Facebook feed and you’ll be certain that Micah was writing about today. But he wrote these words 2,700 years ago! People haven’t changed. We can be a difficult bunch to get along with almost all of the time.

But then grace drops into the mix. 7But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. God faithfully upholds us throughout this life. He hears every word and sees every action. There is no un-monitored thought or emotion. He is ever there, holding out our salvation. But as for me, I will look to the Lord.

I’m wired to quickly become weary with the ways of the world. My heart breaks over our ability to hurt one another and hate our neighbor. If my puny sin-filled heart is so easily moved by the ugliness of mankind, imagine how the all-knowing, all-seeing God of the Universe must experience our apostasy; which speaks even louder about His great grace and mercy. He remains ever vigilant about listening to and caring for His beloved children. I am immediately challenged to memorize verse 7. What a marvelous thought to have all day long.

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