Micah_7

Scripture - What stood out?Micah 7What misery is mine!...2 The faithful have been swept from the land;    not one upright person remains.7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,    I wait for God my Savior;    my God will hear me.Observation - What does it say?

Micah 7 is another moving, powerful and passion filled chapter regarding the nation of Israel at that time. The chapter is divided into 3 sections, the first describing the state of the nation (miserable), the second describing God’s favor on Israel which will lead the nation to rise again, and the third praising God for His character and for what He will do. Understanding - What does it mean?What poetic chapter of the bible. I love reading about the nation of Israel, God’s people, because they are a depiction of all of us today, God’s people. I learned this week that yet another christian hero of mine has fallen from grace, albeit posthumously. So it wasn’t a stretch for me to understand how a nation of God’s people could be filled with “not one upright person” as dramatic as that sounds. It is so hard when we watch Christian leaders fall. Isn’t it? And yet as a once christian nation we are filled with the fallen, leaders and all. Isn’t it so important therefore that we have hope for the Lord? The alternative is to stay in our misery. And while many of us do in fact choose that, I choose to turn to my Savior instead. I choose to hope in  a Lord that hears me. I love how the rest of this chapter takes us up and down this roller coaster ride of emotions: 9 Because I have sinned against him,    I will bear the Lord’s wrath,until he pleads my case    and upholds my cause…18 Who is a God like you,    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression    of the remnant of his inheritance?You do not stay angry forever    but delight to show mercy.20 You will be faithful to Jacob,    and show love to Abraham,as you pledged on oath to our ancestors    in days long ago.Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?Doesn’t our relationship with God seem turbulent?? We are miserable people stuck in our own muck. God is required to discipline us, yet in His desire to show mercy, out of love for us, he pardons our sins. In verse 20 I believe Micah is not reminding God of His oath, he is reminding the rest of Israel. The rest of us. In Genesis 22 God speaks to Abraham, “18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” So here I am, Lord. I am a mixed bag, probably just as bad as the original Israelites were. Help me to not stay stuck in the mire. Continue to remind me of your mercy. Continue to show me your faithfulness, though I am unworthy of it. And continue to bring me into your light in spite of myself. My hope is in you, who pleads my case and upholds my cause. In the name of Jesus do I pray. Amen.-kenneth lee