Proper 24 (OTA)

Micah 7:1-13
1 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.
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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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;
6 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.
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.
8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.
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.
10 Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
now she will be trampled down
like the mire of the streets.
11 A day for the building of your walls!
In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you,
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their deeds.
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Mic 7:1-13). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

I am reminded of the fact that Joshua stood up and said, "And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." But here the house is no longer united. The people of your own house are turned in different directions.

There are no longer any righteous people or godly people upon the earth. Everything has turned evil. There is even the illustration of the Fall found in "The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge." People are lying in wait for blood or to kill people. These people are not ripe figs or even good fruit. Therefore, woe is the proper introduction to this text.

There will be a time of judgment. The LORD will have his vindication. The LORD will trample down these people. But his enemies rise up against him. "Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me." The LORD is our light and our salvation. The nation will fall but it shall rise again. Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus Christ Rose from the Dead. He is the Light of the World for all those sitting in darkness.

The Earth will be desolate because their deeds were evil. People put their trust and strength in themselves and their military. But our trust should be in God. As for you maybe not your entire household even, trust in the LORD the Light of the World and giver of Life.