Archive for the ‘Micah 2’ Category
Above: Swords into Plowshares Statue
Image in the Public Domain
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READING MICAH, PART V
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Micah 4:1-5:1 (Anglican and Protestant)
Micah 4:1-14 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox)
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The fourth and fifth chapters of the Book of Micah constitute a distinct section of that book. They apparently contain a mix of material from the prophet Micah and from a later period. The references to Assyria (5:4-5) are contemporary to the prophet, but the mention of Babylon (4:10) is not, for example. Also, Micah 4:1-5 bears a striking resemblance to to Isaiah 2:1-5/2:2-6 (depending on versification). This makes much sense, for scholars tell us that Micah and First Isaiah were contemporaries. Also, Biblical authors quoting and paraphrasing each other is a practice one encounters as one studies the Bible seriously. Alternatively, one may plausibly posit that the Book of Micah and the First Isaiah portion of the Book of Isaiah paraphrased the same source.
After all the doom and gloom of the first three chapters, the tonal shift in Micah 4 is impossible to miss. That which R. B. Y. Scott wrote in relation to the Book of Hosea applies to the Book of Micah, too:
The final word remains with mercy.
—The Relevance of the Prophets, 2nd. ed (1968), 80
Looking ahead, judgment will return in Chapters 6 and 7, but the Book of Micah concludes on a note of divine mercy.
The hopes of an ideal future remain attractive. I pray for a future in which nations will beat their swords into plowshares. I am a realist; I want to be a pacifist yet understand that some violence, sadly, is necessary. I also affirm that most violence is unnecessary. I yearn for the day when all people will be at shalom with themselves, each other, and God. I pray for the time when the reality of the world will be the fully-realized Kingdom of God.
A careful reader may notice certain details in the designated portion of the Book of Micah. 4:2 tells us that “many nations” will seek divine instruction at Mount Zion. It does not read, “all nations.” 4:11 tells us that “many nations” still oppose God’s covenant people. Reading this chapter, in its final form, can be confusing, given the mix of material from different eras. Micah 4:11f, in the context of 4:10 (“To Babylon you shall go….”) dates to a period later than the prophet Micah. Micah 4:11f, acknowledging a challenging geopolitical situation for Judah, comforts Judah with the promise of divine deliverance. Divine mercy on Judah will be divine judgment on Judah’s enemies. The vision of 4:1-8 remains unfulfilled in the rest of the chapter. In 4:14/5:1 (depending on versification), Jerusalem is under siege.
Dare we hope for the vision of Micah 4:1-8 to become reality, finally? Dare we have enough faith to accept this ancient prophecy as not being naive? Bringing the fully-realized Kingdom of God into existence is God’s work. Transforming the world from what it is into a state less unlike that high standard is the work of the people of God, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 26, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, ARCHBISHOP
THE FEAST OF HARDWICKE DRUMMOND RAWNSLEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LAMBERT PÉLOGUIN OF VENCE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP NERI, THE APOSTLE OF ROME AND THE FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE ORATORY
THE FEAST OF SAINT QUADRATUS THE APOLOGIST, EARLY CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST
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Above: The Siege of Jerusalem, 586 B.C.E.
Image in the Public Domain
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READING MICAH, PART IV
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Micah 3:1-12
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Leaders, by definition, have followers. Those who think they may be leaders can test this hypothesis easily; they can turn around and see if they have followers.
Continuing with the thread of divine judgment for exploiting the poor and working against the common good, we come to Micah 3. We read condemnations of kings and other rulers, who have maintained destructive policies. When the Assyrians (or later on, the Chaldeans/Neo-Babylonians) come, we read, these rulers will cry out to God. God will not answer them because of the evil they have committed. They have forsaken the covenant, with its mandate of social justice, including economic justice.
One who reads the Hebrew Bible closely enough and long enough should know about false prophets, whom kings kept on the payroll. These false prophets are targets in Micah 3:5-8. These prophets, the Hebrew text indicates, are:
like beastly creditors or snakes that bite the flesh off Israel with their teeth.
—The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), 1198
The language of beastly behavior, used to describe leaders (3:1-3) exists also in 3:5-8. In 3:5, the Hebrew verb nashakh (“to bite”) puns on the noun nahash (“snake”). In other contexts, nashakh means “to charge interest.” Charging interest carries negative connotations in Habakkuk 2:7 and Deuteronomy 23:20.
A population with predators for leaders is in an extremely difficult situation. One may think also of Ezekiel 34, the promise is that God, the Good Shepherd, will take the place of bad kings, bad shepherds. (Does Ezekiel 34 synchronize with Micah 2:12-13?) In Micah 3:12, however, the news is different and frightening:
Assuredly, because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field,
And Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,
And the Temple Mount
A shrine in the woods.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 25, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BEDE OF JARROW, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND FATHER OF ENGLISH HISTORY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDHELM OF SHERBORNE, POET, LITERARY SCHOLAR, ABBOT OF MALMESBURY, AND BISHOP OF SHERBORNE
THE FEAST OF SAINTS CRISTOBAL MAGOLLANES JARA AND AGUSTIN CALOCA CORTÉS, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SAINTS AND MARTYRS, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT MADELEINE-SOPHIE BARAT, FOUNDRESS OF THE SOCIETY OF THE SACRED HEART; AND SAINT ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MYKOLA TSEHELSKYI, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1951
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Above: Micah
Image in the Public Domain
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READING MICAH, PART III
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Micah 2:1-13
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The more I read commentaries, the more I realize how frequently wordplay occurs in the Hebrew Bible. Puns to not translate from Language A into Language B, of course. Given my fondness for puns, these details appeal to me. Consider Micah 2:1-3, O reader. Powerful and corrupt people design or work (depending on translation) evil/evil deeds/evil and wicked deeds (depending on translation). God plans misfortune/evil/disaster (depending on translation) in retribution.
The human evil in 2:1-3 consisted of flagrant violations of the Law of Moses. These wealthy, powerful, and corrupt evildoers were coveting and seizing the fields and homes of peasants. These greedy, already-wealthy people enriched themselves further at the expense of the less fortunate. These terrible human beings, who had sinned against God and those they had defrauded, had judged and condemned themselves. The Assyrians were about to swallow the (northern) Kingdom of Israel. Those greedy, corrupt, and powerful defrauders would lose everything then. This text, applied to a later period and the (southern) Kingdom of Judah, condemned greedy, powerful, and corrupt defrauders in the south. They would lose everything when the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire took over.
These situations remind me of the Beatitudes and Woes (Luke 6:20-26) from the Sermon on the Plain. This is the passage in which Jesus says that the poor–not the poor in spirit–the poor will receive the Kingdom of God. The translation of Luke 6:24 in The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) fits in with standard English-language versions of this verse.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
The Greek text can also mean:
But woe to you who are rich,
for you are receiving your consolation.
The wealthy, corrupt, and powerful defrauders of Micah 2 (regardless of timeframe)–before the Fall of Samaria in 722 B.C.E. or after 722 B.C.E. and before the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E.–received their consolations. Then the Assyrians or the Chaldeans/Neo-Babylonians took that consolation from them.
Divine judgment and mercy exist in balance. In the case of Micah 2:1-11, divine mercy on the oppressed constituted judgment on the oppressors, who did not want to hear the words of divine judgment.
Micah 2:12-13 refers to the return from the Babylonian Exile. Were these two verses original to Micah? They may have come from a subsequent period. Evidence of editors’ handiwork exists in the final version of the Book of Micah. The main idea, whenever someone wrote 2:12-13, holds: divine judgment and mercy exist in balance.
Micah 2:13 is ambiguous about the identity of the king. Is he human, certainly of the House of David? Or is God the king? Exegetes disagree. Study Bibles I consulted did not indicate a consensus position.
Micah 2 is unambiguous on another point, however: God will not tolerate injustice. The Book of Micah highlights economic injustice. I live in a society in which the chasm separating the rich from the poor has been growing wider for decades. In this context, I read Micah 2 and tremble. Divine punishment assumes many forms, all of them unpleasant.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 25, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BEDE OF JARROW, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND FATHER OF ENGLISH HISTORY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDHELM OF SHERBORNE, POET, LITERARY SCHOLAR, ABBOT OF MALMESBURY, AND BISHOP OF SHERBORNE
THE FEAST OF SAINTS CRISTOBAL MAGOLLANES JARA AND AGUSTIN CALOCA CORTÉS, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SAINTS AND MARTYRS, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT MADELEINE-SOPHIE BARAT, FOUNDRESS OF THE SOCIETY OF THE SACRED HEART; AND SAINT ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MYKOLA TSEHELSKYI, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1951
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Above: Map of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
Image Scanned from an Old Bible
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READING MICAH, PART II
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Micah 1:2-16
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Micah 1:2-3:12 consists of oracles of divine punishment. I choose to unpack this section in three installments. The first installment concludes where Chapter 1 does.
For an explanation of the terms “Jacob” and “Israel” in the Book of Micah, I refer you, O reader, to the first post in this series.
Idolatry (metaphorically, prostitution; see the Book of Hosea) was ubiquitous in the (northern) Kingdom of Israel and the (southern) Kingdom of Judah. God’s coming would be frightening and cause natural disasters. Only Samaria , the capital of the (northern) Kingdom of Israel, and that kingdom would fall in 1:2-7, though.
Who mourned for Jerusalem in 1:8-16? Micah himself? The people of Israel? God? The ambiguity of the text invites speculation. More than one answer may be correct. And, given (A) the passage of time, (B) new contexts in which to read 1:8-16, and (C) the layers of composition in the Book of Micah, all three answers I have listed may be correct. Considering the divine pathos in Hosea 11:8-9, God is a feasible candidate for the identity of the mourner in Micah 2:8-16.
Micah 1:10-14 contains Hebrew wordplay in place names. The following translations from notes in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014):
- Verse 10–“In Dusthouse I will roll myself in dust.”
- Verse 11–“Pass on your way, girl of Pretty-town, in shameful nakedness.”
- Verse 12–“The girl of Bitterness-town aches for good, yet evil has come down from the LORD at the gate of Jerusalem.”
- Verse 14–“The houses of Deception-ville shall be a deception to the kings of Israel.”
Towns, personified as females, receive omens. Yet Jerusalem receives no such omen. The Kingdom of Judah will suffer, but Jerusalem will not fall–yet.
Shave the pate and shear your hair
over your pampered children.
Make yourself bald as an eagle,
for they are gone from you into exile.
–Micah 1:16, Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible (2019)
The Babylonian Exile would happen. It did happen. It also ended.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 25, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BEDE OF JARROW, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND FATHER OF ENGLISH HISTORY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDHELM OF SHERBORNE, POET, LITERARY SCHOLAR, ABBOT OF MALMESBURY, AND BISHOP OF SHERBORNE
THE FEAST OF SAINTS CRISTOBAL MAGOLLANES JARA AND AGUSTIN CALOCA CORTÉS, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SAINTS AND MARTYRS, 1927
THE FEAST OF SAINT MADELEINE-SOPHIE BARAT, FOUNDRESS OF THE SOCIETY OF THE SACRED HEART; AND SAINT ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MYKOLA TSEHELSKYI, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1951
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Above: Men in Boat (1860), by Alfred R. Waud (1828-1891)
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsca-20362
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The Collect:
O God of peace, you brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus Christ, the shepherd of the sheep.
By the blood of your eternal covenant, make us complete
in everything good that we may do your will,
and work among us all that is well-pleasing in your sight,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 33
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The Assigned Readings:
Ezekiel 45:1-9
Psalm 100
Acts 9:32-35
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Acknowledge that the LORD is God;
He made us and we are His,
His people, the flock He tends.
–Psalm 100:3, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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Acknowledging that the LORD is God entails, among other things, living accordingly. Psalm 14:1a and 53:2a (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures, 1985) tell us that
The benighted man thinks,
“God does not care.”
The standard English-language translation from the Hebrew text is close to the rendering in The Revised English Bible (1989):
The impious fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
The difference in translation is mostly in the second half of that passage. The issue in Psalms 14 and 53 is practical atheism, not the denial of the existence of God. Belief in God, in the Biblical sense, is trust in God, not mere affirmation of divine existence. Thus the benighted man/impious fool operates under the mistaken idea that God does not care. Actually, God cares deeply, especially about how we mortals treat each other.
Land was a patrimony and therefore a matter of great importance in Biblical times. A member of one generation held it in trust for heirs. Yet monarchs evicted legitimate landowners and seized land some times. This is the matter in Ezekiel 45:8b-9 (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures, 1985):
My princes shall no more defraud My people, but shall leave the rest of the land to the several tribes of the House of Israel.
Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough, princes of Israel! Make an end of lawlessness and rapine, and do what is right and just! Put an end to your evictions of My people–declares the Lord GOD.
References to such evictions occur in 1 Kings 21:1-16; Isaiah 5:8; and Micah 2:2.
The timeless message here is that nobody has any right to improve his or her financial position by victimizing others, especially the powerless and the less powerful. Climbing the ladder of success by kicking others off it is immoral.
St. Simon Peter’s healing of Aeneas, a man bedridden with paralysis for eight years, built up Aeneas, restoring him to health and community.
Whatever we do to each other is what we do to ourselves. If we keep others”in their place,” seemingly to improve our circumstances, we really hurt ourselves, for we doom ourselves to monitor others instead of pursuing proper opportunities. May we build each other up in the name of Jesus Christ, enabling each other to become the people we can become in God, for the glory of God and the benefit of the whole. To use a cliché, we are all in the same boat.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 31, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF JOHN WYCLIFFE, BIBLE TRANSLATOR
NEW YEAR’S EVE
THE FEAST OF PHILIPP HEINRICH MOLTHER, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, BISHOP, COMPOSER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF ROSSITER WORTHINGTON RAYMOND, U.S. NOVELIST, POET, HYMN WRITER, AND MINING ENGINEER
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/devotion-for-tuesday-after-the-fourth-sunday-of-easter-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Second Coming Icon
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
By your merciful protection awaken us to the threatening dangers of our sins,
and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever . Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 18
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The Assigned Readings:
Micah 2:1-13
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Matthew 24:15-31
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Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock,
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
stir up your strength and come to help us.
Restore us, O God of hosts;
show the light of your countenance,
and we shall be saved.
–Psalm 80:1-3, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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The assigned readings for today begin with a violent and exploitative regime in power and end with with God having supplanted them. The lesson from Micah ends with a new shepherd–Yahweh. In Matthew the coming of the Son of Man (Jesus) extinguishes the light of the Sun and the Moon, the blessing of which Roman Emperors claimed. Thus, as a note in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003) says on pages 1790 and 1791:
Jesus’ coming is “lights-out” time for Rome.
This is a devotion for the last day of the Season after Pentecost, Year A. The next day in the liturgical sequence will be the First Sunday of Advent, Year B. Thus focusing on the Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of this world is an especially appropriate thing do do in this post. The Roman Empire ceased to exist a long time ago, but exploitative and violent socio-economic-political systems remain in place. Their “lights-out” time has yet to arrive. The Kingdom of God, realized partially for a very long time, has yet to arrive in full force. Until it does each of us should ask himself or herself a potent question: With which kingdom am I aligned? Proper subsequent action will depend upon the honest answer.
Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee,
High on on Thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory,
Claim the Kingdom for Thine own:
O come quickly!
O come quickly!
Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!
–Charles Wesley, 1758 (altered), from The Hymnal (1933), Hymn #184
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CONSTANCE AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF ANNE HOULDITCH SHEPHERD, ANGLICAN NOVELIST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ISAAC THE GREAT, PATRIARCH OF ARMENIA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM CHATTERTON DIX, HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2014/09/09/devotion-for-saturday-before-the-first-sunday-of-advent-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: An Orthodox Icon of the Prophet Micah
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Micah 2:1-5 (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures):
Ah, those who plan iniquity
And design evil on their beds;
When morning dawns, they do it,
For they have the power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
Houses, and take them away.
They defraud men of their homes,
And people of their land.
Assuredly, thus says the LORD:
I am planning such a misfortune against this clan that you will not be able to free your necks from it. You will not be able to walk erect; it will be such a time of disaster.
In that day,
One shall recite a poem about you,
And utter a bitter lament,
And shall say:
My people’s portion changes hands;
How it slips away from me!
Our field is allotted to a rebel.
We are utterly ravaged.
Truly, none of you
Shall cast a lot cord
In the assembly of the LORD
Psalm 10:1-9, 18-19 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Why do you stand so far off, O LORD,
and hide yourself in time of trouble?
2 The wicked arrogantly persecute the poor,
but they are trapped in the schemes they have devised.
3 The wicked boast of their heart’s desire;
the covetous curse and revile the LORD.
4 The wicked are so proud that they care not for God;
their only thought is, “God does not matter.”
5 Their ways are devious at all times;
your judgments are far above out of their sight;
they defy all their enemies.
6 They say in their heart, “I shall not be shaken’
no harm shall happen to me ever.”
7 Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression;
under their tongue are mischief and wrong.
8 They lurk in ambush in public squares
and in secret places they murder the innocent;
they spy out the helpless.
9 They lie in wait, like a lion in a covert;
they lie in wait to seize upon the lowly;
they seize the lowly and drag them away in their net.
18 The LORD will hear the defense of the humble;
you will strengthen their heart and your ears shall hear;
19 To give justice to the orphan and the oppressed,
so that mere mortals may strike terror no more.
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There are Christian understandings (plural) of the mechanics and meaning of the Atonement. This fact might shock some people, but so be it; “facts are,” as John Adams said, “stubborn things.” One of these understandings is the Conquest of Satan. This case, dating to at least Saint Justin Martyr (Second Century), quotes Colossians 1:13 and 2:15, 1 Corinthians 15:25-25, and Romans 8:38-39. (Thanks to Linwood Urban, A Short History of Christian Thought, Revised and Expanded Edition, 1995, page 108, for much useful information.)
The reading from Micah reminded me of this, minus Jesus, of course. (The historical figure of Jesus had not been born yet.) No matter how powerful the powers of evil are or seem to be, God has more might. ”Evil” is an appropriate adjective for those who “plan iniquity,” covet and seize fields and homes, and defraud people with malice aforethought. There will be justice, Micah tells us. The rich, who already have plenty, will pay the price for defrauding the poor.
The battle is not yet finished, of course. Genocides continue, cruelty has not ended, and white-collar crime involving mind-boggling sums of money persists. So the suffering of innocents continues. Yet there will be justice, and the battle is the Lord’s.
So, to quote the Conquest of Satan interpretation of the Atonement, God has made a public example of evil powers, and nothing–not even evil–can separate us from the love of God in Christ. The conquest of evil is not yet complete, but it has at least begun.
My theology of the Atonement is broader than this understanding, but I do borrow from the Conquest of Satan interpretation. There is much merit in this aspect of Saint Justin Martyr’s theology. God is sovereign, despite certain appearances to the contrary. May we never forget this, and so may we trust in God and live faithfully and confidently in Christ.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF HENRI NOUWEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF ANDREW KIM TAEGON, PAUL CHONG HASANT, AND THEIR COMPANIONS MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF C. (CHALRES) H. (HAROLD) DODD, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS
THE FEAST OF JOHN WESLEY TROUT, FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN U.S. LUTHERAN BISHOP
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Published originally at ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS BY KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR on September 20, 2011
Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/week-of-proper-10-saturday-year-2/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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