Friday, September 11, 2009

No excuses (and no celebration, either)!

"Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me. I must bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he takes my side and executes judgment for me."
(Micah 7:8-9)

We seem to have a morbid fascination with people who have "fallen from grace." Whether it's a story of a celebrity who has gotten in trouble, a politician caught up in a scandal, a religious leader beset by 'moral failing,' an athlete who has (another) run-in with the law, etc. We love to watch/listen/read about them. But whenever WE'RE the ones on the 'hot seat,' it's a different story. We hate when others gloat over our misfortunes, don't we?

The prophet Micah wrote at a time when the nation of Israel was going through much difficulty. The northern tribes (Israel) had been over-run by the Assyrians. The southern tribes (Judah) were spared, but their time would soon come (from the Babylonians). Micah witnessed God's chastising of his people. Sin had ruled far too long. But instead of making excuses or fighting the punishment or asking "why me?" Micah accepted God's judgment. And yet, he didn't despair. He knew God would not abandon them. In God's timing, they'd be restored. In the meantime, God would be a light in their darkness. He could take his punishment & wait on the LORD.

We have a lot to learn from this. About how to react when we (and others) face difficulties. No excuses. And no celebration, either, when it falls upon others. Can we trust God's presence in our lives even amidst correction? (NOTE: not everything bad that happens is necessarily "punishment" or "judgment" from God. That's the message of the book of Job in the OT! But we must also come to grips with the fact that our actions have consequences... and sometimes (oftentimes?) what we do DOES come back to haunt us. I'm just saying...)

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