Introduction – When God gives a
man (or a nation) up to his vile passions and sins, He is not operating like an
exasperated parent who is giving up on a rebellious teenager. Nor is He wringing His hands up in heaven wondering
what in the world is going to happen next.
God’s providential hand is everywhere.
Arrogantly thinking they have the world in their control, the wicked
soon learn that God was using every evil plan of theirs for His own purposes.
Devising Iniquity (vv1-2) - like
drinking and driving, coveting and power don’t mix.
“Woe to
those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light
they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and take them by violence,
Also houses, and seize them. So they
oppress a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.” (Micah 2:1-2).
When Power is
Corrupted – Our cultural mandate is to subdue and rule
the earth. We are made to wield
power. But since the fall, we show ourselves
time and again willing to use that power without regard for the second great
commandment.
A Seared
Conscious – They fall asleep planning evil and jump out
of bed well-rested and ready to put their plan to work. This is evidence of a seared conscience,
like one who has walked on hot coals (Prov 6:8).
The Power of
Covetousness – Once covetousness reigns in the heart, it
will bear out in manifold sins, and compassion towards others will be
gone. 1 John says that if a man loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. In the same way, the love of his neighbor will not be in
him. The rich and powerful have many
opportunities to express that covetousness and will apart from the grace of God
(remember Ahab and Naboth, 1 Kings 21 – also David and Bathsheba). The poor may have less opportunities to
apply their coveting, but that doesn’t mean they are not tempted to covet.
Thought You Pulled a Fast One
(vv3-4) – There is a play on words here.
You were ‘devising iniquity’ thinking God was asleep. He was ‘devising disaster’. You ‘covet fields’, and God will ‘divide’
those same ‘fields’.
“Therefore
thus says the Lord: “Behold,
against this family I am devising disaster, From which you cannot remove your
necks; Nor shall you walk haughtily, For this is an evil time. In that day one
shall take up a proverb against you, And lament with a bitter lamentation,
saying: ‘We are utterly destroyed! He has changed the heritage of my people;
How He has removed it from me! To a turncoat He has divided our fields.’
” (Micah 2:3-4).
Retribution In
Kind – God promises to render an ‘eye for an eye’
justice. The wicked falls into the
ditch he prepared (Ps 7:14-16), or hangs himself on his own gallows (Est
7:9-7). The curse upon King David
because of his infidelity is that his family will be broken up (2 Sam
12:10-12), and it begins with Amnon’s own illicit sexual desires. A man will reap what he sows, and as Moses
promised, “…be sure, your sin will find you out” (Num 32:23).
The Yoke of
Providence – Matthew Henry summarizes these verses, “They
who will not be overruled will be overcome”. Rebellion is not only sinful; it is foolish. In their unbelief, they do not understand
Who they have now made their Adversary.
That Bitter
Proverb – This is what Micah declares, and this is what
the Jews, those who have been cut out of the covenant, have been known as for
centuries throughout the world – an oppressed and persecuted people. It is the judgment of God. But this is not an anti-Semitic statement
when we understand that we have a warning of an even greater judgment if we do
not keep the covenant (Rom 11:19-22).
Children of the covenant, you should always remember this warning. Do not fall into the sin of covenantal
presumption – it will sear your conscience.
A Hint of Hope –“Therefore you
will have no one to determine boundaries by lot In the assembly of the Lord.” (Micah 2:5) The doom of the wicked is sure. The very land you hoped to own will be in
someone else’s hands. But notice, the
wicked have been put out of the assembly of the Lord. This means that the assembly of the Lord will be restored. God will have His assembly. God will have His land. He will have His church who will worship Him
in Spirit and Truth.
Applications -
The Promise of
Retribution – “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but
rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will
repay”, says the Lord.” – Rom 12:19. We
are known for our lawyers, and our litigious society. It is due to our covetousness, but it is also due to our lack of
faith in God’s promise to make all things right. When you are wronged, do you trust the Lord to bring justice and
look to Him?
God’s Hand of
Providence – God is at work in all things. He has ordered all things. He upholds all things. God is the God of calamities (Is 45:7). You must believe that in order to truly
believe that God works out all things for good to those who love God and are
the called (Rom 8:28).
Which Yoke Are
You Wearing? – You are either wearing a yoke of your own devising;
your covetousness, your demand for autonomy from God, and your
self-justification of all your sin – and this yoke that feels so nice, so free,
so easy – is going to crush you. Or you
are wearing the yoke that truly releases burdens and truly frees the soul (Matt
11:20-30)